Cambridge A Level World History (9489): Imperialism and the Emergence of World Powers – Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions. The wording and the sources below are invented for practice purposes, but the structure follows the syllabus’s own: Paper 1 sets one question on four sources, part (a) 15 marks and part (b) 25 marks; Paper 2 sets two-part questions, part (a) 10 marks and part (b) 20 marks. Cambridge International holds copyright in its own papers; use these alongside the official past papers available through your school or Cambridge directly.

Related: International History, 1870-1939 revision notes | International History, 1870-1939 study guide

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Topic 7, Imperialism and the emergence of world powers, c.1870-1918, is the International option’s Paper 1 topic in 2027 and a Paper 2 topic in 2028 and 2029 (Cambridge 9489, 2027-2029 rotation). This page practises both. The questions cover all four key questions: 7.1 imperialism in Africa, 7.2 imperial expansion and international relations, 7.3 Japan and 7.4 the USA.

Paper 1 style: Historical Sources (40 marks)

All four sources are invented for practice. They are written to resemble the kinds of material a real paper uses, but no real person wrote them.

Source A (invented) – From a speech by a British politician, 1899. “Our presence on the Nile is no matter of greed. Egypt’s safety, and with it the road to India through the Suez Canal, depends on who holds the upper river. France sent her officers to Fashoda to cut that road. We have shown that Britain will not be pushed from the Nile.”

Source B (invented) – From a French newspaper editorial, November 1898. “Captain Marchand withdraws from Fashoda, not because France was wrong, but because Paris will not risk war with England while our true enemy waits across the Rhine. Let London enjoy its swamp. Our quarrel with Germany is the one that matters.”

Source C (invented) – A description of a German cartoon published in 1905. The cartoon shows the Kaiser stepping ashore at a Moroccan port, while a British lion and a French cockerel look on angrily, holding a paper labelled “Entente”.

Source D (invented) – From the memoirs of a diplomat, written in the 1920s. “The colonial quarrels of 1898-1911 did not cause the Great War. They were settled, every one, by conference or convention. What they did was to teach statesmen whom they could trust. After Agadir, London and Paris trusted one another, and neither trusted Berlin.”

(a) Compare Sources A and B as evidence about the Fashoda Incident. [15]

(b) How far do Sources A to D support the view that imperial rivalries increased tension between the Great Powers before 1914? [25]

Worked answer (a)

Similarities. Both show Britain prevailing: A says Britain “will not be pushed from the Nile”, B confirms that Marchand “withdraws”. Both treat Fashoda as part of larger strategic concerns – the route to India in A, the German threat in B.

Differences. A presents British control of the Nile as defensive and legitimate; B denies France was wrong and plays down the defeat (“Let London enjoy its swamp”). A sees France as the aggressor trying to “cut that road”; B presents France as choosing restraint.

Explaining them. A is a British politician celebrating success, with a purpose of justifying British policy to a domestic audience. B is French opinion soon after a humiliation and seeks to save face by redirecting attention to Germany. Context supports B’s underlying point: France backed down in 1898 and moved towards Britain, leading to the Anglo-French Entente (1904). A top-level answer reaches a judgement: B is more revealing about how Fashoda changed French policy; A is more useful about British motives.

Worked answer (b)

Support. A and B show a direct confrontation that brought Britain and France close to war in 1898. C, a German cartoon of 1905, reflects the First Moroccan Crisis, when the Kaiser’s visit to Tangier challenged French influence and the Entente; its hostile depiction of Britain and France suggests rivalry was hardening into blocs. D concedes that after Agadir (1911) neither Britain nor France “trusted Berlin”. Own knowledge: Germany’s Weltpolitik and naval building alarmed Britain, and the Kruger Telegram (1896) had already angered British opinion over South Africa.

Challenge. D argues the quarrels were “settled, every one, by conference or convention” – the Algeciras Conference (1906) and the November 1911 convention ending the Agadir crisis did resolve the immediate disputes. B shows France choosing compromise with Britain. Fashoda, in fact, ended in an agreement that improved Anglo-French relations.

