AQA GCSE History: Wider World Depth Study (Paper 1: Section B) PDF
Document Details
Uploaded by OticHyperbola7288
AQA
Tags
Summary
This document is an AQA GCSE History past paper on the League of Nations and international peace. It covers the creation and aims of the League, its peacekeeping efforts, and diplomacy outside the League in the 1920s.
Full Transcript
Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources AQA GCSE History: Wider World Your notes Depth Study (Paper 1: Section B) The League of Nations & International Peace Contents Creation of the League of Nations Weakn...
Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources AQA GCSE History: Wider World Your notes Depth Study (Paper 1: Section B) The League of Nations & International Peace Contents Creation of the League of Nations Weaknesses of the League of Nations How Important was the League's Humanitarian Work The League of Nations Attempts at Peacekeeping in the 1920s Diplomacy Outside the League of Nations Page 1 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Creation of the League of Nations Your notes What caused the creation of the League of Nations? - Summary One of the key factors leading to the creation of the League of Nations was President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points. This was a peace plan he proposed during the First World War. Wilson's Fourteen Points included the idea of a League of Nations, where countries could come together to discuss and resolve conflicts peacefully. He believed an international organisation was essential for maintaining world peace and preventing another devastating war. Another major reason for the creation of the League of Nations was the impact of the First World War itself. The war caused significant destruction and loss of life, leaving many people determined to find a way to ensure that such a tragedy would never happen again. Wilson persuaded those in the Paris Peace Conference to create a system that would help countries settle their disputes without resorting to violence. The League of Nations was seen as a solution to promote diplomacy and cooperation among nations. A third reason for the creation of the League of Nations was the failure of previous diplomatic efforts to prevent the outbreak of war. Before the First World War, Europe had a complex system of alliances that were supposed to maintain a balance of power and deter conflicts. However, these alliances contributed to the escalation of tension in Europe. Minor conflicts drew countries into larger wars due to their obligations to support their allies. The leaders who established the League of Nations wanted to replace this flawed system. They wanted to encourage open communication, collective security and mutual cooperation to address international issues more effectively. Aims of the League of Nations US President Woodrow Wilson had clear aims for the League of Nations The League of Nations aimed: To solve disputes that could cause armed conflict To achieve world disarmament To encourage nations to trade freely with each other To improve the standard of living across the world Some of these aims were more important than others after the Versailles Settlement There were several border disputes after the Versailles Settlement The end of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires caused the formation of new countries like Poland Page 2 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources These new countries took land away from previously powerful countries like Germany and Austria Where the Allies drew new boundaries caused international tensions Your notes Conflicts occurred in borderlands Some countries attempted to invade other countries for land To achieve these aims, world leaders gave the League of Nations powers Article 10 of the Covenant insisted on ‘collective security’. This meant that: If an aggressive country attacked one League member, it was regarded as an attack on all members of the League The League of Nations could create a combined League army to defend the country from the aggressor Collective security aims to: Make member countries feel safer Deter war Methods of peacekeeping Apart from collective security, the League of Nations had a variety of methods that they could use. These were: Moral condemnation: Use their influence to disapprove of an action Trade sanctions: Impose trade boycotts on aggressive countries Compensation: Money paid to the innocent country from the aggressor as an apology for their actions Use the Conference of Ambassadors: An organisation that oversaw the Versailles Settlement. It had ambassadors from Britain, France and Japan that worked with the League to resolve disputes Plebiscites: The population of a contested region decides who governs it Do nothing: The League did not interfere with some disputes. For example, the French invasion of the Ruhr Examiner Tips and Tricks It is important to remember what methods of peacekeeping the League had available to them when looking at their actions in the 1920s. You could write these options as a checklist as you study the Page 3 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources League’s attempts at peacekeeping. That way, you could assess if the