MGS 2026 H(E) MS

2026 Sec 4 Humanities (History) EOY Answer Scheme Section A 1(a) Study Source A. Do you think this cartoon was drawn by a Western or Soviet cartoonist? Explain your answer, using details from the source and your contextual knowledge. [5] L1 Describes cartoon Or gives an unsupported answer. e.g. The cartoon shows Russia surrounded concentric rings which say ‘We want friendly states around us.’ e.g. The cartoon was drawn by a Western/Soviet cartoonist. 1 L2 Identifies the cartoonist as Soviet but misinterprets the source Or identifies cartoonist as Western but does not support answer with source details. e.g. The cartoon was drawn a Soviet cartoonist because it is showing what the Soviet Union wanted or was creating, which was friendly states around them. 2 L3 Identifies the cartoonist as Western and uses details of the cartoon/source content. e.g. I think it was drawn by a Western cartoonist because it is depicting the Soviet Union as trying to expand their control or influence by having Soviet-friendly states surrounding them. Source A shows the Moscow Kremlin representing the Soviet government in the middle. It has built concentric rings or squares around it and each one of them says ‘We want friendly states around us’. This suggests that the USSR is using their own security as an excuse to expand its control over more countries. e.g. I think it was drawn by a Western cartoonist because it says Russia wants friendly states for protection. 3 L4 L3 + acknowledges that the cartoonist is Western and would have portrayed the Soviet Union negatively due to their relationship. Award 5 marks for answers that detect the critical tone of the cartoonist. e.g. I think it was drawn by a Western cartoonist as the cartoon is portraying the Soviet Union negatively. The West were on opposing sides with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. After World War Two, the Soviet Union established communist governments in Eastern Europe to create a buffer around itself. The West saw their actions as trying to expand their control in Europe. In Source A, the final ring says ‘And so on without end’ , suggesting that Soviet expansion would never stop. The critical tone shown in these words reflects the Western cartoonist’s belief that the Soviet Union was aggressively expanding their border rather than 4-5 1

simply protecting its border, and therefore was portraying the Soviet Union negatively. 1(b) Study Sources B and C. How far do Sources B and C agree about Soviet actions after World War Two? Explain your answer. [6] L1 Agree or Disagree based on unexplained provenance Or false match. e.g. Both sources disagree as Source C is a response to Source B. 1 L2 Agree or Disagree based on explained content. Award 2 marks for one agree or disagree, unsupported. Award 3 marks for one agree or one disagree, supported. Agree e.g. Both sources agree that the Soviet Union wanted to control or have influence over Eastern Europe. Source B: ‘Behind that line lies all the states of central and eastern Europe. The Communist parties have been raised to power’ Source C: ‘What can there be surprising about the fact that the Soviet Union, anxious for its future safety, is trying to see to it that governments loyal in their attitude to the Soviet Union should exist in these countries?’ Disagree e.g. Both sources disagree in their reasons for the Soviet Union wanting friendly governments in Eastern Europe. Source B portrays the Soviet Union as wanting to expand their control (offensive) while Source C portrays the Soviet Union as wanting to ensure their security (defensive). Source B: ‘The Communist parties have been raised to power far beyond their numbers and are seeking everywhere to obtain totalitarian control.’ Source C: ‘anxious for its future safety’ 2-3 L3 Agree and Disagree based on explained content. Award 4 marks for one agree and one disagree, supported. Award 5 marks for more developed answers 4-5 L4 Disagree based on explained provenance and purpose. e.g . Both sources disagree In their purposes. Churchill in Source B made the speech to warn Europe/the Western world that the Soviet Union was trying to expand their influence or control so that they would guard against it. Stalin in Source B was trying to defend Soviet policy and perhaps reassure the international audience that it was acting in self-defence so that they would not view the his actions as a threat to peace. 6 2

1(c) Study Source D. How reliable is Source D as evidence about Stalin’s intentions in Eastern Europe? Explain your answer. [5] L1 Unsupported assertions/Uncritical acceptance of source. Award 1 mark for answers that use content and accept that it is true/false with no explanation. e.g. Source D is reliable as it says ‘Stalin took an active interest in Eastern Europe and the rest of us in the leadership were careful not to poke our noses in that direction.’ 1 L2 Answers based on undeveloped use of provenance. e.g. Source D is reliable as Khrushchev was one of Stalin’s closest advisers and would have had first-hand knowledge of his thoughts and decision-making processes. 2 L3 Answers based on use of source content. e.g. Source D is reliable when Khrushchev says that ‘Stalin took an active interest in Eastern Europe’. Stalin was fearful that the USA might threaten its security (defensive), as seen in ‘Churchill had given his famous speech urging the imperialistic forces of the world to mobilise against the Soviet Union. In the Soviet Union there was considerable alarm that the US might send its troops into Czechoslovakia and try to restore the capitalist government which had been overthrown in 1948 by the working class.’ e.g. Source D is reliable because Stalin wants control (offensive). 3 L4 Evaluation of source by cross-reference. e.g. Source D is reliable when Khrushchev says that ‘Stalin took an active interest in Eastern Europe’. Cross-referencing to contextual knowledge, Source D is corroborated. Stalin was determined to control the governments of Eastern Europe to keep the USSR safe as it was the traditional route through which enemies from the West attacked Russia. If he controlled Eastern Europe by creating buffer states, it would be more challenging for others to invade the USSR through it. e.g. Source D is reliable when Khrushchev says ‘Stalin took an active interest’ because he was ‘alarm[ed] that the US might send its troops into Czechoslovakia’ and threaten the Soviet Union’s security. Cross-referencing to Source C, Stalin wanted ‘governments loyal in their attitude to the Soviet Union’ in Eastern Europe after the ‘Germans made their invasion of the USSR’. Contextual knowledge also tells us that Stalin wanted to protect the Soviet Union from future attacks and 4 3

hence why he supported the