The League of Nations Attempts at Peacekeeping in the 1920s
Plebiscites: This democratic method involved allowing the population of a contested region to vote on which country they wished to belong to, used successfully in Upper Silesia in 1921.
Arbitration: The League often referred disputes to the Permanent Court of International Justice or the Council of Ambassadors to seek legal or diplomatic settlements between conflicting parties.
Financial Compensation: Aggressors could be ordered to pay money to the victimized nation as an apology and to cover damages, as seen in the settlement of the Bulgaria dispute in 1925.
| Case Study | Outcome | Reason for Result |
|---|---|---|
| Aaland Islands | Success | Both Sweden and Finland agreed to abide by the League's ruling. |
| Vilna | Failure | France and Britain were reluctant to use force against Poland, an ally. |
| Corfu | Failure | Mussolini used his power to bypass the League via the Conference of Ambassadors. |
Identify the Aggressor: Always check if the dispute involves a Great Power (like Italy) or smaller nations. The League's failure is almost always linked to the reluctance of permanent members to challenge powerful states.
Evaluate the Method: Be prepared to explain why a plebiscite worked in Upper Silesia but moral condemnation failed in Vilna. Link the success of a method to the willingness of the disputing parties to cooperate.
The 'No Army' Argument: When discussing why the League failed to enforce its decisions, prioritize the fact that the League had no standing army and had to rely on members to volunteer troops, which they were often unwilling to do.
Misconception: The League was totally useless in the 1920s: While it failed in Corfu and Vilna, it achieved genuine successes in the Aaland Islands and Bulgaria, proving it could work when members were committed.
Pitfall: Confusing the Assembly and Council: Remember that the Assembly was the large body where all nations had a vote, while the Council was a smaller executive body dominated by permanent members (Britain, France, Italy, Japan) who held veto power.
Misconception: Trade Sanctions were always effective: Without the participation of the USA, trade sanctions were often undermined, as aggressive nations could simply trade with non-member states.
Precedent for the 1930s: The success of Mussolini in the Corfu crisis set a dangerous precedent, showing future dictators that the League could be manipulated or bypassed through separate diplomatic organizations.
Transition to the United Nations: The flaws identified in the League's peacekeeping structure in the 1920s directly informed the creation of the UN Security Council, which was designed with stronger enforcement mechanisms.