Source Analysis Practice
Part of League Failures — GCSE History
This source analysis covers Source Analysis Practice 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 7 of 13 in this topic. Use this source analysis to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 7 of 13
Practice
8 questions
Recall
4 flashcards
📜 Source Analysis Practice
Applying NOP Analysis:
Nature: A parliamentary speech — a public statement made in a formal political forum, intended to hold the government to account and place criticism on the record.
Origin: Philip Snowden, a senior British Labour politician and future Chancellor of the Exchequer, speaking in November 1923, immediately after the Corfu Incident's shameful resolution became public knowledge.
Purpose: To criticise the British government's acceptance of the Conference of Ambassadors' overruling of the League — and to embarrass the Conservative government over its failure to uphold collective security principles.
Grade 9 Model Paragraph:
This source is useful for studying the League's failures because it was produced immediately after the Corfu Incident and captures the contemporary reaction of a well-informed political insider. Snowden accurately identifies the key failure: "Greece, the victim... compelled to pay an indemnity to Italy, the aggressor." This matches the historical record — the Conference of Ambassadors did force Greece to pay Italy 50 million lire despite Greece being the victim. However, its utility is limited by Snowden's political purpose: as a Labour opposition MP, he had strong reasons to exaggerate the government's failure. The phrase "great-power cowardice masquerading as diplomatic settlement" is deliberately emotive language designed to embarrass the Conservatives, which means the source tells us as much about partisan politics as it does about the League's actual failures. A historian would use it alongside the official League records to build a fuller picture.