Member states of the League of Nations

For United Nations member states, see Member states of the United Nations.

Between 1920 and 1946, a total of 63 countries became member states of the League of Nations.

When the Assembly of the League of Nations first met, it consisted of 42 founding members.[1] A further 21 countries joined between then and the dissolution of the League.

As several countries withdrew from the League during the course of its life, the 63 countries were never all members at the same time. The League's greatest extent was from 28 September 1934 (when Ecuador joined) to February 1935 (when Paraguay withdrew) with 58 countries. By then, only Costa Rica (December 1924), Brazil (June 1926), Japan (March 1933), and Germany (October 1933) had withdrawn, and only Egypt joined later (on 26 May 1937).

Founding members

The Covenant of the League of Nations was part of the Treaty of Versailles, signed on 28 June 1919 between the Allies of World War I and Germany. In order for the treaty to enter into force, it had to be deposited at Paris; in order to be deposited, it had to be ratified by Germany and any three of the five Principal Powers (the United States of America, the British Empire, France, Italy, and the Empire of Japan). Any Allied signatory that ratified the treaty would automatically join the League.

Germany was forced to ratify the treaty first,[2] which it did on 10 July 1919. Italy ratified on 7 October 1919, the British Empire and its self-governing Dominions ratified on 10 October 1919, and France on 12 October 1919. These ratifications were deposited (along with those of ten other countries) on 10 January 1920.[3] All but three of the remaining signatories (the United States, Ecuador, and the Kingdom of Hejaz) had ratified by the time the Assembly first met on 15 November 1920.[a]

The Covenant also invited 13 neutral nations to join the League. To join, an invitee had to agree ("accede without reservation") to the Covenant within two months of the League's founding. All 13 invitees accepted their invitations within the two-month deadline; four of them accepted their invitations even before the League was founded.

The United States Senate voted 49–35 in favor of ratification, but this failed to reach the necessary two-thirds majority.[4] Hejaz (later Saudi Arabia) also never ratified the treaty. Ecuador would not ratify the treaty until 1934. As an original Allied signatory, Ecuador was entitled to join the League this way with no deadline or Assembly vote, and the League considered Ecuador to still be a founding member.[5]

Uniquely, China (then the Beiyang government) joined the League by ratifying the Treaty of St. Germain (with Austria) instead of the Treaty of Versailles (with Germany), as both treaties included the Covenant of the League of Nations. It had refused to sign the Treaty of Versailles due to it giving the previously-German-controlled Shandong colony in China to the Empire of Japan.

Additional members could join the League by a two-thirds vote of the Assembly.

List

Founding members below are listed in the order matching the Covenant (signatories first, followed by invitees), except for Ecuador. The colonies of the British Empire immediately followed it and did not sign in alphabetical order. Czecho-Slovakia and El Salvador were alphabetized under 'S'.

A country was allowed to send a withdrawal notice at any time, but it would take two years to come into effect after the League received it, and meanwhile the country would retain both its obligations and its membership. In practice, a withdrawing country quit the League immediately, and was absent from all sessions and votes for the last two years of its formal membership. The "Date of withdrawal" column shows when the withdrawal notice was sent.

