Virginia Tech Model United Nations Conference November 3rd-5th, 2017

Dear Honorable Delegates,

I am delighted to welcome you to the first Virginia Tech Model United Nations

Conference. I feel honored to serve as your Chair of the 1923 League of Nations Committee! As

a freshman at Virginia Tech, this conference will be my first collegiate chairing experience.

While I am a Physics and English double major, I am like many of you: fascinated with and

passionate about international politics. Thorough research and experience for Model United

Nations conferences have allowed me to develop understanding and perspective about past,

present, and future crises alike, and I am thrilled to share these experiences with you at Virginia

Tech.

The 1923 League of Nations Committee is critical in understanding much of the world

around us. As you will read in the background guide, there were several reasons for why the

League of Nations was needed. The League was successful in accomplishing a number of tasks;

for example, the League of Nations did effectively bring social progress for women and children.

Despite some success stories, we must recognize its failures, and there are many. While it is

typically best to move past failures, it is important to realize the reasons for their demise. If we

are not careful and observant of the past, we set ourselves up for repeated mistakes.

I am eager to begin our sessions and hear what each of you have discovered. Best of luck

in your research!

Best regards,

Lily-Ana Fairweather, Chair of 1923 League of Nations

 Virginia Tech Model United Nations Conference November 3rd-5th, 2017

1923 LEAGUE OF NATIONS

BACKGROUND GUIDE

Topic 1: Resolving the conflict in Turkey

1 Intro to the Topic:

A General Background:

In 1453, the reign of the Ottoman Empire began its rise when Sultan Mehmed II

the Magnificents captured Constantinople, effectively collapsing the Byzantine Empire.

Through the 1500s, the Ottoman Empire began acquiring land across Asia and Africa

(Britannica). Its expansion towards Europe, however, was thwarted at the Battle of

Vienna in 1683, and the Ottoman Empire began to decline (BBC). In the early 1910s, the

Ottoman Territory fought two separate battles in 1912 and 1913 in what is called the

Balkin Wars, and the conflicts resulted in significant lost territory (Bayar). Despite

engaging in the Balkin Wars shortly before, the Ottoman Empire signed a secret treaty in

1914 with the German Empire. The treaty committed the Ottoman Empire to the Central

Powers against the Allies during World War I. The Ottoman Empire, however, did not

win, and it ended its war against the Allies in 1918 (Cosar). The Ottoman Empire

accepted the 1918 Mudros Armistice and the subsequent Treaty of Sevres (Bayar)

B History between the conflict in 1923:

Whereas the Ottoman Empire acknowledged the Treaty of Sevres, the National

Movement rejected it, and the group launched its surrogate government in Ankara

(Cosar). While the Ottoman Empire was on the decline, it was during World War I that

the severity of its loosening grip became most obvious. During and after World War I,

starvation and deprivation were rampant among the general population, and illnesses,
 Virginia Tech Model United Nations Conference November 3rd-5th, 2017

such as cholera and typhoid, became epidemics throughout the empire (Polat). Realizing

a need, the Ottoman Empire expanded its conditions needed for assistance to include:

disability, great poverty, lack of familial assistance, migration, and imprisonment;

however, despite the expansion, little relief was given to the public (Polat). The alternate

government sought to correct the issue by focusing on working for the people with the

people. As a result of two conflicting government heads, a revolutionary war soon broke

out. The war became very bloody, and as many as 40,000 died in total from the war. An

estimated 1.4 million refugees came from the crisis, and ultimately, the burden was

moved to the United Nations to address the humanitarian crisis (University of Central

Arkansas).

C Finding a Solution to the Issue: Past, Present, and Future In

efforts to address the refugee crisis, several third party organizations such as the Red Cross,

International Union for Child Welfare,and the Turkish Red Crescent lent a hand. Even though

extensive efforts and resources were used by third party organizations, those resources were

insufficient as the number of refugees was too large (The Turkish-Greek Conflict). In a

resolution, delegates should address how the responsibility of handling the refugee crisis would

be delegated upon states and third party organizations. Delegates should also address protocol to

deal with redistribution of relief aid among refugees and minority that were displaced.