League acted appropriately to each conflict. Your notes Worked Example Source A is supportive of the aims of the League of Nations. How do you know? [4 marks] Source A: A cartoon created around 1919 by American cartoonist Lute Pease. It is titled ‘Weary "world" traveling through storm’ Page 4 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Answer: Source A is supportive of the aims of the League of Nations because of how it depicts the League (1). Your notes The cartoon shows the League of Nations as a lit-up hit in the middle of a storm. This shows the belief that the League of Nations would offer support and guidance in a time of uncertainty and danger. It is not surprising that the cartoon supports the League as, in 1919, the First World War had just ended and 20 million were dead. The world was hopeful that the League could ensure peace by getting nations to discuss problems rather than resort to war (1). Another reason why Source A is supportive of the aims of the League of Nations is due to how the source depicts what the League will offer to the world (1). The world is drawn as a weary traveller who has seen signs of “common understanding” and a “community of international interests”. This shows that there was support for the League’s aims. A key one shown here is the aim for member countries to trade freely with each other and resolve issues such as poor living standards internationally. Therefore the source shows support for the concept of working together and international unity (1). Examiner Tips and Tricks Ensure you write about two parts of the source. If you only write about one part of the source, you cannot achieve more than 2 marks (Level 1). For further guidance on this question, you can read this revision note on how to answer the 4-mark “How do you know” question. Page 5 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Weaknesses of the League of Nations Your notes Was the League of Nations weak from the outset? - Summary One major issue was that not all countries joined the League of Nations. Even though President Woodrow Wilson had the idea for the League, the USA never became a member. This is because the US Senate did not approve it. This was a significant setback because the USA was one of the most powerful countries in the world. Its absence made the League less influential. Another reason the League of Nations seemed weak from the start was that it did not have its own army. This meant that if a country decided to ignore the League's decisions or start a conflict, the League had no real way to enforce its rules. It had to rely on member countries to provide military support, which they were often reluctant to do. Without a strong way to enforce its resolutions, the League found it challenging to maintain peace. The League's decision-making process required unanimous agreement for important decisions. This meant that all the major powers had to agree on a course of action, which was very difficult to achieve. Different countries often had conflicting interests and opinions, making it hard for the League to act decisively and quickly. This slow and ineffective decision-making process made the League appear weak and unable to handle international crises effectively. The issues of membership In 1919, 42 countries joined the League of Nations By the 1930s, the League had 59 members The League of Nations went against Wilson’s vision Wilson wanted all nations to become members of the League He wanted the League to work together to improve the world Who could become members of the League of Nations? Page 6 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes A concept map showing the issues with the membership to the League of Nations in 1920 Why was the League’s membership a problem? The US Senate’s refusal to join the League of Nations meant the League lacked real power The USA was one of the most powerful nations in the world by 1919 Page 7 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources It had a large army that the League could have utilised The USA’s presence in the League would have brought more legitimacy to its decisions Your notes The exclusion of Germany and the USSR created enemies of the League The decision isolated Germany, leading its citizens towards extremism The Soviet Union was not allowed to participate in diplomacy due to its communist beliefs The USSR was a large and powerful nation that already felt shunned by the Western powers after the First World War This could prove damaging to protecting world peace The structure of the League of Nations Contemporary critics argued that the structure of the League was its biggest weakness Page 8 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes A diagram showing the roles of the different bodies within the League of Nations Page 9 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Strengths and Weaknesses of the League’s Structure Your notes Body Strengths Weaknesses Assembly All members had one vote. This avoided Only met once a year the issue of one country dominating the assembly All members had to agree on actions, making decision-making slow Council Met five times a year As permanent members, Britain, France, Japan and Italy used their They had three options for