  Original Allied signatory   Original invitee

List of members[6][7][8][9][10][11]
Member state Date of admission Date of withdrawal[b] Notes
 Belgium 10 January 1920
 Bolivia 10 January 1920
 Brazil 10 January 1920 12 June 1926 Withdrew upon rejection of a resolution to give Brazil the United States' vacant permanent Council seat.[29]
 British Empire[c] 10 January 1920 All six members joined from one ratification document.
 Canada
 Australia
 South Africa[d]
 New Zealand
 India
 China 16 July 1920
 Cuba 8 March 1920
 France
 Free France (1943-44) 		10 January 1920 Vichy France sent a notice of withdrawal 19 April 1941, which the League recognized.[32][33] Free France did not recognize Vichy France's withdrawal and rescinded the notice 15 and 16 April 1943,[e] which the League also recognized.[34]
 Greece 30 March 1920
 Guatemala 10 January 1920 14 May 1936 Withdrawal notice received by the League 26 May 1936.
 Haiti 30 June 1920 16 February 1942 Withdrawal notice received by the League 8 April 1942.
 Honduras 3 November 1920 22 June 1936 Withdrawal notice received by the League 10 July 1936.
 Italy 10 January 1920 11 December 1937 Quit after the League sanctioned it for invading Ethiopia.
 Empire of Japan 10 January 1920 25 March 1933 Quit after the League refused to recognize the puppet state of Manchukuo.
 Liberia 30 June 1920
 Nicaragua 3 November 1920 26 June 1936
 Panama 25 November 1920
 Peru 10 January 1920 4 April 1939
 Poland 10 January 1920
 Portugal 8 April 1920
 Romania 14 September 1920 10 July 1940 [35]
Kingdom of Serbs,
Croats, and Slovenes 		10 February 1920 Renamed Yugoslavia in 1929.
Siam 10 January 1920 Renamed Thailand in 1939.[36]
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; accepted 18 July 1919.
Quit 4 December 1920 without sending a notice of withdrawal;[37] resumed participation 26 September 1933.[38]
 Chile 10 January 1920 31 May 1938 Invitee; accepted 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 1935 Invitee; accepted 29 October 1919.
Quit during the Chaco War after rejecting the League's arbitration.[39]
 Persia 10 January 1920 Invitee; accepted 21 November 1919.
Renamed Iran in 1935.
 El Salvador 10 March 1920 26 July 1937 Invitee.
Withdrawal notice received by the League 10 August 1938.
/ Spain/Second Spanish Republic 10 January 1920 8 May 1939 Invitee.
Withdrew 8 September 1926 with the formal 2-year notice; rejoined 22 March 1928 before the 2 years were up.
Quit after Francisco Franco came to power.
 Sweden 9 March 1920 Invitee.
  Switzerland 8 March 1920 Invitee.
 Venezuela 3 March 1920 11 July 1938 Invitee.
Austria 15 December 1920 18 March 1938 The League recognized the Anschluss (five days afterward) and removed Austria from its list of members.[40]
 Bulgaria 16 December 1920
Costa Rica 16 December 1920 24 December 1924 Gave slightly more than two years' notice, with its membership formally ceasing 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 11 April 1939
 Irish Free State 10 September 1923 Renamed Ireland in 1937.
Abyssinia 28 September 1923 The League switched from using "Abyssinia" to "Ethiopia" between September 1934 and September 1935.[41][42]
Occupied by the Italian Empire and annexed from 9 May 1936 to 5 May 1941; never withdrew.
Dominican Republic 29 September 1924
 Germany 8 September 1926 19 October 1933 Quit after Hitler came to power.
 Mexico 12 September 1931 The League invited Mexico to join on 8 September 1931.[43]
 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 [44]
 Ecuador 28 September 1934
 Egypt 26 May 1937

Expulsion of the Soviet Union

On 14 December 1939,[45] 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).[46] 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 to function.[47]

It has been disputed whether the expulsion was legally valid. Article 16 paragraph 4 of the Covenant stated 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 were permitted for expulsion votes (though it is undisputed that they were allowed for non-expulsion unanimous Council decisions).[46] 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.[47][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[48] 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.[46]

Non-members

Between November and December 1920, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Ukraine applied for membership amid the dissolution of the Russian Empire and the Russian Civil War, but were denied because they did "not appear to have a stable government whose authority extends over the whole of its territory". (Some extra consideration was given to Armenia due to it being a signatory of the Treaty of Sèvres, which would have given Armenia some territory from the broken-up Ottoman Empire, but the treaty failed to be ratified.) Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania also applied in 1920 and were denied that year because they "had not achieved a definite international status" at the time (the three would be admitted the next year).[9]

Some of the European microstates, namely Liechtenstein, Monaco, and San Marino, also applied for membership but were denied, explicitly due to their "small size".[9][49] Andorra and Vatican City never sought membership.[citation needed]

Iceland was given the opportunity to join the League of Nations in 1920, but opted not to, primarily due to limited administrative resources.[50]

Some relatively-isolated sovereign states in Asia also did not join, including Bhutan, Nepal, and Yemen, at least in part due to having no diplomatic relations with the major powers.[9] Tibet and Mongolia were de facto independent, but their independence was not recognized by the major powers.

At the IX Congress of European Nationalities, an organization of the League of Nations, held in Bern, the first three autonomous jurisdictions of Spain (Basque Country, Galicia, and Catalonia), were recognized as nations, but since they were not constitutionally independent, they were represented by the Spanish government.[51]

World War II and aftermath

Several member states were occupied or annexed during World War II, during which the League was largely paralyzed and held no sessions or votes. With the exception of the Anschluss, the League did not recognize any of these occupations, and the occupied states remained members of the League on paper.[40] With the exception of Vichy France (later rescinded by Free France), the League also did not recognize any notices of withdrawal sent by puppet regimes, considering them to have been sent under duress.[8] Not all puppet regimes attempted to withdraw.

