1931-1933, Manchuria

Countries Involved:

China and Japan (Britain, France)

Key Events:

• In 1920, Japan became a major power, but the Great Depression damaged Japan a lot, which forced the leaders in Japan to think they needed to expand the empire to solve the quandary they faced at that time.

• In 1931, the Japanese controlled the South Manchurian Railway, which it’s the Mukden Incident.

• Chinese troops backed and attacked the railway, but the Japanese used this as the reason for invading and setting up a government in Manchukuo.

• China appealed to the League (this challenged the League a lot due to Japan was a leading member in the League)

• In 1932.9, Lord Lytton and the Lytton Commission presented the Lytton Report, and the judgment was clear that Japan had acted unlawfully.

• In 1933.2, the Japanese announced that they would invade more of China since they needed to be in self-defense.

• In 1933.2.24, all members approved the report from the League’s officials except Japan.

• In1933.3.27, Japan resigned from the League of Nations.

• Afterwards, Japan invaded Jehol quickly.

Outcome:

China had been invaded by Japan a lot, but Japan did not get a sanction since Britain still wanted to keep a good relationship with Japan. (The League tried to sanction Japan by banning their arms sales, but the members of the League disagreed with this)

In February 1932, Geneva

Countries Involved:

Nations that are members of the League

Key Events:

(Timeline) · In February 1932, the Disarmament Conference started. · By July 1932, the League limited many things about disarmament. · Most of these limits didn’t be achieved

Outcome:

The bombing of civilians was to be prohibited. Still, all attempts to agree to abolish planes capable of bombing were defeated, and the proposal to ban the manufacture of chemical weapons was defeated.

• Accoding to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, Germnay forbidden to unite with Austria. However, Hitler started to try to take over Austria in 1934.

• Hitler encouraged the Nazis Party in Austria and hold demonstrations demanding union with Germany.

• Hitler told the Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg that only Anschluss could sort out these problems.

• In March 1938, Hitler sent his troops into Austria to ensure a smooth plebiscite, which strong Nazi presence in Austria.

Reasons for his actions:

• Austria was Hitler's homeland.

• Hitler wanted to combine two nations together as one Germany to expand German territory, so the country becomes stronger.

• Hitler wanted to abolish the Treaty of Versailles.

Response from France and Britian:

• Britain and France were not prepared to go to war to defend the breaking of the Treaty of Versailles.

• Britian increased Britain’s rearmament spending further still and made plans for compulsory military service and the preparation of air-raid defenses.

• In 1938, Hitler claimed that Sudetenland was Germany’s territory, and he threatened an invasion of Czechoslovakia at that time.

• From 1938 to 1939, German troops gradually occupied the whole Czechoslovakia. （In 1938, intended to fight Czechoslovakia; in 15 September 1938, only interested in part of Sudetenland; in 19 September 1938, Czech govi, mistreating Germans in the Sudetenland needed to rescue by 1 Oct）

Reasons for his actions:

• Hitler claimed that Germans who lived in the Sudetenland were being treated badly.

• Germans wished to returen Reich as their homeland.

• Czechoslovakia was Germans territory before the World War 1, and there were over 3 millions German speakers since it was formerly part of Austria-Hungary empire.

Response from France and Britian:

• British people welcomed the Munich Agreement, but they didn't trust Hitler.

• Britain and France did nothing after German troops took over Czechoslovakia.

• Britian and France tole Hitler that if he invaded Poland, which since they thought Hitler may invade Poland next, they would declare war on Germany.

Country: Italy and Abyssania

• From 1935.1 to 1935.10, Mussolini was negotiating with the League to settle the dispute.

• 1935, British, France and Mussolini signed the Stresa Pact, and stand united against Germany.

• In 1934-35, the ballot shown British people agreed with the use of military force to defend Abyssinia.

• On 9.4, after eight months’ deliberation, the report was that neither side could be held responsible for the Wal-Wal incident.

• Mussolini rejected the plan that give it some of Abyssinia.

• In 1935.10, Mussolini’s army launched a full-scale invasion of Abyssinia.

• The League sanction Mussolini.

• In 1935.12, British and France planned to give Mussolini two-thirds of Abyssinia to let it give up the invasion.

• Hoare and Laval, who planned this, were both sacked.

• Also damage the sanctions discussion.

• In 1936.5.9, Mussolini formally annexed the entire Abyssinia.

• In 1936.10, Mussolini and Hitler signed an agreement of their own called the Rome-Berlin Axis.

  
  

 Outcome

• In December 1934 there was a border incident at Wal Wal in Abyssinia. (Italian soldiers clashed with Abyssinians on Mussolini's command)

• The League wanted to get involved but failed to stop Mussolini.

• The League placed economic sanctions on Italy, but it didn't sanction the essential resources for war.

• In June 1935, Abyssinian addressed the League and warning it of the effects of its failures.

Country involved: France & Germany

Keyevents:

·Hitler ordered 20,000 troops into the Rhineland and his generals had orders to retreat if there was any resistance from the French.

·The League condemned Hitler’s action

·French were divided over what to do ：hold an election and none of the French leaders was prepared to take responsibility for plunging France into a war.

Outcome：

In the end, France refused to act without British support and so Hitler’s big gamble paid off. 

• After 1933, Hitler came to power in Germany and started to increase German armed forces.

• Hitler made German army increased from 30 warships to 95, aircraft increase from 36 from 8250, and soldiers increase from 100,000 to 950,000.

• In 1935 Hitler openly staged a massive military rally celebrating the German armed forces and he even reintroduced conscription to the army.

• In 1935, Hitler signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement with Britain that allowed Germany to increase its navy to up to 35% of the size of the British navy.

Reasons for his actions:

• To help to reduce the unemployment.

• Hitler dilivered on his promise to challenge the term of the Treaty of Versailles.

• To build the trust between Hitler's followers and him.

Response from France and Britain:

• Britain was sympathetic and allowed Germany to increase its armed forces.

• Britain had already helped to dismantle the Treaty by signing the Anglo-German Naval Agreement with Hitler in 1935, allowing Germany to increase its navy to up to 35 per cent of the size of the British navy.

• The French were angry with Britain about this, but there was little they could do.

Country involved: Britain & France

Keyevents:

• Hoare and Laval, who from British and French foreign ministers, were hatching a plan that to give Mussolini two-thirds of Abyssinia in returen his calling off his invasion.

• Laval threatened the British that if they did not agree to the plan, then the French would no longer support sanctions against Italy.

• But the plan was leaked to the French press.

• The League debated about the blatant act of trachery of Britian and France against the League.

Outcome：

• The pression of the plan proved diastrous for the League.

• Hoare and Laval were both sacked.

• The sactions discussions damaged a lot and lost all momentum.

Trigger:·Germany's declaration of its intention to build up an air force, increase the size of the army to 36 divisions (500,000 men) and introduce conscription, in March 1935.

All of these actions were direct violations of the Treaty of Versailles

·limited the size of the German Army to 100,000 men, forbade conscription in Germany and prohibited a German air force.

Stresa Conference

Definition：A conference between Britain, France, and Italy. Held at Stresa on Lake Maggiore in Italy, it proposed measures to counter Hitler's open rearmament of Germany in defiance of the Versailles Peace Settlement.

·Together these countries formed the “Stresa Front” against German aggression, but their decisions were never implemented.

·In June Britain negotiated unilaterally a naval agreement with Germany.

·In November 1936 Mussolini proclaimed his alliance with Hitler in the Rome-Berlin Axis.