The League in Action: Border Disputes, 1920s

What was the Council of Ambassadors?

The Conference of Ambassadors of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers was an inter-allied organization of
the Entente in the period following the end of World War I. Settle Disputes
What was the Mandates Commission?
The mandate was an authorization granted by the League of Nations to a member nation to govern a
former German or Turkish colony. (ex-colonial countries) The territory was called a mandated territory, or
mandate.
Event

What was the dispute?

How did the League

respond?

Vilna, 1920

Post-World War I conflict

between Poland and Lithuania
over possession of the city of
Vilna and its surrounding region

Negotiations between Poland

and Lithuania continued under
the aegis of the League of
Nations

Aaland
Islands,
1921

These islands are near enough

equal distant between Finland
and Sweden. They had
traditionally belonged to Finland
but most of the islanders wanted
to be governed by Sweden.
Neither Sweden nor Finland
could come to a decision as to
who owned the islands

Sweden and Finland asked the

League to adjudicate. The
Leagues decision was that they
should remain with Finland but
that no weapons should ever be
kept there.

Evidence of
success
There was not a
clear evidence of
success as it did
result in using
force which was
against the LONs
principles

Evidence of failure

Both countries
accepted the
decision and it
remains in force to
this day.

N/A

In 1920, the Poles

seized Vilna.
Lithuania asked for
League help but the
Poles could not be
persuaded to leave
the city. Vilna stayed
in Polish hands until
the outbreak of World
War Two. The use of
force by the Poles had
won.

Upper
Silesia, 1921

Close result in a referendum

whether they wanted to be part
of Germany or part of Poland
resulted in rioting between those
who expected Silesia to be made
part of Germany and those who
wanted to be part of Poland.

Corfu, 1923

When Italy invaded Poland

Greece vs
Bulgaria,
War of the
Stray Dog,
1925

In 1925, sentries patrolling this

border fired on one another and
a Greek soldier was killed. The
Greek army invaded Bulgaria as
a result.

What do these examples suggest about the:

After a six-week inquiry, the

League decided to split Upper
Silesia between Germany and
Poland.

The Leagues
decision was
accepted y both
countries and by the
people in Upper
Silesia.

The League then sent experts to

the area and Greece was to
blame and fined her 45,000.

Both nations
accepted the
decision.

N/A

Powers of the League of Nations?

Consistency of approach?
-Always an attempted peace method
The League is very well when sparrows shout, but no good at all when eagles fall out (Mussolini). Do you agree
with this?
-Unable to handle the dispute (fall out) between eagles (Big countries)
-Italy was part of the counsel however they were causing problems