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LEAGUE OF NATIONS-1920

THE WORLD’S FIRST INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTION

League of Nations, an organization for international cooperation established on

January 10, 1920, at the initiative of the victorious Allied Powers at the end of
World War I.

IDEA OF LEAGUE
a. Woodrow Wilsons Fourteen Points
Woodrow Wilson, the then President of USA gave her famous fourteen
points towards the end of World War-I. Among these points he floated the
idea of making an organization to resolve disputes peacefully. When the
peace conference met in 1919, it was generally agreed that its task should
include the establishment of a League of Nations capable of ensuring future
peace. U.S. Pres. Woodrow Wilson insisted that this should be among the
first questions to be dealt with by the conference.

b. To inhibit or control future wars

The terrible losses of World War I produced, as years went by and peace
seemed no nearer, an ever growing public demand that some method be
found to prevent the renewal of the suffering and destruction which were
now seen to be an inescapable part of modern war. So great was the force of
this demand that within a few weeks after the opening of the Paris Peace
Conference in January 1919, unanimous agreement had been reached on the
text of the Covenant of the League of Nations. Although the League was
unable to fulfill the hopes of its founders, its creation was an event of
decisive importance in the history of international relations

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c. Different Viewpoints
Over many years lawyers had worked out plans for the settlement of
disputes between states by legal means or, failing these, by third-party
arbitration, and the Hague conferences of 1899 and 1907 had held long
debates on these subjects. The results had been unimpressive; the 1907
conference tried in vain to set up an international court, and though many
arbitration treaties were signed between individual states, they all contained
reservations which precluded their application in more dangerous disputes.

d. Create an international institution for peace and security

The devastation engendered by the brutal WW-I, strengthened the
conviction that non-existence of an international arbitrator / mediator to
resolve the conflicts is a major cause of war. To resolve the disputes among
the states in a placid manner an international body should be there to govern
and regularize the dealings.

e. To Disarm Nations
It was widely believed that the enormous increase in armaments undertaken
by the great powers of Europe during the immediate prewar period had been
not only a consequence, but also in itself a cause, of tension, hostility, and
finally war. The naval arms race between the United Kingdom and Germany
was an especially obvious manifestation of this phenomenon. Equally strong
was the belief that “secret diplomacy,” that is, the existence, under secret
treaty, of commitments for reciprocal diplomatic or military support, had
enabled statesmen and generals to run risks which public opinion would
never have countenanced had they been known.
Accordingly, the members of the league were supposed to disarm / minimize
their military capabilities so that the threat of future war could be eliminated.

f. To Create International Judicial Organs

The prestigious Permanent Court of International Justice was established at
the Hague conference outside and prior to the League, yet it was assigned
all the disputes of international community within the League of Nation.

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Organs of the League of Nations

The League had four organs
1. Council
The council had fifteen members including four major powers, which
were named the permanent members. It met four times a year and
otherwise as needed.
2. Assembly
All the members of the League were the members of the assembly; which
met once a year to review the general work of the League to discuss any
problem.
Functions of Assembly;
 Admission of new states
 Periodical elections of non-permanent member to council
 Control of budget
3. Secretariat
The day to day house-keeping, planning and programming were assigned to
it. It consisted about 750 persons drawn from fifty states.
Functions
 Coordination
 Record keeping of agencies of league
 Formulating league policy
4. PCIJ and ILO
Although these were not direct organs of the League but were closely
associated to it.

FORMATION AND PROBLEMS

i. USA didn’t join the leagu
ii. British empire and french empire manipulated the league
iii. Discrimination against soviet union and germany

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Major achievements
a. Predecessor to United Nations; foot prints for UN
b. First global international organization
c. Success of league in prevention of war
i. Turkey and iraq on mosul
ii. Finland and sweden on aaland islands

DISPUTES SOLVED BY THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

 Poland was in frequent distress, fearing for its independence against
threats from neighboring Russia, which in 1920 occupied the city of
Vilna and handed it over to Lithuanian allies. Following a demand
that Poland recognize Lithuanian independence, the League became
involved.

