3. Reading - League of Nations; Threats to Peace

Title / 3. Reading - League of Nations; Threats to Peace
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Objectives
Author / M G Callagher
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Focus Questions

What role was the League of Nations intended to play in keeping the peace?

How was the League of Nations weakened from the start?

For what reasons did the French not put their faith and security in the new League of Nations?

By what other means did the French seek to secure their country against future attack?

What were some of the threats to peace in the early 1920s?

League of Nations – Aims

The aim of the League of Nations was to secure world peace and international cooperation.
The idea to establish a League of Nations was the 14th point of Wilson’s plan: The establishment of a general association of nations /

<caption>The League of Nations at opening session. Geneva, 15/11/20</caption>

Steps to secure aims

All members were to be guaranteed their territorial integrity (ownership and control of their own area)

This was to be achieved through the following steps:

Member countries would first seek to resolve their problems by talking rather than fighting. All disputes would go before the League for arbitration (settlement)
The principle of Collective Securitywould apply– meaning that an attack on one member is to be considered an attack on all members.
All Trade & financial ties would be cut with any aggressor, ie sanctions would be imposed.
If sanctions were unsuccessful a League of Nations army would be made up to defeat the aggressor. (The League could only use force in a dispute if all the members agreed)

League Weakened from the beginning

At its formation the League was weakened by the omission of three of the world’s strongest powers:

USA
Germany
Russia

USA doesn’t join

The League of Nations had been Wilson’s idea.
When Wilsonreturned to the USA the Isolationist mood was widespread

Wilson needed the approval of Congress and the Senate for the USA to join the League of Nations.
He failed to convince Congress of the League’s merits

Americans were afraid the League of Nations would tie them up in future European disputes

The world’s potentially most powerful nationnever joined the League. /

<caption>Punch, 10 December 1919</caption>

Germany not invited to join

It was agreed that Germanywould have to prove itself worthy before it could be admitted to the League.

Germany’s view of the League of Nations:

Germany saw this as further punishment on top of the harsh Treaty of Versailles provisions.Germany also felt that the League was formed to help enforce the Treaty.

Russianot invited to join

Russia was mistrusted by other nations. It was isolated and feared in Europe because it claimed its communist system could be forcefully spread to other states. The Comintern (Communist International) had been set up to achieve this aim.
Russia’s new Communist Government had been attacked by Britain, France, Poland and USA and was currently involved in a civil war.
Russia’s view of the League of Nations:
The Russians saw the League as a club of hostile capitalists.
“The League is a robber’s den to safeguard the unjust spoils of Versailles” (Lenin, Soviet Leader) /

<caption>Symbol of Comintern: Workers of all countries – unite! Globalize your class-struggle for the victory of world revolution!</caption>

Reliance on BritainFrance

Without three of the World’s major powers (USA, Russia, Germany) it relied on the strength and will of Britain and France for its support.

Britain

Britain felt less endangered now that the German Naval threathad been eliminated. The English Channel provided a safe buffer.

The British also wished to limit their commitments for financial reasons.

France

The French initially saw the League as a means to enforce the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles on Germany.

Their faith in the League of Nations was weak.

They would later seek other means to ensure their security.

Some successes

Despite its weaknesses the League boasted some successes

The League successfully:

Mediated some border disputes – eg Greek invasion of Bulgaria in 1925 was successfully resolved through the League.
Helped Former German and Turkish colonies became League Mandates – Under the mandate system, the Allies (eg Britain and France) took over the colonies and ruled them in trust for the League.
Organised commissions to deal with special tasks such as disarmament and health
Helped refugees
Formed Interpol (International Police force) which helped to suppress drug trafficking and the white slave trade

However, the true test would come if there were to be a dispute between the major powers

French Search for Security

French policy was based on the fear of a German resurgence. France had been invaded by Germany twice in the past 50 years.

The French sought future protection by keeping Germany as weak as possible while keeping herself as strong as possible.

This was to be accomplished in three particular ways:

Harsh enforcement of the Treaty of Versailles
Forming of Military Alliances
A Defensive Build-up

Treaty of Versailles

France took it upon herself to harshly enforce the Treaty of Versailles. The intention was to keep Germany as weak as possible both economically and militarily.

