Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) – IGCSE Paper 1 – Past Questions

SECTION A: CORE CONTENT - INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SINCE 1919

Were the peace treaties of 1919-23 fair?

4 MQ
- Describe the restrictions imposed on the German land forces by the Treaty of
Versailles.
- What were the territorial terms of the Treaty of Saint Germain?
- What features of the Treaty of Versailles were shared by the other peace treaties of
1919-20?
- What was decided about the Saar in the Treaty of Versailles?
- What did the Treaty of Versailles state about Danzig and the Rhineland?
- What were the main terms of the Treaty of St Germain with Austria?
- What were the main terms of the Treaty of Trianon?
- What were the main aims of the Treaty of Sevres with Turkey?
- In what ways did the Treaty of Versailles restrict German armed forces?
- How was the Paris Peace Conference organised?
- What were the effects of the Treaty of Trianon on Hungary?
- What did Wilson hope to achieve from the settlement of 1919-20?
6MQ
- Why was the Treaty of Sevres replaced by the Treaty of Lausanne?
- Why was the work of the peacemakers at the Paris Peace Conference difficult?
- Why were the German people unhappy with the Treaty of Versailles?
- Why was the Treaty of Sevres renegotiated?
- Why were the victors not free to make the peace they wanted?
- Why were Wilson’s expectations of the Peace Settlement of 1919-20 different from
those of Clemenceau?
- Why was there discussion about the status of Danzig at the Paris Peace Conference?
- Why did Lloyd George believe that a moderate peace settlement with Germany was
in British interests?
- Why was Wilson unsuccessful in achieving his goal of self-determination for the
peoples of Europe?
- Why did the Treaty of Versailles punish Germany harshly?
- Why did Wilson believe his ‘Fourteen Points’ should form the basis of the Treaty of
Versailles?
- Why did Clemenceau and Lloyd George disagree over how to treat Germany?
10MQ
- How satisfied were the French people with the Treaty of Versailles? Explain your
answer.
- ‘German hatred of the Treaty of Versailles was justified.’ How far do you agree with
this statement? Explain your answer.
- Who was more satisfied with the Treaty of Versailles: Clemenceau or Lloyd George?
How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
- ‘The Germans had genuine grounds for complaint about the Treaty of Versailles.’
How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
- ‘At the time, the Treaty of Versailles was justifiable.’ How far do you agree with this
statement? Explain your answer.
- ‘The War Guilt Clause was the main cause of German bitterness towards the Treaty
of Versailles.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
- ‘The terms of the Treaty of Versailles were surprising.’ How far do you agree with
this statement? Explain your answer.
- Who was more satisfied with the Treaty of Versailles: Wilson or Clemenceau? Explain
your answer.
- ‘The Treaty of Versailles was too harsh.’ How far do you agree with this statement?
- How successful was Wilson in achieving his aims at Versailles? Explain your answer.
- How far did the peace settlement of 1919-20 reflect the aims of Clemenceau?
Explain your answer.
- ‘The Treaty of Versailles was a fair settlement.’ How far do you agree with this
statement? Explain your answer.

To what extent was the League of Nations a success?

4MQ
- Describe the work of the League’s International Labour Organisation (ILO).
- What were the main aims of the League of Nations when it was set up in 1920?
- Describe the work of the League in relation to refugees.
- Describe the work of the Lytton Commission.
- Describe the part played by the League in international humanitarian work.
- What was the role of the Assembly within the League of Nations?
- What was the role of the Council within the League of Nations?
- What actions could the League take to encourage members to follow its decisions?
6MQ
- Why did the requirement that decisions of the Assembly and Council had to be
unanimous cause problems for the League?
- Why did the League not include some major powers when it was set up?
- Why was collective security ineffective in practice?
- Why did Japan invade Manchuria?
- Why did the Japanese invasion of Manchuria weaken the League?
 - Why was the idea of ‘collective security’ unlikely to be successful for the League of
Nations?
- Why did the Great Depression make the work of the League difficult?
- Why were events in Corfu (1923) a problem for the League?

10MQ
- How far was Mussolini responsible for the destruction of the authority of the League
of Nations? Explain your answer.
- ‘The League of Nations was an effective organisation for preserving peace in the
1920s.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
- ‘The League of Nations achieved its peacekeeping aims in the 1920s.’ How far do
you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
- Which was the more important cause of the failure of the League: its organisation or
its membership? Explain your answer.
- ‘Ineffective sanctions were the main reason for the failure of the League in
Abyssinia.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
- How successful was the League of Nations in the 1920s? Explain your answer.
- ‘Mussolini’s invasion of Abyssinia damaged the League more than Japan’s invasion of
Manchuria had.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
- ‘The League failed in Manchuria because of the attitudes of its leading members.’
How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.

