Member states of the League of Nations
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (May 2020) |
Between 1920 and 1939, a total of 63 countries became member states of the League of Nations. The Covenant forming the League of Nations was included in the Treaty of Versailles and came into force on 10 January 1920, with the League of Nations being dissolved on 18 April 1946; its assets and responsibilities were transferred to the United Nations.
The League's greatest extent was from 28 September 1934 (when Ecuador joined) to 23 February 1935 (when Paraguay withdrew) with 58 members. At this time, only Costa Rica (22 January 1925), Brazil (14 June 1926), Japan (27 March 1933) and Germany (19 October 1933) had withdrawn, and only Egypt was later joined (on 26 May 1937).
Of the 42 founding members,[1] 23 (or 24, counting Free France) were members when the League of Nations was dissolved in 1946. A further 21 countries joined between 1920 and 1937, but seven had withdrawn, left, or been expelled before 1946.
Countries are listed under the year in which they joined. Several countries withdrew after joining; the Covenant stipulated that a withdrawing country kept its obligations and membership for two years. Several countries also ceased to exist after annexation by Germany, Italy, or the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was expelled from the League in 1939 after its invasion of Finland, and was the only country to face that measure.
Despite formulating the concept and signing the Covenant, the United States never joined the League of Nations. (The United States Senate voted 49–35 in favor of ratifying, but this failed to reach the necessary two-thirds majority.[2]) Saudi Arabia (then the Kingdom of Hejaz) also signed the Covenant but did not join, and some relatively-isolated sovereign states in Asia did not join either, including Bhutan, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, and Yemen. Iceland was given the opportunity to join the League of Nations in 1920, but opted not to, primarily due to limited administrative resources.[3]
Likewise, most of the European microstates such as Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City never sought membership in the organization.[citation needed] Liechtenstein applied for membership in 1920, though unsuccessful.[4]
At the IX Congress of European Nationalities, an organization of the League of Nations, held in Bern, the first three autonomies of Spain (Basque Country, Galicia, and Catalonia), were recognized as a nation. In any case, they were not independent but were represented by the Spanish government.[5]
Map
List
Original signatory Original invitee
Member state | Date of admission | Date of withdrawal | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Belgium | 10 January 1920 | ||
Bolivia | 10 January 1920 | ||
Brazil | 10 January 1920 | 13 June 1928 | |
British Empire[a] | 10 January 1920 | All six members joined from one ratification document. | |
Canada | |||
Australia | |||
South Africa[b] | |||
New Zealand | |||
India | |||
China | 16 July 1920 | ||
Cuba | 8 March 1920 | ||
France Free France (1943-1944) |
10 January 1920 | Vichy France sent a notice of withdrawal 19 April 1941, which the League recognized.[14][15] Free France did not recognize Vichy France's withdrawal and rescinded the notice 15 and 16 April 1943,[c] which the League also recognized.[16] France attended the last session of the League in April 1946 as a member.[17][18] | |
Greece | 30 March 1920 | ||
Guatemala | 10 January 1920 | 25 May 1938 | |
Haiti | 30 June 1920 | 7 April 1944 | |
Honduras | 3 November 1920 | 9 July 1938 | |
Italy | 10 January 1920 | 10 December 1939 | |
Japan | 10 January 1920 | 27 March 1935 | |
Liberia | 30 June 1920 | ||
Nicaragua | 3 November 1920 | 26 June 1938 | |
Panama | 25 November 1920 | ||
Peru | 10 January 1920 | 8 April 1941 | |
Poland | 10 January 1920 | ||
Portugal | 8 April 1920 | ||
Romania | 14 September 1920 | 10 July 1942 | [19] |
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes |
10 February 1920 | Renamed Yugoslavia in 1929. | |
Siam | 10 January 1920 | Renamed Thailand in 1939.[20] | |
Czecho-Slovakia | 10 January 1920 | Occupied and annexed by Nazi Germany 15 March 1939; never withdrew. | |
Uruguay | 10 January 1920 | ||
Argentina | 10 January 1920 | Invitee; ratified 18 July 1919. Quit 4 December 1920 without sending a notice of withdrawal;[21] resumed participation 26 September 1933.[22] | |
Chile | 10 January 1920 | 1 June 1940 | Invitee; ratified 4 November 1919. |
Colombia | 16 February 1920 | Invitee. | |
Denmark | 8 March 1920 | Invitee. Occupied by Nazi Germany 9 April 1940 and forced to withdraw 19 July 1940; withdrawal not recognized by the League. Withdrawal notice rescinded in 1945. | |
Netherlands | 9 March 1920 | Invitee. | |
Norway | 9 March 1920 | Invitee. | |
Paraguay | 10 January 1920 | 23 February 1937 | Invitee; ratified 29 October 1919. |
Persia | 10 January 1920 | Invitee; ratified 21 November 1919. Renamed Iran in 1935. | |
El Salvador | 10 March 1920 | 9 August 1939 | Invitee. |
Spain | 10 January 1920 | 8 May 1941 | Invitee. Withdrew 8 September 1926 with the formal 2-year notice; rejoined 22 March 1928 before the 2 years were up. |
Sweden | 9 March 1920 | Invitee. | |
Switzerland | 8 March 1920 | Invitee. | |
Venezuela | 3 March 1920 | 10 July 1940 | Invitee. |
