Edexcel IGCSE History: East Germany, 1958–90 — Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s exact structure, question count or mark tariffs — examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available free from your board. The sources and extracts below are entirely invented for this exercise — none is a real historical document, and none should be treated or cited as one.

Related: A5 revision notes | A5 study guide

These questions practise the three Historical Investigation skills of Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History 4HI1 Paper 2, Section A — features (6), cross-referencing (8) and interpretation (16) — across the five key topics of Investigation A5.

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Enquiry 1 — the Wall and the stable years, 1958–87

1(a) Describe two features of the refugee problem in the GDR before 1961. [6]

Source A (invented). From an article in an SED newspaper, August 1961.

“Our state has secured its border against Western agents, speculators and warmongers. Peace in Europe is safer tonight, and the citizens of our republic can build socialism without interference.”

Source B (invented). From the diary of an East Berlin nurse, August 1961.

“My sister lives four streets away, on the other side. This morning soldiers were laying wire across our road. Nobody in my ward speaks of peace — only of who got out in time.”

1(b) How far does Source A support the evidence of Source B about the closing of the border in August 1961? [8]

Extract C (invented interpretation).

“The GDR survived for so long because most of its people accepted a bargain: security and welfare in return for political silence.”

1(c) How far do you agree with the interpretation in Extract C about why the GDR remained stable in the years 1962–87? Use Extract C, Sources A and B and your own knowledge. [16]

Enquiry 2 — Ostpolitik and the Peaceful Revolution

2(a) Describe two features of the Basic Treaty (1972). [6]

Source D (invented). From a report by a Stasi officer in Leipzig, October 1989.

“The Monday gathering at the church grew again. Participants chanted ‘We are the people’ and carried candles. They avoided violence, which makes intervention difficult to justify.”

Source E (invented). From the memoirs of a West German journalist, published in 1995.

“What brought the regime down was not one speech in Moscow or one decision in Budapest but tens of thousands of ordinary East Germans who stopped being afraid.”

2(b) How far does Source D support the evidence of Source E about the protests of 1989? [8]

Extract F (invented interpretation).

“The GDR fell because Gorbachev refused to defend it.”

2(c) How far do you agree with the interpretation in Extract F? Use Extract F, Sources D and E and your own knowledge. [16]

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Answers and mark guidance

1(a) [6]

Two features: about 2.7 million left between 1949 and 1961, most via the open border in Berlin; many were young and skilled professionals, which damaged the economy; the flow accelerated in 1960–61 as fears grew that the border would close.

1(b) [8]

Agreement: both confirm that the border was sealed in August 1961. Disagreement: A presents it as protection and peace; B shows it dividing families and causing fear, with people focused on escape. Provenance: A is SED propaganda presenting the official justification; B is a private diary with no reason to deceive. Judgement: they agree on the event but not its meaning.

1(c) [16]

Supporting: full employment, cheap rents, subsidised food and childcare; Honecker’s consumer and housing policies from 1971; many valued security and accepted limits; sporting success built pride. Challenging: stability also rested on fear and force — the Stasi’s surveillance, the Wall itself (Source B), Soviet troops; censorship and propaganda (Source A); opposition existed (Biermann, church groups); the “bargain” was failing by the 1980s as debts rose and goods were scarce. Judgement: acceptance and coercion worked together; the extract underplays repression.

2(a) [6]

Two features: signed in December 1972 by the two German states; each recognised the other’s borders and independence; they agreed to exchange permanent representatives rather than ambassadors; it opened the way for both to join the UN in 1973.

2(b) [8]

Support: both suggest that ordinary people’s mass, peaceful protest was powerful — D’s growing crowds and “We are the people”, E’s “tens of thousands… who stopped being afraid”. Difference: D focuses on one city and the problem of intervening; E makes a general claim about why the regime fell. Provenance: D is an internal Stasi report, written at the time for superiors, so likely accurate on numbers; E is written with hindsight by an outside observer. Judgement: strong support on the nature of the protests.

2(c) [16]

Supporting: Gorbachev’s reforms encouraged protest; he made clear Soviet troops would not intervene, unlike in 1953 or 1968; his October 1989 visit undermined Honecker. Other factors: the opening of the Hungarian–Austrian border and the mass exodus; peaceful mass protest in Leipzig and Berlin (Sources D and E); the economic crisis and debt; the SED leadership’s confusion and the accidental opening of the Wall; West German support and the attraction of the deutschmark in 1990. Judgement: Soviet non-intervention was a necessary condition, but East Germans themselves brought the regime down.

Where marks are usually lost

• Treating SED propaganda as factual evidence.
• In (b), ignoring when and why each source was produced.
• In (c), writing only about 9 November 1989.

Source: question patterns modelled on the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History (4HI1) specification, Issue 5, February 2026, Paper 2, Section A.

Frequently asked questions

How is the Paper 2 historical investigation question structured? Part (a) asks you to describe two features (6 marks), part (b) asks how far one source supports another (8 marks) and part (c) is a 16-mark judgement that uses the sources and your own knowledge.

How many people left the GDR before the Wall? About 2.7 million between 1949 and 1961, most through the open border in Berlin, many of them young and skilled.

Why must SED or Stasi sources be handled carefully? Each had a clear purpose, propaganda or internal reporting, so their provenance must be weighed rather than treated as neutral fact.

Are these real Edexcel past-paper questions? No. They are original questions written in the style of Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History 4HI1; use them alongside the official past papers and mark schemes.