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League of Nations. Genesis and goals of creation

The first meeting of the League of Nations, 15 November 1920
Source: A. Frankl, Salle de la Reformation. The official opening of the League of Nations, National Library of Norway, licencja: CC 0.

Link to the lesson

You will learn
  • explain the most important goals and institutions of the League of Nations;

  • about reasons of the United States' absence among members of the League;

  • indicate the advantages and disadvantages of the first international organization in the world.

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Nagranie abstraktu

The founder of the League of Nations was US President Woodrow Wilson. Issues related to the world peace were to be examined by the Assembly. It adopted resolutions and instructions. However, the most important institution of the League was the CouncilLeague of Nations Councilthe Council. It involved permanent and non‑permanent members. The following became the special bodies: permanent International Court of Justice in HagueInternational Court of Justice in HagueInternational Court of Justice in Hague (it resolved issues among countries and issued advisory opinions) and International Labor OrganizationInternational Labor OrganizationInternational Labor Organization (it dealt with, among others, the limiting of child labor, protection of employee's rights, improvement of working conditions and employment. The seat of the organization was in Geneva. One of the tasks of the League of Nations was the supervision of compliance with regulations of the so‑called Little Treaty of Versailles (i.e. minor treaty). Another action was the creation of a mandate protection system over German colonies and countries detached from the Ottoman Empire. The USA never joined the League of Nations. The army which could take action against aggressors has never been created. Countries which started conflicts left the League in order not to bear responsibility. The reason for the weakness of the League of Nations was also the voting system (governing rule of unanimous decision).

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Task 1
Jakie kraje należą do Ligi Narodów?
Jakie kraje należą do Ligi Narodów?
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Anachronous World map showing member states of the League of Nations
Source: Cmcampbell231, Anachronous World map showing member states of the League of Nations, Wikimedia Commons, licencja: CC BY-SA 4.0.
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Task 2
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About the League of Nations 1. Unprecedented travel After a week of armistice Woodrow Wilson announced a decision that he would personally travel to Paris to attend a peace conference which was to take place in January 1919. The president's decision was unprecedented because none of his predecessors visited Europe while holding presidency and did not leave the country for so long. Wilson traveled to realize his own concept of the world peace, for which the League of Nation was supposed to be a foundation.photo of the Big Four in Paris Wilson and other members of the Big Four in Paris, 2. President's error The basic, almost rookie mistake of the president was the wrong selection of the composition of the delegation. It included people whom Wilson trusted, but who had no practical influence on the ratification procedure which the peace treaty was subjected to later on in the Senate. It lacked the main leaders of the Republican Party which had just taken control of the Senate., 3. Covenant of the League of Nations In December 1918 Wilson reached Europe where he started a month-long journey through several countries of the Old Continent. The popularity which he gained then helped him to establish his position among other participants of the peace conference. Already at the second general session, the president was able to push through the idea of creating a peaceful international organization. On 14 February, the Covenant of League of Nations was adopted. Wilson treated it as his personal success.Opening of the League of Nations, the hall is full of dignitaries The first meeting of the League of Nations on 15 November 1920, 4. Treaty is threatened When returning to the country, Wilson realized that the Republican opposition would try to block the treaty, however, he would not allow for them to succeed. Therefore, in order to look for help, he made a long journey to the Central and Far West States. Unfortunately, during one of the meetings in Colorado, he suffered a stroke that completely excluded him from public life. It happened at a crucial moment for the fate of the treaty., 5. Voting Just like any other document of this importance, the Treaty of Versailles required a two-thirds majority to enter into force.The most controversial issues was Article X of the LN Covenant pertaining to mutual guarantee of territory integrity and military help in the case of its violation among members of the League of Nations.Therefore, in two subsequent votings (the second one in 1920), most of the senators opposed it. The Treaty was rejected for fear of the involuntary involvement of the USA in a military conflict, for the sake of the Country's safety.
Source: Cryus Leroy, GroMar Sp. z o.o., Reading the Draft Covenant for the League of Nations, 1919, licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.

On the basis of: Krzysztof Michałek, Amerykańskie stulecie. Historia Stanów Zjednoczonych Ameryki 1900‑2001, Warszawa 2004, s. 90‑94

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Exercise 1
Wybierz jedno nowe słowo poznane podczas dzisiejszej lekcji i ułóż z nim zdanie.
Task 3

What do you think about the theory that some nations require temporary or long‑term care of developed countries? Was this belief the main reason for the introduction of the mandate systemmandate systemmandate system? Maybe there were other factors? If yes, what were they?

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Exercise 2
Evaluate the purpose of the League of Nations existence. Search in the Internet for information, use information obtained during the lesson.
Evaluate the purpose of the League of Nations existence. Search in the Internet for information, use information obtained during the lesson.
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Dokonaj analizy SWOT celów istnienia Ligii Narodów.
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Exercise 3
Wyjaśnij pojęcia: esperanto, ratyfikacja, System Mandatowy, izolacjonizm.

Keywords

League of Nations, treaty, ratification

Glossary

Esperanto
Esperanto
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Nagranie dźwiękowe słówka.

Esperanto - międzynarodowy język pomocniczy; jego twórcą był polski lekarz Ludwik Zamenhof , który w książce zatytułowanej „Dr Esperanto” (czyli Doktor Nadzieja) opublikował w 1887 podstawy języka; spopularyzowany przez Ligę Narodów

isolationism
isolationism
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Nagranie dźwiękowe słówka.

izolacjonizm - kierunek polityki zagranicznej sprowadzający się do obrony interesów i bezpieczeństwa własnego państwa.

International Labor Organization
International Labor Organization
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Nagranie dźwiękowe słówka.

Międzynarodowa Organizacja Pracy – instytucja zajmująca się m.in. ograniczeniem pracy dzieci, ochroną praw pracowników, poprawą warunków pracy i zatrudnienia; jeden z najskutecvzniejszych organów Ligi Narodów.

League of Nations Council
League of Nations Council
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Nagranie dźwiękowe słówka.

Rada Ligi Narodów – najważniejsza instytucja tej organizacji międzynarodowej; składała się ze stałych i niestałych członków; początkowo stałymi przedstawicielami były: Francja, Wielka Brytania, Włochy i Japonia; do jej kompetencji należało nakładanie sankcji, kontrola funkcjonowania systemu mandatowego, ochrona praw mniejszości narodowych, działalność mediacyjna i rozjemcza.

ratification
ratification
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Nagranie dźwiękowe słówka.

ratyfikacja – najbardziej uroczysty sposób wyrażenia ostatecznej zgody na związanie się umową międzynarodową przez upoważniony do tego organ państwowy

League of Nations Secretariat
League of Nations Secretariat
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Nagranie dźwiękowe słówka.

Sekretariat Ligii Narodów - organ administracyjny Ligi, który zapewniał ciągłość prac, kierował bieżącą działalnością; przygotowywał projekty rezolucji oraz ustaw.

Mandate System
Mandate System
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Nagranie dźwiękowe słówka.

System mandatowy – kategoria nadana dawnym koloniom niemieckim oraz krajom odłączonym od imperium tureckiego, zakładająca przygotowanie tych krajów do uzyskania samodzielności i w konsekwencji niepodległości.

International Court of Justice in Hague
International Court of Justice in Hague
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Nagranie dźwiękowe słówka.

Trybunał Sprawiedliwości w Hadze – organ rozstrzygający spory między państwami i wydający opinie doradcze

General Assembly of the League of Nations
General Assembly of the League of Nations
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Nagranie dźwiękowe słówka.

Zgromadzenie Ogólne Ligi Narodów – jeden z organów tej organizacji międzynarodowej, który miał rozpatrywać wszystkie kwestie związane z pokojem światowym, a które mieściły się w ramach kompetencji Ligi.