Austria | 15 December 1920 | 18 March 1938 | The League recognized the Anschluss (five days afterward) and removed Austria from its list of members.[23] |
Bulgaria | 16 December 1920 | ||
Costa Rica | 16 December 1920 | 1 January 1927 | |
Finland | 16 December 1920 | ||
Luxembourg | 16 December 1920 | ||
Albania | 17 December 1920 | Occupied by Italy 12 April 1939; the puppet government sent a notice of withdrawal to the League 13 April 1939, but the League did not recognize the puppet government or accept the notice. | |
Estonia | 22 September 1921 | Occupied by the Soviet Union and annexed 6 August 1940; never withdrew. | |
Latvia | 22 September 1921 | Occupied by the Soviet Union and annexed 5 August 1940; never withdrew. | |
Lithuania | 22 September 1921 | Occupied by the Soviet Union and annexed 3 August 1940; never withdrew. | |
Hungary | 18 September 1922 | 9 April 1941 | |
Irish Free State | 10 September 1923 | Renamed Ireland in 1937. | |
Abyssinia | 28 September 1923 | The League switched from using "Abyssinia" to "Ethiopia" between 1934 and 1935.[24][25] | |
Dominican Republic | 29 September 1924 | ||
Germany | 8 September 1926 | 20 October 1935 | Quit in October 1933 after Hitler came to power. |
Mexico | 12 September 1931 | The League invited Mexico to join on 8 September 1931.[26] | |
Turkey | 18 July 1932 | ||
Iraq | 3 October 1932 | ||
Soviet Union | 18 September 1934 | 14 December 1939 | § Expulsion of the Soviet Union |
Afghanistan | 27 September 1934 | [27] | |
Ecuador | 28 September 1934 | ||
Egypt | 26 May 1937 |
Expulsion of the Soviet Union
On 14 December 1939,[28] the Soviet Union was expelled for invading Finland in violation of the Covenant of the League of Nations, by a Council vote of 7-0-4-3 (7 in favor, 0 against, 4 abstaining, 3 absent).[29] The United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, South Africa, and Egypt voted in favor; the Republic of China, Finland, Greece, and Yugoslavia abstained; and Iran, Peru, and the Soviet Union itself were absent. Three of the votes in favor had been made Council members the day before the vote (South Africa, Bolivia, and Egypt). This was one of the League's final acts before it practically ceased functioning.[30]
It has been disputed whether the expulsion was legally valid. Article 16 paragraph 4 of the Covenant states that the Council may expel a member from the League if all members of the Council other than the to-be-expelled member concur. However, it is unclear if abstentions or absences are permitted for expulsion votes (though it is undisputed that they are allowed for non-expulsion unanimous Council decisions).[29] Even if permitted, it is disputed whether the expulsion could be legally valid without a majority (8 out of 14) of the Council in favor.[30][failed verification]
Regardless, both the expulsion and dispute had little practical effect. The Soviet Union had already declared nine days earlier that it would be absent from the League until further notice, it acknowledged its expulsion[31] and made no move to challenge it on the disputed grounds, no other member was ever expelled from the League to demonstrate any precedent, and the League took no further significant actions due to the Second World War.[29]
The League of Nations partially did not recognize the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states. In its last session in 1946, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania remained on the list of members of the League.[18][32] However, two months before the session, the League[d] stated that it would not consider the 1939 documents of any representatives as valid, and required the governments of the League members to furnish new documents naming representatives.[33] When the representatives of the Latvian government-in-exile and Lithuanian government-in-exile attempted to attend the session, a Secretariat staff member denied their 1939 documents as instructed, and explicitly stated that there did not exist any government which could provide them with the necessary credentials. The letter documenting this incident refers to the representatives as the "permanent delegate of Latvia" and "permanent delegate of Lithuania" as titles. (The letter does not mention the presence of the delegate of Estonia.) The staff member offered the representatives, and their family members and assistants, entry into the League's diplomatic gallery to spectate the session, but the representatives refused the offer for themselves, while accepting it for their family members and assistants. In addition, the offered entry card, and even the envelope containing the card, explicitly omitted a country name and a title.[32]
See also
Notes
- ^ The League switched from using "British Empire" to "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" between 1931 and 1932. The short names "Great Britain" and "United Kingdom" were both used, at times within the same document. The United Kingdom continued to be alphabetized under "British" or "Britain".[12][13]
- ^ South Africa was alphabetized under "Africa" even in English.[13]
- ^ On 15 April 1943, General Henri Giraud sent the message to the League's Supervisory Commission. On 16 April 1943, General Charles de Gaulle sent the message to the Secretary-General of the League.[16]
- ^ Specifically, the Secretary-General of the League, with agreement from the President of the Assembly and the President of the Council
Citations
- ^ Buell, Raymond Leslie (1929). International Relations. H. Holt. p. 647.