The membership table above notes occupations that began before the start of World War II in Europe, those that continued after the end of World War II, and those whose puppet states attempted to withdraw. For brevity, the several occupations that do not meet any of these criteria (such as in the case of Luxembourg) are not listed.

The 20th annual session of the Assembly took place in 1939,[52][53] but the 21st session did not take place until April 1946, after which the League ceased to exist.[54] During this last session, 35 out of 44 League members attended, with Albania, Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Iraq, Liberia, Thailand, and the Baltic states not present.[55][56] (Colombia was present, but only as a non-voting observer as its government had not authorized its representative on whether to vote for or against the dissolution of the League.[53] Allied-occupied Austria was also permitted to send an observer with approval from its occupiers and the rest of the League.)

The League partially did not recognize the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states, which were the only member states of the League to remain occupied after the end of World War II. In its last session, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania remained on the list of members of the League.[55][57] However, two months before the session, the League[f] 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.[58] 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.[57]

The League of Nations was formally dissolved on 18 April 1946; its assets and responsibilities were transferred to the United Nations.

Map

A map of the world in the years 1920–1945, which shows the League of Nations members during its history.
  Members
  Colonies of members
  Mandates
  Non-members
  Colonies of non-members

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Panama's ratification document did not make it to the League until ten days after the first session of the Assembly, but it had communicated its ratification by telegram beforehand.
  2. ^ Sources: [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28]
  3. ^ The League switched from using "British Empire" to "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" after the Statute of Westminster 1931. 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".[30][31]
  4. ^ South Africa was alphabetized under 'A' even in English.[31]
  5. ^ 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.[34]
  6. ^ Specifically, the Secretary-General of the League, with agreement from the President of the Assembly and the President of the Council