 Vilna was returned to Poland, but hostilities with Lithuania continued.

The League was also brought in as Poland grappled with Germany
about Upper Silesia and with Czechoslovakia over the town of
Teschen.

 Other areas of dispute that the League got involved in included the
squabble between Finland and Sweden over the Aaland Islands,
disputes between Hungary and Rumania, Finland’s separate quarrels
with Russia, Yugoslavia and Austria, a border argument between
Albania and Greece, and the tussle between France and England over
Morocco.

 In 1923, following the murder of Italian General Enrico Tellini and

his staff within the borders of Greece, Benito Mussolini retaliated by
bombing and invading the Greek island Corfu. Greece requested the
League’s help, but Mussolini refused to work with it.

FAILURES OF LEAGUE
a. Failure to resolve major issues of international peace
and security
b. Italy attacked Ethiopia

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c. Japan’s invasion of china 1930

d. It failed to develop consensus on major international
issues.
CAUSES OF FAILURE OF LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Unfortunately League was helping and solving matters of minor states because of
influence of BIG POWERS on world League failed to implement its will on them
which gave a true picture of its contradiction of covenant.
League failed in its main object of maintaining peace in the world. Despite its
efforts for two decades, the world was involved in a war in 1939. By that time, the
machinery of the League Of Nations had completely broken down.
The failure of League Of Nations can be attributed to many causes.
1. Absence Of Great Powers :
It was unfortunate that the covenant of the League of Nations was
made a part parcel of the peace settlement. It would have been better
if it had kept separate. There were many states which consider the
Treaty Of Versailles as a treaty of revenge, and were not prepared to
ratify the same. By not retifying the treaty , they refused to be the
members of the League.
The absence of the great powers from the international organization
weakened her and was partly responsible for its ultimate failure.
Japan , Germany and Italy also left the League and their defection
must have weakened the League.
2. Domination Of France and England :
It was felt that the League Of Nations was dominated by England and
France and consequently the other states began to loose their
confidence in that organization.
3. Rise Of Dictatorship:
The rise of dictatorship in Italy, Japan and Germany also weakened
the chances of success of the League of Nations .
Japan was determined to acquire fresh territories and her unscrupulous
patriotism threw to the winds of all principles of international law and
morality. If the League was to prepared to condone her fault of
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conquering Manchuria . She was to prepared to give up her

membership of the League and that is exactly what she actually did.
When League decided to take action against Italy on account for her
aggression in Abyssinia , Italy left the League.
4. Limitations Of Legal Methods :
The League was fairly efficient in structure and probably would have
worked if there had existed a realization of a community of interest.
Law grows out of public opinion can not operate in disjunction with
it. In the case of League law proposed and opinion disposed.
5. Constitutional Defect :
The League Of Nations failed because of certain constitutional defects.
In the cases of disputes brought before the council of the League under
Article 11, decisions of the council had to be unanimous in order to
adjudge a nation guilty of having violated the covenant by resort to
war or unjustifiable aggression, In Article 15. If the decisions were not
unanimous verdict under Article 11, the disputing parties were free to
resume the hostilities after a period of 3 months. By allowing
exceptions , the covenant seemed to assumed that was remained the
normal solution of international disputes.

6. Lack Of Mutual Co-Operation :

The member of the league lack mutual co-operation which is always
essential for the success of an organization.
For France the League was an instrument for providing her security
from Germany.
On the other hand Great Britain wanted League protecting her
imperialist interest .
Hitler found League a great hurdle on the way of rise of Germany.

7. Role of Japan -Manchurian Crisis :

On the night of Sep. 18-19, 1931 some Japanese soldiers making an
attempt to blow off the railway line near Mukdan .Japan took full

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advantage of this minor incident and on the 18th Sep.1931 She invaded
Manchuria and also occupied all Japanese cities north of Mukdan.
League of Nations failed to implement sanctions on Japan and on
March 27 , 1933 Japan decided to withdraw her membership of League
of Nation.

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