- ^ Hewes, James E. (1970). "Henry Cabot Lodge and the League of Nations". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 114 (4): 245–255. JSTOR 985951.
- ^ Jóhannesson, Guðni Th. (2016). Fyrstu forsetarnir.
- ^ Biland, Susanna (31 December 2011). "Völkerbund". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ Perez Pena, Marcos (13 September 2013). "80 años desde que Galicia es oficialmente nación". Eldiario.es. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ "The Green Papers Worldwide - Roster of LEAGUE OF NATIONS [1920 thru 1946]".
- ^ "World Statesmen.org".
- ^ "Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, The Paris Peace Conference, 1919, Volume XIII > The Covenant of the League of Nations (Art. 1 to 26)". Office of the Historian - United States Department of State.
- ^ Hudson, Manley O. “Membership in the League of Nations.” The American Journal of International Law, vol. 18, no. 3, 1924, pp. 436–58. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2188357. Accessed 12 July 2024.
- ^ "League of Nations Treaty Series". United Nations Treaty Collection.
- ^ "Chronology" (PDF). The United Nations Office at Geneva.
- ^ "12th Ordinary session of the Assembly 1931 - List of Delegates". UN Archives Geneva.
- ^ a b "13th Ordinary Session of the Assembly, September 1932 - List of Delegates". UN Archives Geneva.
- ^ "Withdrawal of France from the League of Nations - Telegram of 19th April, 1941 from the French Government". UN Archives Geneva.
- ^ "Situation resulting from the retreat of France from the League of Nations". UN Archives Geneva.
- ^ a b "Withdrawal of France from the League of Nations - Correspondence with Free French Authorities (and French Provisional Government)". UN Archives Geneva.
- ^ "21st Assembly, Geneva, April 1946 - List of Delegates". UN Archives Geneva.
- ^ a b Myers, Denys P. “Liquidation of League of Nations Functions.” The American Journal of International Law, vol. 42, no. 2, 1948, pp. 320–54. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2193676. Accessed 18 June 2024.
- ^ Hannsjoachim Wolfgang Koch, Macmillan International Higher Education, 1985, Aspects Of The Third Reich, p. 297
- ^ Hell, Stephan (8 January 2020). "A seat at the table". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ^ South America Archived 10 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Encyclopedia of World History
- ^ League of Nations chronology, United Nations
- ^ List of States Members of the League of Nations on 31.XII.1944 from the League of Nations Statistical Yearbook (1942-44) Archived 1 September 2016 at Archive-It
- ^ "15th Ordinary Session of the Assembly - September 1934 - List of Delegates". UN Archives Geneva.
- ^ "16th Ordinary Session of the Assembly, September 1935 - Lists of Delegates". UN Archives Geneva.
- ^ Toledo-García, Itzel; University of Essex, UK: ‘’"[https://www.academia.edu/23331167/La_cuesti%C3%B3n_de_la_dignidad_nacional_en_el_ingreso_de_M%C3%A9xico_a_la_Sociedad_de_Naciones_1919-1931 La cuestión de la dignidad nacional en el ingreso de México a la Sociedad de Naciones, 1919-1931"’’ Retrieved 4 September 2016. (Translated from Spanish: "On September 7th, 1931, the British Empire, Germany, Northern Ireland, Spain, France, Italy and Japan began the initiative; next day the proposal was adopted unanimously by the assembly, and the invitation was sent to the government of Mexico. The 10th of September the acceptance was communicated in Geneva… Two days later, Mexico was declared member of the League of Nations.")
- ^ "15th Ordinary Session of the Assembly, September 1934 - Journal". UN Archives Geneva.
- ^ Scott 1973, pp. 312, 398.
- ^ a b c Gross, Leo. “Was the Soviet Union Expelled From the League of Nations?” The American Journal of International Law, vol. 39, no. 1, 1945, pp. 35–44. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2192308. Accessed 19 Feb. 2024.
- ^ a b Magliveras 1999, p. 31.
- ^ Magliveras 1999, p. 26.
- ^ a b "21st Session of the Assembly, Geneva, April 1946 - Admission of former representatives of Baltic States to meetings of". UN Archives Geneva.
- ^ "21st Session of the Assembly, Geneva, April 1946 - Convocation". UN Archives Geneva.
References
- Magliveras, Konstantinos D (1999). Exclusion from Participation in International Organisations: The Law and Practice behind Member States' Expulsion and Suspension of Membership. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. ISBN 978-90-411-1239-2.
- Scott, George (1973). The Rise and Fall of the League of Nations. Hutchinson & Co Ltd. ISBN 978-0-09-117040-0.
Further reading
- Hell, Stefan (2019). Siam and The League of Nations; Modernisation, Sovereignty, and Multilateral Diplomacy, 1920-1940. Bangkok: River Books. ISBN 9789749863893. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2020.