“Foreign powers did not determine the outcome of civil wars.” Discuss with reference to two civil wars, each from a different region.

The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the view that foreign powers did not determine the outcome of civil wars. The two civil wars must be drawn from different regions but they may or may not have been contemporaneous with each other. Candidates may offer equal coverage of the two civil wars or they may emphasize their discussion of one of them; however, both wars will be a feature of the response. A comparative approach may or may not be used. Candidates may discuss, for example, the roles of Germany and Italy in the Spanish Civil War, or the roles of the US and the USSR in the Chinese Civil War. While other relevant factors, for example tactics and leadership, may be referred to, the bulk of the response will remain on the issue raised in the question. Candidates’ conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required candidates to offer a considered and balanced review of the view that foreign powers did not determine the outcome of civil wars, each chosen from a different region. This was a very popular question with most candidates choosing as their examples, the Spanish Civil War and the Chinese Civil War. Most responses contained relevant and quite accurate detail on both conflicts and included some analysis that was linked to the question. For the most part, candidates argued that foreign powers did help Franco to lead the Nationalists to victory in Spain whilst it was the leadership of Mao Zedong and the weaknesses of Jiang Jieshi that determined the outcome of the civil war in China. Other factors such as leadership and unity of purpose were also outlined in stronger responses, offering considerable scope for relevant and well-supported analysis.