Evaluate the impact of social policies in two authoritarian states.

The question requires that candidates make an appraisal of social policies, weighing up their strengths and limitations/importance or otherwise. Candidates may wish to discuss what is meant by impact. In this respect, they may choose to focus on overall results, or the extent to which policy aims were achieved. Candidates may evaluate policies that were widely implemented, such as healthcare in Cuba where infant mortality rate decreased from 87/1000 in 1960 to 18.5/1000 by 1981. Conversely, candidates may wish to discuss social reforms with partial impact. For example, China’s 1954 constitution recognized men and women as equal, and reforms proved successful in inserting women into the labour force. However, women had to shoulder domestic chores, and failed to gain equal political representation. Candidates may also comment on the difficulty of assessing the impact of social policies, such as the promotion of state atheism, where sectors of the population may have conformed rather than commit to the ideology. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates make an appraisal of the impact of social policies in two authoritarian states, weighing up the strengths and limitations/importance or otherwise. This was another extremely popular question with responses demonstrating some knowledge of social policies implemented, mostly, in Nazi Germany, Cuba and the People's Republic of China. For Nazi Germany, examples ranged from the antisemitic Nuremburg Laws to rewards given to mothers for bearing children. The importance of youth groups and the impact of ideology on education were frequently mentioned, along with policies linked to eugenics and the establishment of Volksgemeinschaft. Similarly, for the PRC policies to increase literacy, to distribute land to peasants and to elevate the role of women were mentioned, along with the suppression of criticism of the regime and the all-encompassing Cultural Revolution. For Cuba, the focus on improved healthcare, literacy and education were considered along with attempts to empower women. Better responses included some evaluation of policies, attempting to determine the extent of their impact.