League of Nations: Border Disputes Resolved 1920-1925
Border Disputes in the 1920s
Vilna: 1920, Conflict Between Poland and Lithuania
After World War I, both Poland and Lithuania were newly created by the peace settlement. Vilna was the capital city of Lithuania. However, by 1920, 30% of its population was Polish, and only 2% were Lithuanian. A private Polish army took control of the city. Lithuania asked the League for help.
The League of Nations (LON) protested to Poland, but the Polish forces did not pull out, so it was not successful. France and Britain could have sent troops to force the Polish army out of Vilna. However, France saw Poland as a potential ally against Germany and did not want to upset the Polish.
Upper Silesia: 1921, Poland and Germany
Upper Silesia was an industrial area, rich in iron and steel, inhabited by Germans and Poles. Both countries wanted control of it. In 1920, a plebiscite was held for locals to vote on which country they wanted to belong to. In industrial areas, Germany won, while in rural areas, it was Poland.
The LON oversaw a peaceful plebiscite and divided the region between Germany and Poland. Both countries accepted the decision, so it was successful. Rail links and water and power supplies were safeguarded.
Aaland Islands: 1921, Finland and Sweden
These islands are midway between Sweden and Finland, so both countries were willing to control the area. Traditionally, they belonged to Finland, but the islanders wanted to be governed by Sweden. Both countries resorted to the League to solve the conflict.
The League decided that the islands belonged to Finland, and Sweden accepted the League’s ruling. The islands remain Finnish. This was a success.
Corfu: 1923, Greece and Italy
Initially, the dispute was between Greece and Albania, so Tellini (an Italian) went to supervise it. After Tellini was killed, Mussolini (also Italian) got involved and bombarded and occupied Corfu. Mussolini wanted Greece to pay compensation. Greece appealed to the League.
The LON proposed that Greece pay compensation, but that the money would be held by the League. This money would be paid if and when Tellini’s killers were found. This was not successful since Mussolini got his way, and the Council of Ambassadors made the final ruling, so the Greeks had to apologize and pay compensation directly to Italy. Mussolini withdrew from Corfu. The League was not successful as it had to change its first decision because of Italian pressure.
Bulgaria: 1925, Greece and Bulgaria
Greek troops invaded Bulgaria after an incident on the border in which some Greek soldiers were killed. Bulgaria appealed for help.
The League demanded that both sides stand their forces down and that Greece withdraw from Bulgaria. The League judged in favor of the Bulgarians. Greece had to pay £45,000 in compensation and was threatened with sanctions. Greece obeyed, so it was successful. Although Greece obeyed, they were not satisfied at all with the resolutions. They claimed that there were different rules depending on the states: one rule for powerful countries like Italy and another for smaller countries. The League was successful as the dispute was solved.
Article 10
Collective security: by acting together, the League could prevent war.
Reflection: The League of Nations has had bad press from historians. They often say it was a failure. This is not entirely fair because the LON had its successes regarding border disputes; however, these successes tended to be low-profile, whereas its failures were high-profile. These successes have often been forgotten because they all involved small nations rather than great powers. Even so, the League showed that it was capable of successfully preventing disputes and, in some cases, stopping fighting.