Section A: Source-Based Case Study

Question 1 is compulsory for all candidates.

Study the Background Information and the sources carefully, and then answer all the
questions.
You may use any of the sources to help you answer the questions, in addition to
those sources you are told to use. In answering the questions you should use your
knowledge of the topic to help you interpret and evaluate the sources.

(a) Study Source A.

What does this source tell you about Hitlers rise to power? Explain
your answer.

[5]

(b) Study Sources B and C.

How far do these sources agree about Hitler? Explain your answer.

[6]

(c) Study Source D.

Why did the Nazis publish this poster? Explain your answer.

[5]

(d) Study Source E.

How useful is this source about how Hitler rose to power? Explain
your answer.

[6]

(e) Study ALL Sources.

Hitlers rise to power was due largely to the economic crisis in
Germany. How far do you agree with this statement?

[8]

Was Hitlers rise to power due largely to his own personal qualities?

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Read this carefully. It may help you to answer some of the questions.
From the end of World War One in 1918 to the Great Depression in 1929, Germany
experienced political and economic instability. With the rising unemployment and
unhappiness among the German people, many had lost faith in their government and
wanted a change in leadership to set a new course for Germany. It was under such
circumstances that Hitler rose to power and his leadership and personal qualities
also provided him with the opportunity to emerge as the Fuehrer of the German
people.
Study the following sources to find out how Hitler rose to become the Chancellor of
Germany in 1933.
Source A: A graph from an online historical newsletter illustrating the relationship
between the unemployed German people and Nazi Vote Share

Source B: Adapted from The New York Times, a newspaper in the United States in
1933.
On the evening of Jan. 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler, the newly appointed Chancellor of
Germany, stood in a government building at an open window watching a torchlight
parade of 25,000 Nazi troops march through the streets of Berlin. Thousands of
Germans cheered as they marched by, and Hitler was giddy with delight. "No power
on Earth will get me out of here alive," someone heard him say. Hitler had won the
people over with his persuasive words and now they celebrated his success.

Source C: An American cartoon in New York alluding to the Nazi Torchlight parade
celebrating the Nazis Partys rise to power.

Repression = Tight control

Source D: A Nazi election poster published in 1932 to win the support of the people
in Germany.

This Nazi
propaganda
poster from the
1932 campaign
reads:
We will take
the fate of our
nation into our
hands!
Hitler will be
Reich
President!

Source E: Adapted from a British psychologist about the psychological methods

used by Hitler.
Hitler was a master of propaganda. Through the use of his speeches and
propaganda, he was able to bend the will of ordinary people into obedience and
create an army ready to carry out his orders, no matter how strange they might be.
Hitlers formula for forcing a group of people was very simple.
1. Keep the message simple. Make only 1 or 2 points.
2. Be as direct and speak only in the telling or ordering mode.
3. As much as possible simplify concepts
4. Speak to peoples emotions and stir them constantly.
5. Use lots of repetition; repeat your points over and over again.
6. Focus solely on convincing people and creating supporters.
Section B: Structured - Essay Question
Answer any one question.

2 This question is about the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations
(a)

(b)

What were the conditions set by the Treaty of Versailles on

Germany?

[8]

Explain how each of the following factors caused the League of

Nations to fail:
i
ii

structural weakness,
postwar attitudes.

[12]

3 This question is on Germanys defeat.

(a)

(b)

What were the strategies employed by the Allies to resist the

German army?

[8]

Explain how each of the following factors led to Germanys defeat:

(i)
(ii)

the mistakes by Hitler,

USA entry into World War II.

[12]

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Marking Scheme: SEQ
2. This question is about the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations
(a) What were the conditions set by the Treaty of Versailles on Germany?
L1

[8]

Describes Treaty
Answers which describe the event without focus on the question.
Award 1 mark for each detail up to a maximum of 2.

1-2

E.g. Treaty of Versailles was a contract that outlined the conditions of Germanys
surrender.
L2

Identifies or describes condition(s) of TOV

Award 3 marks for each identified aspect up to a maximum of 5 marks or award 4
marks for one described aspect and 5 marks for two described aspects.

