History 2021 November Paper 2 Markscheme

Claim: Political change was the most significant short-term effect

🌍 War 1: World War I (WWI)

• Collapse of empires: Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, German, Russian → power vacuums, new fragile democracies.

• October Revolution (1917): Directly influenced by WWI instability, leading to Bolshevik seizure of power → USSR formation.

• Treaty of Versailles (1919): Redrew European borders, dismantled old monarchies.

• Reservoir Conference (1944) (ties to WWII but mention as part of post-WWI shifts): Showed how colonial policy was influenced by war realities (France planning post-war control of colonies).

🌍 War 2: World War II (WWII)

• Immediate political restructuring in Europe: Fall of fascist regimes (Germany, Italy), occupation governments.

• Population transfers: Ethnic Germans expelled from Eastern Europe (Poland, Czechoslovakia, etc.) → destabilizing political re-organization.

• Allied conferences (Yalta, Potsdam): Division of Germany, setup of Cold War alliances (NATO vs. Warsaw Pact).

• Reservoir Conference (1944): France reaffirmed grip on colonies → reasserting imperial control, triggering anti-colonial resistance.

⚠ Counterclaim: Economic crisis was more significant short-term

💰 WWI Effects

• War debts + reparations (esp. Germany): Massive inflation, economic collapse (1923 hyperinflation in Germany).

• Global depression roots: War disrupted trade, currency, and industry → sowed seeds for 1929 crash.

• Russian economy pre- and post-revolution: Economic collapse was a major cause for the October Revolution.

💰 WWII Effects

• Great Depression aftermath still shaping war recovery: Europe devastated; infrastructure collapsed.

• Marshall Plan (1948) (technically medium-term, but planned from end of war): Urgency due to economic instability.

• Economic hardship in colonies: Contributed to unrest and eventual decolonization movements.

🌍 World War I – Social Effects & Population Transfers

• Refugee crises:

  • Over 10 million displaced across Europe due to trench warfare, occupation, and shifting borders.

  • Armenian Genocide (1915–1917): ~1.5 million Armenians killed or deported by Ottoman Empire.

• Demographic impact:

  • Lost Generation → millions of young men dead → decline in birth rates and labor force.

  • Gender roles shifted: women entered workforce (munition factories, transport, hospitals).

• Psychological trauma:

  • “Shell shock” (PTSD) in soldiers → new recognition of mental health in war contexts.

🌍 World War II – Social Effects & Population Transfers

• Massive population transfers (esp. 1945–1947):

  • ~12–14 million ethnic Germans expelled from Eastern Europe (Poland, Czechoslovakia, etc.) → largest forced migration in modern European history.

  • Redrawing of borders (e.g., Poland moved westward) displaced millions.

• Holocaust survivors:

  • ~250,000–300,000 Jewish displaced persons (DPs) in camps post-1945, many without families or homes.

  • Accelerated push for a Jewish homeland → foundation of Israel (1948).

• Women’s roles again transformed:

  • Took on industrial and military jobs ("Rosie the Riveter" era), but post-war many pushed back into domestic roles → tension → long-term women's rights movement.

• Destruction of cities + homelessness:

  • Bombing of cities (e.g. Dresden, London, Hiroshima) left millions homeless.

  • Urban rebuilding became a short-term priority in occupied zones.