Paper 2
Topic 9
Topic Prescribed content
Emergence of ● Conditions that encouraged the
democratic demand for democratic reform:
states aftermath of war and/or political
upheaval; political, social and
economic factors; external
influences
● The role and significance of leaders
● Development of political parties,
constitutions and electoral systems;
the significance/impact of those
developments
The ● Factors influencing the evolution of
development of democratic states: immigration;
democratic ideology; economic forces; foreign
states influences
● Responses to, and impact of,
domestic crises
● Struggle for equality: suffrage
movements; civil protests
Impact of ● Social and economic policies and
democracy on reforms: education; social welfare;
society policies towards women and
minorities; the distribution of wealth
● The extent to which citizens benefit
from those policies
● Cultural impact; freedom of
expression in the arts and media
Questions to Practice
● To what extent did social and economic factors
encourage the demand for democratic reform in
two states?
● Evaluate the importance of external influences
on the emergence of two democratic states.
● Evaluate the importance of leaders in the
emergence of two democratic states.
● Compare and contrast the significance of the
development of political parties, constitutions
and electoral systems in two democratic states.
● Examine the factors influencing the evolution of
two democratic states
● Evaluate the impact of domestic crises on the
development of two democratic states.
● Compare and contrast the challenges that limited
the success of responses to domestic crises
during the development of two democratic states.
● “Greater equality in democratic states was the
result of pressure from suffrage movements.”
Discuss with reference to two democratic states,
each from a different region.
● To what extent did civil protests benefit the
struggle for equality in two democratic states?
● Evaluate the impact of democracy on social
policies in two democratic states.
● Evaluate the impact the impact of democracy on
the distribution of wealth in two democratic
states.
● To what extent did citizens benefit from social
and economic policies in two democratic states?
● “The maintenance of democracy was dependent
on freedom of expression in the arts and media.”
Discuss with reference to two democratic states,
each from a different region.
● Examine the impact made by democracy on the
arts and media in two states, each from a
different region.
 Topic 11
*Apply to both World Wars and Civil Wars
Topic Prescribed content
Causes of war ● Economic, ideological, political,
territorial and other causes
● Short- and long-term causes
Practices of war ● Types of war: civil wars; wars
and their between states; guerrilla wars
impact on the ● Technological developments;
outcome theatres of war—air, land and sea
● The extent of the mobilization of
human and economic resources
● The influence and/or involvement
of foreign powers
Effects of war ● The successes and failures of
peacemaking
● Territorial changes
● Political repercussions
● Economic, social and
demographic impact; changes in
the role and status of women
-
Questions to Practice
● With reference to two wars, compare and contrast the
importance of ideological factors in causing war in the
twentieth century.
● To what extent were twentieth-century wars caused by
the same issues?
● Examine the long- and short-term causes of one
20th-century war.
● Evaluate the importance of guerrilla warfare to the
outcome of two 20th-century wars.
● Discuss the importance of technological developments
to the outcome of two 20th-century wars, each from a
different region.
● Evaluate the impact of the mobilization of human and
economic resources upon the outcome of one
20th-century war.
● “The influence of foreign powers determined the
outcome of 20th century civil wars.” Discuss with
reference to two wars.
● Discuss the factors that led to the defeat of nations in
two 20th century civil wars.
● Evaluate the success of peacemaking in the resolution
of two 20th-century wars.
● “Territorial changes were the most significant
consequence of war.” Discuss with reference to two
wars.
● With reference to one 20th-century war, compare and
contrast the political repercussions for two countries.
● Compare and contrast the economic, social, and
demographic impacts of two 20th-century wars.
● Evaluate the impact of two 20th-century wars on the
role and status of women

Section 15
Prescribed content
● Peace settlements (1919–1923):
Versailles; Neuilly; Trianon; St
Germain; and Sèvres/Lausanne—aims,
issues and responses
● The League of Nations and Europe:
successes and failures; the search for
collective security; developments in
the successor states of central and
eastern Europe
● Italian and German foreign policies
(1919–1941): aims, issues and extent
of success
● Collective security and appeasement
(1919–1941): aims, issues and extent
of success; role of British, French and
Russian/Soviet foreign policies
(1919–1941); Chamberlain and the
Munich Crisis
● Causes of the Second World War and
the development of European conflict
(1939–1941); the wartime alliance
(1941–1945); reasons for Axis defeat
in 1945 and for Allied victory; role of
economic, strategic and other factors
● Impact of the Second World War on
civilian populations in any ​two
countries between 1939–1945
Paper 3
Questions to Practice
● “The Treaty of Versailles was a harsh and unfair peace.” To
what extent do you agree with this statement?