3-5

E.g. Germany had to accept the blame for starting the war (Clause 231).
E.g. Germany had to pay 6,600 million in reparations for the damage done during the
war.
E.g. Germany was forbidden to have a strong military.
E.g. Germany lost territory in Europe and Germanys colonies were given to Britain
and France.

L3

Describes condition(s) of TOV.

Award 6 marks for describing one event and additional marks for the depth of
supporting information and the number of aspects covered, up to a maximum of 8
marks.
E.g. Germany had to accept the blame for starting the war (Clause 231). Largely
influenced by Clemenceau, Clause 231 gave the peace makers the right to punish
Germany, and they tried to prevent war by weakening the Germans so they would
never be able to go to war again.
E.g. Germany had to pay 6,600 million in reparations for the damage done during the
war. Germany had to pay for all the damage of the war a sum eventually set at
6,600 million in instalments, until 1984. This ruined Germanys economy,
damaged by the war, and led to the hyperinflation of 1923.
E.g. Germany was forbidden to have a strong military. The Treaty restricted the
Germans armed forces to only 100,000 men in the army, no submarines or
aeroplanes, and only six battleships. In addition, conscription was banned (soldiers
had to be volunteers). The idea was to reduce Germanys armed forces to a size
where they could never endanger the countries round about.
E.g. Germany lost territory in Europe and Germanys colonies were given to Britain
and France. Germany lost land. Alsace-Lorraine was given back to France. Malmedy
was given to Belgium. North Schleswig was given to Denmark (after a plebiscite).

6-8

Memel was given to Lithuania. West Prussia (including the Polish corridor) and
Upper Silesia were given to Poland. Danzig was made a free city. This was
designed to weaken Germany. In all, Germany lost 10% of its land, 12% of its
population, 16% of its coalfields and half its iron and steel industry. Germany had
less land, fewer people, less taxes and less power.
(b) Explain how each of the following factors caused the League of Nations to fail:
i.
ii.
L1

structural weakness,
post war attitudes.

[12]

Writes about the League of Nations

Award 1 mark for each detail up to a maximum of 2.

1-2

E.g. The League of Nations was organized at the end of World War One (1m) to
prevent future wars from happening (2m).
L2

Describes reasons
Award 3-4 marks for one described reason and 5-6 marks for two described reasons.

3-6

E.g. The League of Nations lacked credibility and authority to enforce its will because
of its close association with the Treaty of Versailles (3m). The league was established
by the Treaty of Versailles, and soon came to be seen as a league for victorious
nations. (4m) The membership of the league was weak because the United States
was never a member and Germany was not allowed to join at first because as they
were considered to have been guilty of causing World War I (5m). Russia, which has
been taken over by a communist government, was not allowed to join too.(6m)
L3

Explains reasons
The link between reason and why it led to failure of LON is shown.
Award 7-9 marks for one explained reason and 10-12 marks for two explained
reasons.
E.g. One reason for failure of the league was that it lacked credibility and authority to
enforce its will because of its close association with the Treaty of Versailles. The
league was established by the Treaty of Versailles, and soon came to be seen as a
league for victorious nations. Of the 40-odd nations that joined the league, 31 had
taken part in the war on the side of the Allies. The leagues peacekeeping measure of
moral persuasion was ineffective against strong offending nations, which ignored the
condemnations and criticisms. The leagues military sanctions were ineffective as the
league did not have an army to enforce the military sanctions and the league
members were unwilling to get involved militarily. Key member countries such as
Britain and France refused to cooperate in the interests of the League as it conflicted
with their own national interests. Thus, economic sanctions were ineffective as the
league members did not want their economy to be affected. One such example was
when Britain made secret economic deals with Italy in spite of the ruling of the League
on the Abyssinian Crisis. Furthermore, the offending league member could withdraw
from the league such as in the case of Italy, Germany and Japan. Hence, the leagues
lack of credibility and authority made its peacekeeping measure ineffective. The
ineffectiveness of the measures caused it to fail and made it difficult for the league to
achieve its goals.
E.g. Another reason for its failure of the League was not all nations were members.

