Cambridge International AS & A Level

HISTORY 9489/11
Paper 1 Document Question May/June 2021
MARK SCHEME
Maximum Mark: 40

Published

This mark scheme is published as an aid to teachers and candidates, to indicate the requirements of the
examination. It shows the basis on which Examiners were instructed to award marks. It does not indicate the
details of the discussions that took place at an Examiners’ meeting before marking began, which would have
considered the acceptability of alternative answers.

Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for
Teachers.

Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes.

Cambridge International is publishing the mark schemes for the May/June 2021 series for most Cambridge
IGCSE™, Cambridge International A and AS Level components and some Cambridge O Level components.

This document consists of 13 printed pages.

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Generic Marking Principles

These general marking principles must be applied by all examiners when marking candidate answers.
They should be applied alongside the specific content of the mark scheme or generic level descriptors
for a question. Each question paper and mark scheme will also comply with these marking principles.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 1:

Marks must be awarded in line with:

• the specific content of the mark scheme or the generic level descriptors for the question
• the specific skills defined in the mark scheme or in the generic level descriptors for the question
• the standard of response required by a candidate as exemplified by the standardisation scripts.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 2:

Marks awarded are always whole marks (not half marks, or other fractions).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 3:

Marks must be awarded positively:

• marks are awarded for correct/valid answers, as defined in the mark scheme. However, credit
is given for valid answers which go beyond the scope of the syllabus and mark scheme,
referring to your Team Leader as appropriate
• marks are awarded when candidates clearly demonstrate what they know and can do
• marks are not deducted for errors
• marks are not deducted for omissions
• answers should only be judged on the quality of spelling, punctuation and grammar when these
features are specifically assessed by the question as indicated by the mark scheme. The
meaning, however, should be unambiguous.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 4:

Rules must be applied consistently, e.g. in situations where candidates have not followed
instructions or in the application of generic level descriptors.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 5:

Marks should be awarded using the full range of marks defined in the mark scheme for the question
(however; the use of the full mark range may be limited according to the quality of the candidate
responses seen).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 6:

Marks awarded are based solely on the requirements as defined in the mark scheme. Marks should
not be awarded with grade thresholds or grade descriptors in mind.

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Part (a) Generic Levels of Response: Marks

Level 4 Makes a developed comparison 12–15

• Makes a developed comparison between the two sources.
• Explains why points of similarity and difference exist through contextual
awareness and/or source evaluation.

Level 3 Compares views and identifies similarities and differences 8–11

• Compares the views expressed in the two sources, identifying
differences and similarities and supporting them with source content.

Level 2 Compares views and identifies similarities or differences 4–7

• Identifies relevant similarities or differences between the two sources
and the response may be one-sided with only one aspect explained.

OR

Compares views and identifies similarities and differences but these

are asserted rather than supported from the sources
• Identifies relevant similarities and differences between the two sources
without supporting evidence from the sources.

Level 1 Describes content of each source 1–3

Describes or paraphrases the content of the two sources.
Very simple comparisons may be made (e.g. one is from a letter and the
other is from a speech) but these are not developed.

Level 0 No creditable content. 0

No engagement with source material.

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Part (b) Generic Levels of Response: Marks

Level 5 Evaluates the sources to reach a supported judgement 21–25

• Answers are well focused, demonstrating a clear understanding of the
sources and the question.
• Reaches a supported judgement about the extent to which the sources
support the statement and weighs the evidence in order to do this.

Level 4 Using evaluation of the sources to support and/or challenge the 16–20
statement
• Demonstrates a clear understanding of how the source content supports
and challenges the statement.
• Evaluates source material in context, this may be through considering
the nature, origin and purpose of the sources in relation to the statement.

Level 3 Uses the sources to support and challenge the statement 11–15
• Makes valid points from the sources to both challenge and support the
statement.

Level 2 Uses the sources to support or challenge the statement 6–10

• Makes valid points from the sources to either support the statement or to
challenge it.

Level 1 Does not make valid use of the sources 1–5

• Describes the content of the sources with little attempt to link the
material to the question.
• Alternatively, candidates may write an essay about the question with little
or no reference to the sources.

Level 0 No creditable content. 0

No engagement with source material.

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Question Answer Marks

1(a) Read Sources A and B. How far do these sources agree about events 15
in Berlin in March 1848?

