The League of Nations - Band der Zeit

1918- Jan Smuts, the prime minister of South Africa, publishes 'The League Of Nations - A Practical Suggestion'

8th Jan 1914- President Wilson of America sets out peace plans based on his Fourteen Points

1920- Paris Peace Conference

1920- Opium Advisory Committee set up by the League -Found that the trade in Opium was x10 bigger thatn medical need

10th Jan 1920- League of Nations set up -HQ- Geneva -Stop wars -Improve people's lives -Disarmament -Enforce the Treaty of Versailles -League starts with 42 members - the Allies and 13 neutrals. -Russia is controlled by a communist government = not invited to join the League -The USA did not join (Its Congress opted for isolation from world affairs)

Aaland islands- SUCCESS (1920) -Between Finland and Sweden -For sometime they had been governed by Finland by once they had been ruled by Sweden -Most of the 25,000 people who lived there spoke Swedish and many of them wanted to be a part of Sweden -During the territorial changes of WW1 both Sweden and Finland claimed the Aaland Islands and had respectively sent troops there -The Council of the League rules that the Aaland Islands should stay a part of Finland but no arms or army can be stationed there

-This was after legal experts from France, Holland and Switzerland were sent to investigate -The report was produced in weeks

Upper Silesia- SUCCESS (1921) -Was a part of Germany and a valuable industrial area -The population was partly German and partly Polish -In 1919, The Treaty of Versailles said there should be a plebiscite to determine whether it should be part of Poland or part of Germany -In the meantime, allied troops were kept there to keep the peace as local feelings were strong and rioting likely -In 1919 and 1920 local Poles attacked German residents and drove them away from their houses with a few fatalities

-In March 1921, the plebiscite was held with 700,000 voting German + 500,000 voting Polish -Germany claimed victory -Poland claimed a split vote -The had to send 6 new troop battalions and open war was threatened -The League was asked to settle the dispute - They sent a commission from Belgium, Brazil, China and Spain -The enquiry lasted 6 weeks -Their decision was that Upper Silesia should be divided between the two countries - After 5 very tense meetings it was decided -Germany- 2/3 land -Poland 1/2 po

-Their decision was that Upper Silesia should be divided between the two countries - After 5 very tense meetings it was decided -Germany- 2/3 land -Poland 1/2 population + most of mineral reserves and industry

Greece + Bulgaria Dispute- SUCCESS (1925) -Greece and Bulgaria had been long-term rivals in the Balkans -In 1925 there were a series of problems on the border -In one shots were fired and a Greek soldier was killed -The Greek public were angry -Three days later, Greek troops invaded Bulgaria -The Bulgarians looked to Europe for help and they were advised to appeal to the League -The League’s first response was to order both sides to stop fighting -The Bulgarians, therefore, offered only token resistance

-They evacuated 10,000 people from their border area and withdrew their troops - Eventually the Greeks complied too and they pulled their troops out - Next the League sent in investigators to make a recommendation - The outcome was that Greece was held to blame -It was told to pay Bulgaria £45,000 in compensation

1900- Addictive Drugs like Opium and Cocaine were an International Problem 1850-1900 -Opium in China output = 39,000 tons -Opium in US use= x4

7 major countries agreed to control the opium trade in their countries

-56 countries agreed to issue export + import certificates to control the drugs trade -The Permanent Central Opium Board was established to control these cirtificates

1920-1933 Exports of cocoa leaves from the two biggest producers: Java + Peru fell by 88% -But volume of trade was still too high

Drugs Conference in 1931 -Treaty was signed by 67 states saying that... -Each state would estimate its medical and scientific needs to dangerous drugs and limit the imports to that -A Drug Supervisor Board (set up in 1931) would monitor trade by each nationand challenge discrepancies

1935- the legal production of dangerous drugs had reached a level equal to the and scientific need -However this still left out illegal manufacture and trade

Conference in 1936 -Led to a new treaty in which 13 sates set strict guidelines to punish those who illegally made/ traded drugs SUCCESS? -Much progress had been made -Foundation for the work of the UN -BUT some treaties were signed by very few states -League had only 50 members = difficult to involve non-League members like the USA -Some states had reasons not to collaborate = making too much money from drug trading

1920- The League asked Fritjof Nansen to help with the millions of people (Prisoners of war/ Refugees) displaced by WW1 -He set up an organisation that helped 425,000 prisoners return home from 26 countries -They arranged shelter, food and medical help for refugees struggling to survive -They helped refugees to return home or find somewhete to settle

1921- Millions of Russians fled their homes to escape the civil war

December 1938- Nansen Office closed SUCCESS? -Had given legal and financial help to almost a million refugees -BUT in the late 1930s a flood of refugees fled repression in Germany, Italy, Spain and Russia -The problem of refugees was getting worse not better -In 1939 a new Commission for Refugees was created, based in London -But its activities were soon engulfed by WW2

1922- Nansen Passport created -These were identity papers issued by the League to homeless refugees -450,000 were issued -Nansen persuaded 52 states to recognise them -The passports allowed refugees to cross boarders and settle in any state that accepted them

The League of Nations- 1920-1946

Mid 1930s- The League ceases to be effective