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SWISS COTTAGE SECONDARY SCHOOL

SECONDARY 4 EXPRESS

PRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONS

Name: _______________________________( ) Class: Sec _______

COMBINED HUMANITIES Paper 3 History Elective

2204/03 Monday 17 August 2015

1 hour 40 minutes Additional materials: Writing paper

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

Write your name, class and index number on all the work you hand in.

Write in dark blue or black pen.

Do not use staples, paper clips, glue or correction fluid.

Section A

Answer all parts of Question 1.

Section B.

Answer one question.

Write all answers on the writing paper provided.

At the end of the examination, fasten all your work securely together.

The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part

question.

This question paper consists of 6 printed pages.

Setter: Mdm Serene Tang & Miss Sarah Lee

Vetter: Mrs Patrine Tang

[Turn over

We Nurture Students to Think, Care and Lead with P.R.I.D.E.

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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. 1 (a) Study Source A.

Why was the cartoon published? Explain your answer referring to the details in the poster.

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(b) Study Sources B.

Are you surprised by the report made by the French writer? Explain your answer.

[5] (c) Study Sources C and D.

How far would the OGPU agent in Source C agree with what was stated in the Soviet textbook in Source D? Explain your answer.

[6] (d) Study Source E.

How useful is this source as evidence about the impact of Stalin’s rapid industrialisation? Explain your answer.

[6] (e) Use all the sources.

‘The positive impact of Stalin’s rapid industrialization far outweighs its negative impact’. How far do these sources support this judgement? Explain your answer.

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Was Stalin’s rapid industrialization beneficial for the Russian society? BACKGROUND INFORMATION Read this carefully. It may help you to answer some of the questions. Between 1928 and 1933, Stalin inaugurated the First and Second Five-Year Plans to achieve his goal of rapid industrialization. In many aspects, he was successful - by 1939, the USSR was behind only the United States and Germany in industrial output. The human costs, however, were enormous. Did Stalin’s rapid industrialization benefit the Russian society afterall? Source A: A cartoon published by Russian exiles in France in 1939.

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Source B: A report by French writer after an extensive visit to the Soviet Union in 1939.

Now the real facts are these: the most poverty-stricken state in Europe, ignorant, fettered, ill-treated, starved, bleeding and shattered, has, in seventeen years, become the greatest industrial country in Europe; and the second in the world – and the most civilized of all, in every respect. Such progress, which is unequalled in the history of the world, has been achieved – and this too is unequalled – by the sole resources of the country of which every other country has been the enemy. It has been achieved by the power of an idea which was directly opposed to the ideas of the rulers of all other national societies.

Source C: From a report by an OGPU (secret police) agent after a factory

meeting with the workers in the first Five-Year Plan.

You well-fed devils have sucked the juices out of us enough. For twelve years you have driveled and agitated and stuffed our heads . . . the factory owners did not force us to work in four shifts and there was enough of everything in the shops. Now we work in four shifts. . . . If you go to a shop now and want to buy something the shops are empty. The vast improvements in the country seem to be so distant from us. We don’t stand to gain from them at all.

Source D: Extracted from a Soviet textbook in 1976.

The Soviet people achieved so much in such a short time. This happened because all the country’s wealth belongs to the working people who create this wealth. The Stakhanovite movement spread all over the country. Thousands of workers produced more than their targeted quota. Miracles were created by the enthusiastic work of the Soviet people.

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Source E: Extracted from a letter written by a British woman living in the USSR in 1938.

Food is scarce and dear. Butter, when it is there, is 17 to 20 roubles a kilo, and each person can buy only half a kilo. Pork is 13 roubles a kilo, and beef 11 and 12 – very little to be had. It has been a long winter and meat killed off before the frost set in. Women went to work at 4 p.m. and from 7 a.m. they stand in a queue for food. Shops open at 10 or 11 a.m. and at 4 o’clock, they go home without getting anything, as they must go to work. Thousands do this daily. I am lucky to be getting 2 kilos of meat. There is no fish now when there was plenty last year. It is worse now than it has been for three or four years. Even eggs are scarce too.

Source F: American historian’s interpretation of the impact of

industrialization in 1985.

The increases in production were dramatic. During the first five year plan (1929-1934) there was a fifty percent increase in overall industrial output and an average annual growth rate of eighteen percent. These statistics, however, do not take into account the poor quality of the goods produced. By emphasizing output only, and by intentionally setting the target output levels unrealistically high, the Soviet leaders created a system in which poor quality done quickly was preferable to producing quality products at a slower rate. Part of this had to do with the constant specter of the secret police hovering over the country, ready to declare “treason when economists pointed out the irrationalities in [the] plans or argued that impossible goals were bound to create crises, which in turn led to waste and inefficiency.

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Section B: Structured-Essay Questions

Answer one question.