Revisit the Treaty of Versailles provisions and consider what aspects of the Treaty you think that France would most want to enforce to weakenGermany either (a) militarily or (b) economically

Treaty of Versailles Provisions:

Psychological

War guilt
No membership of new League of Nations

Economic

Reparations
Saar coalfields

Military

Germany to disarm
Rhineland demilitarised
Army of occupation

/ Territorial

German colonies to be handed over to the League
Polish Corridor created splitting Germany from East Prussia
Sudetenland becomes part of Czechoslovakia
Alsace-Lorraine returned to France
Anschluss forbidden

[Link to further Treaty of Versailles details]

Military Alliances

France surroundedGermanyby forming military alliances or treaties with:

Belgium 1920
Poland 1921
Czechoslovakia 1924
Romania 1926
Yugoslavia 1927

Questions to consider (use map):

Which of these French Allies are major powers?
Which Allies could be reached directly by French troops?
What potential threat does France expose itself to by forming these alliances?

<caption>French Alliances in the 1920s</caption>

Defensive build-up

Army
In the 1920’s the French embarked on a military expansion which enabled them to boast the largest, most powerful army on the face of the earth.Much of their equipment was good, and they had large resources in their colonies upon which to draw.
Maginot Line
By 1927 France had planned and approved the building of a series of impregnable fortifications on the French-German border. Construction began in 1930

<caption>Gun defences along the Maginot Line</caption> /
<caption>Maginot Line with demilitarized Rhineland</caption>

Maginot Line

<caption>Anti-tank defences</caption> /
<caption>Underground rail</caption>

1923 Ruhr Crisis

The Ruhr was the industrial heartland of Germany located on the RhineRiver near the Belgium border.

Map showing Ruhr area

German Reparations Payment Problem

In 1921 the Allies announced that Germany would have to pay reparations of ₤6,600 million.

Germany paid its first instalment using all of its gold reserves and spare coal, wood and iron.

In 1922 Germany announced that it could not afford to pay the second instalment of the reparations.

French Reaction

It was important to France that German reparations were paid:

The money was needed to pay back war debt demanded by the Americans
Enforcing reparations was important to keep Germany economically weak and therefore less of a future threat

France responded to Germany’s non-payment by invading the Ruhr Industrial heartland of Germany to take the payments by force from coalmines and ironworks. /
<caption>French troops invade the Ruhr industrial area</caption>

German Response

The German Government’s reaction was to tell the workers in the Ruhr to go on strike and not help the French
The strike led to two problems:

Nothing was being produced so Germany was short of products.
The striking workers still needed to be paid

/
<caption>German poster encouraging a striking worker to refuse to work in the face of French threats</caption>

Hyperinflation

To pay the workers the Government decided to print extra banknotes
There were extra banknotes but no more goods so prices rose, so the Government kept printing more and more banknotes.
By November 1923 a loaf of bread cost 428,000,000,000 marks /

The French Take Over

The French responded by sending in their own workers and deporting the German strike leaders
Germany united in opposition but could do little about it
Some French soldiers were killed in protests and riots /
<caption>“Hands off the Ruhr” (Translation) – 1923</caption>

Attempted Nazi Revolt

The Nazi Party

The Nazi Party was formed in 1920 out of a group of disaffected working class Germans who felt betrayed by their leadership and the way that Germany had been treated at Versailles. They stood for a strong, nationalist and pro-military Germany.
A very promising speaker, AdolfHitler, had been invited to take over the leadership in 1921.

Munich Putsch

Taking advantage of the Ruhr Crisis of 1923 the small Nazi Party attempted a Putsch (takeover).
The Putsch was poorly organised and easily put down by the army which backed the Government.
Hitler was arrested and put on public trial. He becomes a national figure who seemed to care about German welfare.
Hitler was convicted of treason and imprisoned.

In prison he wrote a book about his life called MeinKampf (My Struggle)
He only served 9 months of a 5 year sentence

/
<caption>Nazi Party Leader – AdolfHitler(Austrian)</caption>

Summary

Main Points

The League of Nations, formed in 1920, stood for Collective Security.

The League was weakened by the absence of the three major powers: Germany, Russia, USA. It therefore had to rely on war weary Britain and France.

France was unwilling to put its future defence in the hands of the League. It built up a series of alliances to surround Germany. It also built up its military and planned theconstruction of the Maginot Line.

There was an early setback to peace with the failure of Germany to meet reparations payments. France took measures into its own hands by invading the Ruhr. This led to hyperinflation.

The small Nazi Party attempted to take over power. The failure of the Putsch in Munich led to Hitler serving prison time and becoming a national hero to many.