response: veto powers 1. Moral condemnation: Use their Powerful members blocked the influence to disapprove of an action actions of other members 2. Trade sanctions: Impose trade Without the power of the USA, the boycotts on aggressive countries Council’s decisions were weak 3. Military force: Raise an army from membership countries Made quicker decisions than the Assembly Secretariat Talented experts in multiple fields worked Expensive together in the Secretariat Grew too large as the League expanded its role. This made it difficult to organise Permanent Court of Well-respected in multiple countries Could not enforce its judgements International Justice Member states contributed legal experts to this body Why was the League's failure inevitable? The absence of the USA weakened the League The League did not have one of the most powerful countries in the world as a member The USA could ignore any economic sanctions or military decisions made by the Council World leaders had different ideas about what the role of the League was Page 10 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Wilson believed that the League: Would work like an international parliament Your notes Should prioritise solving world issues rather than national issues Lloyd George (British Prime Minister) believed that the League: Should only meet in emergencies Could help Britain build its empire using mandates Clemenceau (French Prime Minister) believed that the League: Should protect France from invasion Should have a large army Worked Example How useful are sources B and C to a historian studying the weaknesses of the League of Nations? [12 marks] Source B: A print created by Winsor Mccay in c.1920. It shows Uncle Sam (a symbol of the USA) and John Bull (a symbol of the UK) Page 11 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes Image courtesy of the Library of Congress Source C: An extract from a book entitled ‘The Geneva Racket, 1920–1939’, published in 1941 by a British socialist and anti-fascist journalist called Robert Dell Dell lived in Geneva and reported on the League in the 1920s and 1930s “It was almost impossible to follow the proceedings of the League at Geneva without becoming cynical about it. The delegates acted in what they believed to be the interests of their own countries without the smallest regard for the general interests of the world. The journalists in Geneva were nearly all opposed to the weak behaviour of the League and the British and French governments. This was particularly true of the Americans. The British government was one of the most shortsighted. What foolishness its persistent opposition to any form of collective security is now seen to have been” Partial answer: Source C is very useful for an historian studying the weaknesses of the League because it shows the different motivations of member countries. Bell writes “The delegates acted in what they believed to be the interests of their own countries without the smallest regard for the general interests of the world.” Leading members such as Britain and France had little interest in making decisions that Page 12 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources benefitted the world. Britain wanted to protect its empire whilst France needed to defend itself from Germany. Therefore, the source is useful for showing how the actions of leading members weakened the League of Nations. It is more useful as the source was created by a person who Your notes witnessed the League’s decision-making in action. Examiner Tips and Tricks You may have seen this style of question in your thematic study for Paper 2A. However, the difference between that question and the “How Useful” question for Conflict & Tension: The Inter- War Years, 1918–1939 is that you require a conclusion in this version (for Paper 1B). Therefore, to complete this answer, you need to write: One paragraph analysing how useful Source B is for an historian studying the weakness of the League of Nations A conclusion stating how both sources are more useful when used together and what they both show about the weakness of the League of Nations For further guidance on this question, you can read this revision note on how to answer the 12-mark “How Useful” question. Page 13 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources How Important was the League's Humanitarian Work Your notes The League of Nations humanitarian work - Summary As well as working to maintain peace, the League of Nations addressed health issues. The League set up the Health Organisation. This worked to combat diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. The League sent medical experts to different countries to help improve public health systems, conduct research and organise international campaigns to fight epidemics. Another crucial area of the League's humanitarian work was helping refugees. After the First World War, many people were displaced and had nowhere to go. The League created the Refugee Commission to assist these people in finding new homes. They also provided them with food, shelter and medical care. The League also focused on improving labour conditions worldwide. It established the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to promote fair