Similarities
• Both suggest that the troops had been attacked and fired at the
Berliners.
• Both sources suggest outsiders were to blame for events.
• Both sources mention the use of barricades by the revolutionaries.

Differences
• The involvement of Berliners in events is different. In Source B
Berliners have turned a blind eye to the arrival of stones and earth
to build barricades. This might suggest Berliners are complicit in
events. In Source A they have made an ‘unhappy error’ which
suggests less blame.
• Events are the result of a conspiracy in Source B but arise from an
error in Source A.

Explanation:

The similarities / differences between these sources can be explained by

the different purpose of the sources in context. Source A was an attempt by
FW4 to stop the fighting and calm revolutionary activity in Berlin It was
written at 3 am on 19th March, following a day when 230 people were killed
in demonstrations in Berlin. It was printed and stuck up on the trees around
the city. Source B appears to be a more candid account although FW4’s
attitude towards revolution vacillated. By April, the King’s apparent
enthusiasm for the revolution was waning. He had returned to Potsdam
where he re-joined his loyal army and conservative advisors. He claimed he
had been humiliated into making concessions and this understanding of the
context could be used to explain his tone in Source B.

Accept any other valid responses.

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Question Answer Marks

1(b) Read all the sources. ‘Frederick William IV supported the ideas of the 25
revolutionaries’. How far do these sources support this view?

Support
• Source A: The King blames outsiders for the bloodshed and
makes promises to the Berliners about making Prussia and
Germany great. This seems to support their demands.
• Source C: This source seems to suggest that FW4 was in favour of
the revolution – he wants to lead the movement (face value only)
and can be seen wearing the same armband as worn by the
revolutionaries.
• Source D: FW4 seems to support the revolution (at first). He talks
to the people and seems pleased to be the leader of the national
movement. He even goes so far as to support the idea of a
constitution.

Challenge
• Source B: The King blames outsiders for events but sees what has
happened as a conspiracy against him. He blames liberalism and
describes this as a disease. This suggests that he lacks sympathy
with the revolutionaries.
• Source C: This source is sarcastic – FW4 only wants to lead the
movement because it will make him look good. The cartoon
suggests he is trying to capitalise on the popular feeling which has
caused the revolution.
• Source D: Once the parliament is formed and starts to act, FW4
starts to listen to ‘conservative voices’ which suggests he backs
away from revolutionary ideas.

Evaluation

Source A: has a purpose in trying to calm the situation and persuade

Berliners that the king is on their side. This could be cross-referenced to
Sources C and D which suggest FW4 supports revolutionary ideas to
enhance his popularity. The motive to end the bloodshed undermine the
value of this source as evidence of FW4’s support for the revolutionaries.
However, candidates could use their understanding of the context to show
that FW4 promised liberal reforms, for instance allowing the Frankfurt
Parliament to be formed.

Source B: does not have the motive of Source A and is a more candid
account. This letter places the blame on liberalism and FW4 accuses this
ambassador of being ‘infected’. Candidates might argue that this is a more
reliable account of FW4’s real feelings and therefore carries more weight in
response to the question. However, FW4’s views wavered. By April 1848 he
claimed he had no wish to be a ‘citizen king’ but still allowed a more liberal
government to be formed.

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Question Answer Marks

1(b) Source C: suggests FW4 is keen to tap into popular feeling, it is critical of
him and this may be evaluated as undermining the reliability of the source.
However, FW4’s views changed, and this was not the first time he had
appeared to bend to popular opinion. In 1842, he took liberal steps to free
political prisoners and end censorship. This generated a demand for further
reform which led to the reintroduction of censorship in 1843. This lends
weight to the argument proposed in the cartoon.

Source D: shows FW4 as being easily swayed. First, he supports the

revolution, then he changes his mind. This source can be cross referenced
to A and B and there is truth in what Schurz says which makes it a more
valuable source. FW4 rode around Berlin a few days after the revolution
claiming, ‘I want liberty: I will have unity in Germany’ and granting a series
of reforms. The ‘conservative voices’, which are referred to in the source,
included the generals and Junkers. Schurz was also aware of the ultimate
outcome of the revolution in Berlin and that FW4 turned down the offer by
the Frankfurt Parliament to become the Emperor of Germany, FW
describing the crown as being ‘from the gutter’.

Accept any other valid responses.

