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The Failure of Collective Security

• The Broken Promise of the League of Nations

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OVERVIEW

• In these lessons, you will examine
• The definition of collective security
• The creation of the League of Nations
• The structure and responsibilities of the League
• Strengths and weaknesses of the League system
• Responses to major aggression

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What does collective security mean?

• Collective security can be loosely defined as the
  attempt by nations to protect each other by
  punishing states which violated rules of
  sovereignty agreed upon by all. These punishments
  may include
• Military action
• Economic sanctions
• Diplomatic isolation

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A difficult birth

• Immediately upon its creation, the League of
  Nations was struck by certain issues
• The US Senate refused to ratify American entry
  into the League of Nations
• The defeated powers, especially Germany, were not
  initially admitted into the League

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The League of Nations contained several major
bodies
Secretariat
Commissions
Council
Court of Justice
General Assembly
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Strengths

• The League was successful with issues not
  involving conflict between major powers
• Child welfare and womens rights
• Assistance to refugees of war
• Control of drug trafficking
• Arms control and disarmament
• Conflicts between small states

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Weaknesses

• Britain and France, the lead powers of the
  League of Nations, avoided major conflict for
  various reasons
• Faith in diplomatic agreements
• Weak national economies
• Preference for back-door diplomacy
• Domestic political pressures

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1. Faith in diplomatic agreements

• The Western powers believed that diplomacy was
  effective
• Washington Conference 1922
• Locarno agreement 1925
• Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928
• Stresa Front 1935

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2. Weak national economies

• Britain and France had not experienced the
  positive effects of the Roaring Twenties even
  after the Great War, unemployment remained
  relatively high and the economies had not
  recovered to pre-war levels

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3. Preference for back-door diplomacy

• Britain and France often worked outside of the
  League of Nations system, undermining the
  principle of collective security

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Domestic political pressures

• British and French public opinions were strongly
  against war
• Should Britain promise assistance to
  Czechoslovakia if Germany acts as it did towards
  Austria?" (Asked in March 1938)
• Yes 33
• No 43
• No opinion 24

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The first serious challenge

• Japan invaded north-east China (Manchuria) on
  Sept 18, 1931
• Japan needed manpower, resources, territory of
  neighbouring countries to rebuild its economy
• Like Britain and France, Japan wished to
  establish an overseas empire later to be known
  as the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere

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The League responds

• The League sent the Lytton commission to
  investigate the invasion the report led to
  various actions
• Many League members were against sanctions
  because Japan was an important trading partner
• Britain and France wanted to avoid a war which
  did not threaten its immediate national security
• The League requested that Japan withdraw and that
  Manchuria be administered by the League Japan
  withdrew from the League of Nations in 1933

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SUMMARY QUESTIONS

• What was the Leagues major problem from its very
  start?
• In what areas did the League find success?
• Why was the League ineffective in dealing with
  major conflict?
• What pattern of action and response emerged when
  the League faced significant challenges?