OxfordAQA International GCSE History (9245): Paper 2 Section A, Societies in Change — Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions – 9245 is first examined in May/June 2028, so no past papers exist yet. The question types and marks follow the OxfordAQA 9245 specification’s own description of Paper 2 Section A (3, 6, 9 and 12 marks). Examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside any specimen materials your school receives from OxfordAQA.

Related: Societies in change revision notes | Societies in change study guide

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OxfordAQA International GCSE History 9245 Paper 2 Section A has four questions on your society in change, worth 30 marks. There is one full set below for each of the three options. Allow about 50 minutes for a set.

Set 1: Life in Germany, 1919-1949

1. Give three ways hyperinflation in 1923 affected people in Germany. [3]

2. Explain one way in which the lives of German women changed under the Nazis. [6]

3. Explain two ways in which life for Germans changed in the years 1945-49. [9]

4. “The Depression was the main reason why Germans supported Hitler.” How far do you agree? [12]

Worked answers

1. Savings became worthless; pensioners on fixed incomes could not buy food; workers were paid twice a day and spent wages at once; prices rose hourly; people with debts or mortgages could pay them off easily. (Any three.)

2. One way was employment. In the 1930s the Nazis encouraged women to leave paid work, especially professions such as law and medicine, and offered marriage loans that were reduced with each child born, so many women’s lives became centred on the home and family. (A developed answer may note that labour shortages later drew women back into work.)

3. Way 1 – living conditions: cities such as Berlin were in ruins, food was rationed and millions of refugees and expelled ethnic Germans arrived from the east, so overcrowding and hunger were widespread. Way 2 – government: Germany was divided into four Allied zones; denazification removed Nazis from jobs, the Nuremberg Trials punished leaders, and in 1949 two states were created – the FRG in the west, helped by the Marshall Plan, and the GDR in the Soviet zone.

4. Depression: unemployment rose to about six million, and the Nazis promised work and bread; their seats rose from 12 (1928) to 230 (July 1932). Other factors: Hitler’s appeal and Goebbels’s propaganda; the SA’s show of order against communists; resentment of Versailles; fear of communism among industrialists, farmers and the middle class. Judgement: the Depression created mass discontent, but Nazi propaganda turned it into votes; most answers conclude that the Depression was the main reason because Nazi support was small before 1929.

Set 2: Life in Russia and the USSR, 1914-1953

1. Give three ways the First World War affected the Russian people. [3]

2. Explain one way in which the New Economic Policy changed the lives of peasants. [6]

3. Explain two ways in which the Second World War affected the lives of Soviet women. [9]

4. “Fear of the Purges was the main way Stalin controlled Soviet people in the 1930s.” How far do you agree? [12]

Worked answers

1. Millions of soldiers killed or wounded; food shortages in the cities; rising prices; peasants’ sons and horses taken for the army; fuel shortages in winter. (Any three.)

2. One way was the right to trade. War Communism had seized grain, but after 1921 peasants paid a tax in kind and could sell their surplus at markets, so many peasants grew more food, incomes rose and some became better-off – later labelled kulaks.

3. Way 1 – work: with men at the front, women filled jobs in factories, farms and transport, producing tanks and weapons. Way 2 – fighting: women served as soldiers, pilots and snipers; Lyudmila Pavlichenko was celebrated in propaganda and sent abroad to win support for the Soviet war effort.

4. Purges: the NKVD arrested millions; show trials and the Gulag made everyone afraid to criticise; even party members and army officers were not safe. Other methods: the cult of personality; censorship and propaganda; education and youth organisations; socialist realism in art; genuine pride in industrial achievements. Judgement: fear was essential, but propaganda gave many Soviet citizens reasons to support Stalin.

Set 3: Life in the USA, 1920-1968

1. Give three features of the 1920s consumer boom. [3]

2. Explain one way in which the Second World War changed the lives of African Americans. [6]

3. Explain two reasons why the civil rights movement made progress in the 1950s and 1960s. [9]

4. “The New Deal benefited all Americans.” How far do you agree? [12]

Worked answers

1. Mass-produced cars such as Ford’s Model T; electrical goods such as radios and refrigerators; hire purchase; advertising; a stock market boom. (Any three.)

2. One way was migration and work. War industries in northern and western cities needed workers, so many African Americans moved from the South to take factory jobs, earning higher wages and gaining confidence to campaign for equal rights – though they still faced discrimination.

3. Reason 1 – legal challenges: the NAACP won Brown v Board of Education (1954), which declared segregated schools unconstitutional and gave the movement legal backing. Reason 2 – peaceful protest and the media: the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-56) and later marches led by Martin Luther King and the SCLC drew television coverage of violent opposition, which built national support and pressure for the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968.

4. Agree: the unemployed got jobs through agencies; farmers received help; homeowners were saved from repossession; the elderly gained pensions through Social Security; workers gained union rights. Disagree: African Americans often received less help and faced discrimination in agencies; Indigenous peoples and women gained less; unemployment stayed high; the rich and business resented taxes and regulation. Judgement: it helped many but not all, so “all” is too strong.

Where marks are usually lost

• Question 1: explaining instead of listing three facts.
• Question 2: explaining two ways (only one is needed).
• Question 4: no other factor, or no judgement.

Frequently asked questions

How long should question 4 be? About three or four paragraphs – the given factor, at least one other, and a reasoned conclusion.

Are there specimen papers? Check with your school; OxfordAQA publishes support materials for new specifications.

Official specification

OxfordAQA International GCSE History (9245) specification, Version 1.1, sections 3.2.1 and 4.4.2 – oxfordaqa.com.