How successful was the League of Nations? Explain your answer. [12]

Introduction:

The League of Nations was set in 1920. Its key aims were to resolve international disputes without war, practice of collective security, promoting disarmament and promoting social and economic co-operation between countries.


Main Body:

The League’s greatest success was in promoting social and economic co-operation between countries. Committees such as the International Labour Organisation and the Health Organisation were set up to improve the welfare of workers and to fight against the spread of diseases. They were quite effective. The League helped millions of refugees to return home after the war. The Health Commission helped to reduce the spread of contagious diseases through international vaccination programmes. The League also managed to reduce the smuggling of cheap labour, opium and dangerous chemicals across international borders. All these fulfilled the aim of promoting social and economic co-operation between countries.

The League had mixed success in resolving international disputes without war. It was successful in resolving some disputes such as the territorial dispute between Finland and Sweden over Aland Island in 1920 and the dispute over Upper Silesia between Germany and Poland in 1921. In both cases, the countries in dispute accepted the League’s decisions and war was avoided. However, the League was helpless in stopping the outbreak of war between Greece and Turkey in 1920-1922. These incidents demonstrated that the League were only able to resolve some conflicts but not all.

In terms of collective security and disarmament, the League failed miserably. In the 1920s, such limitations were already evident. The League did not stop Poland from seizing Vilna from Lithuania in 1920. The League also did nothing to stop France and Belgium from invading Ruhr from Germany. In the 1930s, despite blatant acts of aggression, the League did nothing substantial to deter the aggressors. This was more evident when Japan and Italy were not punished when they invaded Manchuria in 1931 and Abyssinia in 1935 respectively. Disarmament was also a total failure. During the World Disarmament Conference, France refused to disarm, even though it was a key member of the League. As a result, many countries began to rearm, especially Germany. Thus, the League has obviously failed in its aim to promote disarmament and to deter aggressors through collective security.