Edexcel GCSE History past paper questions, topic by topic

One time, I saw some Red Guards arresting a young girl. Someone had said she was a baddie and that was enough to get her arrested. The Red Guards were using their belts to beat her up. I was a Red Guard, too, and wanted to show how much revolutionary spirit I had, so I took off my belt. I had to look as if I was beating her even if I didn’t want to. If you didn’t beat people, you were not showing enough hatred for the enemy.

Inspector West and I turned into the side streets. I could see there are clearly opportunities for violent crime. A passageway opened up into a yard, all in darkness. At night, it looks almost specially planned for criminal acts. Anyone going down Spital Street after midnight could see how throat cutting and violent crime would be made easy by the darkness of the area. Once the few shops and pubs shut, the area becomes very dark. The police inspector said, ‘How could I possibly see anything going on a short distance away?’ There are 70,000 people living in Whitechapel. A police sergeant said that, in his district, 6,000 people were staying in lodging houses and many of them would be criminals. He said that, with this population, even a normal amount of lighting and police patrolling in the area would still not be effective.

Inspector West and I turned into the side streets. I could see there are clearly opportunities for violent crime. A passageway opened up into a yard, all in darkness. At night, it looks almost specially planned for criminal acts. Anyone going down Spital Street after midnight could see how throat cutting and violent crime would be made easy by the darkness of the area. Once the few shops and pubs shut, the area becomes very dark. The police inspector said, ‘How could I possibly see anything going on a short distance away?’ There are 70,000 people living in Whitechapel. A police sergeant said that, in his district, 6,000 people were staying in lodging houses and many of them would be criminals. He said that, with this population, even a normal amount of lighting and police patrolling in the area would still not be effective.

Back then, you had a lot of shebeens. Because of the ‘colour bar’, there was nothing really for black people, so you had to create your own social environment. The Jamaican people brought particularly reggae, ska and bluebeat music to London. A man called Fullerton had a basement in Talbot Road and we used to have dances with Blues music and stuff. Everybody used to get down there. You had people like Duke Vin who used to play the music on a big speaker sound system. Discos actually came from Caribbean culture.

It was a flat on the first floor. When it was full, we had about twenty to thirty people. There was a front room where you could listen to the latest sounds. There would be some nice jazz music playing and there was a bar where we sold every type of drink you wanted. In the bedroom was the casino where people played card games, like poker, for money. Then there was the kitchen, where I employed a man called Bully. He cooked Caribbean soul food, which was rice and peas. The shebeen had no fixed hours and just stayed open each day until the last people left. On a good week, my shebeen could earn up to £400.

Back then, you had a lot of shebeens. Because of the ‘colour bar’, there was nothing really for black people, so you had to create your own social environment. The Jamaican people brought particularly reggae, ska and bluebeat music to London. A man called Fullerton had a basement in Talbot Road and we used to have dances with Blues music and stuff. Everybody used to get down there. You had people like Duke Vin who used to play the music on a big speaker sound system. Discos actually came from Caribbean culture.

The working classes carried out the October Revolution, and afterwards hoped for freedom. The result, however, has been greater slavery. The Bolsheviks have crushed the peasant revolts and worker strikes with great violence and bloodshed. They have used force and have imprisoned people. The Bolsheviks no longer represent the workers. They have insulted the glorious symbols of the workers’ state: the hammer and the sickle. Here in Kronstadt, we are making another revolution which will free the workers and the Soviets from the Bolsheviks.

The workers and peasants, who have made enormous sacrifices, are totally exhausted. After many years of war, they are unable to work. We were forced to bring in ‘War Communism’ to save us from ruin. It was a temporary measure. Introducing the NEP is now necessary. It will bring back small private industry. It will improve our economy. It will allow peasants to sell their surplus grain. However, our revolution is not threatened by these changes. We must not lose heart, for we shall win through in the end.