working conditions, set standards for working hours and ensure safe workplaces. The ILO worked to abolish child labour and protect workers' rights. This effort was important in helping to create better and safer working environments for people in many countries. The League of Nations & refugees: The Refugees Committee One of the areas of success for the League of Nations was its humanitarian work Humanitarianism refers to actions that aim to improve people’s lives and end world suffering Improving people’s working and living conditions was a key aim of the League The League established agencies to deal with humanitarian issues Each agency dealt with one specific issue Some commissions were permanent while others were temporary Reason for existence Aims Successes Weaknesses The First World War Repatriate citizens, 425,000 displaced The Refugee Committee caused thousands of especially in the people returned to lacked the funding it people to flee their Balkans, Greece, their homes or their needed to resolve the homes to escape the Armenia and Turkey country refugee crisis conflict Improve standards in Reduced the number The conflict destroyed refugee camps of refugees dying some areas from diseases like cholera Page 14 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes A Nansen passport, used by the League from 1922 to 1938, to allow stateless refugees to travel The League of Nations and Health: The Health Committee Reason for existence Aims Successes Weaknesses The First World War Eradicate Worked with non-League Work impacted due to showed how different dangerous countries. For example, the the lack of funding in healthcare was around diseases commission prevented a the Great Depression the world typhoid epidemic in the (1930s) Educate the USSR The Spanish Flu (1918- general public on 1920) infected a third of hygiene Established research the population and killed institutes in London, around 50 million people Working with Copenhagen and Singapore charities to increase disease Introduced vaccines for prevention malaria and killed infected mosquitoes Created medical research projects and institutes Page 15 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes The League’s Malaria Commission on the River Danube in 1929. The Commission is collecting mosquito larvae to reduce the spread of malaria. Image courtesy of Wellcome Trust The League of Nations and Working Conditions: International Labour Organisation Reason for Aims Successes Weaknesses existence Poor working Place limits on Banned poisonous lead The ILO could only recommend, standards across working hours paint not make laws the world Collect data and The working week was Countries rejected the ILO’s publish advice on restricted to 48 hours suggestions, for example A rise in working banning children under 14 from communism due to practices In 1928, 77 countries working and the eight-hour the unhappiness of agreed to a minimum working day workers Improve health wage and safety in the workplace Collaborated with workers, trade union representatives and governments Page 16 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources The League of Nations and Slavery: The Slavery Commission Your notes Reason for existence Aims Successes Weaknesses European empires were not Abolish Freed 200,000 enslaved No agreed procedures for tackling the issues of slavery slavery people in Sierra Leone reviewing slavery in the in their colonies, especially in worldwide countries of member East Africa Organised raids to states disrupt Burmese slave traders Reduced the death rate of workers on the Tanganyika Railway from 50% to 4% An extract from the League of Nations Convention to Suppress the Slave Trade and Slavery (25th September 1926) Article 2 The High Contracting Parties undertake, each in respect of the territories placed under its sovereignty, jurisdiction, protection, suzerainty or tutelage, so far as they have not already taken the necessary steps: (a) To prevent and suppress the slave trade; (b) To bring about, progressively and as soon as possible, the complete abolition of slavery in all its forms. Examiner Tips and Tricks Some students struggle to remember all the League of Nations’ commissions. To help you remember, you could create a fact file on each commission. Alternatively, you could draw a person in the middle of the page. Explain how each of the League’s commissions could help this person. Other Humanitarian Commissions Page 17 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes A concept map showing some of the League’s other humanitarian commissions Page 18 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes Worked Example Write an account of the work of the League of Nations’ agencies on humanitarian issues in the 1920s [8 marks] Partial answer: The League of Nations’ agencies helped humanitarian issues because they wanted to improve international working conditions. The League of Nations created the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to improve the happiness of workers. This was aimed at reducing the appeal of communism to the working classes. As a result, the League of Nations did achieve some success on this issue. A consequence of the ILO was 77 countries agreeing to a minimum wage