Why had international peace collapsed by 1939?

4MQ
- What happened in the Saar in 1935?
- What was the ‘Greater Germany’ that Hitler aimed to establish?
- What benefits did uniting with Austria offer Hitler?
- Describe the crisis over Austria in 1934.
- What happened in relation to the Sudetenland during 1938 which raised tensions in
Europe?
- What were the consequences of the Spanish Civil War for peace in Europe?
- Describe the increase in Italian militarism in the 1930s.
- Describe what happened in Guernica in April 1937.
- What did Hitler gain from the return of the Saar to Germany?
- What actions had Hitler taken by the end of 1935 to break the Treaty of Versailles?
- Describe Hitler’s takeover of Austria?
- What did Hitler achieve by Anschluss?
6MQ
- Why was the remilitarisation of the Rhineland a risk for Hitler?
- Why were Hitler’s foreign policy actions in 1935-36 successful?
- Why was collective security ineffective in practice?
- Why was Hitler able to unite with Austria?
- Why was Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 significant?
- Why did Hitler take Germany out of League of Nations in 1933?
- Why did Chamberlain, on his return from Munich in 1938, say, ‘I believe it is peace
for our time’?
- Why did Hitler want to remilitarise the Rhineland?
- Why, by 1937, was Japan a threat to world peace?
- Why was involvement in the Spanish Civil War of benefit to Hitler?
- Why, in 1939, did Stalin make deal with Germany rather than Britain and France?
- Why did Hitler want to take over Czechoslovakia?

10MQ
- ‘Germany was more responsible for war in 1939 than any other country.’ How far do
you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
- ‘The policy of appeasement made sense at the time.’ How far do you agree with this
statement? Explain your answer.
- ‘The Munich Agreement of 1938 ensured that war would happen.’ How far do you
agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
- ‘Appeasement was a sensible response to Hitler’s aggression.’ How far do you agree
with this statement? Explain your answer.
- How far was the outbreak of war in 1939 Hitler’s fault? Explain your answer.
- ‘The policy of appeasement played a greater part in the outbreak of war in 1939 than
did the Nazi-Soviet Pact.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your
answer.
- ‘The British-French guarantee to Poland was more responsible than the Nazi-Soviet
Pact for the Second World War.’ How far do you agree with this statement?
- ‘The Nazi-Soviet Pact was more advantageous to Stalin than it was to Hitler.’ How far
do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
- ‘Appeasement was not justifiable.’ How far do you agree with this statement?
Explain your answer.
- ‘Chamberlain’s attempts to reach agreement at Munich were worthwhile.’ How far
do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
- ‘The remilitarisation of the Rhineland was more important to Hitler’s plans than was
the Spanish Civil War.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your
answer.
- ‘The policy of appeasement was a mistake.’ How far do you agree with this
statement? Explain your answer.
Who was to Blame for the Cold War?
4MQ
- What were Stalin’s main achievements at the Yalta Conference?
- What issues were addressed at the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences?
- What disagreements between the two superpowers were there at the Potsdam
Conference?
- What was agreed about Poland by the Great Powers in 1945?
- What changes to the frontiers of Poland were agreed at the Potsdam Conference?
- What was COMECON?
- What were the main agreements reached at the Yalta Conference of February 1945?
- What decisions, in relation to Germany, were agreed at Yalta and Potsdam?

6MQ
- Why was it difficult to deal with Poland after the Second World War?
- Why was it difficult to reach agreement over the future of Germany after World War
Two?
- Why did Truman develop a strategy of containment?
- Why were there tensions at the Potsdam Conference in 1945?
- Why was the Marshall Plan offered to all countries of Europe?
- Why were the changes which took place between the Yalta and Potsdam
Conferences important?
- Why was the Truman Doctrine significant?
10MQ
- ‘The most important consequence of the Berlin Blockade was the formation of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in 1949.’ How far do you agree with this
statement? Explain your answer.
- ‘The USA was responsible for starting the Cold War.’ How far do you agree with this
statement? Explain your answer.
- ‘The Berlin Blockade was a serious threat to world peace.’ How far do you agree with
this statement? Explain your answer.
- ‘Churchill’s ‘Iron Curtain’ speech at Fulton was the main cause of tension between
the West and the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1950.’ How far do you agree with
this statement? Explain your answer.
- ‘The main cause of tension between the Soviet Union and the West between 1947
and 1949 was the Berlin Airlift.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain
your answer.
- ‘Stalin’s failure to abide by the agreements made at Yalta and Potsdam caused the
Cold War.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
 - ‘It was the Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe that caused the Cold War.’ How far do
you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.