In 1921, after three years of War Communism, Russia was in chaos. There was widespread disease and starvation. Industry was producing less than it had before the Revolution. In an effort to restore order, Lenin introduced his New Economic Policy (NEP). The NEP allowed peasants to keep their land and sell off any surplus food they grew. It also allowed some industries to return to private ownership. The NEP allowed the Bolsheviks some time to recover before a real Socialist state could be set up.

The Kronstadt Mutiny was a warning that Lenin could not ignore. The Mutiny gave a focus to the anger of workers and peasants, who felt disappointed by the Bolsheviks. Lenin admitted the Bolsheviks were only just hanging on to power. He told the Tenth Party Congress meeting that the peasant revolts and the Kronstadt Mutiny were more dangerous to the Bolsheviks than the Whites were. The people were no longer willing to suffer in the hope of a better future. The Bolsheviks’ use of terror and military force was no longer enough to keep control.

In 1921, after three years of War Communism, Russia was in chaos. There was widespread disease and starvation. Industry was producing less than it had before the Revolution. In an effort to restore order, Lenin introduced his New Economic Policy (NEP). The NEP allowed peasants to keep their land and sell off any surplus food they grew. It also allowed some industries to return to private ownership. The NEP allowed the Bolsheviks some time to recover before a real Socialist state could be set up.

The Kronstadt Mutiny was a warning that Lenin could not ignore. The Mutiny gave a focus to the anger of workers and peasants, who felt disappointed by the Bolsheviks. Lenin admitted the Bolsheviks were only just hanging on to power. He told the Tenth Party Congress meeting that the peasant revolts and the Kronstadt Mutiny were more dangerous to the Bolsheviks than the Whites were. The people were no longer willing to suffer in the hope of a better future. The Bolsheviks’ use of terror and military force was no longer enough to keep control.

The working classes carried out the October Revolution, and afterwards hoped for freedom. The result, however, has been greater slavery. The Bolsheviks have crushed the peasant revolts and worker strikes with great violence and bloodshed. They have used force and have imprisoned people. The Bolsheviks no longer represent the workers. They have insulted the glorious symbols of the workers’ state: the hammer and the sickle. Here in Kronstadt, we are making another revolution which will free the workers and the Soviets from the Bolsheviks.

The workers and peasants, who have made enormous sacrifices, are totally exhausted. After many years of war, they are unable to work. We were forced to bring in ‘War Communism’ to save us from ruin. It was a temporary measure. Introducing the NEP is now necessary. It will bring back small private industry. It will improve our economy. It will allow peasants to sell their surplus grain. However, our revolution is not threatened by these changes. We must not lose heart, for we shall win through in the end.

In 1921, after three years of War Communism, Russia was in chaos. There was widespread disease and starvation. Industry was producing less than it had before the Revolution. In an effort to restore order, Lenin introduced his New Economic Policy (NEP). The NEP allowed peasants to keep their land and sell off any surplus food they grew. It also allowed some industries to return to private ownership. The NEP allowed the Bolsheviks some time to recover before a real Socialist state could be set up.

The Kronstadt Mutiny was a warning that Lenin could not ignore. The Mutiny gave a focus to the anger of workers and peasants, who felt disappointed by the Bolsheviks. Lenin admitted the Bolsheviks were only just hanging on to power. He told the Tenth Party Congress meeting that the peasant revolts and the Kronstadt Mutiny were more dangerous to the Bolsheviks than the Whites were. The people were no longer willing to suffer in the hope of a better future. The Bolsheviks’ use of terror and military force was no longer enough to keep control.

Throwing stones at a Police Constable John Canavan, aged 20, was charged with being drunk and disorderly and also assaulting a policeman. On Sunday night, Canavan, who was drunk, was with some others and they were singing a rude song. When the Police Constable tried to arrest Canavan for being drunk and disorderly, Canavan hit the Police Constable and pulled himself free from the constable’s grip. Canavan and seventeen others then proceeded to throw stones at the constable, who was on his own. The men ran away when another Police Constable arrived but Canavan was caught. He was found guilty of all the charges and was sentenced to pay a fine of a week’s wages or do a month’s hard labour in prison.

