International Relations: the changing international order 1918–1975 - Conflict and co-operation 1918–1939 — OCR GCSE History
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International Relations: the changing international order 1918–1975 - Conflict and co-operation 1918–1939 explained
International Relations: the changing international order 1918–1975 - Conflict and co-operation 1918–1939 covers 4 specification points, including Successes and failures of internationalist… and The Versailles Peace Settlement; the League of….
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Open a point below for its explanation and revision guidance.
Successes and failures of internationalist approaches in the 1920s and the retreat to nationalism in the 1930s
This topic asks you to weigh internationalism in the 1920s against the turn to nationalism in the 1930s. Internationalist approaches included the League of Nations settling some disputes and the Dawes Plan 1924, Locarno 1925, Kellogg-Briand 1928 and Young Plan 1929 easing tensions. Their limits showed when the League failed over Manchuria in 1931 and Abyssinia in 1935, and when disarmament stalled. In the 1930s states retreated to nationalism: Japan invaded Manchuria, Italy invaded Abyssinia, Germany rearmed and remilitarised the Rhineland in 1936, and powers pursued self-interest. A strong answer names a specific approach, states whether it succeeded or failed, and gives evidence for the judgement.
The Versailles Peace Settlement; the League of Nations in the 1920s; international agreements in the 1920s (Dawes Plan 1924, Locarno 1925, Kellogg-Briand 1928, Young Plan 1929); attempts at disarmament.
This topic covers the Versailles Peace Settlement, the League of Nations in the 1920s, the international agreements of that decade and attempts at disarmament. Learn what Versailles imposed on Germany and why it caused resentment. Learn how the League handled disputes and its membership. Learn each agreement with its year: the Dawes Plan 1924 rescheduled German reparations, Locarno 1925 improved relations, Kellogg-Briand 1928 renounced war, and the Young Plan 1929 further revised reparations. Learn the disarmament attempts, including the Washington Naval Conference 1921–1922 and the failure of the World Disarmament Conference in the early 1930s. Match each term to its date and purpose.
The impact of the worldwide economic depression.
This topic asks you to explain how the worldwide economic depression of the early 1930s changed international relations in the 1918–1939 period. The depression began with the Wall Street Crash of 1929 in the USA and spread as American loans were recalled and world trade shrank. Learn the chain of consequences: mass unemployment and falling production pushed governments towards protectionism, which deepened the slump; desperate populations turned to extreme political movements; and states such as Japan and Italy pursued aggressive expansion to secure resources and prestige. Link this to the weakening of the League of Nations, because member states focused on national recovery rather than collective security. A strong answer traces cause and effect rather than listing facts, and keeps every example inside the 1918–1939 window.
Tension in Europe in the 1930s, including the failure of the League of Nations, the policy of Appeasement and outbreak of war in 1939.
This topic covers three connected strands of 1930s tension. First, the failure of the League of Nations: it lacked its own army, the USA never joined, and it could not stop aggression such as Japan's invasion of Manchuria in 1931 or Italy's invasion of Abyssinia in 1935. Second, the policy of Appeasement, pursued especially by Britain under Neville Chamberlain, which conceded to Hitler's demands, for example at the Munich Agreement of 1938, in the hope of avoiding war. Third, the outbreak of war in 1939, when Germany invaded Poland in September and Britain and France declared war. Learn how these strands interlock: League weakness encouraged aggression, appeasement failed to satisfy Hitler, and war followed. Keep every example inside the 1930s.
Your focus
- Identify named internationalist approaches of the 1920s and judge their success or failure.
- Explain how and why states retreated to nationalism in the 1930s.
- Select the option best supported by specific dated evidence.
Show all 12 objectives
- Identify key terms and consequences of the Versailles Peace Settlement.
- Match the international agreements of the 1920s to their years and purposes.
- Explain an attempt at disarmament and judge its outcome.
- Explain how the Wall Street Crash spread economic depression worldwide.
- Describe the political consequences of mass unemployment and falling trade.
- Assess how the depression weakened international co-operation in the 1930s.
- Explain why the League of Nations failed to prevent aggression in the 1930s.
- Describe the policy of Appeasement and give an example of a concession.
- Explain how appeasement and League weakness contributed to the outbreak of war in 1939.
