Examine the impact of foreign powers on the outcome of two civil wars.

The question requires that candidates consider the interrelationship between the impact of foreign powers and the outcome of two civil wars. The wars may or may not be chosen from different regions. The outcome of one or both wars may extend beyond the timeframe, but must be clearly linked to the issue raised in the question. Candidates may refer to the involvement of Italy, Germany and the USSR in the Spanish Civil War and evaluate how far this impacted the outcome. The involvement of the UN forces and China during the Korean War and their impact on the outcome may be examined. An examination of the impact of the UN and of neighbouring states such as Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the outcome of the Rwandan Civil War would be appropriate, as would an examination of the impact of NATO, Serbia and Croatia on the outcome of the Bosnian War. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates consider the interrelationship between the impact of foreign powers and the outcome of two civil wars. This was quite a popular question with the most popular examples being the Spanish civil war and the Chinese civil war(s). Overall, there was better knowledge of the Spanish civil war, with reference made to the contributions made by Germany and Italy to the Rebel/Nationalist side, and that of the USSR and the Comintern-directed International Brigades to the Republican side. Some descriptive responses demonstrated only limited analysis and were insufficiently focused on the outcome of the war.