| Date | May 2019 | Marks available | 15 | Reference code | 19M.3op4.HL.TZ0.36 |
| Level | Higher level only | Paper | Paper 3 (History of Europe) | Time zone | TZ0 |
| Command term | Discuss | Question number | 36 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Section 18: Post-war central and eastern Europe (1945–2000)
Discuss the reasons for the collapse of Soviet control in central and eastern Europe.
Markscheme
The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the reasons for the collapse of Soviet control in central and eastern Europe. Candidates may refer to examples of dissent such as the Hungarian Uprising in 1956 and “Prague Spring” in Czechoslovakia in 1968 as being indicative of long lasting resentment. Economic reforms in a number of satellite countries also paved the way for the Soviet collapse in central and eastern Europe. Other factors, such as increased nationalism and growing independence from the Soviet Union, for example in the case of Romania, may also be addressed. In the case of Poland there was significant support for the Solidarity trade union movement. Gorbachev’s abandonment of the Brezhnev Doctrine led to the collapse of Soviet control of Eastern Bloc countries.
Examiners report
The question required candidates to offer a considered and balanced review of the reasons for the collapse of Soviet control in central and eastern Europe. Some good in-depth knowledge was shown by candidates for the cases of Poland, Hungary, Romania and Czechoslovakia. There was also some good development of analysis.
