OCR GCSE History Paper 1: Complete Notes. Mapped to individual specification points and complete with timelines for memorisation. Only resource used to get a grade 9 (90%+) in my final exam.
International Relations: The Changing International Order 1918-1975
The First World War and the ‘Hinge Years’
1919-36 follows the effect of the First World War on international relations in Europe, and its
progression through monumental events including the Wall Street Crash.
1919: The Treaty of Versailles is signed by the Big Three at the Paris Peace Conference.
o The Big Three had opposing agendas:
Georges Clemenceau: advocated for crippling Germany with harsh
reparations as revenge for the losses suffered by France.
Woodrow Wilson: had 14 points that advocated for a lenient peace to reduce
the likelihood of another war.
David Lloyd George: wanted Germany’s economy to recover as a trading
partner, however, the British people were calling for revenge.
o Ultimately, the treaty was a compromise that:
Stripped Germany of all of its colonies; 10% of its land and 12.5% of its
population.
Limited the armed forces to 100,000 men and 6 small naval vessels.
Banned Anschluss.
Placed all blame for the war on Germany (Article 231)
Made Germany pay £6.6 billion in reparations (Article 232)
Established the League of Nations.
o In Germany, the treaty was viewed as a betrayal after believing it would only be an
armistice agreement.
Article 231 was particularly unpopular and the resentment over that and the
Diktat was used by extremist German politicians to discredit the government.
1919: The League of Nations is formally established, after Wilson’s proposal was accepted.
o It aimed to secure international peace through:
Economic sanctions and moral condemnation.
Collective security.
However, the League did not have a standing army and so could not enforce
its own decisions.
o Started with 42 nations, however, there were notable exceptions including:
Germany: they were not invited to join, sparking further resentment.
The USSR: not invited to join due to the radical policies of the communist
government.
The USA: the Senate failed to ratify the nation’s decision to join.
This fundamentally weakened the League, leaving it in the hands of a
recovering Britain and France.
o The League was a complex organisation organised into:
The Council
Met 5 times per year or in times of emergency.
Comprised of permanent and non-permanent member states.
Arbitrated international disputes.
The Assembly
Consisted of all member states.
Votes had to be unanimous to carry, leading to limited action.
The International Court of Justice
Settled legal disputes between countries.
A number of committees, including:
The Financial Committee: promoted trade as a preventative
measure for war.
, Refugee and Health Committee: organised people fleeing from
zones of warfare and disease.
International Labour Organisation: improved the rights of
workers and limited the spread of communism.
1920-23: The League successfully deals with minor disputes.
o Early 1920s: Coordinated efforts to help 400,000 people displaced by the war and
prevented a potentially major influenza outbreak.
o 1921: Successfully arbitrated a territorial dispute over the Aaland Islands between
Sweden and Finland.
Historically, the islands belonged to Finland, but the population wanted to
join Sweden.
It was ruled that the islands should remain Finnish but stipulated that no
military personnel could remain on the island.
Both sides accepted the authority of the league and its decision.
o 1921: Successfully arbitrated a territorial dispute over Upper Silesia between
Germany and Poland.
League-armed forces were sent in to establish control during a plebiscite,
where the choices were to join Germany or Poland.
Pro-Germany areas joined Germany and pro-Poland areas joined Poland.
o 1922-23: Stabilised the Hungarian and Austrian currencies through financial aid.
1920-23: The League also had some notable failures in resolving disputes.
o 1923: Unsuccessfully prevented Lithuania from invading league-controlled Memel.
The League offered to give Lithuania the surrounding zone if the port was
considered an ‘international zone’.
This is often regarded as the League giving in to military pressure.
o 1923: Unsuccessfully arbitrates the invasion of Corfu.
After an Italian general was killed in Greek territory, Mussolini invaded
Corfu in an attempt to consolidate his power.
The British and French could not agree on a course of action and ultimately
decide that the Greeks must apologise and pay compensation.
This was a win for Mussolini’s dictatorship and a failure for the League.
1921-29: Several international agreements are reached outside the League of Nations.
o 1921: The Washington Conference was held.
The USA, Britain, Japan and France agree to limit the size of their navies.
However, this is the only major disarmament agreement in the 1920s.
o 1924: The Dawes Plan allowed Germany’s industry to recover through US loans.
o 1925: The Locarno Treaties secured Germany’s western frontier.
o 1928: The Kellogg-Briand Pact was an agreement between 65 countries never to go
to war.
o 1929: The Young Plan reduced Germany’s reparations to £2 billion.
October 1929: The Wall Street Crash causes a global economic depression.
o America had previously experienced a technological and economic boom, and gave
out heavy loans to Britain, France and Germany while encouraging heavy spending.
o US loans were then recalled causing countries to cut public spending and had a
compound effect on Germany as Britain and France also demanded immediate
repayment on their loans.
o This gave rise to radical and extremist governments around the world:
Germany: Hitler’s promise of radical economic solutions were pivotal to his
rise to power in 1933.
Italy: Mussolini tightened his grip on the country by taking control over
banks and industry.
Japan: Tariffs by China and the USA damaged the economy, leading to
protests which led the government to become a military dictatorship.
September 1931: Japan invades and seizes Manchuria, in north-east China.
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