in 1928. They also restricted the working week to 48 hours. However, the ILO only had limited success. The ILO could only recommend, not make laws. Some issues, like banning labour for children under 14, were ignored by multiple countries. Therefore, the ILO had some success on the humanitarian issue of working conditions. Examiner Tips and Tricks This question requires you to focus on two causes and/or consequences of the work of the League of Nations’ agencies on humanitarian issues. The worked example above focuses on one commission, the ILO. To complete this answer, you must write a paragraph on an additional commission. For further guidance on this question, you can read this revision note on how to answer the 8-mark “Write an account” question. Page 19 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources The League of Nations Attempts at Peacekeeping in the 1920s Your notes How much success did the League of Nations have in peacekeeping in the 1920s?- Timeline & Summary The League of Nations had mixed success in peacekeeping during the 1920s. One successful example was the Aaland Islands dispute between Sweden and Finland in 1921. Both countries claimed the islands and there was a risk of conflict. The League investigated and decided that the islands should remain part of Finland but with special rights for the Swedish-speaking residents. Both countries accepted the decision and the League maintained peace. The League also faced challenges and failures. One notable example was the Corfu incident in 1923. After an Italian general was killed in Greece, Italy demanded compensation and occupied the Greek island of Corfu. Greece appealed to the League but Italy refused to cooperate. The League struggled to enforce its decisions and had to rely on the intervention of other major powers to resolve the situation. Italy eventually withdrew from Corfu but the incident highlighted the League's limitations in handling more aggressive nations. Vilna, 1920 Page 20 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes A flowchart showing the reasons for the Vilna dispute, the League’s reaction and the eventual outcome Significance of the Vilna Dispute It undermined the League’s power It was the first time that an invaded country requested the help of the League The League did not fulfil its pledge for collective security It showed the reluctance of the permanent members to raise an army France did not want to upset Poland Page 21 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources They saw Poland as a potential ally Britain did not want to act without the support of other members Your notes Britain did not have the money or arms to stop this dispute Aaland Islands, 1920–1921 A flowchart showing the reasons for the Aaland Islands dispute, the League’s reaction and the eventual outcome Significance of Aaland Islands Dispute Page 22 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources One of the biggest successes of the League of Nations If both members respected the League of Nations, they would: Your notes Ask the League for help in their dispute Accept the League’s decision Upper Silesia, 1921 Page 23 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes A flowchart showing the reasons for the Upper Silesia dispute, the League’s reaction and the eventual outcome Significance of the Upper Silesia Dispute Initially, the Upper Silesia dispute was a success for the League Page 24 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Both countries accepted its ruling When the League’s solution ended in 1925, relations between Poland and Gemany worsened Your notes Poland argued that half of the population of Upper Silesia was Polish yet they received only a third of the land Germany stated that the agreement took away a quarter of its coal mines A Polish poster from the plebiscite in Upper Silesia. Workers are standing on a symbol of imperial Germany. The text is written in Polish and German and states “The Crusader is in the dust. Don’t let him rise” Corfu, 1923 Page 25 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes A flowchart showing the reasons for the Corfu Dispute, the League’s reaction and the eventual outcome Page 26 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Significance of the Corfu Dispute Without the USA, the League could not stand up to powerful countries like Italy Your notes Britain and France preferred not to get involved in the conflict Mussolini had successfully bullied the League into giving him what he wanted It set the standard by which other aggressive leaders could manipulate the League It demonstrated that organisations like the Conference of Ambassadors could overturn the League’s decisions Bulgaria, 1925 Page 27 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes A flowchart showing the reasons for the Bulgaria Dispute, the League’s reaction and the eventual outcome Examiner Tips and Tricks Page 28 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Conflict & Tension: The Inter-War Years, 1918–1939 tests you on your ability to explain the causes and consequences of events. For the League’s attempts at peacemaking, try to link key disputes together. For example, the actions of Italy in the Corfu dispute caused Greece’s