How effectively did the USA contain the spread of Communism?

4MQ
- What was Eisenhower’s policy towards Vietnam?
- What was the importance of the 38th parallel in relation to Korea?
- Describe relations between the USA and Cuba between 1959 and the end of March
1961.
- What was the ‘domino effect’ in relation to Vietnam?
- Describe the events which led to the UN involvement in the Korean War.
- What was the response to the United Nations Organisation to events in Korea in
June 1950?
- What was the 38th Parallel in relation to the Korean War?
- Describe the Bay of Pigs invasion.
- What did the Geneva Agreements of 1954 propose for Vietnam?
6MQ
- Why was the US unhappy with the changes Castro introduced immediately following
the Cuban Revolution?
- Why did the USA become involved in resisting the invasion of South Korea?
- Why was Kennedy humiliated by the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion of April 1961?
- Why did Nixon find it difficult to withdraw from Vietnam?
- Why did Truman develop a strategy of containment?
- Why did the USA oppose the North Korean invasion of South Korea?
- Why did the US provide most of the forces that resisted North Korea’s invasion of
the South?
- Why was the Cuban Revolution seen as a threat to the USA?
- Why did the USA become involved in the conflict in Vietnam?
10MQ
- ‘The American policy of containment between 1950 and 1973 was successful.’ How
far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
- How effectively did the American policy of containment limit the spread of
Communism between 1950 and 1973? Explain your answer.
- ‘The Cuban Missile Crisis was a success for the USA’s policy of containment.’ How far
do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
- ‘In Vietnam, Kennedy was more successful than Johnson.’ How far do you agree
with this statement? Explain your answer.
- How successful was the USA’s policy of containment in Korea? Explain your answer.
- How great a threat was the Korean War to world peace? Explain your answer.
 - ‘America was more successful in Korea than it was in Vietnam.’ How far do you
agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
- ‘The US policy of containment was more successful in Korea than in Cuba.’ How far
do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
- How successful was the USA’s containment policy? Explain your answer.

How secure was the USSR’s control over Eastern Europe, 1948-1989?
4MQ
- By 1956, what made Hungarians unhappy with Soviet control?
- Describe the economic crisis facing the Polish government by 1980.
- What actions had Stalin taken, by the end of 1945, to extent Soviet power across
Eastern Europe?
- Describe the methods of control exercised by the Soviet Union over Hungary before
the 1956 uprising.
- What aspects of Soviet control were hated by the people of Czechoslovakia?
- Describe events in Hungary on the days immediately following the outbreak of
revolution against the government on 23 October 1956.
- Describe the reaction of the Western allies to the building of the Berlin Wall.
- What changes to the frontiers of Poland were agreed at the Potsdam Conference?
- What was COMECON?
- What aspects of Soviet control were hated by the Hungarian people by 1956?
6MQ
- Why were the Soviets concerned about events in Hungary in 1956?
- Why was Solidarity important in Poland?
- Why was Solidarity successful?
- Why was there tension over Berlin in the years 1945-49?
- Why were people leaving East Berlin before 1960?
- Why did many Hungarians oppose the Communist regime in 1956?
- Why did the Communists build the Berlin Wall in 1961?
- Why did Berlin remain a focus of Cold War tensions in the years up to 1961?
- Why did the Polish government agree to meet the demands of Solidarity?
10MQ
- ‘The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 to prevent migration.’ How far do you agree with
this statement? Explain your answer.
- ‘Gorbachev was more important than Solidarity in the collapse of Soviet control over
Eastern Europe.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
- ‘The Berlin Wall was more advantageous to the Western allies than to the USSR.’
How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
- How effective was the USSR’s attempt to control Eastern Europe by 1948? Explain
your answer.
- How far were Gorbachev’s policies of Glasnost and Perestroika responsible for the
collapse of Soviet control over Eastern Europe? Explain your answer.
- How different were events in Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968? Explain
your answer.
- How different was the Soviet reaction to events in Hungary (1965) and
Czechoslovakia (1968)? Explain your answer.
- Which was the more serious threat to Soviet control of Eastern Europe: the
Hungarian Rising (1956) or events in Czechoslovakia (1968)? Explain your answer by
reference to each.
- ‘The Berlin Wall was built for economic reasons.’ How far do you agree with this
statement? Explain your answer.