Throwing stones at a Police Constable John Canavan, aged 20, was charged with being drunk and disorderly and also assaulting a policeman. On Sunday night, Canavan, who was drunk, was with some others and they were singing a rude song. When the Police Constable tried to arrest Canavan for being drunk and disorderly, Canavan hit the Police Constable and pulled himself free from the constable’s grip. Canavan and seventeen others then proceeded to throw stones at the constable, who was on his own. The men ran away when another Police Constable arrived but Canavan was caught. He was found guilty of all the charges and was sentenced to pay a fine of a week’s wages or do a month’s hard labour in prison.

When we got to the ambulances, we heard about a recent gas attack. A huge, greenish cloud of smoke with a yellowish top had rolled down from the German trenches. Only sixty men out of a thousand survived the attack. Later, I saw some of those who had been affected. Two of them were still conscious but gasping for breath, their faces discoloured, and they were about to die. I hoped they didn’t have long to wait, poor chaps. Then we saw many of the severely gassed men who had arrived at the hospital this morning. It was a terrible business. One man’s face was dark blue and with every cough, he coughed up a thick stream of discoloured phlegm. He was too busy struggling to breathe to bother much about anything else – a most horrible form of death.

When we got to the ambulances, we heard about a recent gas attack. A huge, greenish cloud of smoke with a yellowish top had rolled down from the German trenches. Only sixty men out of a thousand survived the attack. Later, I saw some of those who had been affected. Two of them were still conscious but gasping for breath, their faces discoloured, and they were about to die. I hoped they didn’t have long to wait, poor chaps. Then we saw many of the severely gassed men who had arrived at the hospital this morning. It was a terrible business. One man’s face was dark blue and with every cough, he coughed up a thick stream of discoloured phlegm. He was too busy struggling to breathe to bother much about anything else – a most horrible form of death.

Taking their rucksacks with them, many groups of students have gone up to the mountains and settled there. However, some students are hesitant about going to the hilly areas and the countryside. This is because they have been influenced by a handful of ‘class enemies’. These students look upon life in the city with great love but look upon life in the countryside with contempt. They have respect for industry but ignore agriculture. Therefore, they use various excuses to stay in the city and are unwilling to go to the countryside.

Acts of deliberate damage against industry by counter‑revolutionaries have been growing in the past couple of months. A large number of disturbances have been started by workers in factories. These people are apparently unhappy about their wages and poor living conditions. There is anger over the shortage of food and other essential items for them to buy. Many peasants have also been moving to the city due to the economic Five-Year Plan. This has put further pressure on food supplies and has created more unemployment. Police officers have, therefore, been warned to restrict the numbers of peasants allowed to come into the city.

The first Five‑Year Plan gave priority to heavy industry, coal and steel. In contrast, China’s light industry, such as food processing, was neglected. This meant the people had to put up with a very slow growth in their living standards and in the availability of consumer goods. The Plan also put Chinese society under a terrific strain. The population of cities rose by 40 million, causing overcrowding and housing problems. Also, many peasants found plenty to complain about in the new style of co‑operatives. The CCP was losing some of its early popularity.

The first Five‑Year Plan seems to have been an extraordinary success. There was a lot of good will towards the Plan from the people. The state made good use of the land, as well as the intelligence and energy of the people, to bring about success. Coal production almost doubled and electric power production nearly tripled. Steel production quadrupled. There were more ships and railway engines, and an extraordinary increase in the number of bicycles made. Here were the first steps on the road to industrial transformation.

The first Five‑Year Plan gave priority to heavy industry, coal and steel. In contrast, China’s light industry, such as food processing, was neglected. This meant the people had to put up with a very slow growth in their living standards and in the availability of consumer goods. The Plan also put Chinese society under a terrific strain. The population of cities rose by 40 million, causing overcrowding and housing problems. Also, many peasants found plenty to complain about in the new style of co‑operatives. The CCP was losing some of its early popularity.

