GCSE History: Peacemaking and the League of Nations 1919–36

This material covers the first two parts of the GCSE History conflict and tension option on the inter-war years – for example AQA's 'Conflict and tension: the inter-war years, 1918–1939' (peacemaking; the League of Nations and international peace). The road to war in the later 1930s is covered in a separate material in this category.

You begin with the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and the different aims of the 'Big Three': Clemenceau's search for security and revenge, Lloyd George's wish for a just peace that would not ruin trade, and Wilson's Fourteen Points, self-determination and League of Nations. You revise the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, signed on 28 June 1919 – the war guilt clause, reparations fixed at £6,600 million in 1921, military restrictions, the demilitarised Rhineland and territorial losses such as Alsace-Lorraine and the Polish Corridor – and why Germans called it a 'Diktat'. The other treaties with Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey are covered in outline, together with the question of whether the settlement was fair.

The second part explains how the League of Nations was organised – the Assembly, the Council, the Secretariat, the Permanent Court of International Justice and agencies such as the ILO, the Refugees Committee and the Health Organisation – and how collective security was meant to work through moral condemnation and economic sanctions. You weigh its weaknesses (the absence of the USA, no army, decisions needing agreement) against its successes in the 1920s, such as the Åland Islands and Upper Silesia, and its failures at Vilna and Corfu. Diplomacy outside the League – the Washington Naval Agreement, Locarno and the Kellogg–Briand Pact – is also included.

Finally, you study how the Depression weakened the League and why it failed to stop aggression in Manchuria (1931–33) and Abyssinia (1935–36).

The quiz tests treaty terms, dates and the League's record. The flashcards drill the key terms. The written work asks for explanations and judgements, and two items use short public-domain extracts – Wilson's Fourteenth Point and Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles. In the oral exam an examiner asks one question at a time and gives brief feedback at the end.

The material is revision practice written by Zestly and is not produced or reviewed by any exam board; check the details of your own specification with your teacher.

• Compare the aims of Clemenceau, Lloyd George and Wilson at the Paris Peace Conference
• Describe the main terms of the Treaty of Versailles and explain German reactions
• Describe the structure of the League of Nations and how collective security was meant to work
• Evaluate the League's successes and failures in the 1920s
• Explain why the League failed in the Manchurian and Abyssinian crises
• Judge whether the Treaty of Versailles was fair

Practice material written by Zestly, based on the DfE GCSE history subject content (wider world depth study) and parts 1–2 of options such as AQA 'Conflict and tension: the inter-war years, 1918–1939'. Extracts quoted: President Wilson's Fourteen Points, 8 January 1918, point XIV; Treaty of Versailles, 28 June 1919, Article 231 (both public domain).