Knowledge Organiser: League of Nations Failures
Part of League Failures · GCSE GCSE History revision
This topic summary covers Knowledge Organiser: League of Nations Failures within League Failures for GCSE History. Revise League Failures in Conflict and Tension 1918-1939 for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 4 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 13 of 13 in this topic. Use this topic summary to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 13 of 13
Practice
8 questions
Recall
4 flashcards
Knowledge Organiser: League of Nations Failures
Key Terms
- Collective security: All members defend any attacked member
- Hoare-Laval Pact: Secret plan to give Italy 2/3 of Abyssinia (1935)
- Mukden Incident: Japanese pretext for invading Manchuria (1931)
- Lytton Report: League's slow investigation — condemned Japan but no action (1932)
Key Dates
- Sept 1931: Mukden Incident — Japan invades Manchuria
- Oct 1932: Lytton Report — too late, no sanctions
- March 1933: Japan leaves League
- Oct 1935: Italy invades Abyssinia
- Dec 1935: Hoare-Laval Pact — scandal
- May 1936: Abyssinia falls
Key People
- Haile Selassie: Emperor of Abyssinia — appealed to League
- Hoare and Laval: British/French ministers — secret pact to appease Italy
- Lytton: Led League investigation of Manchuria
Must-Know Facts
- UNABG: USA absent, No army, Absent will, Britain/France national interests, Great Depression
- Manchuria: Lytton Report took a year; Japan left League unpunished
- Abyssinia: sanctions excluded oil; Suez Canal not closed; Hoare-Laval Pact was the scandal
- Hitler remilitarised the Rhineland while world was distracted by Abyssinia (March 1936)
Common Mistakes
- Saying Germany was the fatal absentee: Germany was a member 1926–1933; the fatal absent member was the USA — always absent from day one
- Claiming sanctions against Italy were comprehensive: They specifically excluded oil and the Suez Canal was not closed — the failure was political will, not capability
- Not naming the Hoare-Laval Pact: This is the key specific detail for Abyssinia — it showed Britain and France secretly undermining the League while publicly supporting it
- Giving dates without explanation: Don't just state "Manchuria 1931" — explain that the Lytton Report took a year and Japan left unpunished, showing the chain of failure
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Practice Questions for League Failures
What happened at Corfu in 1923?
In the Vilna crisis of 1920, which country seized Vilna against the League's wishes?
Quick Recall Flashcards
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