Edexcel IGCSE History: Depth Studies — Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, in the style and at the standard of the examination. They are not reproduced past-paper questions — examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available free from your board.

Related: Depth Studies revision notes

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Section A

1. State three things you should consider when assessing the usefulness of a historical source. [3]

2. Explain the difference between the reliability and the usefulness of a source. [3]

Section B

3. Explain three problems faced by the Weimar Republic between 1919 and 1923. [9]

4. Explain why the Nazi Party’s support grew between 1929 and 1933. [9]

5. Explain how Hitler consolidated power between January 1933 and August 1934, referring to three events. [9]

6. Explain three reasons for the economic boom in the USA in the 1920s, and two reasons why not everyone shared in it. [10]

7. A student argues that the Reichstag Fire “was the cause” of Hitler’s dictatorship. Using the distinction between a trigger and underlying causes, explain why this view is incomplete. [4]

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Answers

1. Any three: the origin — who produced it, when and in what circumstances [1]; the purpose — why it was produced and for whom [1]; the content — what it says and whether that is corroborated by other evidence and by your own knowledge [1]; its limitations — what it does not tell you [1].

2. Reliability concerns whether a source gives an accurate and unbiased account [1]. Usefulness concerns what a historian can learn from it, for a specified enquiry [1]. A source can be highly unreliable yet very useful — a piece of Nazi propaganda is not an accurate account of events but is excellent evidence of what the regime wanted people to believe [1].

3. Any three, 3 marks each: The Treaty of Versailles — the Republic was blamed for signing it, and the “November criminals” and “stab in the back” myth undermined its legitimacy from the start [1] [1] [1]. Political extremism — the Spartacist rising of 1919 on the left and the Kapp Putsch of 1920 and Munich Putsch of 1923 on the right [1]; the government was forced to rely on the Freikorps to survive, which meant depending on men hostile to the Republic [1] [1]. Hyperinflation of 1923 — the French occupation of the Ruhr and the government’s decision to support passive resistance by printing money destroyed the currency [1]; savings were wiped out, and the middle class in particular was ruined and permanently alienated [1] [1]. The constitution itself — proportional representation produced unstable coalitions, and Article 48 allowed rule by decree [1] [1] [1].

4. The Wall Street Crash and the Depression were decisive: American loans were withdrawn, unemployment rose above six million, and the Weimar coalition governments failed to agree on a response [1] [1]. Chancellor Brüning’s deflationary policy made conditions worse and he ruled by decree, discrediting democracy itself [1]. The Nazis offered simple, confident solutions and scapegoats — the Treaty, the November criminals, the Jews and the communists [1] [1]. Fear of communism drove businessmen and the middle class towards the Nazis as the strongest anti-communist force, and brought funding [1] [1]. Nazi propaganda and organisation under Goebbels, with Hitler’s air campaigning and mass rallies, was far more modern than any rival’s [1]. The SA provided visible strength and street presence, appealing to the unemployed young [1].

5. The Reichstag Fire (February 1933) — blamed on the communists, it allowed Hitler to secure the Decree for the Protection of People and State, suspending civil liberties and permitting the arrest of communist deputies [1] [1] [1]. The Enabling Act (March 1933) — passed with the communists excluded and the SA intimidating deputies, it gave Hitler the power to make laws without the Reichstag for four years, the legal basis of the dictatorship [1] [1]. Trade unions were then banned and other parties dissolved by July [1]. The Night of the Long Knives (June 1934) — Röhm and the SA leadership were murdered [1]; this removed the internal threat from the SA and secured the loyalty of the army, which had feared SA ambitions [1]. On Hindenburg’s death in August, Hitler merged the offices of Chancellor and President and had the army swear a personal oath to him [1].

6. Reasons for the boom, 2 marks each: mass production techniques, above all Ford’s assembly line, cut costs so dramatically that consumer goods came within reach of ordinary families [1] [1]. Hire purchase and easy credit let consumers buy cars and appliances before they could afford them, so demand ran ahead of income [1] [1]. Republican policies of low taxation, laissez-faire and tariffs such as Fordney-McCumber protected American industry from foreign competition [1] [1]. (Also accept: new industries and advertising; the confidence generated by the war.) Reasons why some did not share in it, 2 marks each: farmers suffered from overproduction and collapsing prices, worsened by foreign tariff retaliation, so rural incomes fell throughout the decade [1] [1]. Older industries such as coal and textiles declined, and black Americans and recent immigrants faced discrimination, low wages and were the first to lose work [1] [1].

7. The Reichstag Fire was the trigger — the immediate event that gave Hitler the pretext to secure the Decree for the Protection of People and State [1]. But it could only escalate into dictatorship because underlying conditions already made that possible: the Nazis were already the largest party, Hindenburg had already made Hitler Chancellor, and the SA and Nazi propaganda machine were already in place to exploit the moment [2]. A full answer therefore explains both the spark and the conditions that let it escalate, rather than treating the fire alone as sufficient explanation [1].

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Where marks are usually lost

• Judging a source unreliable and therefore concluding it is not useful.
• Describing Weimar’s problems without explaining why they threatened the Republic.
• Treating the Depression as the only cause of Nazi growth.
• Listing 1920s boom factors without explaining the mechanism.