TJC 2021 H2History P1 Ans

1 Temasek Junior College 9752 H2 History JC2 2021 Preliminary Examination Paper 1 Suggested Pointers of Discussion Section A 1a Compare and contrast the evidence provided in Sources E and F on Soviet actions in Cuba. - Similarity: Immediate objective of Soviet actions to counter US influence o Why similar? Similar context of early 1960s in which US had begun to isolate Castro’s regime through economic sanctions, triggering Soviet involvement in Cuba in the form of economic aid and growing political cooperation - Difference: Nature of Soviet actions in Cuba differ. Source E reflects that Soviet actions are in support of Cuba while in Source F the intention is to aggressively undermine American influence. o Why different? Different perspectives of the sources, in which Source E records a conversation between Castro and the Soviet Ambassador to Cuba which would have the purpose of presenting Soviet-Cuban relations as cooperative. Source F instead presents a Western perspective which saw the Soviets as expanding influence into Cuba 1b How far do Sources A – F support the assertion that American interests in Cuba were mainly shaped by Cold War concerns? - Support set: Sources C, E, F and A argue that American interests in Cuba were shaped by concerns of communist expansion and the need for the US to demonstrate its ability to protect the free world in light of that. o Source C makes a valid claim in expressing US concerns of communist expansion in Latin America, but this is underpinned by the loss of US economic dominance in the region, and as a justification of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion o Source E does not provide for strong evidence to show that US interests in Cuba were mainly shaped by Cold War rivalry, given that Castro is attempting to foster stronger ties with the USSR in light of the increasing US aggression towards his regime  expresses US motivations in ideological terms o Source A is reliable in claiming that American actions after the discovery of missiles in Cuba centred around Cold War concerns and the tensions between mounting a decisive response against the Soviets in order to demonstrate their credibility to their allies and protect Berlin, while at the same time ensuring the security of the US o Source F makes a valid claim in reflecting US concerns of Soviet attempts to use Cuba as a base to expand into Latin America, though this is shaped by US presumption of economic influence in the region - Challenge set: Sources D, B and F argue that American presumption of influence in Cuba, expressed in their desire to protect their economic interests in the region were key in shaping American concerns in Cuba. o Source D makes a valid claim in that the Monroe Doctrine underpinned US concerns in Cuba, evident in the initial US reactions to the Cuban revolution but less useful in accounting for the significant influence of Cold War interests in shaping US interests after 1960 o Source B is reflective of US economic concerns in response to the 1959 Land Reform Law implemented by Castro’s regime o Source F is reliable in its suggestion that increasing Soviet economic influence in Cuba by 1960 stoked American fears of the erosion of their economic dominance in Cuba o Sources are limited in usefulness in demonstrating the shift in focus of American concerns to Cold War concerns by 1961, with increasing Soviet involvement in Cuba and the Berlin crisis - Hypothesis should be modified to: American interests in Cuba were initially driven by US concerns of economic dominance in Latin America, but evolved to be driven more by Cold War concerns with the involvement of the Soviets by 1961

2 Section B 2 To what extent were the oil crises of the 1970s a turning point in the development of the global economy? a. A strong response would assess if the oil crises were a turning point by evaluating the impact of the oil crises using clear criteria and considering the significant changes and continuities from the Golden Age of capitalism. b. An average response would identify and explain the impact of the oil crises or explain its role in causing the end of the Golden Age of capitalism but might not consistently engage the question focus to evaluate if marked a significant change. c. A weak response would merely describe or list the effects of the oil crises. 3 How far was the economic miracle of South Korea a result of favourable circumstances? a. A strong response would evaluate the role of favourable internal and external circumstances against that of actors across time, payin g particular attention to the internal/external context and development of the South Korean economy at various stages of its development b. An average response would identify and explain the role of circumstances but might have a narrow interpretation of favo urable circumstances as only external circumstances, or fail to consider changing circumstances across time. It would also identify and explain other factors. c. A weak response would merely describe the role of various factors in causing the economic miracle of South Korea 4 To what extent was the United Nations a victim of circumstances in its failures to maintain international peace and security after 1989? a. A strong response would evaluate the extent to which a range of conditions beyond the control of the UN which arose from the end of the Cold War resulted in its failures, in relation to other factors within the control of the UN, particularly structural factors. b. An average response would identify a limited range of circumstances and explain the role of these circumstances and identify and explain the role of other factors. c. A weak response would merely describe the circumstances and list or describe the role of other factors. 5 Assess the view that it was Cold War that limited the contributions of the United Nations General Assembly to international peace and security. a. A strong response would evaluate the limiting effect of the Cold War on the General Assembly across the period of the Cold War and would likely trace this to the structural limitation of the organ of the General Assembly in contributing to international peace and security. b. An average response would identify and explain the role of Cold War in limiting the General Assembly and identify other factors limiting the contributions of the General Assembly. c. A weak response would describe the effects of the Cold War on the General Assembly.