QUESTIONS FROM THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Q1.Study the picture, and then answer the questions which follow.
The Assembly of the League of Nations in session, Geneva 1923.





(a) Describe the work of the Agencies of the League of Nations. [5]
(b) Why was the structure of the League a weakness? [7]
(c) How successful was the League of Nations in dealing with disputes in the 1920s and 1930s?
Explain your answer. [8] (June’08)

Q2. Study the cartoon, and then answer the questions which follow.

cartoon entitled ‘The Doormat’, published in a British newspaper in 1932.

(a) How did the League of Nations hope to prevent future wars between nations? [5]
(b) Why did the League fail to stop Italian aggression against Corfu in 1923? [7]
(c) ‘The League was a failure’. How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.[8]

Q3. Study the extract and then answer the questions which follow.

The French want to suck Germany and everybody else dry and to establish French military and political control of the League of Nations. The French see the League of Nations as an organisation for the restoration of France to a supreme position in Europe.
Views of a British official at the peace negotiations in 1919.

(a) Which terms of the peace settlement of 1919 directly affected France? [5]
(b) Why did some countries view with suspicion the setting up of the League of Nations? [7]
(c) How far did the structural weaknesses of the League of Nations prevent it from being
successful in the 1920s? Explain your answer. [8] (June 2003)

Q4. Study the extract, and then answer the questions which follow.
The League may be a difficult scheme to work, but the significant thing is that the Powers have promised to make it work. Mankind has, in the short space of ten years, jumped from the old order to the new. We are witnessing one of the great miracles of history.
From a speech made in 1930.

(a) Describe two successes the League of Nations had in the 1920s in solving disputes. [5]
(b) Why was the League of Nations quite successful in the first ten years of its existence? [7]
(c) ‘The good work of the League was destroyed by the Depression of the 1930s.’ Do you agree? Explain your answer.[8] (Nov 2002)

Q5. Study the extract, and then answer the questions which follow.
Article 16: Should any member of the League resort to war, it shall be regarded as having committed an act of war against all other members of the League, and this will end immediately all trade and financial relations with that member.
From the Covenant of the League of Nations.

(a) How did the League of Nations hope to prevent future wars between nations? [5]
(b) Why did the League of Nations fail to restrict the aggression of Japan in the 1930s? [7]
(c) How far was the League of Nations a failure? Explain your answer. [8] (Nov2003)

Q6.Study the extract and then answer the questions which follow.The French want to suck Germany and everybody else dry and to establish French military and political control of the League of Nations. The French see the League of Nations as an organisation for the restoration of France to a supreme position in Europe.Views of a British official at the peace negotiations in 1919.

(a) Which terms of the peace settlement of 1919 directly affected France? [5]

(b) Why did some countries view with suspicion the setting up of the League of Nations? [7]

(c) How far did the structural weaknesses of the League of Nations prevent it from beingsuccessful in the 1920s? Explain your answer. [8]

Q7.Study the extract, and then answer the questions which follow.Article 16: Should any member of the League resort to war, it shall be regarded as having committed an act of war against all other members of the League, and this will end immediately all trade and financial relations with that member.From the Covenant of the League of Nations.

(a) How did the League of Nations hope to prevent future wars between nations? [5]

(b) Why did the League of Nations fail to restrict the aggression of Japan in the 1930s? [7]

(c) How far was the League of Nations a failure? Explain your answer. [8]

Q8.Study the extract, and then answer the questions which follow.

If the League had extended economic sanctions on oil, I would have had to withdraw from Abyssinia within a week.Mussolini speaking after his successful conquest of Abyssinia.

(a) Describe the successes of the League of Nations in the 1920s. [5]

(b) Why did the League fail to deal with Japanese aggression against Manchuria? [7]

(c) ‘It was the Abyssinian crisis that destroyed the League of Nations as an effectivepeacekeeping body.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer. [8]

Q9. (a) Describe the humanitarian work of the League of Nations in the 1920s. [5]

(b) Why was the League able to achieve some successes in the 1920s in dealing with international disputes? [7]

(c) How far can the World Depression be blamed for the failure of the League? Explain your answer. [8]

