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Manchuria & Abyssinia: Where it all went wrong for the league of nations

Manchuria & Abyssinia: Where it all went wrong for the league of nations. The league so far…. Had been set up due to the Treaty of Versailles

sebastian-sykes
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Manchuria & Abyssinia: Where it all went wrong for the league of nations

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  1. Manchuria & Abyssinia: Where it all went wrong for the league of nations

  2. The league so far… • Had been set up due to the Treaty of Versailles • Was meant to keep world peace, help out countries by solving disputes peaceably and helping them economically too, and ensure the terms of the treaty were kept to. • Had mixed success in the 1920s: • Successes included the aaland islands (1921), upper silesia (1921), the economical crisis of austria & hungary (1923) and the greek-bulgarian incident (1925), plus humanitarian aid work • Failures included Vilna (1920) and corfu (1923), plus the signing of various treaties without its consent.

  3. Manchuria, 1931-3 • Manchuria seen as part of China, but Japan owned the South Manchurian railway.Manchuria was an area rich in resources and coveted by both nations. • In 1931 officers of the Kwantung Army of Japan staged an explosion on the railway line, near Mukden. This became known as the Mukden incident. • Japan blamed China, and invaded • The league issued an investigation, and in 1932 the Lytton Commission condemned Japan • However some members of the league sympathised with Japan’s efforts to restore order on the region • After the league decided Japan was wrong, Japan left the league • Due to the distance, it was very difficult to impose any kind of sanctions • Japan went on to take over other areas of China

  4. Abyssinia, 1935 • Italy, after seeing the success of Japan in the Manchurian crisis, decided to invade Abyssinia • They had two main motivations: 1) To seek revenge for defeat in a previous war 2) To gain more colonies in Africa- most other nations had colonies there, why shouldn’t they? It was located next to existing Italian colonies and would be an easy target. • Both Italy & Abyssinia were members of the league • France and Britain would have to stand strong in order to make Italy back down, but were reluctant as they saw Mussolini as a strong potential ally against Germany

  5. Abyssinia, continued… • Laval (French foreign minister) and Mussolini met in Rome. They made secret agreements- Laval tried to win Mussolini’s friendship, but Mussolini interpreted this as an offer to do what he liked in Abyssinia. Hoare (GB foreign secretary) tried to warn Italy off invading Abyssinia. • Italy invaded 3rd October 1935, and met no real competition from the poor Abyssinian forces. • League condemned Italy and imposed sanctions, but did not close the Suez Canal, allowing supplies to still reach the Italian army

  6. The Hoare-Laval Plan • Agreed Abyssinia would be split up, with Italy gaining fertile lands. • Abyssinia woul dbe much smaller, and consist of barren lands, plus the “corridor for camels” • Details of the plan were leaked, and Hoare & Laval had to resign • But damage had been done- everyone knew GB & FR had been working to undermine the league’s apparently tough stance

  7. Abyssinia… how it ended… • The league was powerless when its most important members were not committed • The Italians reached the capital of Abyssinia unchecked • The Abyssinian emperor fled and made a speech at the Assembly of the League of Nations, condemning how it had acted and summarizing the war

  8. Why these events signalled the end for the league… • Manchuria showed weakness, but because of the distance it was easy for people to believe if such a problem came up closer to home, it would be dealt with effectively • However, Abyssinia showed the league’s weakness even when the event was close at hand/local • It demonstrated how uncommitted the leading members were- how they went behind the league’s back if they had some other agenda to fulfil, and did not take it seriously • Therefore from then on no-one took the league seriously, and it lost all authority.

  9. Consequences of the league’s failures • The victims of aggression were left defenceless against powerful enemies like Italy- no security • The aggressors were effectively encouraged and realised they could get away with quite allot • Britain and France had to face up to the fact that war was a very real possibility, and find new ways to deal with international aggression • The league of nation’s credibility was completely destroyed, and the idea that countries could stand together firmly to aid collective security was proved wrong

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