Cambridge International AS & A Level

HISTORY 9389/23
Paper 2 Outline Study May/June 2020

1 hour 30 minutes

You must answer on the enclosed answer booklet.

* 4 9 2 0 5 1 7 2 0 8 *

You will need: Answer booklet (enclosed)

INSTRUCTIONS
● Answer two questions from one section only. Answer both parts of the questions.
Section A: European Option
Section B: American Option
Section C: International Option
● Follow the instructions on the front cover of the answer booklet. If you need additional answer paper,
ask the invigilator for a continuation booklet.

INFORMATION
● The total mark for this paper is 60.
● The number of marks for each question or part question is shown in brackets [ ].

This document has 4 pages. Blank pages are indicated.

DC (CJ) 187800/1
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Section A: European Option

Modern Europe, 1789–1917

Answer both parts of two questions.

1 France, 1789–1814

(a) Why were political clubs, such as the Jacobins, set up during the Revolution? [10]

(b) ‘Effective propaganda was the main reason why Napoleon remained in power for so long.’
How far do you agree? [20]

2 The Industrial Revolution, c.1800–c.1890

(a) Why were the early technological innovations in textile manufacturing important in causing
industrialisation? [10]

(b) To what extent did industrialisation lead to political change? Refer to any two countries from
Britain, France and Germany in your answer. [20]

3 The Origins of World War I, 1900–1914

(a) Why did Anglo–French relations improve by 1904? [10]

(b) To what extent was the Kaiser responsible for the outbreak of war in 1914? [20]

4 The Russian Revolution, c.1894–1917

(a) Why was the Provisional Government unable to solve Russia's problems in 1917? [10]

(b) ‘The strengths of Romanov rule outweighed the weaknesses between 1906 and 1914.’ How
far do you agree? [20]

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Section B: American Option

The History of the USA, 1840–1941

Answer both parts of two questions.

5 The Expansion of US Power from the 1840s to the 1930s

(a) Why did the Indian Wars break out so often in the later nineteenth century? [10]

(b) How successfully did the United States respond to the rise of Japan in the period from 1898
to 1922? [20]

6 Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861–1877

(a) Why was Andrew Johnson’s presidency controversial? [10]

(b) ‘The Confederacy lost the Civil War because its member states believed more in states’ rights
than in a united war effort.’ How far do you agree? [20]

7 The Gilded Age and the Progressive Era, from the 1870s to the 1920s

(a) Why did the industrial working class experience bad living conditions in the late nineteenth
century? [10]

(b) How far did the Progressive Movement achieve its goals? [20]

8 The Great Crash, the Great Depression and the New Deal, from the 1920s to 1941

(a) Why did business groups oppose the New Deal? [10]

(b) ‘Politicians were more responsible than bankers for failing to prevent the Great Crash turning
into the Great Depression.’ How far do you agree? [20]

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Section C: International Option

International Relations, 1871–1945

Answer both parts of two questions.

9 International Relations, 1871–1918

(a) Why did Bismarck want to isolate France in the years after 1871? [10]

(b) To what extent was Kaiser Wilhelm responsible for the decline in Anglo–German relations
before 1914? [20]

10 International Relations, 1919–1933

(a) Why did Germans consider the Treaty of Versailles to be unfair? [10]

(b) ‘The United States wanted no involvement in European affairs in the 1920s.’ How far do you
agree? [20]

11 International Relations, c.1933–1939

(a) Why were foreign powers involved in the Spanish Civil War? [10]

(b) ‘Chamberlain’s decisions at the Munich Conference were justifiable.’ How far do you agree?
[20]

12 China and Japan, 1919–1945

(a) Why did large-scale protest break out in China on 4 May 1919? [10]

(b) ‘Military ambitions rather than economic difficulties were responsible for Japan’s decision to
take over Manchuria in 1931.’ How far do you agree with this statement? [20]

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publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.

To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced online in the Cambridge
Assessment International Education Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced for each series of examinations and is freely available to download
at www.cambridgeinternational.org after the live examination series.

Cambridge Assessment International Education is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of
Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which itself is a department of the University of Cambridge.

© UCLES 2020 9389/23/M/J/20