Study this source. Source A (your primary source for this question) 'The League of Nations has achieved remarkable results in its first decade. The dispute ...

This is a source utility question worth [8 marks]. You must evaluate what the source reveals about the success of the League of Nations, then assess its limitations.

Analysing the source content [up to 4 marks]:

The source, from a League of Nations official reporting to the Assembly in 1929, lists several genuine achievements:

• The Aaland Islands dispute (1921) between Finland and Sweden was resolved peacefully, with the islands remaining Finnish but with guarantees for the Swedish-speaking population. This was a genuine success for international arbitration.
• The Upper Silesia partition (1921) divided the disputed territory between Germany and Poland based on the results of a plebiscite, preventing a potential armed conflict between the two nations.
• The League's Health Organisation fought disease internationally, including campaigns against malaria, leprosy, and plague. This work laid the groundwork for the World Health Organisation.
• The International Labour Organisation (ILO) worked to improve conditions for workers worldwide, setting standards for working hours, child labour, and workplace safety. The ILO survives to this day as part of the United Nations system.

These are historically accurate examples. The League's humanitarian and social agencies were genuinely effective and represent real successes.

Evaluating limitations [up to 4 marks]:

• Bias of provenance: The source was written by a League official reporting to the League's own Assembly. This person had a professional interest in presenting the organisation in the most favourable light. It is essentially the League praising its own achievements.
• Date of publication: Written in 1929, the source predates the League's greatest failures in the 1930s: the Manchurian Crisis (1931-1933), when Japan invaded Manchuria and simply left the League when condemned, and the Abyssinian Crisis (1935-1936), when Italy invaded Ethiopia despite League sanctions.
• Earlier failures omitted: Even before 1929, the League had significant failures. The Corfu Incident (1923) saw Mussolini ignore the League after bombarding and occupying the Greek island of Corfu. The League backed down when faced with a major power acting aggressively.
• Structural weaknesses ignored: The source does not mention the absence of the United States, which never joined despite President Wilson's role in creating the League. This fundamental weakness meant the League lacked the support of the world's most powerful nation. The source also omits that the League had no army of its own and relied on member states to enforce its decisions.
• Small-scale successes: The successes mentioned (Aaland Islands, Upper Silesia) involved small nations. The League was effective when dealing with minor powers but consistently failed when confronting major powers like Italy or Japan.

Exam technique: When a source presents a one-sided positive view, your job is not to dismiss it entirely but to explain what it reveals (the genuine successes), why it presents only one side (the author's position and purpose), and what it omits (the failures and weaknesses). This balanced evaluation is what earns the highest marks.