Conflict and Tension 1918-1939Key Facts

Territorial Disputes — Successes

Part of League Successes — GCSE History

This key facts covers Territorial Disputes — Successes within League Successes for GCSE History. Revise League Successes in Conflict and Tension 1918-1939 for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 5 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 3 of 14 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

Topic position

Section 3 of 14

Practice

8 questions

Recall

5 flashcards

📊 Territorial Disputes — Successes

Dispute	Date	What Happened	Why It Worked
Aaland Islands	1921	Sweden and Finland both claimed these islands. League decided they should belong to Finland.	Both accepted the decision. Small countries, no major power interests at stake.
Upper Silesia	1921	Germany and Poland disputed this industrial region. League held a plebiscite (direct public vote on which country to join), then divided it.	Both accepted. Economic links maintained between the two parts of the region.
Bulgaria	1925	Greece invaded Bulgaria after a border incident. League ordered Greece to withdraw and pay compensation.	Greece obeyed. Shows the League could stand up to a member state — when it was a smaller power.
Mosul	1926	Turkey and Iraq disputed the Mosul region. League ruled in Iraq's favour (under British mandate).	Turkey accepted the ruling. Another small-scale territorial success.

Humanitarian Successes — Often Overlooked!

The League did valuable work beyond settling disputes — these are tested in "describe two features" questions:

Refugees: Helped 400,000 prisoners of war return home after WW1. Created the "Nansen passport" — the first internationally recognised identity document for stateless people.

Health Organisation: Fought diseases like malaria, leprosy, and typhus. Launched global health campaigns; became the model for the World Health Organisation (WHO) after 1945.

Working conditions: The International Labour Organisation (ILO) improved workers' rights — banned lead in paint, campaigned for maximum working hours, improved conditions in industries.

Slavery: Freed approximately 200,000 enslaved people in Sierra Leone. Attacked forced labour practices in Burma and other colonies.

Drugs: Blacklisted companies involved in illegal drug trade. Created an early international framework for drug control.

Women and children: Worked to end child labour and improve conditions for women in the workplace across League member states.

Exam tip: Don't just focus on failures! These successes show the League COULD work — it just failed when major powers with vital interests were involved.

Territorial Disputes — Successes

📊 Territorial Disputes — Successes

Humanitarian Successes — Often Overlooked!

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