| Date | May 2019 | Marks available | 4 | Reference code | 19M.1.BP.TZ0.10 |
| Level | Both SL and HL | Paper | Paper 1 - first exams 2017 | Time zone | TZ0 |
| Command term | Analyse | Question number | 10 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
The sources and questions relate to case study 2: German and Italian expansion (1933–1940) — Responses: international response to German aggression (1933–1938).
Source I
Notes for the British Cabinet on conversations held in Berlin between John
Simon, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and Adolf Hitler, German Chancellor
and Führer (March 1935).
John Simon thanked the Chancellor for the opportunity he had had of meeting him and for the way in which the British Ministers had been welcomed. But, observing the rule of frankness to the end, he must say that the British Ministers felt somewhat disappointed that it had not been possible to get a larger measure of agreement. They regretted that such difficulties were thought to exist on the German side in connection with some of the matters discussed. He did not regret having come to Berlin. He was sure that this meeting was the best way of continuing this investigation into the various points of view. What he regretted was that they had not been able to do more in the direction of promoting the general agreement which he was sure both sides wanted.
It showed that these things were more difficult and complicated than many believed them to be from a distance…
Hitler was also grateful to the British Government for the loyal efforts they had made in the matter of the Saar vote, and for all the other matters on which they had adopted such a loyal and generous attitude to Germany.
[Source: contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.]
With reference to its origin, purpose and content, analyse the value and limitations of Source I for an historian studying the international response to German aggression.
Markscheme
Value:
- It is an official record of the meeting, produced to inform the British Cabinet.
- It offers first-hand information about the discussions between British and German authorities during the meeting.
- It reveals that the British government was disappointed about the limited progress of negotiations with Germany.
Limitations:
- Focused on the 1935 meeting, it offers limited information on how Britain planned to respond to Germany´s policy in the future.
- It is centred exclusively on Anglo-German relations.
- It offers only a British perspective on the events at the meeting.
The focus of the question is on the value and limitations of the source. If only value or limitations are discussed, award a maximum of [2]. Origins, purpose and content should be used as supporting evidence to make relevant comments on the values and limitations. For [4] there must be at least one reference to each of them in either the values or the limitations.
Examiners report
Many candidates approached this question effectively, and most responses offered at least one clear point of value and/or limitation. Nevertheless, as suggested above, some responses tended to describe or explain the origin, purpose and content. Although these candidates often went on to comment on the value and limitations of the source, valuable time was wasted on description. There were a few responses that merely stated that the source was a primary or secondary source without further clarification or explanation of its value or limitation.
