There are several factors to examine that led to the failure of the collective security to keep peace during the 1920 and 1935 by the League of Nations. Collective security was an system that was established by the League of Nations where countries have attempted to prevent wars, under this arrangement, an aggressor against any country was to be consider to be as an aggressor to any other country, and therefore fight against the aggressor. These factors include the absence of major powers, poor military, the Great Depression, and several instances of undermining such as the Ruhr Crisis, the Manchurian Crisis, and the Abyssinian Crisis.
The absence of major powers in the formation of the League of Nations, such as the USA, USSR, and Germany was a main factor for failure of collective security. Since the USA had become one of the most powerful countries in the world after WWI it could help imposed economic sanctions. Without the USSR being part of the League of Nations it weakened it, because it appeared to only have capitalist countries. Having Germany not part of the League of Nations it showed that League of Nations ignored the fact that Germany was still strong and that its expansionist political or economic power could of not been lost. The absence of these powers decreased the League of Nations economic, political, and social powers.
Poor military forces was a major factor that contributed to the failure of collective security. Although could call for military necessary actions it didn’t have its own forces.
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The League of Nations tried to practice collective security by commanding moral pressure and economic sanctions to slove disputes, but without any military force or power it encountered many instances where they not able to prevent fighting against machinery. Especially during the Manchurian Crisis of 1931, where the League of Nations was not able to command economic sanctions to solve the crisis nor show military solutions. The aggressor was able to get away with china, who had asked for support that never recieved economic, or military support from the League of Nations. This demonstrates that the lack of military power was a major factor to the failure of collective security of keeping peace during the 1920s and 1935
During the Ruhr Crisis of 1923, the Manchurian Crisis of 1931, and the Abyssinian Crisis of 1935, the collective security was shown as a failure. Because in all of the three in crisis the League of seemed as undermined and powerless. During the Ruhr Crisis, france tried to redeem Germany reparation payments using force. This lead the French and the Belgians to move their troops into the Ruhr Valley to take what they were owed.
This harmed the League of Nations’ trustworthiness because it showed that the countries that were part of the League of Nations could or allowed to take independent action whenever it suited them. In the Manchurian Crisis China claimed to the League of Nations but never received any type of help or support, leaving the aggressor with no punishment towards its actions. When Mussolini invaded Abyssinian in 1935 (Abyssinian Crisis of 1935) It was the end for collective security. As it showed a permanent member of the League of Nations was victorious through violence and war. Overall these three crisis Abyssinian was the most undermined and humiliating for the League of Nations.
Although historians may argue that the League of Nations failed to support collective security and maintain peace during the 1920s throughout 1935, there are some leading factors that limited the success of the collective security. One of which is the Great Depression that started in 1929, which could influence many of the countries’ decisions based on their own interest rather than on the collective security interests. The Great depression was also responsible for the prevention of economic sanctions as a possible force to control countries that opposed the League of Nations.
Factors such as Poor military forces, the absence of major powers, and the undermining of multiple instances by the League of Nations. Collective security was not able to keep peace during the 1920s and 1935. With the Great Depression having to be a factor of limiting its success.
References
- Britannica – Collective Security
- United Nations – Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- CNN – Dollars for Destruction: The U.S. Role in Abandoning the League of Nations
- University of Hawaii at Manoa – The Failure of the League of Nations: A Study Based on Documented Records and Authentic Texts
- Trinity College Digital Repository – The Collapse of Collective Security: Italian Aggression in Abyssinia (1935-36)
- UNESCO – The League of Nations
