IB History The End of Collective Security Notes

The League of Nations and Collective Security

1. The League of Nations was established in January 1920 as part of the Paris Peace Settlement. Its Covenant (Articles 10-16) embodied collective security: if one member was attacked, all others would act together to protect it.
2. The League had critical structural weaknesses: decisions required unanimous votes, permanent Council members held veto power, and the League had no army of its own. It relied entirely on member states voluntarily enforcing its decisions.
3. The United States never joined despite President Wilson championing the League. Germany joined in 1926 (left 1933); the USSR joined in 1934 (expelled 1939). Key great powers were absent for much of the interwar period.
4. In the 1920s, the League achieved some successes resolving disputes between small states (Upper Silesia 1921, Aaland Islands 1921, Greece-Bulgaria 1925). However, it had never been tested against a great power aggressor.

The Manchurian Crisis: The First Test (1931-1933)

1. Japan invaded Manchuria (September 1931) after staging the Mukden Incident. The League sent the Lytton Commission to investigate, which took over a year to report. Japan simply rejected the findings and left the League (March 1933) without consequences.
2. The Manchurian Crisis set a devastating precedent for Italian expansion. As historian Stephen Goode argued, Mussolini "noted the failure of the League of Nations to say 'no' to Japan" and concluded he could act with similar impunity in Abyssinia.
3. No sanctions were imposed, no military action was taken. The crisis proved that a great power could defy the League and walk away. Britain and France were unwilling to act because of their economic interests in Asia and fear of antagonising Japan.

The Abyssinian Crisis: The Death Blow (1935-1936)