“It is not enough just to win the war. We must win it in such a way as to keep the future peace of the world”[1] as President Wilson stated in 1919. He longed for the creation of the League of Nations to fulfil his ambitions of global peace. At the Paris Peace Conference in 1919-1920, the League of Nations, an international organization was established.[2] This organization was founded primarily on the basis of Woodrow Wilson’s fourteen points. They aimed towards promoting international cooperation and improving of global welfare. The League of Nations provided a place where disputes between nations could be settled through negotiation and if necessary, the four powers of the League: the Covenant, Condemnation, Arbitration and Sanctions. The League of Nations was created in order to maintain peace and security, to improve social conditions of the world and finally because of Britain and France’s self-interests.
As Article Eleven of the League of Nation’s Covenant stated,: “Any war of threat of war is a matter of concern to the whole League and the League shall take action that may safe guard peace.” [3]The League of Nations was designed to maintain global security and peace, in addition to improving international relations. They tried to stop war and minimize the consequences of disputes between countries through diplomacy. An example where the League of Nations successfully handled a conflict which could have escalated into war would be in 1925 at Petrich. On the 22nd of October 1915, a Greek soldier crossed the border and was subsequently shot by a Bulgarian sentry. This issue escalated into an invasion and temporary occupying of the town Petrich and killing of around fifty Bulgarian citizens. The League of Nations was swift to act and with the Power of Condemnation halted the invasion and ordered the withdrawal of Greek forces. Furthermore, fining Greece of ￡45,000 as compensation to Bulgaria. [4] This event demonstrates not the might of the League of Nations but their efficiency and evenhandedness. Their successfulness in dealing with disputes between countries of lesser diplomatic power. Overall, it shows that the League of Nations is trying to maintain peace and security. Another event which shows the League’s capability in handling international conflicts would be the dispute between Iraq and Turkey in 1926. Turkey and Iraq battled for the control over a former Ottoman province by the name of Mosul. Iraq claimed that it belonged to them whilst the Turkey said the province was “part of its historic heartland.”[5] By the League’s Power of Arbitration a third party was sent in to study the case in 1924 and in 1925, Mosul was said to belong to Iraq. On the 16th of December, 1925 Mosul was given to Iraq. This was a decision made by the League of Nations, based on the adjudication of a third party. From both the events above we understand that the League of Nations through negotiation has secured peace. On the other hand, if the League of Nations didn’t exist, the likelihood for war would be much greater. This was one aim of the League of Nations and a reason for why it was created. The League was there to ensure cooperation between countries and maintain peace and security. Perfect except for lack of footnotes
Improving social conditions and dealing with societal problems on a global scale was also a primary reason for the creation of the League of Nations. The League of Nations supervised the Permanent Court of International justice and organized many different agencies which dealt with dissimilar crises of the world. These agencies included Commission for Refugees, Health Commission, Slavery Commission, and International Labour Organization and so on. One of the first humanitarian acts carried out by the League of Nations was the repatriation of the prisoners of war. During spring of 1920, led by Fridtjof Nansen,[6] the commission repatriated around 400,000 ex-prisoners of war and refugees of twenty-seven nationalities. Welfare camps were also set up in Turkey, 1922 which was meant to solve the refugee problem and deal with disease and hunger. The Nansen passport was also created to identify stateless people. [7] Slavery was also a big issue which the League of Nations Slavery Commission fought against. They desired the abolishment of slavery, salve trading and prostitution. In Sierra Leone 200,000 slaves were liberated and raids against slave masters were arranged in the means of forcefully stopping slave labour in Africa. The Slavery commission was also very successful in at the Tanganyika railway, as it lowered the death rates of workers from 55% to 4%. The League of Nations Health Committee also significantly improved global welfare. Where are your sources for this information? It was created in 1921 under Article 23 of the Covenant. This organization attempted at getting rid of diseases such as leprosy, malaria and yellow fever. They initiated an international mosquito extermination campaign to further eradicate diseases and prevented an epidemic of typhus from spreading throughout Europe. These are only three of the many agencies formed which attempted to better the lives of people; dealt with societal problems of the world. You lose a mark for lack of proper citation
Evidence- 5/5
Organisation 4/5
Writing 5/5
18.5/20
[1] http://www.johndclare.net/league_of_nations2.htm
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_nations
[3] http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/leagueofnations.htm
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Stray_Dog
[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_nations#Successes
[6]http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-936X%28192804%2928%3A4%3C350%3ATLONIS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Y&size=LARGE&origin=JSTOR-enlargePage
[7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_nations#Successes
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