"The Turkish-Greek Conflict (1919-1923)." International Committee of Red Cross. ICRC, 2005.

Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

 Virginia Tech Model United Nations Conference November 3rd-5th, 2017

2 Questions to Consider in Research:

A What made the National Independence Movement so popular, and what flaws did it address in

Turkish government?
B When should the League of Nations step in during the revolutionary war, if at all? What role

should the League of Nations play in foreign nations affairs?

C What happened to displaced persons and/or refugees during the war? Is it possible to reintroduce

them into the land?

3 Questions a Resolution Can Answer:

A Should the League of Nations accept the Ottoman Empire as the legitimate government of

Turkey, or should it National Independence Movement?

B Should the League of Nations respond to the refugee crisis, and if so, how should the League of

Nations address it?

C What measures, if any, should the League of Nations take in suppressing the cholera and typhoid

pandemic?
Virginia Tech Model United Nations Conference November 3rd-5th, 2017

Topic 2: The dispute between Italy and Greece and ending the occupation in Corfu

1. Intro to the Topic:

A. General Background:

While the Treaty of London granted Albanian independence in 1913 and the

International Boundary Commission drew Albanian borders in 1914, Greece and Albania

had not quite solved the exact border, and the two disputed the location (Kane). Seeing no

resolution in sight, they went to the Conference of Ambassadors, who were permitted to

draw boundary lines and end the dispute. The Conference of Ambassadors created a

commission of British, French, and Italian officials to determine the boundary. However,

even from the beginning, Greek relations with the commission were sour, and Greece

believe that the chairman of the Commission (Enrico Tellini) was being unfair to them

(Kane).

B. History between the conflict in 1923:

On August 27th, 1923, the tensions reached their climax: Tellini and four others in

his party were murdered near Ioannina. While some speculated that Greek nationalists

were responsible, the Greek government stated that rather it was the work of Albanian

bandits, despite not having anything stolen (Kane). Two days later, Italy demanded seven

conditions be met, including the payment of 50 million and the execution of the culprits.

However, Greece refused to give money for a crime they did not commit and denied

knowing the identities of the murderers. Italian leader Benito Mussolini sent troops and
Virginia Tech Model United Nations Conference November 3rd-5th, 2017

bombed the small Greek island of Corfu in response on August 31st; the action resulted

in the death of 15 civilians (Kane).

C. Finding a Solution to the Issue: Past, Present, and Future

As noted, the conflict between Italy and Greece was started under tense relations

to begin, so delegates should pay close attention to how that relationship became

estranged. Delegates should also investigate how to effectively mend tensions through

financial and/or trade incentives. This includes, but is not limited to: implementing loans

and free trade, or, conversely, tax tariffs and embargoes. They should be willing to

negotiate with both sides for peace, although they may lean towards one more than

another. Overall, all delegates might also highlight how to address future land concerns in

the future.

2. Questions to Consider in Research:

A. Question 1: Why was Greeces relationship with Tellini so poor, and how did that

play into perceptions of his death?

B. Question 2: What demands did Italy make of Greece? What demands were

reasonable/unreasonable, and why?

C. Question 3: Was Mussolinis response in Corfu overdone? Should the League

address those actions or the (possible) Greeks?

3. Questions a Resolution Can Answer:

Virginia Tech Model United Nations Conference November 3rd-5th, 2017

A. Question 1: Should the League of Nations provide military intervention to either

country? If so, which?

B. Question 2: How should the League of Nations respond to Greek and/or Italian

appeals?

C. Question 3: How might the League of Nations resolve future land disputes to prevent

similar issues in the future?

Works Cited:

Barros, James. The Corfu Incident of 1923: Mussolini and the League of Nations. Princeton,

NJ: Princeton UP, 1965. Print.

Kane, Robert. War in the Balkans : An Encyclopedic History from the Fall of the Ottoman

Empire to the Breakup of Yugoslavia. N.p.: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2014. Summons. Web. 26 Nov.

2016.
Virginia Tech Model United Nations Conference November 3rd-5th, 2017