invasion of Bulgaria. Your notes Significance of Bulgaria Dispute It showed the inconsistencies of the League’s rulings Both the Corfu and Bulgaria disputes: Involved the death of a military officer Resulted in an armed invasion of a country The League did not punish Italy for invading Corfu, yet punished Greece for invading Bulgaria The League was desperate not to antagonise certain countries that could start a war As a result, the League did not rule fairly in all disputes This undermined their reputation as a peacekeeping force Worked Example ‘The League of Nations’ attempts at peacekeeping were successful in the 1920s’ How far do you agree with this statement? [16 marks] Partial answer: One reason why I do not agree that the League’s attempts at peacekeeping were successful was because of how it handled the Corfu Dispute in 1923. Mussolini, the Italian dictator, invaded Corfu (an island owned by Greece). This was because he blamed Greece for the murder of an Italian general. This incident shows the League’s failure because, whilst Greece complied with the League and left Corfu, Greece had to pay Italy compensation. This shows that powerful leaders, like Mussuloni, could bully the League into giving him whatever he wanted. This also did not maintain peace as the League’s decision encouraged Greece to invade Bulgaria in 1925, believing it could act in the same way as Italy and get away with it. As a result, the League’s poor decision-making made a wider European conflict more, rather than less, likely. Page 29 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Examiner Tips and Tricks It is vital that you spend at least 5 minutes planning your response to 16-mark questions for Conflict Your notes & Tension: The Inter-War Years, 1918–1939. This is because you need to ensure you have a sustained argument throughout your answer. For further guidance on this question, you can read this revision note on how to answer the 16-mark “How far do you agree” question. Page 30 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Diplomacy Outside the League of Nations Your notes Why was the League of Nations not involved in all diplomacy in the 1920s? - Timeline & Summary In the 1920s, the League of Nations was not involved in all international diplomacy for several reasons. One reason was that some key countries, like the USA, were not members of the League. For example, the Washington Conference of 1921-1922 focused on naval disarmament and security in the Pacific region. It involved major powers like the USA, Britain, Japan, France and Italy. Since the USA was not part of the League, it chose to organise this conference independently, excluding the League from these important discussions. Another reason the League was not always involved was that countries sometimes preferred to handle their issues directly. The Rapallo Treaty of 1922 between Germany and the USSR is a good example. Both nations were isolated after the First World War and wanted to improve their relations. The Rapallo Treaty agreed to cooperate economically and militarily without involving the League. This showed that countries often found direct negotiations more efficient for their specific needs and interests. Some countries felt that certain issues could be better resolved through separate agreements. The Locarno Treaties of 1925 and the Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928 were significant peacekeeping efforts that Page 31 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources did not involve the League. The Locarno Treaties aimed at securing borders and promoting peace in Western Europe. They were negotiated independently by Germany, France, Belgium, Britain and Italy. The Kellogg-Briand Pact, in which many countries promised to renounce war, was also organised outside the Your notes League. These examples illustrate that countries sometimes chose alternative diplomatic routes to address specific concerns, bypassing the League. The Washington Conference, 1921-1922 What is International Diplomacy? International diplomacy is how countries communicate and work together This takes the form of negotiating alliances, treaties and agreements When a country has a friendly foreign policy, international diplomacy is good When a country has an aggressive foreign policy, they do not want to make compromises, which affects diplomacy During the 1920s, international diplomacy was good However, countries made agreements outside of the League’s influence. This was because: Important nations like the USA, the USSR and Germany were not members The League was slow at making decisions, as seen in its attempts at peacekeeping The Washington Naval Agreement, 1922 Aims Countries Terms Significance Limit Japanese The USA, Britain, Italy Restrictions on the The first treaty to encourage imperialism and Japan building of battleships, disarmament battlecruisers and Ease tensions in An additional aircraft carriers Britain, France, Japan and Italy the Asia Pacific agreement made with attended as individual region Belgium, the Britain and the USA countries rather than League Netherlands, Portugal limited to ships weighing representatives Work towards and China up to 533,000 tonnes naval Did not restrict the number