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Question Answer Marks

2(a) Read Sources B and C. Compare and contrast the attitudes of 15

Northern Whigs towards the Fugitive Slave Laws.

Similarities
• Both accept the Fugitive Slave Laws as part of the US Constitution.
• Both say that citizens should obey the Fugitive Slave law.
• Both show that Northern Whigs have reservations about the
Fugitive Slave law passed in 1850.

Differences
• Source B says that Northern opposition to the Fugitive Slave law is
the result of a few ambitious ‘abolitionist and political agitators’
trying to mislead the people. Source C, however, shows that
Northern opposition to the law is much more broadly based.
• Source B sees the 1850 Act as no more than an extension of the
1793 Fugitive Slave law whereas Source C argues that the 1850
Act is unnecessarily harsh.

Explanation

Source B is a Southern newspaper reporting a meeting held in the North

and thus the reliability is questionable, particularly as the report shows
Northerners supporting a measure which benefits the South. It may be that
the newspaper in question has selected the elements of Seward’s speech
which best suit their purpose. Source C provides direct evidence of Northern
feelings, though it is from Massachusetts, probably the most anti-slavery of
the Northern states, and therefore may not accurately reflect Northern
attitudes towards the Fugitive Slave Laws. The attitude towards the
harshness of the act is a difference which could be explained using
contextual knowledge. Source B claims the FSL is no more than a
continuation of the 1793 Act. However, this was being flouted and the 1850
Act was harsher – allowing for a posse to be formed to capture fugitives,
enforcing fines on anyone who refused to join such as posse and allowing
owners to recapture slaves who had escaped many years earlier.

Accept any other valid responses.

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Question Answer Marks

2(b) ‘The passing of the Fugitive Slave Law in 1850 solved the fugitive 25
slave issue.’ How far do the sources support this view?

Indicative content

Support

• Source A: argues that the first arrest under the 1850 Act was
carried out successfully. It goes on to say that opponents of the Act
will be outnumbered by ‘all good men’ and be punished
accordingly. It believes the opponents of the Act to be a minority.
• Source B: sees Northern opposition to the 1850 Act as coming
from a minority of abolitionists and agitators. The Act itself is just an
extension of the 1793 Act, which has been upheld ever since. The
unrepresentative minority in the North will be challenged vigorously
by those in the North who accept the 1850 Act. The implicit
message of Source B is that the abolitionists will be defeated.
• Source D: The argument for accepting the 1850 Act is based on its
newness. Its support is pragmatically based: repeal or modification
of the Act would upset the South, upset the Compromise of 1850,
would be unnecessary as the 1793 Act on which it was based had
‘produced no evils’. Opposition comes only from Northern ‘fanatics’.
This analysis does not rule out a review of the 1850 Act in a few
years’ time, however, and thus it is not quite whole-hearted support
for the hypothesis.

Challenge

• Source C: shows a formal meeting of Whigs who do not see the

1850 Act as solving the fugitive slave issue. They want the Act
modified and even repealed.
• Source D: There is an element of challenge in Source D (albeit
quite a weak one) It does not rule out a review of the 1850 Act in a
few years’ time, however, and thus it is not quite whole-hearted
support for the hypothesis.

Evaluation

Source A: The source is from a New York newspaper and shows that even
in the North there were newspapers which supported a measure which
benefited the South. New York benefited greatly from trading raw cotton of
the South to its main market, the cotton mills of Lancashire. The extract was
written soon after the Fugitive Slave Act was passed. Optimism was
possible at that time, if not for much longer. The desire not to antagonise the
South may undermine the value of this source as evidence.

Source B: is published in a Southern newspaper, wishing to appeal to its

Southern readers. This positive response of a Northern meeting to the Act
should appeal to Southerners. Though the details of the reported speech
are probably accurate, they give a false impression of how well the new Act
will be accepted in the North which may affect the weight of this source as
evidence.

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Question Answer Marks

2(b) Source C: is taken from a list of resolutions passed by a meeting of

Northern Whigs soon after the 1850 Act had been passed. Resolutions are
more formal than a public speech, such as Source B. They need to be acted
on, reviewed at subsequent meetings. As Source C states, ‘we shall
persevere’ with efforts to overturn the 1850 Act. It is a more reliable account
of Northern attitudes than is Source B and contextual knowledge can be
used to support the claims in the source about the harshness of the Act.

