Modern History 2021 HSC exam pack

Students should:

• read the question carefully to ensure that they understand its intent and requirements
• have a clear understanding of key words in the question
• engage with the question rather than presenting a pre-prepared response
• read the rubric
• for extended response questions, use the first page of the answer booklet to develop a plan  
• sustain their judgements throughout the response with a clear connection to the question
• use relevant evidence and interpretation to support their response where appropriate
• communicate ideas and information using relevant historical terms and concepts appropriately
• present a sustained, logical, and cohesive response
• review their response to ensure that it addresses question requirements. 

Question 1

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide clear geographical consequences, for example, Germany returning Alsace-Lorraine to France or Germany losing colonies in Africa
• outline the consequences of at least two treaties such as the map of Europe being redrawn or the creation of new states such as Poland and Czechoslovakia.

Areas for students to improve include:

• focusing on the specifics of the question, for example, geographical consequences not economic consequences
• including accurate supporting detail such as the name of a country that was created or the particular territory that was returned.

Question 2

In better responses, students were able to:

• make a clear judgement about the value of the source, not just a judgement about the content of the source
• integrate relevant evidence from the source to support their argument.  

Areas for students to improve include:

• using key words in a question, for example, the key words were ‘assess’ and ‘value’ which requires a judgement to be made  
• using various parts of a source to show it is valuable. This could mean making a judgement after examining the author of the source, content, perspective, who the source was directed to [or audience]. It is important to put the source into a historical context
• pointing out clearly and concisely the various aspects that made this source valuable or otherwise. For example, showing it value as being the view of a US President at the time the United Nations was in its infancy that included references to the role/purpose of the United Nations.

Question 3

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify some of the reasons why the different perspectives exist, for example, one is Nazi propaganda
• explain the purpose of the propaganda poster and some of the factors that would have influenced its production
• explain why Kershaw holds the perspective, including the context of the source and Kershaw’s training and research as an historian.

Areas for students to improve include:

• accounting for differences in the perspectives
• understanding the factors that influence perspective. A factor could be the political climate in which a propaganda poster is produced.  

Question 4

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a range of ways the identified prominent individuals implemented ideology
• link ways the implementation of ideology evolved with specific ideological goals, for example, promoting an Aryan race
• support their response with specific examples and detail, for example, Goebbels as Minister of Propaganda implemented his ideology through films such as Triumph of the Will
• integrate relevant evidence from both sources referencing carefully chosen quotations.

Areas for students to improve include:

• integrating evidence from sources rather than describing or paraphrasing the sources
• incorporating more detailed, relevant historical knowledge
• ensuring a clear line of argument is stated from the outset.  

Question 6 – China 1927–1949

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a clear evaluation of the role of nationalism and link this to the development of Chinese Communist Party ideology by providing specific examples to demonstrate historical knowledge, such as, Mao’s pragmatic approach to ideology, (a)
• make strong links between the role of nationalism and the development of the Chinese Communist Party ideology (a)
• make a clear and definitive judgement as to the extent the Chinese Communist Party achieved political stability by 1949 (b)
• detail specific factors that influenced Chinese Communist Party stability and make a judgement about to what extent stability was achieved (b)
• demonstrate extensive historical knowledge using various examples from throughout the time period to explicitly support their argument (a, b)
• clearly link their historical evidence with the focus of the question (a,b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• making sustained and supported judgements throughout the response that are more than generalised descriptive links back to the question. This includes being able to clearly express the level of significance that the role of nationalism had (a) and the extent to which the Chinese Communist Party achieved political stability (b)
• demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of issues raised in the question, for example, some students chose to argue that nationalism was a key factor in the development of Chinese Communist Party ideology, whilst others argued that while it played a role, other factors contributed more (a)
• avoiding a long, unstructured narrative of how the Chinese Communist Party came to power that does not address the extent to which they achieved stability (b)
• clearly showing the links between nationalism and how it impacted the development of Chinese Communist Party ideology rather than providing an explanation of what was Chinese Communist Party ideology
• providing a clear and consistent argument throughout the response rather than engaging with a judgement at the beginning and conclusion
• limiting their responses to the specified time period and selecting the most relevant information to support their point and not incorporating information relevant to other sections of the exam.