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This question is on the cause and consequences of World War II in Europe.

(a) Explain why Hitler embarked on an expansionist foreign

policy in the 1930s.

[8] (b) ‘The entry of America in 1941 was the turning point for World

War II in Europe.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.

[12] 3 This question is on the end of the Cold War.

(a) Explain why Gorbachev’s policies contributed to the fall of

Communism in the Soviet Union in 1989.

[8] (b) ‘Soviet Union’s economic problems in the 1980s were

aggravated by the arms race with America’. How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.

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SCSS HISTORY ELECTIVE PRELIM 2015 SBQ Answer Scheme

(a) Study Source A. Why was the poster published in 1939? Use the source and your knowledge to support your answer.

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The poster was published to criticize how life under Stalin was not beneficial for the people but harsh and torturous instead. The poster depicts the suffering of the Russian workers under Stalin. This is shown in the picture as the workers drawn as skinny and weak but slogging away under the heavy weight of the iron blocks of buildings. It shows Stalin in control of industrialization in Russia. Here, he is drawn as big and powerful and holding a pistol aiming at the people beneath him. This shows that he is controlling their lives. The poster being drawn by a Russian exile in France possibly was trying to express his anger with the way Stalin was controlling the country’s economy and oppressing the people. By publishing it in France, he hoped to appeal to the French public / government to aid the suffering and helpless Russians in Soviet Union.

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(b) Study Source B. Are you surprised by the report made by the French writer? Explain your answer.

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L4 SURPRISED OR NOT SURPRISED EXPLAINED THROUGH CROSS-REFERENCE Award the higher mark in the level for more fully developed answers.

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I am surprised by the report made by the French writer because he claims that Stalin’s rapid industrialization of USSR was beneficial for Russian society. Source B states that ‘Now the real facts are these: the most poverty-stricken state in Europe…has, in seventeen years, become the greatest industrial country in Europe; and the second in the world – and the most civilized of all, in every respect’. This suggests that industrialization was successful in transforming USSR into an industrial powerhouse and a cultured society. However, this can be contradicted by Source F which states ‘ During the first five year plan…there was a fifty percent increase in overall industrial output…These statistics, however, do not take into account the poor quality of the goods produced’. This suggests that industrialization did not really benefit the USSR as the products produced were of inferior quality and did little in improve the standard of living of the people. Since Source B can be challenged by Source E, I am surprised by the report made by the French writer. I am not surprised because Russia had indeed ‘become the greatest industrial country in Europe’. From my contextual knowledge, I have learnt that Russia had achieved industrialization due to Stalin’s 5-year plans [Provide contextual knowledge].

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(c) Study Sources C and D. How far would the OGPU agent in Source C agree with what was stated in the Soviet textbook in Source D? Explain your answer.

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The OGPU agent in Source C would agree with what was stated in the Soviet textbook in Source D in terms of how industrialization transformed USSR positively. Source D suggests that there were ‘miracles’ created in Soviet Union production in which ‘the Soviet people achieved so much in short a short time’. Similarly, in Source C, the OGPU agent shows that there were ‘vast improvements in the country’. Hence, both sources do agree that Soviet Union had undergone a huge transformation / improvement to their industrial production. No, Source D highlights the positive contributions of the Soviet workers but neglected the sufferings that were seen from Source C. Thus both sources do not agree on the positive achievements of the industrial growth of Soviet Union. Both sources do not agree in the way they view the impact of industrial progress in Soviet Union. While both acknowledge that there was industrial progress, both do not agree that the industrial progress was beneficial to the people. Source C does not support the progress because he shows that he is angry with the progress as the lives of the people had worsened. Previously, ‘there was enough of everything in the shops’ but after industrial development, ‘the shops are empty’. Source D however, seems to overlook this and praise the system and ‘the enthusiastic work of the Soviet people’.

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(d) Study Source E. How useful is this source as evidence about the impact of Stalin’s rapid industrialisation? Explain your answer.

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Yes, the source is useful because it shows the negative impact of Stalin’s rapid industrialization up to 1938. Source E states ‘Food is scarce and dear. Women went to work at 4 p.m. and from 7 a.m. they stand in a queue for food. Shops open at 10 or 11 a.m. and at 4 o’clock, they go home without getting anything, as they must go to work. Thousands do this daily.’ This suggests that the people had suffered due to the lack of food and this is also supported by Source C. Even the OGPU agent agrees that ‘if you go to a shop now and want to buy something the shops are empty’. Therefore, since Source E can be supported by Source C, Source E is reliable and thus useful in showing the negative impact of Stalin’s industrialization. Yes, the source is useful because the source does highlight the sufferings of the people up to 1938. This is especially so because the British woman was living in USSR at that time. She did experience the condition at that time. Clearly, ‘food is scarce and dear’ and even basic food cannot be found easily as ‘even eggs are scarce’. If a foreigner had found it difficult to gain access to basic food items, the condition for the Russians might have been worse off. Moreover, she wrote it in a letter, there was no reason for her to lie or to impress anybody. Thus, since it is reliable, it is useful. [You can use contextual knowledge to prove reliability as well]

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(e) Use all the sources. ‘The positive impact of Stalin’s rapid industrialization far outweighs its negative impact’. How far do these sources support this judgement? Explain your answer.

