| Date | November 2016 | Marks available | 20 | Reference code | 16N.2.BP.TZ0.22 |
| Level | Both SL and HL | Paper | Paper 2 - first exams 2017 | Time zone | TZ0 |
| Command term | Discuss | Question number | 22 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Discuss the factors that led to the end of Soviet control in two states in Central/Eastern Europe.
Markscheme
Candidates are required to assess the strengths and limitations of the factors that led to the breakup of Soviet control in two states from Central and Eastern Europe. They may consider internal factors as well as external factors, including the impact of Gorbachev’s policies.
Indicative content
- Economic problems contributed to discontent with the ruling party and this exacerbated existing tensions.
- Open discussion of events such as the Katyn Massacre (Poland), the Hungarian Revolution, the Prague Spring and the 1953 Riots in East Germany led to a re-examination of how Soviet control had been imposed.
- The spread of organized dissent through movements such as Solidarity and Charter 77 made opposition more organized and public.
- The role played by religious institutions such as the Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church was significant as it provided a space for alternative viewpoints, critical of the state, to be discussed.
- External influences such as Human Rights Watch Committees as well as Western governments, that linked up with different opposition groups, were important for lending support to domestic opposition groups.
- The impact of Gorbachev’s policies and reforms in the Soviet Union encouraged the demand for similar reforms in the satellite states.
- Gorbachev declared the abandonment of the Brezhnev Doctrine and refused to send Soviet troops to prop up the governments of the satellite states.
- The refusal of some governments to carry out reforms made their demise more likely.
- In August 1989, events in Poland and Hungary and the opening of the Austrian border with Hungary sparked mass demonstrations in East Germany. The Berlin Wall fell in November 1989 and protests followed in other satellite states such as Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and Romania.
The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. However, it is not exhaustive and no set answer is required.
Examiners and moderators are reminded of the need to apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and to award credit wherever it is possible to do so.
[20 marks]