Question 9 – Japan 1904–1937

In better responses, students were able to:

• display detailed knowledge (a, b) that clearly links the developments in democracy with Japanese society and economy to evaluate whether these developments were successful or not (a). For example, the impact that the increasing power of the zaibatsu had on Japanese democracy
• clearly demonstrate a link between the Great Depression and the rise of militarism throughout the response (b)
• provide comprehensive examples of the rise of militarism, but also show how these were able to, or not able come about due to the Great Depression. For example, how the decline of the rural sector during the Great Depression led to many from that sector joining and supporting the military therefore increasing its support (b)
• provide several examples of how the military increased in power rather than incorrectly giving a narrative of the actions of the Japanese military to 1937 (b)
• clearly link their historical evidence with the focus of the question. Whether it was the successes and failures of democracy (a) or the extent of the Great Depression on the rise of militarism (b), to show a deep understanding of the question being asked, providing a sophisticated judgement.

Areas for students to improve include:

• maintaining a clear judgement throughout (a) and (b). Many students provide a judgement in the introductory paragraph, but do not sustain it throughout or develop it with accurate historical evidence
• using comprehensive knowledge that addresses the time period indicated by the question. For example, students should discuss the increasing power of the military up to 1937 and not end the response after the invasion of Manchuria in 1931 (b)
• ensuring the information given is relevant to the time period of the syllabus document. For example, detailed discussions of the Meiji restoration are outside of the time period of the question (a)
• avoiding writing a narrative response that may give accurate information from the time period but does not explore the question (a) and (b). For example, a narrative on the exploits of the Japanese military in the 1930s does not provide a judgement on the role of the Great Depression for the rise of militarism (b)
• giving specific information that is accurate and not making general statements or giving vague references to historians.

Question 10 – Russia and the Soviet Union 1917–1941

In better responses, students were able to:

• make a clear assessment and state the degrees to which individuals impacted the leadership struggle other than Stalin and Trotsky. For example, the influence of key Bolsheviks such as Zinoviev, Kamenev and Bukharin (a)
• make a clear judgement as to the extent to which Bolshevik ideology was maintained in the Soviet state over time and sustain this judgement throughout the response (b)
• demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of who the other leading Bolsheviks were and provide detailed and accurate information about their role in the power struggle (a)
• show a deep understanding of the concept of Bolshevik ideology and provide examples of when it was maintained or deviated from over time (b)
• clearly demonstrate that Bolshevik ideology was not always maintained over time and provide examples of where pragmatic approaches were used, for example, war, communism, New Economic Policy, collectivisation, Five-Year Plans, foreign policy shifts or social and cultural changes (b)
• use historical terms and concepts to specifically address all elements of the question and develop a cohesive response that demonstrates a comprehensive understanding throughout (a, b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• engaging with all elements of the question to demonstrate a depth of understanding, for example, providing specific details about leading Bolshevik figures (other than Lenin, Stalin, and Trotsky) and their role (a)
• engaging with a judgement about the importance of individuals to the outcome of the struggle rather than concentrating on the role of Stalin (a)
• engaging with the concept of ideology and how it evolved, changed, or continued over time (b)
• providing explicit and relevant historical detail to support their argument and avoiding a narrative of events. For example, not simply describing foreign policy but explicitly linking it to how Bolshevik ideology was pragmatic (b)
• attempting to integrate their own judgement throughout by interpreting the evidence within the response and continuing to link this to a strong central line of argument (a, b)
• using specific historical knowledge such as details, dates, and names, rather than generalised statements (a, b).

Question 11 – USA 1919–1941

In better responses, students were able to:

• make a concise judgement that conservatism played a key role in the social tensions of the period. For example, its role in driving prohibition through the temperance movement or social conservatism or the escalating religious fundamentalism of the period (a)
• provide specific historical detail to support their judgements. For example, using information about Lend Lease and its links to increased industrial production to demonstrate the impact of World War Two on the USA as affecting employment, even whilst the war was a primarily a European conflict (b)
• interpret historical detail and information to draw conclusions around all aspects of the question (a, b)
• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of all issues of the question while incorporating information from a range of relevant syllabus dot points. For example, some students chose to argue that conservatism was the key factor in facilitating social tensions, whilst others argued that while it played a role, other factors such as industrialisation were key (a).

Areas for students to improve include:

• continually linking back to a central line of argument so that the response avoids becoming a narrative, or a list of social tensions without reference to conservatism as a concept (a)
• ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the time period that allows students to engage with the question in a meaningful manner and avoid irrelevant information, for example, discussing World War Two after 1941(b)
• using specific and relevant historical evidence and terms to interpret their knowledge rather than creating a list of details (a, b).

Question 12 – Iran 1945–1989

In better responses, students were able to:

• sustain an explicit judgement throughout the response, supported by historical terms and evidence (a, b)
• demonstrate a clear and comprehensive understanding of the time period. For example, discussing the impact of the Iranian oil industry across the rule of the Shah and beyond, even if arguing that the effects of oil on Iran lessened following the 1979 revolution (b)
• provide a range of examples and evidence to support a sustained judgement, with attention paid to specific detail. For example, using the names and dates of policies, treaties, and agreements (a, b)
• create sophisticated links between the elements of the question and the evidence used, for example, explaining the manner in which the military was utilised to support the facade of democracy and modernisation under the Shah, while acknowledging that it was also used as a tool of oppression against the very freedoms the government claimed to support (b)
• address the question with a comprehensive understanding of the topic itself, drawing on evidence from multiple areas of the syllabus to construct a sophisticated judgement that was sustained throughout (a, b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding making a superficial judgement in relation to the question. For example, not creating clear links between the role of the military and the success and failure of democracy in Iran (a)
• avoiding creating responses heavily focused on historiography at the expense of the student’s own voice or judgement. Students should interpret the evidence within the response to draw conclusions based on their own understanding, rather than overloading their response with long quotes that don’t create meaningful links to the judgement being made
• ensuring that the response is not a narrative of the time period. For example, continuing to refer back to the cause and effect factors relating to the oil industry rather than incorrectly providing the story of Iran (b).

Question 13 – Conflict in Indochina 1954–1979

In better responses, students were able to:

• address the quotation in their response, particularly ‘fully independent and unified’ and connect it to Ho Chi Minh’s nationalistic goals (a)
• make a clear judgement about the extent to which Vietnam had achieved their nationalistic goals of being fully independent and reunified and support the judgement with a sophisticated and sustained argument (a)
• use relevant historical information detailing the developments in North and South Vietnam up to 1964 to support the argument (a)
• address the quotation by making a clear judgement as to its accuracy. For example, making a judgement as to which one was more significant, the US military failures or communist successes (b)
• make a sophisticated argument which clearly links the US military failures and/or the communist successes and their significance to the outcome of the war (b)
• detail a range of historical knowledge and evidence that supports their argument. For example, detailing the military strategies used by the US and how and why they failed and their connection to the outcome of the war (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring they keep to the time period stated in the question. For example, up to 1964 and not address the position of Vietnam at the end of the war (a)
• avoiding a long narrative about the developments in North and South Vietnam without linking it back to the question (a)
• avoiding a generalised and simplistic discussion about Ho Chi Minh and nationalism (a)
• avoiding simply outlining the reasons for the US losing or the North winning, without making a clear judgement as to which was more significant (b)
• ensuring the historical information is relevant to the question. For example, addressing the military failures as required and avoiding writing a long narrative about the impact of TET on the US home front that is not required (b).

Question 14 – Conflict in the Pacific 1937–1951

In better responses, students were able to:

• make a sustained judgement in relation to Yamamoto’s quote regarding the nature of Japanese imperialistic goals and the impact of this over the period. This could have included early successes in expansionism, the impact on occupied territories in Southeast Asia, Japanese aggression in this time period or the events that eventually halted Japanese expansionism (a)
• make a sustained judgement in relation to the statement regarding Allied interests relative to the achievement of justice. For example, making judgements based around Allied aims in the War Crimes Tribunal including charges, strengthening the Allied position in the region or weighing the punishment of Tojo against the importance of Hirohito remaining emperor (b)
• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the topic and construct a response that employed extensive historical knowledge and evidence that supported their argument. For example, taking note of the array of impacts under the Japanese (a) or the different elements and charges of the War Crimes Tribunal (b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• making clear and direct links between the nature and impact of Japanese imperialism in a balanced manner rather than focusing on one over the other (a)
• addressing and engaging with the question asked regarding the accuracy of Yamamato’s view, rather than providing a pre-prepared response on Japanese occupation or turning points of the conflict (a)
• avoiding making generalised links back to the question. For example, being able to clearly communicate the ongoing nature and impact of Japanese imperialism in the region over time (a)
• addressing key points with adequate historical knowledge and evidence to support and justify an argument rather than describing or narrating. For example, forming an argument around Japanese imperialism, rather than a historical recount of Japanese actions over the period or the ability to state a line of argument about the War Crimes Tribunal that is specific rather than generalised (a, b).

Question 15 – Conflict in Europe 1935–1945

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide a cohesive and sustained argument that demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the main issues raised in the quotation, and Lebensraum particularly with ‘adequate living space’ (a)
• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of Hitler’s foreign policy goals, and how these contributed to the outbreak of war (a)
• examine the contributions of other factors in contributing to the outbreak of war, while still linking back to Hitler’s foreign policy goals (a)
• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the social and economic effects of the war in Germany and the extent to which these contributed to German defeat (b)
• provide an extensive discussion of the focus of the question while also considering other factors that may have contributed to German defeat/Allied victory
• support their discussion with a comprehensive range of accurate and detailed historical evidence (a, b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding an overly narrow response that only discusses the specific issue raised in the question (adequate living space), rather than incorporating the example referred to in the quote into a broader discussion of Hitler’s foreign policy goals and the outbreak of war in order to consider ‘to what extent’ (a)
• avoiding merely recounting the events leading up to the outbreak of war, without linking them back to the role of Hitler’s foreign policy goals (a)
• providing a discussion that is relevant to the topic and not confused with other topics, such as Power and Authority (b)
• ensuring other factors that contributed to the outcome of the war are linked back to the central focus of the question, that being the social and economic effects of the war in Germany (a, b)
• including evidence that is accurate and relevant to the question asked
• ensuring that their response is structured in a way to build cohesiveness within the argument (a, b).

Question 16 – The Cold War 1945–1991

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the significance of the Cuban Missile Crisis and its impact on the development of the Cold War (a)
• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the main issues raised in the question, including the quotation, and then build a cohesive and sustained argument focussed on these issues (a)
• provide extensive and accurate historical detail across a broad period of the topic when discussing the significance of the Cuban Missile Crisis and its significance (a)
• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the disarmament agreements and how they did or didn’t contribute to the end of the Cold War (b)
• provide an extensive discussion of the other factors that contributed to the end of the Cold War, while either contrasting or linking back to the disarmament agreements (b)
• support their discussion with a broad range of accurate and detailed historical detail (a, b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• avoiding ignoring the key issue raised either in the question, the quotation or both
• focussing on issues which are central to the question, including the quotation rather than on other peripheral issues (a)
• avoiding merely recounting the events which contributed to the end of the Cold War, without really linking back to the question asked (b)
• if arguing that disarmament agreements were not as significant to the end of the Cold War as other factors, such as Reagan and Gorbachev, students must still link these other factors to disarmament agreements, which is the key issue raised in the question (b)
• ensuring all evidence included is accurate and relevant to the question (a, b)
• ensuring that their response is structured in a way to build a cohesive argument (a, b).

Question 18 – The Arab-Israeli Conflict 1948–1996

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the peace process, Rabin’s role in it, and the reasons why it was largely unachieved by 1996 (a)
• support their discussion with detailed and accurate historical evidence from the period of the peace process (a)
• draw upon some of the longer-term factors which contributed to the failure of the peace process for which Rabin was advocating (a)
• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the role of the USA in developing the Arab Israeli conflict, both in terms of contribution to belligerency as well as advocating for peace (b)
• provide a nuanced comparison of the impacts of the USA to the USSR and make specific references to historical evidence when arguing how and why the US was more or less responsible than the USSR in developing the conflict (b)
• provide detailed and accurate historical evidence to support the argument made (a, b).

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing accurate and specific evidence to support any discussion of the peace process (a)
• engaging with the key idea raised in the question and quotation, which was Rabin’s hopes of a peace process that would end the ‘cycle of blood’, and the reasons why this peace was or wasn’t achieved by 1996 (a)
• avoiding confusing historical events and figures, namely the various wars which took place and the leaders on both sides of the conflict (b)
• avoiding over-simplifying the roles of the superpowers in relation to their client states (b)
• ensuring all evidence included is relevant and linked back to the question asked (a, b).

Question 20(a) – The Cultural Revolution to Tiananmen Square 1966–1989

In better responses students were able to:

• explicitly describe how the Great Leap Forward impacted social conditions in China
• provide specific supporting historical details relevant to the question
• provide relevant historical details about the impacts on social conditions including the movement into collective farms, insufficient wages and famine.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing specific rather than vague and general historical detail
• staying within the scope of the question and avoiding irrelevant information, such as the impacts of the Great Leap Forward on the economy or politics.

Question 20(b) – The Cultural Revolution to Tiananmen Square 1966–1989

In better responses students were able to:

• make explicit and specific links which address how the Cultural Revolution impacted the Chinese Communist Party leadership
• provide specific and detailed supporting information about a range of relevant impacts such as the disruption of Chinese Communist Party leadership, clashes of ideology, political suppression of rivals including purges.
• consistently make links back to the question
• correctly use a range of relevant historical terms, for example, Mao and Deng, The Gang of 4, Lin Biao and Deng Xiaoping, the Red Guards.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing a consistent answer to the question supported by historical information
• avoiding including irrelevant information which is outside the scope of the question
• ensuring the response is organised with a clear structure and logical flow rather than a straight narrative of events.

Question 20(c) – The Cultural Revolution to Tiananmen Square 1966–1989

In better responses students were able to:

• provide a logical, relevant and consistent judgment in response to the question about the effect of competing versions of Marxism on Chinese politics, including reference to at least two of early Marxist and Leninist principles. For example, students may also refer to the permanent revolution, attempts to apply Marxist theory to agrarianism for social and cultural communism, Mao’s removal of political threats as ‘revisionist’, modernisation, and socialism under Deng
• sustain the judgement consistently throughout the response
• support the judgement with reference to a range of specific and relevant effects including the changing nature of the Chinese Communist Party over the time period of 1966 to 1989
• effectively use a range of relevant historical terms and concepts, for example, Marxism, agrarian, reform.

Areas for students to improve include:

• consistently linking historical evidence to a judgement throughout the response, not just in the introduction and conclusion
• responding within the time period of the question
• providing specific, detailed, and relevant supporting historical detail, not vague and generalised statements.

Question 21(a) – Civil Rights in the USA 1945–1968

In better responses students were able to:

• explicitly describe the effects of WWII on African Americans
• provide specific supporting historical details relevant to the question, for example, the effects on African Americans in the armed forces, on the home front and after the war.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing specific rather than vague and generalised historical detail
• staying within the scope of the question and not providing irrelevant information, for example, about the impact of the war on other groups in society.

Question 21(b) – Civil Rights in the USA 1945–1968

In better responses students were able to:

• make explicit and specific links to a range of ways that the Civil Rights Movement in the US impacted on the international community
• provide specific and detailed supporting information about a range of international impacts which may include Australia, South Africa, Northern Ireland or specific movements or actions like the Freedom Rides
• consistently make links back to the question
• correctly use in the explanation a range of relevant historical terms, for example, Freedom Rides, non-violent protest.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing a consistent answer to the question
• providing relevant, specific and detailed historical information that is within the time frame of the syllabus
• ensuring the response is organised with a clear structure and logical flow rather than being a straight narrative of events.

Question 21(c) – Civil Rights in the USA 1945–1968

In better responses students were able to:

• provide a logical, relevant, and consistent judgment in response to the question about how important the attitudes of US Presidents (not just their actions) were to the Civil Rights Movement
• sustain the judgement consistently throughout the response
• support the judgement with reference to a range of specific relevant presidents and their attitude to the Civil Rights movement, using their actions as evidence of their attitude including specific legislation, events, and people relevant to the particular president
• organise the response into logical and clearly structured ideas
• effectively use a range of relevant historical terms and concepts, for example, segregation.

Areas for students to improve include:

• consistently linking historical evidence to the judgement throughout the response, not just in the introduction and conclusion
• staying within the scope of the syllabus period of 1945-1968
• providing specific, detailed, and relevant supporting historical detail, rather than vague and generalised statements.

Option 24(a) – Apartheid in South Africa 1960–1994

In better responses students were able to:

• explicitly describe the economic impacts of Apartheid on black South Africans
• provide explicit supporting historical details relevant to the question
• provide relevant historical details about the economic impacts of Apartheid on black South Africans including reference to specific legislation, examples, and statistics.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing specific rather than vague and general historical detail
• staying within the scope of the question and avoiding irrelevant information, such as the impacts of Apartheid on other racial groups or in other areas such as social and political
• being concise and specific in responding to the question.

Option 24(b) – Apartheid in South Africa 1960–1994

In better responses students were able to:

• make explicit and specific links that address all four key terms in the question, African National Congress and Pan African Congress, growth, and impact
• provide specific and detailed supporting information about a range of relevant factors such as the banning of both groups, the move overseas, the change in tactics from non-violent to violent
• consistently making links back to the question
• correctly using in their answer, a range of relevant historical terms, for example, African National Congress, Pan African Congress and non-violent.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing a consistent answer to the question which is supported by the historical information that is provided, not exaggerated claims, for example, exponential growth after 1960
• not being distracted by irrelevant information, which is outside the scope of the question, for example, lengthy descriptions of Sharpeville or African National Congress prior to 1960
• ensuring that the response is organised with a clear structure and logical flow rather than being a straight narrative of events.

Option 24(c) – Apartheid in South Africa 1960–1994

In better responses students were able to:

• provide a logical, relevant, and consistent judgement in response to the question about the significance of Mandela’s leadership to the end of apartheid which may be considered within the context of a range of other factors
• maintain the judgement consistently throughout the response
• support the judgement with reference to a range of specific and relevant actions taken by Mandela  
• reference other specific information and reasons about the end of apartheid
• effectively use a range of relevant historical terms and concepts, for example, apartheid and protest.

Areas for students to improve include:

• consistently linking historical evidence to a judgement throughout the response, not just in the introduction and conclusion
• staying within the scope of the syllabus, 1960-1994
• providing specific, detailed, and relevant supporting historical detail, not just vague and generalised statements.