GCSE History | The Aim and Method of the League of Nations

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History Quiz - World War One Aftermath: League Of Nations - Aims, Structure And Methods (Questions)

Test your GCSE History knowledge of the League of Nations, from its aims and structure to the methods it used to keep peace after the First World War.

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Fascinating Fact:

The League’s Covenant set out its key aims. These included encouraging disarmament, settling disputes peacefully, and improving living and working conditions worldwide.

In GCSE History, you study how the League of Nations tried to manage international relations after 1919. Its members hoped that regular discussion, cooperation, and agreed rules would prevent another major war.

Key Terms

Covenant: The League of Nations' founding agreement that set out its rules, aims, and how it should operate.
Collective security: The idea that member countries act together so that an aggressor faces pressure from the whole group, not just one state.
Sanctions: Non military punishments, such as trade bans, used by the League to put pressure on countries that broke international rules.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What were the main aims of the League of Nations?

The League aimed to prevent war, encourage countries to reduce their armed forces, settle disputes through negotiation or arbitration, and work to improve health, labour conditions, and living standards across the world.

How was the League of Nations structured?

The League had an Assembly where all members met, a smaller Council that dealt with urgent disputes, a permanent Secretariat to run day to day business, and several specialised agencies and commissions.

What methods did the League of Nations use to keep peace?

The League could investigate disputes, offer arbitration, issue moral condemnation, and apply economic sanctions. In theory it could also call on members to provide military force, although this rarely happened in practice.

Try These Related Quizzes

What document set out the aims of the League from the beginning?

[ ]	The Charter
[ ]	The Covenant
[ ]	The Constitution
[ ]	The Convention

What name was given to the relatively small group of member states who could authorise action on the League's behalf?

[ ]	The Commission
[ ]	The Council
[ ]	The Directorate
[ ]	The Committee

One part of the organisation looked after the interests of the former colonies of defeated states. What was this body called?

[ ]	Colonies Commission
[ ]	Mandates Commission
[ ]	Colonial Commission
[ ]	Imperial Commission

Which off-shoot of the League was responsible for monitoring employment issues?

[ ]	The International Labour Organisation
[ ]	The International Labour Commission
[ ]	The International Trade Union Commission
[ ]	The Labour Standards Agency

Which of the following states was initially excluded from League membership for poor previous behaviour?

[ ]	Japan
[ ]	Italy
[ ]	The Soviet Union
[ ]	China

Which state's proposal for an international army received little support from other League members?

[ ]	France
[ ]	Britain
[ ]	Belgium
[ ]	Denmark

An agency of the League was set up to adjudicate legally on disputes referred to it. What was its name?

[ ]	The International Court
[ ]	The International Legal Commission
[ ]	The Permanent Court of International Justice
[ ]	The International Relations Court

What was the job title of the international civil servant in charge of the League's Secretariat in Geneva?

[ ]	Director
[ ]	President
[ ]	General Secretary
[ ]	Chairman

Nansen, a distinguished Norwegian explorer and statesman, controlled which specific League of Nations commission?

[ ]	Narcotics
[ ]	Trafficking women
[ ]	Refugees
[ ]	Torture

10.

What name was given to the forum where all League members were entitled to gather to discuss issues in Geneva?

[ ]	The General Assembly
[ ]	The Plenum
[ ]	The Governing Body
[ ]	The General Meeting

History Quiz - World War One Aftermath: League Of Nations - Aims, Structure And Methods (Answers)

What document set out the aims of the League from the beginning?

[ ]	The Charter
[x]	The Covenant
[ ]	The Constitution
[ ]	The Convention

This was an early document setting out ideas for the purpose and structure of the new body

What name was given to the relatively small group of member states who could authorise action on the League's behalf?

[ ]	The Commission
[x]	The Council
[ ]	The Directorate
[ ]	The Committee

This body had permanent and non-permanent members (states who rotated as members)

One part of the organisation looked after the interests of the former colonies of defeated states. What was this body called?

[ ]	Colonies Commission
[x]	Mandates Commission
[ ]	Colonial Commission
[ ]	Imperial Commission

All states defeated in the Great War lost their colonies, which were allotted to several of the victorious states. However, they had to submit annual reports to this body to describe the progress that was being made towards eventual independence

Which off-shoot of the League was responsible for monitoring employment issues?

[x]	The International Labour Organisation
[ ]	The International Labour Commission
[ ]	The International Trade Union Commission
[ ]	The Labour Standards Agency

The founders of the League believed that poor labour practices contributed to instability within and between states - hence the founding of this body

Which of the following states was initially excluded from League membership for poor previous behaviour?

[ ]	Japan
[ ]	Italy
[x]	The Soviet Union
[ ]	China

The League's founding fathers believed that League membership was not an automatic right extended to all states, but something that had to be earned

Which state's proposal for an international army received little support from other League members?

[x]	France
[ ]	Britain
[ ]	Belgium
[ ]	Denmark

There was provision for military action by members in extreme cases of aggression, but this would depend on members providing military forces at the time. If the League had its own forces, it would be able to react more quickly and effectively

An agency of the League was set up to adjudicate legally on disputes referred to it. What was its name?

[ ]	The International Court
[ ]	The International Legal Commission
[x]	The Permanent Court of International Justice
[ ]	The International Relations Court

The League's founders believed that a high-powered international court could reach fair decisions on disputes between member states and so reduce the risk of armed conflict

What was the job title of the international civil servant in charge of the League's Secretariat in Geneva?

[ ]	Director
[ ]	President
[x]	General Secretary
[ ]	Chairman

The League had a permanent administration based in Geneva, to oversee its work, including the operations of the various commissions tasked with specific topics