Read the passage given and answer the following questions: In an effort to secure resources for its expanding industries, Japan invaded the northern Chinese province of Manchuria. Although many Western nations protested the Japanese action, most members of the League of Nations, including Canada, opposed any form of military intervention to defend Chinese sovereignty. A League of Nations commission, headed by the British diplomat Lord Lytton, was dispatched to Manchuria to investigate. — Loyal Edmonton Regiment Museum
Mention any four reasons for the failure of the League of Nations.
Topic: Failure of the League of Nations
Answer
(1) The absence of great powers — the United States never joined, though it was President Wilson’s own creation; Germany and the USSR were admitted late and left or were expelled; Japan, Germany and Italy all walked out. (2) It had no army of its own, so it could not enforce its decisions against a determined aggressor. (3) Its economic sanctions proved ineffective, as members continued to trade with the aggressor — as in the case of Italy and Abyssinia. (4) It was closely linked with the unjust Treaty of Versailles, so defeated nations saw it as a league of victors; decisions needed unanimity, which made action almost impossible, and the rise of dictatorships and the policy of appeasement destroyed what authority it had left.
Four marks, four distinct reasons — number them and keep them separate. The strongest four are: no great powers, no army, useless sanctions, and the link with Versailles. The unanimity rule is a good fifth if you have room. Each reason gains from an example: the USA never joining, and the failure of sanctions against Italy over Abyssinia, are the two that examiners recognise at once. Note the irony worth stating — the League was Wilson’s idea and his own country stayed out.