of disarmament Japan limited to ships ships. This encouraged the weighing up to 320,000 development of lighter tonnes warships The Rapello Treaty, 1922 Page 32 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Aims Countries Terms Significance Your notes Rebuild both countries' Germany End of the USSR’s reparations to Angered the Allies due to reputations after the and the Germany Germany making First World War USSR alliances without Trading agreements between the permission two countries Resolve the USSR’s issues with the Treaty The USSR would allow German The treaty was conducted of Brest-Litovsk (1917) soldiers to train secretly. The secretly, undermining the USSR also allowed German League of Nations rearmament factories Friendly diplomatic relations established The Locarno treaties, 1925 Aims Countries Terms Significance Improve the international Germany, France and Germany The acceptance of the Treaty of reputation of Germany Britain, France, promised to keep Versailles infuriated the Italy and peace with each other extremist parties in Germany To avoid conflict with Belgium France. Their relationship Germany accepted its had worsened after the western borders as Germany entered into the French invasion of the Ruhr stated in the 1919 Treaty treaty as an equal to the Allies. in 1923 of Versailles It was not a diktat All members promised In September 1926, Germany to keep the Rhineland became a member of the demilitarised League. Additional countries in the League strengthened it as an organisation To explore the possibility of admitting Germany into the League of Nations The Kellogg-Briand Pact, 1928 Page 33 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources French foreign minister Aristide Briand met with US Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg to discuss further steps towards world peace Your notes The USA was not in the League of Nations. They still believed in achieving world peace On 27th August 1928, they assembled Germany and 61 other countries to sign the Kellogg-Briand Pact The Kellogg-Briand Pact stated that war should never be used as a means for resolving disputes between countries Impacts of the Kellogg-Briand Pact on Germany Positive impacts Negative impacts Boosted German citizens’ confidence in the The Kellogg-Briand Pact did not remove the military Weimar Republic restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. This angered extremist parties The world saw Germany as a respectable and Many Germans thought other countries would move trustworthy state. They could enter into treaties towards disarmament. Disappointingly, the pact did as an equal to the other signatories not promise this Worked Example How useful are Sources B and C to an historian studying diplomacy outside the League of Nations? [12 marks] Source B: A political cartoon called ‘Treaty of Locarno’ by David Low, 5th September 1925. It shows French Foreign Minister, Aristide Briand and Gustav Stresemann Page 34 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Your notes Source C: A speech by Gustav Stresemann after the signing of the Locarno Treaty (16th October 1925) “Joyfully and wholeheartedly we welcome the great development in the European concept of peace that has its origin in this meeting at Locarno, and as the Treaty of Locarno, is destined to be a landmark in the history of the relations of States and peoples to each other. We especially welcome the expressed conviction set forth in this final protocol that our labours will lead to decreased tension among the peoples and to an easier solution of so many political and economic problems.” Partial answer: Source B is useful to an historian studying diplomacy outside the League of Nations because it shows that some people doubted how genuine this peace was. Source B draws Aristide Briand, the French Foreign Minister, with a boxing glove behind his back. On 27th August 1928, Stresemann, Briand and 61 other countries signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact which stated that war should never be used as a means for resolving disputes between countries. Drawing Briand with a boxing glove behind his back hints that his agreement to the Kellogg-Briand pact was not genuine. France is waiting to inflict violence on Germany whenever they get an opportunity. As a result, Source B is useful to a historian because it shows that people questioned if international diplomacy in the 1920s was genuine or would last. This cartoon suggests that there was an uncertain feeling surrounding how long Europe would be able to avoid a war. Examiner Tips and Tricks Page 35 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers Head to www.savemyexams.com for more awesome resources Ensure that you make a clear judgement about how useful sources B and C are to the topic in the question. Your notes Good judgements will include: Specific content from the sources The source’s provenance Your knowledge of the time period This will help you to see if the source is accurate or typical for the period For further guidance on this question, you can read this revision note on how to answer the 12-mark “How Useful” question. Page 36 of 36 © 2015-2024 Save My Exams, Ltd. · Revision Notes, Topic Questions, Past Papers