ACSI 2025 HIST PRELIM P2 MS

1 ACS INDEPENDENT 2025 Y4 HISTORY P2 PRELIM Suggested Answers 1a) Study Source A. What is the message of this source? Explain your answer. 5m L1 Misunderstands/paraphrase with no inference/describes source. 1m L2 Inference unsupported. The cartoon’s message is that Stalin (the USSR) is dominating Berlin in a way that ignores true four -power cooperation, treating the Western Allies as powerless or humiliated underlings rather than equal partners. 2m L3 Inference supported and explained. Award 4m for one well-explained inference and 5m for an additional inference. Award 3m only for inference with evidence only. The cartoon’s message is that Stalin (the USSR) is dominating Berlin in a way that ignores true four-power cooperation, treating the Western Allies (Britain, France, and the USA) as powerless or humiliated underlings rather than equal partners. Inference #1: The cartoonist suggests Stalin is treating the Western Allies as objects to be walked on, showing he is oppressing or dominating them instead of cooperating as equals. This can be seen from how Stalin is shown lounging comfortably in a chair labelled “USSR,” with his feet on carpets made from the Western Allies. Inference #2: The setting is labelled “Berlin International Zone Headquarters,” referencing the four-power administration agreed after WWII. Hence the cartoon implies the USSR is ignoring the joint administration deal, trying instead to rule Berlin alone for its own benefit, leading to conflict (like the Berlin Blockade that had just begun). 3- 5m b) Study Sources B and C. Having read Source C, are you surprised by Source B? Explain your answer. 6m L1 Mismatch 1m L2 No BOC, Valid comparison but with no evidence/Difference in provenance only. I am not surprised by Source B after reading Source C because their origins explain their differences. Source B is a 1949 Soviet government news release meant as propaganda to blame the West and justify the blockade, while Source C is a 2001 British historian’s analysis aiming for balanced, evidence-based explanation. 2m L3 Surprised or Not Surprised due to difference or similarity in the content of both sources After reading Source C, I am surprised by the content of Source B because the two sources present different explanations for the Berlin Crisis. Source C offers a balanced and analytical perspective, explaining that the Soviet blockade was a calculated response to Western policies such as the introduction of the Deutschmark and the plan to form a separate West German state. This can be seen from “ They argued that it was a defensive measure to stop the Soviet zone from being swamped with the devalued Reichsmarks, which the new Deutschmark was rep lacing.” It shows that Stalin used the 3m

2 blockade as a pressure tactic, while also acknowledging the Soviet argument that it was a defensive measure against economic disruption. In contrast, Source B com