The League's humanitarian work Cambridge IGCSE History revision
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In plain words
The League is remembered for the wars it failed to stop. It deserves to be remembered as well for the prisoners it brought home, the diseases it fought and the slaves it freed. This quiet work was its real success.
8 things to know
- The League set up commissions and agencies to deal with the world's social problems. Much of their work was taken over later by the United Nations.
- Refugees: the League helped about 400 000 prisoners of war to return home after the First World War. When a refugee crisis broke out in Turkey in 1922, it set up camps and sent doctors to fight disease.
- Health: the Health Committee worked to defeat diseases such as leprosy and malaria, and helped to deal with a typhus epidemic in Russia. It gathered information and spread good practice. It later became the World Health Organization.
- Working conditions: the International Labour Organization brought governments, employers and workers together. It campaigned to limit working hours, especially for children, and it had poisonous white lead banned from paint.
- The ILO could only recommend. Many members refused to bring in a shorter working week, because it would raise costs.
- Slavery: the League worked to end slavery and forced labour. It helped to free about 200 000 slaves in Sierra Leone, and it challenged the use of forced labour to build railways in Africa.
- Why it succeeded here: countries could cooperate on health and refugees without risking their own interests, and no army was needed.
- Limits: the League had little money, and it could not force any government to act.
Worked example
"The League's humanitarian work was its most important achievement." How far do you agree? Plan a 10-mark answer.
- Agree: it returned 400 000 prisoners of war, fought disease, improved working conditions and freed slaves. These results were real and lasting, and the United Nations carried the work on.
- Disagree: its main purpose was to keep the peace, and it did settle some disputes, such as the Aaland Islands and Bulgaria.
- Against that, it failed in its main purpose in Manchuria and Abyssinia.
- Judgement: since it failed at peacekeeping in the end, its humanitarian work was its most lasting achievement.
Tips and tricks
- Have one figure for each area: 400 000 prisoners of war, 200 000 slaves freed. A figure turns a vague point into a mark.
- Explain why this work succeeded when peacekeeping failed: nations lose nothing by cooperating against disease.
It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.
The League's humanitarian work: 5 questions and answers
These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.
How many prisoners of war did the League help to return home?
They had been stranded since the First World War.
What did the Health Committee later become?
Its work was carried on after 1945.
What did the ILO get banned from paint?
It made workers ill.
Where did the League help to free about 200 000 slaves?
It was part of the campaign against slavery and forced labour.
Why could the ILO not make countries shorten the working week?Stretch
The League had no power to force governments.
Quiz
5 questions
Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.
Worksheet
3 questions, 14 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.
The League's humanitarian work
Cambridge IGCSE History 0470 · 14 marks · papermunch.org
Name ______________________________ Date ______________
Describe the League's work for refugees.[4]
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After the First World War it helped about 400 000 prisoners of war to return home. In 1922 it dealt with a refugee crisis in Turkey. It set up camps, and sent doctors to deal with diseases such as cholera.
What did the International Labour Organization do?[4]
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It brought together governments, employers and workers. It campaigned for shorter working hours and limits on child labour. It had poisonous white lead banned from paint. It collected information and made recommendations on working conditions.
Why was the League more successful in its humanitarian work than in peacekeeping?[6]
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Countries were willing to cooperate on problems such as disease and refugees, because doing so did not threaten their own interests. The work did not need an army, which the League lacked. Peacekeeping, by contrast, required members to risk trade or troops against powerful countries, and they were not willing to.
Answers: The League's humanitarian work
- 1. After the First World War it helped about 400 000 prisoners of war to return home. In 1922 it dealt with a refugee crisis in Turkey. It set up camps, and sent doctors to deal with diseases such as cholera.
- 2. It brought together governments, employers and workers. It campaigned for shorter working hours and limits on child labour. It had poisonous white lead banned from paint. It collected information and made recommendations on working conditions.
- 3. Countries were willing to cooperate on problems such as disease and refugees, because doing so did not threaten their own interests. The work did not need an army, which the League lacked. Peacekeeping, by contrast, required members to risk trade or troops against powerful countries, and they were not willing to.