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e.g. Yes, because Source B shows that Stalin managed to transformed the country into one of the ‘greatest industrial country in Europe; and the second in the world’. Without Stalin, Russia would have remained poor.

OR e.g. Yes, becaue Source D agrees that rapid industrialization

had helped to generate wealth for the country. OR e.g. Yes, because Source F shows that quantity of goods

had increased that they were ‘dramatic’. NO e.g. No, because as shown in Source A, people had to slog

very hard because Stalin had pressured them to work a lot harder than they possibly had to. They worked under his deadly threat. They had to live in fear.

OR e.g. No, because, although there was work, there wasn’t much that the people could buy. Their sufferings were not compensated.

OR e.g. No, because rapid industrialization did not look into the

welfare of the people. People did not even have the basic food for themselves.

L3 YES AND NO SUPPORTED BY VALID SOURCE USE BOTH OF L2 Award 5m for one YES and NO supported by valid source use, and an additional mark for each subsequent valid source use up to a maximum of 7m.

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(2a) Explain why Hitler embarked on an expansionist foreign policy in the 1930s.

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L1 DESCRIBES HITLER’S FOREIGN POLICY Award 1m for each detail, to a max of 2m.

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Hitler embarked on an expansionist foreign policy because he needed more living space for the Germans. He claimed that Germany’s population had grown too large for the territorial space and Germans were constrained in the small space. He argued that more land space was necessary to grow food for its people. Also, he needed to gain more space for Germany so that the excess population could then be moved the newly acquired territories. Thus, Hitler was eyeing eastern Europe, in particular, Russia. The latter had a large land area much desired by Hitler which would enable him to relocate a large portion of the German population. Moreover, he believed that the Slavs could be removed as they were deemed of a lower social class to him and the freed up space would be used by the Germans instead. Hitler embarked on an expansionist foreign policy because he wanted to build a greater Germany. He knew this was achievable by conquering former territories as well as extending German power beyond the border of Germany. This was begun with the recovery of lost territories such as the Saar coalfields and the Polish Corridor in the Treaty of Versailles. This was then followed by taking territories such as Czechoslovakia and Poland which did not formerly belonged to Germany. By doing this, it would allow Germany to gain the resources from these acquired territories for him to build up the industries in Germany. The answers above are just a guide. Do elaborate with details.

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(2b) ‘The entry of America in 1941 was the turning point for World War II in Europe.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.

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Yes, I agree that the entry of the USA was a turning point because it brought about the defeat of the Germans in World War II as the vast amount of resources and manpower and economic strength provided by the USA was a huge boost for the Allies. USA’s Provision of Massive Resources To Its Allies from ‘Cash & Carry’ To Lend-Lease Act was an example. Although the USA only formally entered the war in December 1941, it was already aiding the Allies from the start of the war in September 1939. On 21 September 1939, in a revision to the 1937 Neutrality Act, Roosevelt persuaded the US Congress to allow Britain and France to buy arms from the USA on a ‘cash & carry’ basis. However, this changed in March 1941, when Roosevelt persuaded Congress to pass the Lend-Lease Act as a response to British PM Winston Churchill’s call for help, as Britain’s own resources were nearing exhaustion by the end of the 1940. In time, the USA also extended the Lend-Lease programme to the Soviet Union when it was invaded by Germany on June 1941. By the end of the war, the USA had spent almost US$50 billion on this programme. [Give details on how USA brought in military reinforcements and/or aided in military strategies to enable Allied victory] Hence, this contributed to the German defeat / Allied victory as the massive and timely infusion of resources by the USA ensured that both Britain and the Soviet Union did not fall to Germany so that they can keep making Germany fight the war on two fronts and overstretch itself over time. However, I do not agree that America’s entry was a turning point because it didn’t gravely turn the tide of war because by 1941, Hitler had conquered much of western Europe and these countries provided the much needed resources that Hitler needed to fight a long drawn war. America’s presence in the war much affected the outcome of the war in Asia-Pacific rather than in Europe. Europe war was still fought by the allied forces that destroyed the German’s aerial and naval superiority. One example was the Battle of the Atlantic in which the German U-boats incurred severe losses of 108 ships. Indeed, 1941 was the height of war. The tide of war didn’t change much for Hitler or Germany. America’s entry into the war shook the confidence of the Germans because her Fascist ally, Japan would be affected. However, little impact was felt in Europe. The answers above are just a guide. Do elaborate with details.