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9
The USA was never a member, which deprived the league of the help of the worlds
most powerful country and meant that it lacked credibility when dealing with
international disputes. Germany was not allowed to join and this weakened the league
as it meant that some countries were cut out of the decision-making process and were
unlikely to go along with the league policy. Later, Japan simply left when they
disagreed with the league policy on Manchuria. This showed that member states could
effectively do what they wanted, with no action taken against them by the league. This
meant that it was very difficult for the league to achieve its goals and so they failed.
Furthermore, member countries refused to cooperate, for example Britain and France
who despite being key members in the League were themselves unwilling to involve
themselves militarily as well as economically to deal with aggressive nations such as
Japan, Italy and Germany.

10
3. This question is on the Germanys defeat.
(a) What were strategies employed by the Allies to resist the German army
L1

[8]

Describes the Germanys defeat

Answers which describe the event without focus on the question.
Note: No mention of either key failures
Award 1 mark for each detail up to a maximum of 2.

1-2

E.g. Germany was defeated after the Allies resisted their forces.
L2

Identifies Or Describes methods employed by the Allies

Award 3 marks for each identifies aspect up to a maximum of 5 marks OR award 4
marks for one described aspect and 5 marks for 2 described aspects.

3-5

Identifies an aspect:
E.g. Stalin had made use of the long and bitter winter to reorganise the Red Army and
left the control over military to competent generals. (3 marks)
Identifies two aspects:
E.g. Various Partisan resistance groups all over Nazi-occupied areas for example,
Poland, Yugoslavia and France. (4 marks)
L3

Describes methods employed by the Allies

Award 6 marks for describing both factors and an additional mark for the depth of
supporting information and the number of aspects covered.
E.g. Stalin had made use of the long and bitter winter to reorganise the Red Army
and left the control over military to competent generals. The USSR also practiced
the scorched earth policy where they would destroy everything that could be of
help to the Germans before they retreated thus the Germans would not gain any
materials that would aid them in their war efforts. The USSR was also able to massproduce weaponry for use against the Germans. By 1943, the USSR was only
second to the USA in military production. Hence, it is clear that USSRs efforts also
contributed to Germanys eventual defeat in WW2.
E.g. The Partisan resistance also played a part in Germanys eventual defeat in
WW2. There were various Partisan resistance groups all over Nazi-occupied areas
for example, Poland, Yugoslavia and France. These resistance fighters collected a
lot of vital intelligence that aided the Allies greatly and helped them win battles
against the Germans. These Partisan groups engaged in guerrilla warfare, blew up
railways and sabotaged German factories and helped Allied POWs to escape as
well. Their constant disruption caused the supply lines of the German army to be
disrupted and hence, German troops were ill equipped for war. Therefore, it can be
said that Partisan resistance also played a part in Germanys eventual defeat in
WW2.

6-8

11
(b) Explain how each of the following factors led to Germanys defeat:
(i)
(ii)
L1

the mistakes by Hitler,

USA entry into World War II.

[12]

Writes about Germany

Award 1 mark for each detail up to a maximum of 2.

1-2

E.g. Stalin was a powerful man that led the Soviet Union.
L2

Describes reason(s) that led to Germanys defeat.

Award 3-4 marks for one described reason and 5-6 marks for two described reasons.

