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In 1925 the UK, France, Italy and Germany signed a treaty in the Swiss city of Locarno.

World War One Aftermath: League Of Nations - Success In The 1920s?

See how far the League of Nations actually succeeded in the 1920s, settling border disputes, tackling problems and building its early reputation as an international peacemaker.

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Fascinating Fact:

In the 1920s the League had several clear successes in settling border disputes, especially between smaller states. These helped its reputation as a peacemaker.

In GCSE History, you examine how the League of Nations tried to keep peace in the 1920s. It settled some important disputes, organised commissions, and showed that international cooperation could sometimes work.

Key Terms

Border dispute: A disagreement between countries about where the boundary between them should be drawn.
Arbitration: When a neutral organisation listens to both sides in a dispute and then gives a decision that the countries are expected to accept.
Commission: A group set up by the League to investigate a problem and recommend how it should be solved.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What League of Nations successes are usually studied from the 1920s?

GCSE courses often focus on cases like Upper Silesia, Aaland Islands, and the dispute between Greece and Bulgaria. In these examples the League investigated, made a ruling, and the states involved accepted its decisions.

How successful was the League of Nations in the 1920s overall?

Many historians see the League as reasonably successful in the 1920s, especially in smaller disputes. It helped avoid violence several times, although it still depended heavily on the cooperation and goodwill of the major powers.

Why did the League of Nations seem stronger in the 1920s than later?

In the 1920s countries were still shocked by the First World War and were more willing to compromise. Economic pressures and aggressive dictatorships in the 1930s made it much harder for the League to keep its authority.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

In 1924 an American banker was asked to examine the question of German reparations, following a serious currency crisis in Germany. He came up with a plan that worked reasonably well - until the onset of the Great Depression in 1929. Yet once again the League was sidelined. What was the banker's name?

Young

Morgenthau

Rockefeller

Dawes

Americans were sometimes chosen for tasks like this, as they were considered to be objective. The USA was of course anxious to trade with a successful Germany, and to deal effectively with any arrears in reparations payments

2 .

Which power, formerly excluded from League membership, was allowed to join in 1926 - and indeed to join the League's Council?

Turkey

Austria

Hungary

Germany

By 1926 the world economy was booming, fuelled by ample US loans. In this heady atmosphere the League's Council was willing to widen its membership, and to ignore past transgressions

3 .

In 1923 the French seized a German industrial area after Germany had ceased to pay reparations. The League took no action at all. Which area was this?

The Saarland

Silesia

Schleswig-Holstein

The Ruhr

The local German population frustrated French and Belgian efforts to seize coal and iron to the value of what was owed. A general strike was declared, and foreign forces were withdrawn after the failure of their mission

4 .

Which specialist agency of the League was successful in limiting the abuse of child labour during the 1920s?

The International Employment Agency

The International Trades Union Congress

The International Labour Organisation

The International Employment Council

This agency was extremely successful, partly because it was possible to support its work without being a full member of the wider League. Thus, the United States was happy to become involved in international labour issues

5 .

In 1923 (when Lithuania seized the League-controlled port of Memel) the League did little. Rather it was the Conference of Ambassadors that dealt with the matter. What name did Lithuania give to this German-inhabited port, when the international community failed to prevent the success of this aggression?

Kaliningrad

Tallinn

Klaipeda

Reval

The League proved powerless faced with a diminutive but determined aggressor. Moreover, it was humiliated by the involvement of the Conference of Ambassadors

6 .

In 1925 Britain, France, Italy and Germany signed a treaty that undermined the territorial terms of the Treaty of Versailles, by guaranteeing certain frontiers and ignoring others. The League had no involvement in this. What was the name of the treaty?

Rapallo

The Geneva Protocol

Locarno

Lausanne

Germany was unwilling to sign a treaty that accepted all of the Versailles terms. They were prepared to guarantee their western frontiers, but wanted a free hand in the east, where their greatest land losses had been. The German Chancellor, Gustav Stresemann, wanted to smash Versailles bit by bit - through negotiation

7 .

In 1921 Sweden and Finland referred a dispute between them about some islands in the Baltic Sea to the League. The dispute was settled amicably as both states accepted the League's ruling. What were these islands called?

The Oland Islands

The Aaland Islands

The Gotland Islands

The Bornholm Islands

Both sides were loth to go to war, and were keen to remain peaceful neighbours

8 .

The League was successful in running an international port city in the Baltic throughout the 1920s - despite the disgruntled German population of the urban area. This was done by a special commission dedicated to this one task only. What was the port's name?

Stralsund

Rostock

Wismar

Danzig

The League did well in the 1920s in its specialist work. It was less successful during the 1930s as international tensions grew in the wake of the Depression

9 .

In 1920 Poland invaded Lithuania to the east, and seized its capital. Poland got away with its aggression, as the League did nothing. What was the name of Lithuania's capital city?

Vilnius

Riga

Kaunas

Kovno

It was always difficult for the League to intervene in cases of aggression. There were no dedicated armed forces at its disposal, and most powers were reluctant to damage their economies by backing sanctions. It was even more difficult to gain support for armed intervention

10 .

In 1924 the Italian dictator Mussolini bombarded a Greek Mediterranean island in retaliation for the death of an Italian general, while he was demarcating the border between Albania and Greece. The League took no effective action, and Mussolini was emboldened to take more reckless steps elsewhere. What was the name of the island concerned?

Corfu

Crete

Rhodes

Cephallonia

Mussolini's action was widely considered to be disproportionate, but the League was unwilling to try to deal with a Council member of the League

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Paris Peace Treaties and the League of Nations, to 1933

Author: Edward Towne