History (A) J410,01 June 2018 , OCR GCSE Past Papers with Mark Schemes

1. Impact of the Great Depression on European international relations – Effects of economic instability on political alliances, rise of extremism, and failures of collective security.

2. U.S. involvement in Vietnam – Reasons for escalation in the 1960s, including containment policy, domino theory, and the Gulf of Tonkin incident.

3. Appeasement policy and its effectiveness – Analysis of Chamberlain’s role in delaying or enabling Hitler’s aggression, using different historical interpretations.

4. Cold War fears and U.S. policy – Contrasting views on whether American leaders exaggerated Soviet threats and the impact on allies and domestic divisions.

5. Mao Zedong’s propaganda (1966–1976) – Use of visual and ideological elements to portray Mao as a revolutionary leader.

6. Deng Xiaoping’s economic reforms (1976–1981) – Shift from Maoist policies, introduction of market-oriented changes, and impact on Chinese society.

7. Comparison of Cultural Revolution sources – Similarities in their depiction of efforts to eliminate pre-Communist ideologies and enforce Maoist doctrine.

8. Evaluation of Mao’s economic policies (1950–1965) – Successes and failures, including land reforms, collectivization, the Great Leap Forward, and industrialization.