Depth study: Germany, 1918–45 — IGCSE History (0470) questions by topic
Nazi rule and Weimar diplomacy both feature here: how the Nazi Party grew and changed in its first decade, Nazi racial policy, Stresemann's foreign policy, and the Spartacist uprising of 1919 are each written up as full accounts covering the interwar and wartime period.
Discuss, describe, explain, how-far and outline lead the command words, worth from 20 to 40 marks, across 32 questions from 2023 to 2025 papers. Because 'write an account of' questions dominate this set, practise producing a clear chronological narrative with named dates and figures, then use instant marking to see whether your account's level of specific detail matched what the highest mark band expects.
What examiners look for
- Strong answers, according to the reports, showed sound knowledge of Stresemann's foreign policy achievements, including the Dawes and Young Plans, the Locarno Treaties and League of Nations membership, contrasted with other factors behind Weimar stability between 1924 and 1929.
- Examiners praise responses describing how rationing, women's war work, Allied bombing and the Final Solution affected life in Germany, compared against life in Nazi Germany before the war.
- Reports note that the strongest of these answers also brought in propaganda, censorship and the police state as further points of comparison.
May–June 2025, Paper 11
May–June 2025, Paper 12
Germany appeared to be making a recovery during the 1920s. What did Stresemann do in 1923 to deal with hyperinflation?
Answer this question and get it marked →The Nazis had to use a range of methods to keep control of the German people. Describe the opposition to the Nazi regime from individual churchmen.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 13
May–June 2025, Paper 41
Write an account of how women were treated in Nazi Germany.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 42
Write an account of the methods used by the Nazis to increase their electoral support up to 1932.
Answer this question and get it marked →Write an account of the Night of the Long Knives.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 43
Write an account of the political instability experienced in Germany between 1919 and 1923. [15]
Answer this question and get it marked →Write an account of the Nazi electoral campaigning up to November 1932. [15]
Answer this question and get it marked →February–March 2024, Paper 42
Write an account of Hitler's leadership of the Nazi Party up to 1924.
Answer this question and get it marked →Write an account of the development of Nazi racial policy in Germany.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 12
After a long wait, Hitler was firmly in power by the end of 1934. Describe the events in 1932–33 that led to Hitler's appointment as Chancellor in January 1933.
Answer this question and get it marked →Women, children and the family were important to the Nazis. Describe how women helped the German war effort.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 42
Write an account of the Spartacist uprising in 1919.
Answer this question and get it marked →Write an account of Himmler's role in Nazi Germany.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 43
Write an account of the development of the Nazi Party to 1929. [15]
Answer this question and get it marked →Write an account of how the Nazis dealt with the churches in Germany. [15]
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 42
Write an account of Stresemann’s foreign policy.
Answer this question and get it marked →Write an account of propaganda techniques used by the Nazis after 1933.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 43
Write an account of the results achieved by the Nazis in Reichstag elections up to 1933. [15]
Answer this question and get it marked →Write an account of the developments in Nazi economic policy from 1933. [15]
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 13
The Weimar Republic had successes and failures. Describe cultural developments in Weimar Germany.
Answer this question and get it marked →Nazi policies affected different groups in German society very differently. Describe Nazi racial theories.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 42
How important were weaknesses in the economy as a reason for instability in Weimar Germany up to 1923? Explain your answer.
Answer this question and get it marked →How significant were Nazi policies towards women in the shaping of German society after 1933? Explain your answer.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 43
How important were Stresemann's foreign policy achievements in creating stability in Germany between 1924 and 1929? Explain your answer. [40]
Answer this question and get it marked →How significant was the outbreak of war in 1939 in changing life in Germany? Explain your answer. [40]
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 42
How important were the Freikorps amongst the threats facing the Weimar Republic to 1923? Explain your answer.
Answer this question and get it marked →How significant were the mass media to the Nazi system of control after 1933? Explain your answer.
Answer this question and get it marked →