● Examine the effectiveness of the peace settlements following the
First World War in achieving their aims.
● Discuss the reasons for the failure of the League of Nations by
1938.
● To what extent did developments in the successor states of
central and eastern Europe hinder the search for collective
security?
● “The policy of appeasement was necessary because, by the
mid-1930s, collective security had failed.” To what extent do
you agree with this statement?
● Compare and contrast the foreign policies of Hitler and
Mussolini up to 1939.
● “Italian foreign policy was inconsistent in the period between
1922 and 1940.” To what extent do you agree with this
statement?
● To what extent did the results of the policy of appeasement align
with its aims?
● Compare and contrast the role of French and Soviet foreign
policies in the period 1919 to 1941.
● “The Munich Crisis is representative of British foreign policy in
the 1930s.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?
● Evaluate the role of alliances in the outcome of the Second
World War.
● Evaluate the reasons for the defeat of the Axis powers in Europe
in the Second World War.
● “The Second World War had a devastating impact on the
civilian population.” Discuss with reference to any two
European countries.
● Examine the impact of the Second World War on the civilian
populations of two countries in Europe between 1939 and 1945.
 Section 16
Prescribed content
● Soviet Union (1924–1941):
Stalin and the struggle for
power (1924–1929); defeat
of Trotsky; Stalin’s policies
of collectivization and the
Five-Year Plans;
government and
propaganda under Stalin;
the purges and the Great
Terror
● The impact of the Great
Patriotic War (1941–1945);
post-war Soviet Union
(1945–1953): political and
economic developments
● Khrushchev and Brezhnev:
domestic policies and
foreign relations
● Transformation of the
Soviet Union (1985–1991):
Gorbachev (aims, policies
and extent of success);
political developments and
change
● Collapse of the Soviet
Union; post-Soviet Russia
to 2000; role and policies
of Yeltsin; political and
economic developments to
2000
Questions to Practice
● Examine the reasons why Stalin was able to remain in his post after 1924,
despite Lenin’s testament and post-script.
● Evaluate the factors that led to Lenin opposing Stalin 1922-24.
● To what extent was the 1921 ban on factions and other political parties the
main reason for Stalin’s victory in the power struggle?
● Discuss the reasons for, and the effects of, Stalin’s attempt to modernize
the Soviet economy in the period 1928-1941.
● Evaluate the significance of propaganda to the maintenance of Stalin’s
power between 1929 and 1945.
● “Stalin’s Five-Year Plans and the policy of collectivization failed to
improve the Soviet economy by 1941.” Discuss.
● Discuss the causes and consequences of Stalin’s purges up to 1953.
● To what extent was Stalin’s foreign policy leading up to the non-aggression
pact an attempt to solicit support from the west, in particular France and
England?
● Discuss political and economic developments in the Soviet Union between
1945 and 1953.
● Compare and contrast the domestic policies of Khrushchev and Brezhnev.
● “Khrushchev’s foreign policy caused confusion and uncertainty.” To what
extent do you agree with this statement?
● Discuss the impact of Khrushchev’s ‘secret speech’ of 1956 on relations
between the USSR and the countries of Eastern Europe between 1956-64.
● Evaluate the success of Brezhenev’s foreign policies.
● Compare and contrast the impact of the Soviet Union’s policies and actions
in two Eastern Europe states in the period 1964-82
● ‘By 1985, the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe was inevitable.’
To what extent do you agree with this statement?
● “By 1991, Gorbachev’s policies had achieved his aims.” To what extent do
you agree with this statement?
● Evaluate the impacts of the political developments and change that
occurred during Gobachev’s tenure.
● Examine the factors that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
● To what extent did Yeltsin establish democracy in Russia between 1991
and 1999?