International Relations: the changing international order 1918–1975 - Conflict and co-operation 1918–1939 flashcards
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Internationalism
International Relations: the changing international order 1918–1975 - Conflict and co-operation 1918–1939 exam tips
Marking Points
- Identifies a specific internationalist approach from the 1920s, such as the League of Nations, the Dawes Plan 1924 or Locarno 1925.
- Explains whether that approach succeeded or failed, supporting the judgement with named evidence such as a settled dispute or a collapsed agreement.
- Links the retreat to nationalism in the 1930s to named events such as the Manchurian or Abyssinian crises or German remilitarisation.
- Distinguishes between short-term co-operation in the 1920s and the breakdown of that co-operation in the 1930s.
- Identifies a key term of the Versailles Peace Settlement, such as reparations, territorial loss or military limits on Germany.
- Describes the role of the League of Nations in the 1920s, including settling some disputes and its membership limits.
- Matches each international agreement to its year and purpose: Dawes Plan 1924, Locarno 1925, Kellogg-Briand 1928 and Young Plan 1929.
- Explains an attempt at disarmament and whether it succeeded or failed, such as the Washington Naval Conference or the World Disarmament Conference.
- Explains that the Wall Street Crash of 1929 in the USA triggered a worldwide slump as loans were recalled and demand collapsed.
- Links mass unemployment and falling trade to the rise of protectionism, which deepened and spread the depression.
- Connects economic hardship to the growth of extreme political movements and to aggressive expansion by states such as Japan and Italy.
- Explains that the depression weakened the League of Nations because member states prioritised national recovery over collective security.
- Explains that the League of Nations failed because it lacked enforcement power, the USA never joined and it could not stop aggression such as in Manchuria and Abyssinia.
- Describes the policy of Appeasement as conceding to Hitler's demands, for example at the Munich Agreement of 1938, to avoid war.
- Explains that appeasement failed because Hitler's demands continued beyond each concession.
- Connects the invasion of Poland in September 1939 to Britain and France declaring war, marking the outbreak of war.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Read the question stem carefully to see whether it asks about the 1920s, the 1930s or both.
- 💡Anchor each option to a named event or agreement with its date before choosing.
- 💡Eliminate options that reverse the chronology or overstate success or failure.
- 💡Check the date in each option against the agreement named before choosing.
- 💡Link each term to its purpose, not just its year, to rule out close distractors.
- 💡Use the wording of the question to decide whether it asks about Versailles, the League, an agreement or disarmament.
- 💡Read the question stem carefully to identify whether it asks for a cause, a consequence or a link between the two.
- 💡Eliminate options that describe events outside the 1918–1939 period before choosing.
- 💡Check that your chosen option explains impact rather than merely naming an event.
- 💡Identify which of the three strands the question targets before reading the options.
- 💡Reject options that confuse the League's weaknesses with the causes of appeasement.
- 💡Check dates against the 1930s window to eliminate out-of-period options.
Common Mistakes
- Treats the League of Nations as wholly successful or wholly failed; recognise that it settled some disputes in the 1920s but could not stop major aggression in the 1930s.
- Dates the retreat to nationalism to the 1920s; place it in the 1930s with events such as Manchuria 1931 and Abyssinia 1935.
- Confuses the Dawes Plan 1924 with the Young Plan 1929; keep each agreement and its year distinct.
- Assumes all internationalist approaches failed equally; weigh each approach on its own evidence.
- Mixes up the years of the agreements; attach Dawes to 1924, Locarno to 1925, Kellogg-Briand to 1928 and Young to 1929.
- Treats the League of Nations as able to enforce decisions with its own army; recognise that it relied on member co-operation.
- Confuses the Washington Naval Conference with the World Disarmament Conference; keep each attempt and its outcome distinct.
- Assumes Versailles alone caused later conflict; weigh it alongside the League and the agreements of the 1920s.
- Treats the depression as a purely American event; explain instead how it spread through recalled loans and shrinking world trade.
- Lists consequences without linking cause to effect; show instead the chain from crash to unemployment to political extremism.
- Places the depression outside the 1918–1939 period; keep every example inside that window.
- Assumes the League of Nations had its own army; explain instead that it relied on member states and could not enforce decisions.
- Treats appeasement as a single event; describe instead a continuing policy with several concessions across the 1930s.
- Dates the outbreak of war to the wrong year; place the invasion of Poland and the declarations of war in 1939.