What did the crisis in both Manchuria and Abyssinia reveal about the weaknesses of the League of Nations?

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What did the crisis in both Manchuria and Abyssinia reveal about the weaknesses of the League of Nations?

Both Japan and Italy had a strong leadership but they both had problems with trade so they became aggressive against other countries to boost the economy and the morale of the people. The League of Nations could not stop them because they were strong countries and the League was weak.

In order to address this question the following issues need to be considered: the events that took place in Manchuria and Abyssinia, international events like the great depression, and how these events show the big weaknesses of the League of Nations.

Japan felt that it needed to invade because: Manchuria had plenty of natural resources. It had soil that was good for farming, coal, iron, and minerals. The railway was owned by Japan. Silk exports had collapsed because of the great depression so thousands of peasants needed now land. Japan saw Manchuria as a buffer against communist USSR. And the army (who were in control of Japan) wanted to add Manchuria to the Japanese Empire.

So the Japanese sabotaged the railway (only a few meters of track was damaged and it was easily fixed) and they blamed it on the residents of Manchuria so they had an excuse to send troops in (Japan said it was to protect the railway) on September 18 1931.

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China urged the League of Nations to stop Japan so the League; Ordered Japan to withdraw in 1931, the government agreed but the Army didn’t. Appointed the Lytton Commission to investigate in 1932, the League invited Japan to hand Manchuria back to china but Japan kept Manchuria and left the League.

The League couldn’t/didn’t do more because; the depression made countries unwilling to impose economic sanctions on Japan because this would damage trade further (the USA would still trade with Japan because they weren’t a member of the League). Collective security didn’t apply because powerful countries like Britain feared they ...

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