The 1919-23 peace talks

Q1.Study the extract, and then answer the questions which follow.We are told that we should acknowledge that we alone are guilty of having causedthe war. I would be a liar if I agreed to this. We are not trying to avoid all responsibility for this war. However, we emphatically deny that the German people should be seen as the only guilty party. Over fifty years the imperialism of all European states has poisoned the international situation.
The leader of the German delegation at Versailles, speaking in 1919.
(a)What military restrictions did the Treaty of Versailles impose on Germany? [5]
(b) Why did the ‘Big Three’ disagree over how to treat Germany? [7]
(c) How far could the Treaty be justified at the time? Explain your answer. [8]
Q2. Study the extract, and then answer the questions which follow.In my opinion, it is not possible to lay the entire responsibility for the war on anysingle nation. By aiming at the destruction of the economic life of Germany this treaty threatens the health and prosperity of the Allies themselves. By making impossible demands it leaves Europe more unsettled than it found it.
John Maynard Keynes writing in 1920.Keynes was a British official in Paris at the Peace Conference but left early, disgusted at the treatment of Germany.
(a) What did Clemenceau want to achieve from the peace settlement of 1919–20? [5]
(b) Why did the terms of the Treaty of Versailles cause so much bitterness in Germany?[7]
(c) ‘The peacemakers of 1919–23 coped successfully with the problems they faced.’ How far do you agree with this statement on the treaties made with the defeated powers? Explain your answer. [8]
Q3. Study the extract, and then answer the questions which follow.The Allied governments affirm, and Germany accepts, the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied governments and their peoples have been subjected as a result of the war.
The War Guilt Clause.
(a) In what ways did the Treaty of Versailles weaken Germany’s armed forces? [5]
(b) Why did Clemenceau demand that a harsh peace be imposed on Germany? [7]
(c) ‘The Treaty of Versailles was unfair on Germany.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer. [8]
Q4. Study the extract, and then answer the questions which follow.The ‘Big Three’ had very different ideas about the peace settlement. The traditional interpretation of their relationship is that Wilson was the idealist whose plans were undermined by the others, that Clemenceau was determined to gain French revenge whilst Lloyd George acted as a balance between the other two.
From a British school history textbook.
(a) What military restrictions were imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles? [5]
(b) Why did the aims of the ‘Big Three’ at Versailles differ? [7]
(c) How successful was the League of Nations in the 1920s? Explain your answer. [8]
Q5.Study the extract, and then answer the questions which follow.We want a peace which will be just. We want a stern peace because the occasion demands it, but the severity must not be for vengeance, but for justice. Above all we want to protect the future against a repetition of the horrors of this war.
Lloyd George speaking about the Paris Peace Conference.
(a) Describe what Clemenceau and Lloyd George each wanted to achieve in the peace settlementof 1919–20. [5]
(b) Why did the Treaty of Versailles cause problems for Germany in the years up to 1923? [7]
(c) Was the Treaty of Versailles fair? Explain your answer. [8]

Paper 1

Paper 1 Syllabus:
Core content: Option B
The 20th century: International Relations since 1919
The Core Content in Option B focuses on seven Key Questions:

1 Were the peace treaties of 1919–23 fair?
2 To what extent was the League of Nations a success?
3 Why had international peace collapsed by 1939?
4 Who was to blame for the Cold War?
5 How effectively did the USA contain the spread of Communism?
6 How secure was the USSR’s control over Eastern Europe, 1948–c.1989?
7 How effective has the United Nations Organisation been?


1 Were the peace treaties of 1919–23 fair?
Focus Points
• What were the motives and aims of the Big Three at Versailles?
• Why did all the victors not get everything they wanted?
• What was the impact of the peace treaty on Germany up to 1923?
• Could the treaties be justified at the time?
Specified Content
• The peace treaties of 1919–23:
o the roles of individuals such as Wilson, Clemenceau and Lloyd George in the peacemaking
process
o the impact of the treaties on the defeated countries
o contemporary opinions about the treaties.

2 To what extent was the League of Nations a success?
Focus Points
• How successful was the League in the 1920s?
• How far did weaknesses in the League’s organisation make failure inevitable?
• How far did the Depression make the work of the League more difficult?
• How successful was the League in the 1930s?
Specified Content
• The League of Nations:
o strengths and weaknesses in its structure and organisation
o successes and failures in peacekeeping during the 1920s
o the impact of the World Depression on the work of the League after 1929
o the failures of the League in the 1930s, including Manchuria and Abyssinia.

