Menara Rathnayake

2. To what extent did the League of Nations achieve its aims? Discuss successes and failures in the
1920s and 1930s.

The League of Nations, aimed to bring post-WW1 peace across Europe and settle any uprising future
disputes, did achieve these aims in the 1920s; through their humanitarian roles, conflict prevention
and resolution and treaties for peace. However, during the 1930s, they experienced many crisis and
conflicts of self-control and aggression, that ultimately lead into the failure of the League in
achieving their aims in preventing any further conflicting.

The League of Nations during the 1920s, did have success in achieving their aims for peace. They
aided countries through humanitarian crises, including the humanitarian role they played in Turkey.
As well as financially supporting the country by spending over 10 million pounds on building home
and farms, and more money was invested in seed wells and digging tools. Then by 1926, the League
had created employment for over 600,000 people in Turkey, which showed the great support that
League providing, which represent some success in their peace goals. A member of the League also
calls the work “the greatest work of mercy which mankind has undertaken”. Alongside this, they also
successfully resolved and prevented any further disputes between the European countries. The
dispute between Sweden and Finland over the Aland Islands, proved their success, resolved int eh
favour of Finland in 1921.These islands were both nearly equally distant from either countries, with
the islands being traditionally belonged to Finland, however most islanders wanted to be governed
by Sweden. Neither opposing countries could come to a decision on who rightfully owned those
islands, and in 1921, the League was asked to adjudicate. The League’s decision was that they should
remain with Finland, but that no weapons ever is kept there. This decision was accepted and put into
place by both countries, and successfully remains in force to this day. Lastly, through treaties, the
League of Nations was able to accomplish their goals in making agreements and averting any
disputes. The Treaty of Locarno was a series of agreements whereby Germany, France, Belgium,
Great Britain and Italy mutually guaranteed peace in Western Europe. It was signed in 1925, and
stated that Germany, Belgium and France would never attack each other except in “legitimate
defence”; that they would settle their disputes by pacific means. It also noted an evacuation of Allied
troops from the Rhineland in 1930, five years ahead of schedule. The success of the Locarno
agreements led to the admission of Germany to the League of Nations in September 1926, with a
seat on its council as a permanent member. During the decade of the 1920s, the League set out and
achieved its aims, which brought it success in doing so.

Although the League of Nations had some success in the 1920s, in the 1930s they went through
major downfalls through unsettling disputes, which ultimately lead into their failures in reaching
their goals. The League failed to handle the Manchurian Crisis during 1931 to 1933. After the
Mukden incident of the Japanese invading Chinese region of Manchuria, the League members were
unwilling to impose economic sanctions on Japan, since the Depression had damaged the world.
While the Great Powers also were unwilling to take military action, as countries including Britain
feared Japanese attacks on its colonies in the Far East. Japan then kept Manchuria and left the
League in 1933, and the League didn’t “stop aggression in Manchuria [which] had grave
consequences in Europe too.”(Robottom,1976) They were unable to handle and take over this
dispute and showed “there was no power in the world to stop a determined aggression”. (Robottom,
1976). The second crisis during the 1930s, that the League of Nations failed to adjudicate was the
Abyssinian Crisis (1935-1936). This was when in October 1935, Abyssinia was invaded by Italy (led by
Mussolini) and one again the League failed to stop the aggression. As Italy was a much smaller
country than the surrounding Great Powers, they also wanted a chance for revenge after being
defeated at the battle of Adowa and being “only given crumbs” (Mussolini, 1933) at the peace
negotiations. The successful action against Italy was dependent on Britain and France, however they
were unwilling to take strong measures. This was mainly because they were terrified that if they
imposed full sanctions it would lead to war with Italy and also because they wanted to keep
Mussolini as an ally. This though, once again displayed the weakness of the League and ultimately
countries lost faith in the League and its ideals. This aggression had once again had been shown to
work, and Hitler took note of this closely. Alongside, the unfair blame on Germany for the war
through Article 231, and Germany’s enforced isolation until 1926, Hitler and his Nazi campaign came
to rise with the desire of revenge on the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations. Since the
League of Nations has shown that its weak by has constructing a “permanent community of nations
which are not equal” (Hitler, 1933). The Nazi campaign took its chances in revenge and uprising
aggression that ultimately lead into the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, in which the
League of Nations in its aims had finally failed to prevent.

While the League of Nations did accomplish some its aims and achieved success during the 1920s,
mainly through its humanitarian role, a few treaties and settling some European territorial disputes,
the League of Nation ultimately failed its main aim it set out to do, which was to prevent the
outbreak of another world war. However because of the weak foundations, agreements and the
inability to avert arguments, when faced with aggression and self-interest of countries, they were
unable to take control and easily let the uprising of the Second World War in 1939 occur.