Why did the League fail to stop the Japanese Invasion of Manchuria?

Secondly, the league had not set up an army and other sanctions would not work. This was a major hindrance because it meant that the league not take military action and deter the Japanese. Additionally, Japan was now a major power and countries such as the USA and the USSR were the only ones which had the power, resources and influence to stop Japan however they were not part of the league. Furthermore, due to the Wall Street crash all of the European countries were suffering and because of this there was no collective attempt to raise an army because of the costs and the self-interests of the countries to recover themselves. Moreover, Economic sanctions were useless because the USA, Japan's main trading partner, was not a member of the league. This led the league to take a very long time to make their decision and this allowed the Japanese ample time to accomplish conquering Manchuria. This contributed a lot in the league failure to help the Chinese.

Finally, the league had very little options and they were not sure if the Japanese were trying to restore peace in Manchuria or retaliating and telling the truth against the Chinese and the Mukden Incident. The league could not apple military actions due to the costs and they could not apply economic sanctions because USA was not part of the league and Japan did not trade with Europe. The letter from the Master of Peterhouse to the British Foreign Secretary “I know this sounds all wrong, perhaps immoral, when Japan is flouting the League of Nations, but: (1) she was greatly provoked, (2) she must ere long expand somewhere - for goodness sake let (or rather encourage) her to do so there instead of Australia and (3) her control of Manchuria means a real block against Communist aggression” demonstrates the trust of the league in Japan as they believe China was behind the Mukden Incident. Furthermore, there is the act of selfishness and self-interest as Britain is grateful that the Japanese did not invade Australia because it is their land. Also the last point of the letter mentions how the league believe that this invasion would be beneficial because the league did not like communism and this invasion would be a “block” against it. Due to this there was little retaliation as the invasion was potentially quite good. This led to the league failing to stop the Japanese as they were selfish and uncertain.

In conclusion the league of nation failed to help Manchuria because of one main reason and other factors which contributed to it. The main reason was the fact that the league took too long take a decisive action against the distress call from China. However, this decision was lengthened significantly due to the league not having an army because it costs too much as it meant the league had to look for other options. Also USA and USSR were not part of the league and this was bad as they were world powers and they could influence Japan. In addition, the absence of USA meant that the league could not enforce economic sanctions either. And finally the league believed the invasion would be somewhat beneficial as it would provide a block against communist aggression. These factors meant that the league failed to stop Japan with their invasion of Manchuria.