Practice Paper One : The Treaty of Locarno
a) The significance of the Locarno Conference as stated in Source E was that the states bordering on the Rhineland gave up their use of force, and with Britain and Italy successfully secured the promise and execution of demilitarization of the Rhineland, and its Western "frontiers".
b) The message that is being conveyed in Source D is that France wanted to strengthen the League of Nations by a mandate that all members must go immediately to the aid of any other member that is attacked. In the cartoon the French character, Aristide Briand, is shown wearing a boxing glove. This might mean that he wants to hurt and weaken another country, and he knows his country will be secure because of the League of Nations. All of his allies will be forced to come to his aid should the need arise.
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2) Source B is very optimistic in regards to the Locarno Agreement. It states that Locarno, with reinforcements from Geneva gives good means for believing that we are not far from agreements between governments that will get rid of war. This source suspects the end of the war being started and directly caused by the Locarno Treaty.This is a much contrasting view to that of Source C.
Source C, unlike Source B, is very pessimistic and negative in regards to the Locarno Treaty. Source C states that Locarno represents a defeat for those French who believed that the hope for an alliance with Great Britian was still possible. It also says that the treaty was "likely to be impractical in its application".
So both Source B and C although they are similar in that they are discussing the Treaty of Locarno, but are also vastly different. Source B provides a glimpse into optimistic outlook on how the treaty could change the world in a positive manner whereas, Source C provides a negative outlook on how the treaty will be impractical in it's application.
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This source comes from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office Website, more specifically on the "History of the FCO" page. Its purpose is to outline all of the flaws that the Treaty of Locarno presents. It states that the treaty "is both ambiguous in its wording and likely to be incapable in its application." The value of the source lies in the fact that it gives the British perspective and reaction to the Treaty of Locarno. They believe that it won't succeed, and this document lends insight into the British mindset on the subject. This source is limited in that it gives only the opinion of the the government, and not of the British people. The general public could think that the treaty will be a success, though the government just said what they felt.
4)
Source A states that the Treaty of Locarno was important because it was to result in the "beginning of a peaceful cooperation among the nations." Source B says that the importance of the treaty is that it gives reason to believe that the governments are not far from agreements in order to completely get rid of war. Source C does not agree that the Treaty of Locarno was important, it said that the treaty was "likely to be impractical in its application." Source D shows that the treaty is important because it supports all members and keeps them safe. Source E says that the importance of the Treaty of Locarno is that there was guaranteed demilitarization of the Rhineland.