Source D: comes from a newspaper in Washington DC, the federal capital

– also located in the South. This location helps explain the sympathetic line
taken towards the South. It places the Act in the important context of the
Compromise of 1850, of which it was but a small, if significant part. The final
sentence, criticising Boston Whigs for their ‘thousand non-existent worries’,
shows that the newspaper was out of touch with Northern opinion.

Accept any other valid responses.

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Question Answer Marks

3(a) Compare and contrast Sources A and C as evidence about the French 15
and British responses to the Rhineland crisis.

Indicative content

Similarities
• Both show disapproval of German actions, and some fear for the
future. This is more overt in Source A but is suggested in Source C
in phrases such as ‘up-to-date at any rate’ and ‘not by brutal force
or threats’.
• Both express hopes of maintaining peace.

Differences
• The French view in Source A is that action needs to be taken to
eject the German army, while the British in Source C do not
support any action.
• Remilitarisation is seen as a challenge to international relations in
Source A, but as an internal affair for the Germans in Source C.

Explanation

Source A is an attempt to rally support for action, from the French people
and the international community. It reflects French anxiety about their
border with Germany and the violation of the Treaty of Versailles. However,
French opinion was divided on how to respond, no mobilisation was
ordered, and there was to be an attempt to pass the responsibility for action
onto the British. Source B reflects British public opinion and contextual
knowledge can be used to explain this. There was general support for the
government’s policy of appeasement and that it should be possible to
negotiate with Germany. Sympathy for German objections to aspects of
Versailles had been endorsed by the Anglo-German Naval Agreement of
1935. The Italian actions in Abyssinia were seen as far less justifiable.

Accept any other valid responses.

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Question Answer Marks

3(b) Read all the sources. ‘The remilitarisation of the Rhineland revealed 25
Germany’s aggressive intentions.’ How far do the sources support this
view?

Indicative content

Support

• Source A: Sarraut denounces German aggression and sees this

as a threat to ‘peace in Europe’ as well as ‘French security’.
• Source B: Low is satirising claims that Hitler’s intentions were
peaceful, and that Germany re-joining the League would contribute
to the avoidance of future aggression. There is reference to the
extent of German rearmament.
• Source C: (Although mostly a challenge source) indicates the
speaker’s distaste for the Nazis’ ‘brutal force’, and the wish to use
membership of the League to control Germany.

Challenge

• Source C: Public opinion is shown to accept the German actions

as occurring ‘within the frontiers of the German Reich’, and so not
signalling an aggressive attitude. This is contrasted with Mussolini’s
behaviour in the ongoing Abyssinian crisis. The speaker also
extends an invitation to Germany, to help ensure future peace by
joining the League.
• Source D: The German minister claims the action to have been
defensive, carried out by a ‘weak force’ (in contrast to Source A),
symbolic and even ‘a step towards peace and understanding.’ He
claims there were previous negotiations and blames the French for
their failure.

Evaluation

Source A: French fears of German aggression were real and based upon
previous invasions across the Rhine border. However, the reference to
‘considerable forces’ is questionable and may be seen as weakening the
value of this source as evidence. The German soldiers were lightly armed
and there were more local police involved in the invasion. The invasion was
an act of opportunism on the part of Hitler and troops had been ordered to
withdraw if they were challenged.

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Question Answer Marks

3(b) Source B: Low was opposed to appeasement and saw Hitler’s ambitions
for Germany as a threat from the start. Here, Hitler’s determination and
cynicism are contrasted with Sarraut’s weakness – and the ‘world longing
for peace’ is correspondingly frail. However, the source exaggerates about
the nature of the forces involved to make a point.

Source C: The speech shows awareness of the public lack of appetite for
war over the Rhineland and acknowledges that marching into its own
backyard was not generally considered a sign of aggression. However,
there is a sense of foreboding about Germany’s behaviour and willingness
to break not only the imposed Treaty of Versailles, but also Locarno, which
had been entered into freely.

Source D: The context gives the minister an obvious motive for denying any
aggressive intentions which might be considered to weaken the value of this
source as evidence. The tactics he indicates, of blaming other parties in
negotiations and promising that this was a necessary step to peace, were
repeated by the Nazis several times in the next three years. Contextual
knowledge could be used to address the claims made in this source. If Hitler
intended war at this point (conscription and rearmament could be seen as
more than defensive) it was likely that his aggression would be directed
against the USSR.

Accept any other valid responses.

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