During the 1920s the League of Nations did much good work.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2023). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1-4] (a) e.g. 'It was a key idea of the League of Nations.'
2. '(a) It was Article 10 of the League/it was in the Covenant of the League.'
3. '(a) It encouraged members to keep the peace/to resist aggression.'
4. '(a) League members protected each other.'
5. '(a) If one country's security was threatened there would be a collective response.'
6. '(a) It meant that an aggressive country would be condemned by other countries (moral disapproval).'
7. '(a) Economic sanctions might be used against aggressive countries.'
8. '(a) Military sanctions might be used against aggressors.'
9. [4-5] (b) The work to help refugees was particularly important because during the war many people had been displaced and made homeless and so there were a lot of refugees. There were hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war, for example, Russians in German camps. The League's agency helped 425,000 people return to their homes or they were found new homes. This was a great success.
10. [2-3] (b) e.g. 'A High Commission for Refugees was set up.'
11. '(b) Nansen passports were introduced.'
12. '(b) Doctors were sent to help in refugee camps.'
13. '(b) Returning refugees to their homes.'
14. '(b) Prisoners of war were returned home.'
15. '(b) There were many refugees after the end of the war.'
16. '(b) A health commission was set up which later became the WHO.'
17. '(b) Help and advice were provided about public health.'
18. '(b) People were educated on how typhoid was spread.'
19. '(b) A typhus epidemic was avoided in Siberia.'
20. '(b) The amount of leprosy was reduced by the campaign to exterminate mosquitoes.'
21. '(b) Research was done that provided vaccines for diphtheria and tetanus.'
22. '(b) Infectious diseases such as yellow fever were reduced.'
23. [4-6] (c) 'The League showed it had real power by satisfactorily resolving the dispute between Sweden and Finland over the rival claims to the Aaland Islands in the Baltic Sea. Most of the islanders wanted to be ruled by Sweden, but the League investigated and awarded the islands to Finland with safeguards for the islanders. Sweden accepted the decision.'
24. OR
25. '(c) It did not demonstrate this at all. In 1923 Mussolini invaded Corfu and demanded compensation for the murder of an Italian general. Greece appealed to the League of Nations which at first criticised Italy. However, because of Italy's power, it gave in to Mussolini's demand that it be dealt with by the Conference of Ambassadors and Italy was awarded an enormous sum for compensation. Mussolini's force had worked and the League had shown that it did not have real power.'
26. [2-3] (c) e.g. 'The League resolved the Aaland Islands dispute by giving them to Finland.'
27. '(c) The League organised a plebiscite to resolve the dispute over Upper Silesia.'
28. '(c) The League successfully resolved the dispute between Turkey and Iraq over Mosul.'
29. '(c) The League intervened over the border dispute between Greece and Bulgaria.'
30. '(c) The League settled the differences between Columbia and Peru.'
31. '(c) The League successfully resolved the dispute between Bolivia and Paraguay.'
32. '(c) The League failed over the invasion of Corfu and was sidelined by Mussolini.'
33. '(c) The League failed over the handling of the Vilna incident.'
34. '(c) The League was only successful when it was dealing with minor powers.'
35. '(c) The most important business in the 1920s was made outside the League, like the Locarno Treaties and the Kellogg-Briand Pact.'