Isolationism
What Isolationism means in History A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Isolationism
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Isolationism in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: AQA
The USA's return to this stance weakened the peace settlement, as the Senate's refusal to ratify the Treaty of Versailles deprived the League of Nations of crucial economic backing.
Renewed isolationism meant avoiding political and military entanglements, while still engaging heavily in international trade and finance.
A stance of strict limits on foreign engagement, avoiding European conflicts and political and military alliances.
Topics that use Isolationism
- 1K The making of a Superpower: USA, 1865–1975 – Populism, progressivism and imperialism, 1890–1920 (AQA A-Level)
- 1K The making of a Superpower: USA, 1865–1975 – The Era of Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, 1865–1890 (AQA A-Level)
- 2K International Relations and Global Conflict, c1890–1941 (A-level only) – Second World War, 1917–1941 The end of the First World War and the peace settlement, 1917–1923 (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- Agrarian Discontent
- Balance of power
- Capitalism and Monopolies
- Civil Rights and racial inequality
- Collective security
- Corporate influence on government
- Economic Dominance
- Ending of the frontier
Using Isolationism in the exam
Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.
Practise History questions
Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.
A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge