Depth study: China, c.1930–c.1990 — IGCSE History (0977) questions by topic
This depth study covers Communist China from the Sino-Vietnamese War back to Chiang Kai-shek's measures against the Communists before 1934, so candidates must hold together decades of shifting alliances and internal conflict rather than a single fixed period.
How-far, explain, identify and describe are the command words tested, worth from 20 to 40 marks, across 6 questions from the 2023 papers. Because this is one of the smaller sets on the page, practise both precise recall of events like the Sino-Vietnamese War and longer significance judgements on Nationalist or Communist victory, then use instant marking to check whether each answer type met its required depth.
May–June 2023, Paper 42
How important was the Yenan Soviet in increasing the popularity of the Chinese Communist Party by 1949? Explain your answer.
Answer this question and get it marked →How significant was the use of popular culture in the development of Communist rule in China after 1949? Explain your answer.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 11
The Nationalists failed in their attempts to defeat the Communists. Describe the measures taken by Chiang Kai-shek against the Communists before 1934.
Answer this question and get it marked →China's relationship with the superpowers changed over time. What happened during the Sino-Vietnamese War?
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 41
How important were the actions of the Nationalist government during the Second World War in bringing about Communist victory in 1949? Explain your answer.
Answer this question and get it marked →How significant was the Great Leap Forward to the development of Communist China by 1960? Explain your answer.
Answer this question and get it marked →Other IGCSE History topics
- Depth study: The First World War, 1914–18 (17)
- Depth study: The USA, 1919–41 (15)
- Depth study: Germany, 1918–45 (14)
- Depth study: Russia, 1905–41 (14)
- Core content: the 19th century (13)
- Core content: the 20th century (10)
- Depth study: The Second World War (9)
- The Cold War (9)
- Depth study: South Africa, c.1940–c.1994 (6)
- Depth study: Israelis and Palestinians since 1945 (6)