3 Why had international peace collapsed by 1939?
Focus Points
• What were the long-term consequences of the peace treaties of 1919–23?
• What were the consequences of the failures of the League in the 1930s?
• How far was Hitler’s foreign policy to blame for the outbreak of war in 1939?
• Was the policy of appeasement justified?
• How important was the Nazi-Soviet Pact?
• Why did Britain and France declare war on Germany in September 1939?
Specified Content
• The collapse of international order in the 1930s
• The increasing militarism of Germany, Italy and Japan
• Hitler’s foreign policy to 1939:
o the Saar
o remilitarisation of the Rhineland
o involvement in the Spanish Civil War
o Anschluss with Austria
o appeasement
o crises over Czechoslovakia and Poland
o the outbreak of war.
4 Who was to blame for the Cold War?
Focus Points
• Why did the USA-USSR alliance begin to break down in 1945?
• How had the USSR gained control of Eastern Europe by 1948?
• How did the USA react to Soviet expansionism?
• What were the consequences of the Berlin Blockade?
• Who was the more to blame for starting the Cold War: the USA or the USSR?
Specified Content
• The origins of the Cold War:
o the 1945 summit conferences and the breakdown of the USA-USSR alliance in 1945–6
o Soviet expansion into Eastern Europe to 1948, and American reactions to it
o the occupation of Germany and the Berlin Blockade.
5 How effectively did the USA contain the spread of Communism?
Focus Points
This Key Question will be explored through case studies of the following:
• America and events in Cuba, 1959–62
• American involvement in Vietnam.
Specified Content
• events of the Cold War:
o case studies of:
o American reactions to the Cuban revolution, including the missile crisis and its aftermath
o American involvement in the Vietnam War.
6 How secure was the USSR’s control over Eastern Europe,
1948–c.1989?
Focus Points
• Why was there opposition to Soviet control in Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968, and how
did the USSR react to this opposition?
• How similar were events in Hungary in 1956 and in Czechoslovakia in 1968?
• Why was the Berlin Wall built in 1961?
• What was the significance of ‘Solidarity’ in Poland for the decline of Soviet influence in Eastern
Europe?
• How far was Gorbachev personally responsible for the collapse of Soviet control over Eastern
Europe?
Specified Content
• Soviet power in Eastern Europe:
o resistance to Soviet power in Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968)
o the Berlin Wall
o ‘Solidarity’ in Poland
o Gorbachev and the collapse of the Soviet Empire.
7 How effective has the United Nations Organisation been?
Focus Points
• What are the functions of the UNO?
• How far has the organisation of the UNO hindered its effectiveness?
• Case studies of the UNO in action: the Korean War and the Congo.
Specified Content
• The aims of the UNO, the organisation of the UNO, its agencies and their work
• The implications of the growth of membership: admission of developing nations and China
• Case studies of the work of the UNO in Korea (1950–3) and in the Congo (1960–3).

IGCSE History
Syllabus code 0470
Candidates must take Paper 1 and Paper 2 and either Paper 3 (Coursework) or Paper 4 (Alternative to Coursework).
At Indus International School,Bangalore Paper 4 (Alternative to Coursework) is offered.

Paper 1: Duration:2 hours Total marks:60

Section A
Candidates answer two questions on the Core
Content (selected from 20th century Core topics .)

Section B
Candidates answer one question on a Depth
Study (selected from questions on all eight Depth Studies)
At Indus International School,Bangalore
Germany, 1918–45 is the topic offered for Depth Studies

40% of total marks come from this paper

Paper 2: Duration:2 hours Total marks:50
Candidates answer a series of questions on one Prescribed Topic.
The Prescribed Topics include one 19th century topic and one 20th century topic, taken from the Core Content .
For the examination in 2011, 20th century core topics will be:
20th century core: The Cold War, 1945–9 (May/June examination)
or The Treaty of Versailles (November examination)
20th century core: The Cold War, 1945–9,is the topic for Indus International School students for the (May/June examination) .
33% of total marks come from this paper

Paper 4 Duration:1 hour Total marks:40
Alternative to Coursework
Candidates answer one question on a Depth Study (from a choice of eight Depth Studies –
one question will be set on each Depth
Study).
The questions will be source-based and structured into several parts.
27% of total marks come from this paper

Welcome

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