The first Five‑Year Plan seems to have been an extraordinary success. There was a lot of good will towards the Plan from the people. The state made good use of the land, as well as the intelligence and energy of the people, to bring about success. Coal production almost doubled and electric power production nearly tripled. Steel production quadrupled. There were more ships and railway engines, and an extraordinary increase in the number of bicycles made. Here were the first steps on the road to industrial transformation.

Acts of deliberate damage against industry by counter‑revolutionaries have been growing in the past couple of months. A large number of disturbances have been started by workers in factories. These people are apparently unhappy about their wages and poor living conditions. There is anger over the shortage of food and other essential items for them to buy. Many peasants have also been moving to the city due to the economic Five-Year Plan. This has put further pressure on food supplies and has created more unemployment. Police officers have, therefore, been warned to restrict the numbers of peasants allowed to come into the city.

The first Five‑Year Plan gave priority to heavy industry, coal and steel. In contrast, China’s light industry, such as food processing, was neglected. This meant the people had to put up with a very slow growth in their living standards and in the availability of consumer goods. The Plan also put Chinese society under a terrific strain. The population of cities rose by 40 million, causing overcrowding and housing problems. Also, many peasants found plenty to complain about in the new style of co‑operatives. The CCP was losing some of its early popularity.

The first Five‑Year Plan seems to have been an extraordinary success. There was a lot of good will towards the Plan from the people. The state made good use of the land, as well as the intelligence and energy of the people, to bring about success. Coal production almost doubled and electric power production nearly tripled. Steel production quadrupled. There were more ships and railway engines, and an extraordinary increase in the number of bicycles made. Here were the first steps on the road to industrial transformation.

I introduced all my army friends to the German Workers’ Party. This was how we built up the movement in the early days. In February 1920, the Party presented its policies to the public for the first time in the Twenty-Five Point Programme. From that day on, the Party membership began to increase so much that we had to move the meetings to much larger venues. After overcoming his opponents within the Party in 1921, Adolf Hitler was elected the first leader of the renamed National Socialist German Workers’ Party*. *National Socialist German Workers’ Party – the formal name of the Nazi Party

German women! German men! The birth rate in Germany is rapidly declining so a major change is needed. We believe that German women must use their strength and abilities in different areas from men. Let me say this clearly: the first, best, and most suitable place for the woman is in the family. It is her most glorious duty to give children to her people and nation. The woman is the teacher of the youth, and therefore the builder of the foundation of the future. If the family is the nation’s source of strength, the woman is at its centre. The best place for the woman to serve her people is in her marriage, in the family, in motherhood.

The Nazis’ attempts to drive women back into the home were not particularly successful. In fact, the number of women in all types of jobs increased, mainly due to the work opportunities created by the economic recovery. By 1936, more workers were needed in agriculture and industry in Germany and by 1939 this shortage of workers was a serious problem. This led to more women returning to work. Overall, the Nazis took a cautious approach to the employment of women and only a few women were actually forced out of jobs.

Hitler was very clear that women should bring up children at home while their husbands worked. Schools taught girls from a young age that all good German women should get married and have children. 800,000 couples accepted loans offered as part of the Law for the Encouragement of Marriage. Women were not expected to work in Nazi Germany. Within months of Hitler coming to power, many female doctors and civil servants were sacked, followed by female teachers and lawyers. By 1939, very few women were in full-time work.

The Nazis’ attempts to drive women back into the home were not particularly successful. In fact, the number of women in all types of jobs increased, mainly due to the work opportunities created by the economic recovery. By 1936, more workers were needed in agriculture and industry in Germany and by 1939 this shortage of workers was a serious problem. This led to more women returning to work. Overall, the Nazis took a cautious approach to the employment of women and only a few women were actually forced out of jobs.

Hitler was very clear that women should bring up children at home while their husbands worked. Schools taught girls from a young age that all good German women should get married and have children. 800,000 couples accepted loans offered as part of the Law for the Encouragement of Marriage. Women were not expected to work in Nazi Germany. Within months of Hitler coming to power, many female doctors and civil servants were sacked, followed by female teachers and lawyers. By 1939, very few women were in full-time work.