USA HISTORY

AMERICAN IMPERIALISM(1890 1919)

LEAGUE OF NATIONS

[SOURCES]
Between which two countries was the Aaland Islands dispute?

(A) Vilna and Lithuania

(B) ** Sweden and Finland

(C) Finland and the USSR

(D) Poland and Germany

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -One hundred years ago, the Åland Islands were the subject of a dispute between Finland and Sweden. The islands were Swedish until 1809, when, as part of the Grand Duchy of Finland, they became the Russian Empire’s westernmost outpost.

Concept note-2: -Political crisis The cabinet of Finland viewed this position as a purely tactical one, and a dispute over whether the islands rightfully belonged to Sweden or Finland ensued.

Concept note-3: -In the aftermath of the First World War the islands-inhabited by the Swedish-speaking population but belonging to Finland-became an object of a territorial dispute between Finland and Sweden. The residents of the islands claimed their right to self-determination and demanded a reunification with Sweden.

Concept note-4: -The Åland (or Aaland) Islands Question was a dispute about jurisdiction/sovereignty between Finland and Sweden over the islands. It was resolved peacefully by the League of Nations in 1921 ([1921] League of Nations Official Journal 699), before the establishment of the PCIJ.