3-6

E.g. Germanys defeat was due to the mistakes made by Hitler. He was responsible
for making Germany fight a war on two fronts, the west side with Britain and the east
side with the USSR. Germany initially faced no threat in the Eastern Front, but Hitler
broke the Nazi-Soviet Pact to achieve his goal of Lebensraum and invaded the Soviet
Union, thus opening up the Eastern Front. In addition to Germanys weakness were its
miscalculations and misappropriate use of funds. For example, in the Battle of Britain,
the Germans focused more on producing battleships and cruisers rather than the
more threatening U-boats. This limited the effectiveness of German military tactics and
in effect prolonged the war, making the situation disadvantageous for Germany which
was not used to protracted fighting.
E.g. One reason to explain how Americas involvement was a reason for Germanys
defeat was because of its position as the worlds largest producer of goods at the time.
Thus it was able to convert its factories for military production at a faster rate than that
of the Axis Powers. Furthermore, with its entry into the war, America was able to send
soldiers and intelligence officers to aid the Allied military campaigns; these solved the
Allied problems of military shortages and also bolstered the Allied war machine.
Americas involvement was also essential in the Battle of the Atlantic where the Allies
managed to gain air and naval superiority because American personnel had managed
to break the Germans code, supply ships could now safely transport supplies and
equipment from America to the Allied war front.
L3

Explains reason(s) that led to Germanys defeat.

The link between reason and why it led to Stalins rise to power is shown.
Award 7-9 marks for one explained reason and 10-12 marks for two explained
reasons.
E.g. Germanys defeat was due to the mistakes made by Hitler. He was responsible
for making Germany fight a war on two fronts, the west side with Britain and the east
side with the USSR. Germany initially faced no threat in the Eastern Front, but Hitler
broke the Nazi-Soviet Pact to achieve his goal of Lebensraum and invaded the Soviet
Union, thus opening up the Eastern Front. This was Hitlers greatest mistake as
conducting a war on two fronts against formidable opponents prevented him from
concentrating his efforts on a single theatre of war. As Germanys military forces and
resources are split on each front, it led to lesser chances of winning the war since
Germanys resources were badly overstretched. It is worth noting that the various
early victories were achieved through the use of Blitzkrieg, this tactic did not work
well on Britain nor Russia, and the Germans were ill-prepared for an extended war.
The protracted war affected the morale of the German. In addition to Germanys
weakness were its miscalculations and misappropriate use of funds. For example, in
the Battle of Britain, the Germans focused more on producing battleships and cruisers
rather than the more threatening U-boats. This limited the effectiveness of German

7-12

12
military tactics and in effect prolonged the war, making the situation disadvantageous
for Germany which was not used to protracted fighting. The Germans also focused
more on producing new weapons that were not tested rather than the production of
good and field-tested weapons, trucks, winter clothes and so on. Consequently,
German soldiers were ill-equipped for war and during the winter on the Eastern front,
many did not have coats to survive the winter. This made the soldiers easy targets for
the enemy. The morale of the German troops were affected and contributed to
Germanys eventual defeat in WW2.
E.g. One reason to explain how Americas involvement was a reason for Germanys
defeat was because of its position as the worlds largest producer of goods at the time.
Thus it was able to convert its factories for military production at a faster rate than that
of the Axis Powers. The USA was essential in order for the allies to out produce the
Axis powers. For example, with USAs entry into the war the Allies now produced 2200
million barrels of oil per year while the Nazis only produced 6 million barrels of oil per
year. The vast resources that the USA had given the Allies a peace of mind knowing
that the US would make up for the short in any supplies and military equipment, thus
they did not have to alter any of their original military strategies to cope with shortages
and could focus on defeating Germany, with the knowledge that they would not be out
of supplies, Allied soldiers had a boosted morale as well enabling them to fight better.
Furthermore, with its entry into the war, America was able to send soldiers and
intelligence officers to aid the Allied military campaigns; these solved the Allied
problems of military shortages and also bolstered the Allied war machine. Americas
involvement was also essential in the Battle of the Atlantic where the Allies managed
to gain air and naval superiority because American personnel had managed to break
the Germans code, supply ships could now safely transport supplies and equipment
from America to the Allied war front. This thus helped to secure the supply lines of the
Allies and with supplies and equipment successfully reaching the frontlines; the Allied
soldiers could fight and resist the Germans effectively and led it Germanys defeat as
Germany could not compete against the might of the USA.