This memory aid covers Memory Aids: Lock In the Key Facts within League Successes for GCSE History. Revise League Successes in Conflict and Tension 1918-1939 for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic appears less often, but it can still be a useful differentiator on mixed-topic papers. It is section 11 of 14 in this topic. Use it for quick recall, then test yourself straight afterwards so the memory aid becomes usable in an answer.
🧠 Memory Aids: Lock In the Key Facts
The four 1920s territorial successes — "AUBM":
- A — Aaland Islands (1921): Sweden vs Finland — Finland kept islands; both accepted
- U — Upper Silesia (1921): Germany vs Poland — League plebiscite, region divided
- B — Bulgaria (1925): Greece invaded — League ordered withdrawal and compensation; Greece obeyed
- M — Mosul (1926): Turkey vs Iraq — League ruled for Iraq; Turkey accepted
Why they succeeded — "SNG": Small countries, No vital interests, Goodwill in the 1920s
- S — Small countries: no major power was directly involved, so decisions could be enforced
- N — No vital interests: Britain and France supported League decisions because nothing crucial was at stake for them
- G — Goodwill: the "spirit of Locarno" meant countries genuinely wanted international cooperation to work
Humanitarian agencies to remember:
- ILO (International Labour Organisation) — workers' rights, ban on lead in paint, maximum hours
- Health Organisation — fought malaria, leprosy, typhus; model for the WHO
- Nansen passport (1922) — travel document for stateless refugees; 450,000 issued
- Slavery Commission — freed 200,000 enslaved people in Sierra Leone
Key dates chain for 1920s success period:
- 1920 — League formally established; first meeting in Geneva
- 1921 — Aaland Islands AND Upper Silesia resolved (the League's best year)
- 1922 — Nansen passport created
- 1923 — Corfu Incident: League fails when Italy is involved (major power effect)
- 1925 — Locarno Pact; Bulgaria crisis resolved successfully
- 1926 — Germany joins the League; Mosul resolved
- 1929 — Wall Street Crash begins Great Depression — end of international goodwill
Practice questions for League Successes
In 1921, who did the League of Nations decide should control the Aaland Islands?
How did the League of Nations resolve the Upper Silesia dispute between Germany and Poland in 1921?