Citations

  1. ^ Buell, Raymond Leslie (1929). International Relations. H. Holt. p. 647.
  2. ^ O'Brien, Terrence, "Milner", London: Constable, 1979. pg. 338.
  3. ^ Yntema, Hessel E. "The Treaties with Germany and Compensation for War Damage." Columbia Law Review, vol. 23, no. 6, 1923, pp. 511–27. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1111344. Accessed 14 July 2024.
  4. ^ Hewes, James E. (1970). "Henry Cabot Lodge and the League of Nations". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 114 (4): 245–255. JSTOR 985951.
  5. ^ "Ecuador and the League of Nations - Telegram from the Government of Ecuador dated 28 September 1934, in which the government announces the decision to become a Member of the League of Nations". UN Archives Geneva.
  6. ^ "The Green Papers Worldwide - Roster of LEAGUE OF NATIONS [1920 thru 1946]".
  7. ^ "World Statesmen.org".
  8. ^ a b "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.
  9. ^ a b c d 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.
  10. ^ "League of Nations Treaty Series". United Nations Treaty Collection.
  11. ^ "Chronology" (PDF). The United Nations Office at Geneva.
  12. ^ "Brazil and the League of Nations - Minister for Foreign Affairs, Rio de Janeiro (Telegram) - Announces the Resolution of the Brazilian Government to withdraw from the League of Nations". UN Archives Geneva.
  13. ^ "Withdrawal of Guatemala from the League - Telegram of May 14th 1936 from the Government of Guatemala". UN Archives Geneva.
  14. ^ "Withdrawal of Haiti from the League - Letter of 16th February, 1942 from the Government of Haiti". UN Archives Geneva.
  15. ^ "Resignation of Honduras". UN Archives Geneva.
  16. ^ "Withdrawal of Italy from the League - Telegram from the Italian Government 11th December 1937". UN Archives Geneva.
  17. ^ "Withdrawal of Japan from the league - Telegram of 25th March 1933. Announcing the intention of the Japanese Government to withdraw from the league". UN Archives Geneva.
  18. ^ "Withdrawal of Nicaragua from the League - Telegram of June 26, 1936 from the Government of Nicaragua". UN Archives Geneva.
  19. ^ "Withdrawal of Peru from the League of Nations - Telegram of 4th April 1939 from Peruvian Government". UN Archives Geneva.
  20. ^ "Withdrawal of Roumania from the League of Nations - Telegram of 10 July 1940 from the government of Romania". UN Archives Geneva.
  21. ^ "Withdrawal of Chile - Letter of 31st May 1938 from the government of Chile". UN Archives Geneva.
  22. ^ "Withdrawal of Paraguay from the League of Nations - Telegram of 23 rd February 1935 from the Government of Paraguay". UN Archives Geneva.
  23. ^ "Withdrawal of Salvador from the League - Letter of 26 July 1937 from the Government of Salvador". UN Archives Geneva.
  24. ^ "Withdrawal of Spain from the League of Nations - Telegram of 8th May1939 from Spanish Government". UN Archives Geneva.
  25. ^ "Withdrawal of Venezuela from the League - Telegram of 11th July 1938 from Government of Venezuela". UN Archives Geneva.
  26. ^ "Withdrawal of the Republic of Costa Rica from the League of Nations - The Minister of Costa Rica in Paris - Notifies, on the Orders of his Government, that the Republic of Costa Rica intends to withdraw from the League of Nations from 1 January 1927". UN Archives Geneva.
  27. ^ "Withdrawal of Hungary from the League of Nations - Telegram of 11th April 1939 from Hungarian Government". UN Archives Geneva.
  28. ^ "Withdrawal of Germany from the League - Letter of 19th October 1933 from the German government". UN Archives Geneva.
  29. ^ Myers, Denys P. "Representation in League of Nations Council." The American Journal of International Law, vol. 20, no. 4, 1926, pp. 689–713. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2188690. Accessed 19 July 2024.
  30. ^ "12th Ordinary session of the Assembly 1931 - List of Delegates". UN Archives Geneva.
  31. ^ a b "13th Ordinary Session of the Assembly, September 1932 - List of Delegates". UN Archives Geneva.
  32. ^ "Withdrawal of France from the League of Nations - Telegram of 19th April, 1941 from the French Government". UN Archives Geneva.
  33. ^ "Situation resulting from the retreat of France from the League of Nations". UN Archives Geneva.
  34. ^ a b "Withdrawal of France from the League of Nations - Correspondence with Free French Authorities (and French Provisional Government)". UN Archives Geneva.
  35. ^ Hannsjoachim Wolfgang Koch, Macmillan International Higher Education, 1985, Aspects Of The Third Reich, p. 297
  36. ^ Hell, Stephan (8 January 2020). "A seat at the table". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  37. ^ South America Archived 10 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Encyclopedia of World History
  38. ^ League of Nations chronology, United Nations
  39. ^ LLOYD, LORNA. "The League of Nations and the Settlement of Disputes." World Affairs, vol. 157, no. 4, 1995, pp. 160–74. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20672432. Accessed 3 Sept. 2024.
  40. ^ a b 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
  41. ^ "15th Ordinary Session of the Assembly - September 1934 - List of Delegates". UN Archives Geneva.
  42. ^ "16th Ordinary Session of the Assembly, September 1935 - Lists of Delegates". UN Archives Geneva.
  43. ^ Toledo-García, Itzel; University of Essex, UK: ‘’"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.")
  44. ^ "15th Ordinary Session of the Assembly, September 1934 - Journal". UN Archives Geneva.
  45. ^ Scott 1973, pp. 312, 398.
  46. ^ 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.
  47. ^ a b Magliveras 1999, p. 31.
  48. ^ Magliveras 1999, p. 26.
  49. ^ Biland, Susanna (31 December 2011). "Völkerbund". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  50. ^ Jóhannesson, Guðni Th. (2016). Fyrstu forsetarnir.
  51. ^ Perez Pena, Marcos (13 September 2013). "80 años desde que Galicia es oficialmente nación". Eldiario.es. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  52. ^ "20th Ordinary Session, September 1939 - General". UN Archives Geneva.
  53. ^ a b "20th Session, December 1939 - General". UN Archives Geneva.
  54. ^ "21st Session, April 1946 - General". UN Archives Geneva.
  55. ^ 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 19 July 2024.
  56. ^ "21st Assembly, Geneva, April 1946 - List of Delegates". UN Archives Geneva.
  57. ^ a b "21st Session of the Assembly, Geneva, April 1946 - Admission of former representatives of Baltic States to meetings of". UN Archives Geneva.
  58. ^ "21st Session of the Assembly, Geneva, April 1946 - Convocation". UN Archives Geneva.

References

Further reading