History - 4HI1 PearsonEdexcel

The Changing Role Of International Organisations: The League And The UN, 1919-c2011

Overview

Twice in the twentieth century the world's governments tried to build an organisation that would make large-scale war unnecessary, and twice they built something less powerful than they had promised. The League of Nations settled real disputes in the 1920s and then watched two of its own members invade other countries in the 1930s. The United Nations was designed specifically to correct the League's faults, and spent its first forty-five years paralysed by a veto that the design deliberately included.

This is a topic where the judgement matters more than the narrative, because assessments of both organisations vary sharply among historians. Some measure them against the wars they failed to prevent; others against what would have existed in their absence. Your task is to hold both standards in view and say which you are using.

Objectives

  1. The creation and successes of the League, 1919-29: Woodrow Wilson, the Covenant, membership, Assembly, Council, Secretariat, successes including the Aaland Islands, Upper Silesia, the Greek-Bulgarian War
  2. The League challenged, 1930-39: the roles of the Great Powers, failures in Manchuria and Abyssinia, the continuing work of specialised agencies
  3. Setting up the United Nations Organisation and its work to 1964: the UN Charter, structural problems, General Assembly, Security Council, peacekeeping forces, UN agencies including ILO, WHO, FAO, UNESCO and UNICEF, the UN role in Palestine, Korea and the Congo
  4. The UN challenged, 1967-89: the Middle East including Resolutions 242 and 338, Lebanon, Namibia, the problem of the Permanent 5, the continuing work of specialised agencies
  5. The UN at bay, 1990-2011: identity wars including Somalia, Bosnia, the Balkans, Mozambique and Sudan, the Gulf Wars, obstacles to success

Lesson Note

Every difficulty in this topic comes back to a single structural tension. An international organisation has no army, no police force and no tax revenue of its own; it acts only through the states that belong to it. But the states most capable of enforcing a decision are also the ones most likely to have their own interests engaged in the dispute. Both the League and the UN were built around that problem, and they solved it in opposite ways: the League required near-unanimity and so achieved paralysis by consensus, while the UN gave the strongest states a formal veto and so achieved paralysis by design. Neither escaped the tension, and understanding it is worth more than memorising either constitution.

Available on the Green Bridge App

Download the Green Bridge CBT app on your phone or computer to access full lesson notes, practice questions, and more.

Full lesson notes with diagrams
AI-powered learning assistant
Study offline, anytime, anywhere
Available on Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux

Lesson Evaluation

Congratulations on completing the lesson on The Changing Role Of International Organisations: The League And The UN, 1919-c2011. Now that youve explored the key concepts and ideas, its time to put your knowledge to the test. This section offers a variety of practice questions designed to reinforce your understanding and help you gauge your grasp of the material.

You will encounter a mix of question types, including multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, and essay questions. Each question is thoughtfully crafted to assess different aspects of your knowledge and critical thinking skills.

Use this evaluation section as an opportunity to reinforce your understanding of the topic and to identify any areas where you may need additional study. Don't be discouraged by any challenges you encounter; instead, view them as opportunities for growth and improvement.

  1. Why did the United States never join the League of Nations? A) President Wilson opposed the idea B) The US Senate refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles C) The League refused US membership D) The USA joined and then resigned in 1923 Answer: B
  2. Which of these was a League success in the 1920s? A) The Corfu incident of 1923 B) The Manchurian crisis C) The Aaland Islands dispute of 1921 D) The Abyssinian crisis Answer: C
  3. Which commodity was excluded from the League's sanctions against Italy in 1935? A) Coal B) Oil C) Rubber D) Iron ore Answer: B
  4. Why was the UN able to authorise a force for Korea in 1950? A) The veto had been abolished B) The Soviet Union was boycotting the Security Council and so did not veto it C) The General Assembly overruled the Security Council D) China supported the resolution Answer: B
  5. Which UN resolution, passed in November 1967, linked Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories to recognition of the security of every state in the region? A) Resolution 181 B) Resolution 194 C) Resolution 242 D) Resolution 338 Answer: C

Available on the Green Bridge App

Download the Green Bridge CBT app on your phone or computer to access full lesson notes, practice questions, and more.

Full lesson notes with diagrams
AI-powered learning assistant
Study offline, anytime, anywhere
Available on Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux

Available on the Green Bridge App

Download the Green Bridge CBT app on your phone or computer to access full lesson notes, practice questions, and more.

Full lesson notes with diagrams
AI-powered learning assistant
Study offline, anytime, anywhere
Available on Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux

Practice Mock Questions

Want to practice mock questions on The Changing Role Of International Organisations: The League And The UN, 1919-c2011? Download the Green Bridge CBT app to access mock questions and full practice assessments for this topic.

Download The App On Google Playstore

Everything you need to excel in your exams

Green Bridge CBT Mobile App
Personalized AI Learning Chat Assistant
200,000+ Past Papers Across IGCSE, JAMB, WAEC & NECO
Over 3000 Lesson Notes
Offline Support - Learn Anytime, Anywhere
Green Bridge Timetable
Literature Summaries & Potential Questions
Track Your Performance & Progress
In-depth Explanations for Comprehensive Learning