The second problem was that some potentially strong countries were excluded, such as Germany and Russia. Germany was not allowed to join the League as a punishment for starting World War One. Russia was not allowed as she had a communist government, an ideology that many people feared at that time. This meant that the League lost valuable support against aggressor nations, as Germany and Russia could have provided military support.
The third problem was that at the time the powers were facing political and economic problems. One of the solutions the League utilized in case of disputes was arms embargo, however, they did not have a military force at its disposal. The only two countries in the League that could have provided it were Britain and France, but their economy and military had been severely depleted after World War One. This meant that if a problem broke out, the League would not be able to go further than economic sanctions as it had no military power, weakening its power.
The fourth problem as Source A identifies is that collective security is fundamentally problematic, as not all countries are equally invested. This meant decision-making was ineffective. Countries either disagreed on what “constituted aggression” or “over the appropriate sanction”, but the League required unanimous agreement to pass a decision, paralyzing the league. And sanctions were ineffective because they were inevitably the “lowest common denominator”, having limited effectiveness.
The League’s failure is apparent in the Abyssinia Crisis. Mussolini wanted to invade Abyssinia. The League talked to Mussolini, but he then sent an army to Africa. Mussolini ignored the League and invaded Abyssinia. Even though the Abyssinian Emperor appealed to the League for help, it did nothing, and Britian and France actually agreed in the Hoare-Laval Pact to give Abyssinia to Italy. Italy conquered Abyssinia.
Due to the problems stated, that the US was not part of the League, some strong countries were not included, existing members were experiencing internal problems and ineffective decision-making, the League of Nations was unable to enforce its policies or maintain peace.
SECTION B
The origin of Source A is that it is an extract from a history analysis written by Kissinger who is a American historian, published in New York in 1995. The purpose is that it was written for an academic purpose for students of history and for the general public interested in history. The value of Source A is that it is written by an expert in history who has thoroughly researched his material and also has had access to a wide range of sources, explaining how problems with collective security contributed to the weakness of the League of Nations. It is also a specific argument against “collective security” rather than a general narrative of the event. The limitation of Source A is that it is written for students and is meant as an overview, and does not analyze the problem fully.
The origin of Source B is that it is a cartoon drawn in 1919, drawn by a British cartoonist and published in Punch. The purpose of it was to be a political comment for the British public on the problem of US self-isolation. The value is that it reflects how people in Britain at that time considered the League to be ineffective partly due to lack of US involvement, and the US is also presented in a manner that suggests idleness, reflecting a negative view towards the US. Its limitation is a lack of concrete facts as it is only a visual representation.