The League of Nations often struggled to carry out its peacekeeping duties effectively.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] The League rejected Finland's claim that the issue of the Aaland Islands was outside the League's area of responsibility.
2. [1] The League investigated the claims of Finland and Sweden.
3. [1] The League supported the claims of Finland to the islands.
4. [1] The League also built in some safeguards, e.g. Finland could not fortify the islands in any way.
5. [6] Some major powers were not members of the League due to a desire to maintain independence, as seen with the USA, which feared being drawn into European disputes and losing control over its foreign policy. Other nations, such as Germany, were initially excluded due to the League of Nations' formation immediately after WWI. Additionally, countries like Japan and Italy left the League after their aggressive actions (Manchuria, Abyssinia) were criticised and sanctioned, respectively. The Soviet Union was also initially excluded due to ideological reasons, being communist.
6. [1] Some countries like the USA and Nazi Germany did not want to be members.
7. [1] Some countries such as Germany were not allowed to join at the start of the League of Nations.
8. [1] Japan left the League when it criticised its actions in Manchuria.
9. [1] The Soviet Union was not allowed to join at first for ideological reasons – it was communist.
10. [1] The Soviet Union did not want to join at first because members such as Britain and France had supported the counter-revolutionaries in Russia during the Civil War.
11. [1] Italy left when the League imposed sanctions on it because of its invasion of Abyssinia.
12. [10] Britain was significantly responsible for the League's failures in the 1930s. As a leading member, Britain often failed to provide strong leadership, frequently bypassing the League to deal directly with Germany, notably through appeasement. This allowed Germany to expand unchecked. Britain also undermined the League by pursuing secret agreements, such as the Hoare-Laval Pact, to appease Italy, fearing Mussolini might align with Hitler. This demonstrated a lack of commitment to collective security. OR The League had an impossible task, particularly due to the Great Depression, which led to the rise of aggressive nationalist leaders like Hitler, Mussolini, and Japan's militarists. The Depression also made member states, including Britain, reluctant to impose strong economic sanctions, as they prioritized maintaining trade. This significantly weakened the League's ability to act effectively when it was most needed, as its major powers were preoccupied with their own national interests rather than collective international security.
13. [1] The Depression made the job of the League much harder.
14. [1] Aggressive foreign policies of countries like Japan made the task of the League much harder.
15. [1] Many members of the League were to blame. This can be seen with the failure of the Disarmament Conference.
16. [1] France was just as much to blame. For example, it was reluctant to stand up to Italy.
17. [1] Without a permanent army, the League never had a chance of success.
18. [1] The USA was not a member of the League and this seriously weakened it in the 1930s.
19. [1] Britain was one of the two leading countries in the League and so must have a lot of the responsibility.
20. [1] Britain often worked outside the League. This damaged its international standing.
21. [1] Britain deceived the League through the Hoare-Laval Pact.
22. [1] Britain was reluctant to act against Japan because it had colonies in the Far East.