Provenance. D is written with hindsight in the 1920s, perhaps to downplay colonial causes of the war; C is propaganda with a German viewpoint. A and B are both partisan.

Judgement. The sources support the view to a considerable extent, but they suggest that imperial rivalry increased tension mainly by reshaping alliances – drawing Britain and France together against Germany – rather than by producing war directly.

Paper 2 style: Outline Study (two questions, 30 marks each)

Question 1 – Africa and the powers (7.1, 7.2)

(a) Explain why the Berlin Conference was held in 1884-85. [10]

(b) “Economic motives were the main reason for the Scramble for Africa.” How far do you agree? [20]

Worked answer (a). Rival claims in the Congo basin – King Leopold II’s private association, France and Portugal – and to the Niger threatened conflict. Bismarck faced pressure at home from colonial and commercial lobbies and saw a chance to act as Europe’s broker while improving relations with France. The powers wanted agreed rules: the conference set the principle of effective occupation, recognised Leopold’s Congo claim, declared free trade and navigation on the Congo and Niger, and condemned slavery. Linking point: the conference was held to manage a scramble already under way, not to start one.

Worked answer (b). For: raw materials (rubber, palm oil, minerals), markets and investment opportunities; the Congo’s rubber regime shows economic exploitation at its most extreme. Against: national and strategic rivalry – Britain’s occupation of Egypt (1882) to protect the Suez Canal triggered further moves; prestige mattered to newly united Germany and Italy; religious and cultural motives (“the civilising mission”, missionaries); explorers such as Livingstone and Stanley publicised the interior; technology (quinine, steamships, the machine gun) made conquest possible. Judgement: economics was important for some powers and individuals, but strategic rivalry best explains the speed of the Scramble after 1880.

Question 2 – New world powers (7.3, 7.4)

(a) Explain why Japan won the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05. [10]

(b) “The Spanish-American War was the most important reason for the USA’s emergence as a world power by 1918.” How far do you agree? [20]

Worked answer (a). Japan’s modernised army and navy, built after the Meiji Restoration (1868) with Western technology and industry, fought close to home, while Russia fought at the end of the single-track Trans-Siberian Railway. The Anglo-Japanese Treaty (1902) kept other powers out. Japan struck first at Port Arthur, captured it, won at Mukden and destroyed Russia’s Baltic Fleet at Tsushima (1905). Revolution in Russia in 1905 pushed the Tsar to make peace. Strong answers link Japanese preparation with Russian weakness.

Worked answer (b). For: victory in 1898, after the sinking of the Maine and “yellow journalism” inflamed opinion, gave the USA Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines and influence over Cuba, making it a colonial power in two oceans. Against: rapid economic growth and the Panic of 1893 had already pushed the search for overseas markets; the closing of the frontier and Mahan’s The Influence of Sea Power upon History (1890) justified a large navy, shown by the Great White Fleet (1907-09); the Panama Canal (opened 1914) linked the oceans; Dollar Diplomacy under Taft extended influence in Latin America; and entry into the First World War in 1917 – after U-boat attacks, the Lusitania (1915) and the Zimmermann Telegram – made the USA decisive in Europe. Judgement: 1898 was the turning point in acquiring empire, but 1917-18 made the USA a world power in the fullest sense.

Where marks are usually lost

• Paper 1 (a): comparing content only, without explaining why the sources differ.
• Paper 1 (b): taking sources one by one instead of grouping them for and against the claim.
• Paper 2 (a): listing reasons without linking them to the event in the question.
• Paper 2 (b): one-sided answers with no comparative judgement between factors.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to name the African resistance examples? Yes. The syllabus names the Anglo-Zulu war (1879), the Ndebele rebellion, Adwa (1896) and the Herero War, and any of them can appear.

Will Paper 1 always include a visual source? Each question has at least three written sources and may include up to one visual source.

Official syllabus

Cambridge International AS & A Level History (9489) syllabus for 2027, 2028 and 2029, Version 2 – cambridgeinternational.org (topic 7 content; Paper 1 and Paper 2 details of the assessment).