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(3a) Explain why Gorbachev’s policies contributed to the fall of Communism in the Soviet Union in 1989.

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One of Gorbachev’s reforms was Glasnost in which the Soviet government underwent reform. Gorbachev launched a series of public debates so that problems of the SU could be discussed openly. It was also meant to instruct Soviet censors to relax censorship of books, journals and newspapers. Moreover, Soviet writers given freedom to voice their opinions on the need for reform. In with the new and out with the old ideas saw new editors appointed to state newspapers. Now dissident voices heard without fear of imprisonment which permitted new discussions on and reconstructions of Soviet history. He strongly believed this would help explain why his reforms necessary. In addition to that, he wanted Communist Party and Soviet people to view socialism as a work in progress whereby anti-communist radio broadcasts no longer blocked and fully accessible to Soviet public. However, the Soviets were then exposed to aspects of outside world such as better quality of life in USA and the West. Many citizens in Soviet bloc felt that their governments had lied to them and deprived them of what the rest of the world had access to. Relaxation of censorship and new revelations about Soviet history had profound implications on how Soviet and Eastern European citizens viewed their governments. Major problems such as food shortages and suppressed vital information regarding classifies activities in the past now gradually made public thus receiving increased attention. However, the Soviets were then exposed to aspects of outside world such as better quality of life in USA and the West. Many citizens in Soviet bloc felt that their governments had lied to them and deprived them of what the rest of the world had access to. Positive picture of Soviet life that government previously presented to public quickly fell apart. The public had then lost confidence in the vision and rule of communist governments which saw them increasingly desiring independence. Glasnost created a platform where criticism of communist rule in SU could not be controlled which inadvertently led to the collapse of Communism because increasingly, the Russians hated the Communist rule and viewed the government as unreliable and they turned to oppose the Communist rule. Another reform Gorbachev implemented was Perestroika where he brought about economic retructuring in the Soviet Union. It advocated cooperative ownership that was vital to new Soviet economy as these reforms were believed to be consistent with socialism. He also believed that Communist

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Party would be rejuvenated only by admitting leaders who would carry out his institutional and policy reforms. As such, the government then relaxed its control over kinds of goods and services that may be produced and their quantities but they retained the control over means of production. To purchase these technologies, small business owners had to pay high taxes and deal with dishonest officials and thus, many Soviet citizens lost interest in wanting to start up their own business. As a result, shortages of food and other basic necessities were common. In addition to that, open elections for Congress of People’s Deputies paved way for rise of various opposition groups in government. In this case, economic reforms under Perestroika failed to revive Soviet economy and the political reforms led to mounting criticism of Gorbachev by both Party conservatives and radical opposition. In addition to that, open elections for Congress of People’s Deputies paved way for rise of various opposition groups in government. These developments undermined Gorbachev’s authority within Soviet Union, thereby laying the foundations for political revolutions both in SU and its eastern European satellite states, ending the Cold War in the process. The answers above are just a guide. Do elaborate with details.

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(3b) ‘Soviet Union’s political problems in the 1980s were aggravated by the arms race with America’. How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.

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e.g. Yes, I agree that the arms race during the Cold War was the main cause that aggravated Soviet Union’s economic problems. The arms race referred to the intense competition between USA and USSR to develop nuclear weapons and space technology to prove their superiority during the Cold War. On one hand, the growth of the American economy enabled Reagan to renew the arms race and exert pressure on the Soviet Union’s ability to keep up with military expenditure and production. For example, Reagan supported an expensive ‘Star Wars’ programme which aimed at developing satellites which could detect and destroy any potential nuclear attack by intercontinental missiles. This not only heightened tension between the two superpowers but widened the gap between the superpowers as it became apparent that Soviet Union found it increasingly difficult to keep up, given its already-stretched resources. Thus, as Soviet Union also diverted many resources to the production of military goods and weapons as well as increased its defence budget, this would mean that less consumer goods and necessities were produced which led to severe shortage of goods. This led to severe economic problems in Soviet Union. However, I do not agree Soviet Union’s political problems were aggravated by the arms race with America. In fact, the arms race was the turning point of Soviet Union’s relations with America. The arms race in the 1980s was marked by Reagan’s Star Wars Programme which led Gorbachev to realise that Soviet Union had no means to compete with. Hence, he relented and conceded defeat to America. With this, Gorbachev managed to improve Soviet Union’s relations with America and a new page of the Cold War unfolded. Had it not been for the renewed arms race in the 1980s, Soviet Union wouldn’t have the notion to focus on their financial realities. Clearly, the Soviet Union had no means to compete with America without compromising on her other developments. The arms race allowed her to take a step back to check on her situation. The answers above are just a guide. Do elaborate with details.