MGS 2025 H(E) MS Prelim

METHODIST GIRLS’ SCHOOL Founded in 1887 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 2025 Secondary 4 Humanities (History) Paper 2 Wednesday 2261/02 27 August 2025 1 hour 50 minutes Levels of Response Marking Scheme (LORMS)

Page 2 of 21 Section A: Source-Based Case Study Question1 is compulsory for all candidates. Was the Munich Agreement justified? 1 (a) Study Source A. How useful is this source as evidence of the crisis in Czechoslovakia? Explain your answer. [5] Level Descriptor Mark L1 Answers based on undeveloped provenance e.g., Source A is useful as it was from British Prime Minister’s official declaration of peace. 1 L2 Answers based on useful for what the source tells us OR not useful for what the source does not tell us about the issue Award the higher mark for both aspects [i.e., useful AND not useful]. e.g., Source A is useful as it tells me that Chamberlain prioritised diplomacy over war. Source A states that “ The settlement of the Czechoslovak problem which has now been achieved is, in my view, only the beginning of a larger settlement in which Europe may find peace”, “This morning, I had another talk with Herr Hitler”, and “We regard the agreement signed last night as symbolic of the desire of our two people to never go to war again.” This implies that the crisis in Czechoslovakia had been resolved due to his negotiation with Hitler. OR/AND e.g., Source A is not useful/limited as it only represents the British position but not Czechoslovakia’s position when the latter was directly involved in the Sudetenland crisis. Source A states that “We are resolved that consulting each other shall be the method used to deal with any other questions that may concern our two countries, and we are determined to continue our efforts to remove possible sources of difference”. This shows that the negotiation did not involve Czechoslovakia that was directly invo lved in the crisis since its Sudetenland region was taken away from it. The gap in the evidence makes Source A not useful as it only represents Britain’s and Germany’s interests. 2 -3

Page 3 of 21 L4 Answers which attempt to evaluate usefulness for what is said by cross-reference to other sources or contextual knowledge/critical analysis of provenance [Answers which address just reliability and not utility should be given L2/ 2 marks.] Award 4 marks if supported by cross-reference OR contextual knowledge. Award 5 marks if supported by cross -reference AND contextual knowledge/critical analysis of provenance. e.g., Source A is useful as evidence of the Czechoslovak crisis as it is reliable when cross- referenced with Source D, Chamberlain's Birmingham speech. Both sources consistently show how the British government viewed and presented the crisis as a diplomatic issue that could be resolved through negotiation rather than conflict. In Source A, Chamberlain emphasizes that “ The settlement of the Czechoslovak problem which has now been achieved is, in my view, only the beginning of a larger settlement in which Europe may find peace. ” Similarly, in Source D, he reiterates this position by explaining his aim to "promote European appeasement" where "each nation should have fair opportunities." This consistency in Chamberlain's public statements helps us understand how Britain's faith in diplomatic solutions with Hitler shaped their handling of the crisis. AND However, Source A is not useful as the evidence is unreliable when cross-referenced to Source E, Former Czechoslovak President Beneš's private letter. While Chamberlain presents the Munich Agreement as a success in solving "the Czechoslovak problem," Beneš reveals the devastating reality that "France and Britain had chosen to sacrifice us" and that the agreement "solved nothing; it marked the beginning of further aggression—starting with Czechoslovakia” and was seen as “a disaster.” This is a stark contrast between Chamberlain's declaration of success in solving the crisis in Czechoslovakia and Beneš's firsthand experience of betrayal and predictions of the larger crisis to come . Germany indeed seized all of Czechoslovakia by March 1939, proving Chamberlain's claims about a peaceful settlement were completely wrong, and thus not useful. OR While Source A is limited in representing Czechoslovakia’s view, there is still some value/use as evidence of the circumstances in the 1930s that influenced Chamberlain’s position of using diplomacy to solve the crisis. Chamberlain came from the generation that survived the first world war, and the British public sentiment then was war weary. 4-5

Page 4 of 21 (b) Study Source B. What is the cartoonist’s message? Explain your answer. [5] Level (L) Descriptor Marks L1 Source content/provenance e.g., Source B shows Hitler as Santa bagging human gifts. 1 L2 Sub-message Award the higher mark in the level for more developed answers. e.g., Source B shows Hitler as an aggressor. The cartoonist depicts Hitler as Santa holding a bag labelled "Deutschland über Alles" (Germany above all) bagging young innocent children. The bedhead reads "ex French- British Family.” This means that Hitler was causing tensions with France and Britain by taking away their former allies. 2-3 L3 Main message of the source in context Award the higher mark in the level for message in context. e.g., In the context of Hitler moving his forces into Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland in October 1938 due to the Munich Agreement, the cartoonist warns that appeasing Hitler would only encourage further aggression. The main message of the cartoon is that Hitler's territorial ambitions would not stop at just taking the Sudetenland, and that Britain and France were naively giving in to Hitler ’s demands o f territories through appeasement. The cartoonist depicts Hitler as Santa holding a bag labelled "Deutschland über Alles" (Germany above all), suggesting his ultimate goal was German domination in Europe , not just protecting ethnic Germans as he claimed. The "ex-French-British Family" label on the bed shows how Britain and France were allowing themselves to be taken advantage of through their policy of appeasement. 4-5

Page 5 of 21 (c) Study Sources D and C. Does Source D prove Source C wrong? Explain your answer? [6] Level Descriptor Mark L1 Answers based on undeveloped provenance e.g., Source D proves Source C wrong as Source D is from Chamberlain, Britain’s Prime Minister then while Source C is from Churchill, a Member of the British Parliament. OR e.g., Source D cannot prove Source C wrong as both are from Britain. 1 L2 Answers based on agreement, so Source D cannot prove Source C wrong OR disagreement, so Source D can Source C wrong Award the higher mark for more developed answers or both aspects. e.g., Source D proves Source C wrong as they differ in terms of the effectiveness of the Munich Agreement. In Source C, Churchill criticises the Munich Agreement’s peace talk by condemning it to be ineffective. Source C states that “What is left of Czechoslovakia cannot be maintained as an independent country” and “This is only the first sip, the first foretaste of a bitter cup which will be given to us year by year unless by a supreme recovery of moral health and military vigour, we arise again and take our stand for freedom.” Churchill claims that the peace talk was a failure as it did not benefit Czechoslovakia since its sovereignty was violated. In contrast, Chamberlain in Source D justified that the Munich Agreement succeeded in its immediate aim of averting a war, "sparing countless families from the tragedy of war." Chamberlain