GCSE GCSE History — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What event triggered the start of World War One in 1914?
- The invasion of Poland
- The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo (Correct answer)
- The sinking of the Lusitania
- The Treaty of Versailles
Correct answer: The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 triggered the chain of alliances that led to World War One.
Question 2: What were the main terms of the Treaty of Versailles (1919)?
- Germany gained new territory and paid no reparations
- Germany lost territory, paid reparations, had its military severely limited, and accepted war guilt (Article 231) (Correct answer)
- France was punished for starting the war
- Germany kept all its colonies
Correct answer: Germany lost territory, paid reparations, had its military severely limited, and accepted war guilt (Article 231)
The Treaty of Versailles punished Germany: it lost 13% of its territory and 10% of its population, paid £6.6 billion in reparations, had its military limited to 100,000 men, and had to accept sole blame under the 'War Guilt Clause' (Article 231).
Question 3: What was the Holocaust?
- A German military strategy in WW2
- The systematic genocide of approximately six million Jews and millions of others by Nazi Germany during WW2 (Correct answer)
- A post-war economic recovery plan
- A series of air raids on Britain
Correct answer: The systematic genocide of approximately six million Jews and millions of others by Nazi Germany during WW2
The Holocaust was the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews (and millions of Roma, disabled people, political opponents, etc.) by the Nazi regime and its collaborators during 1941–1945.
Question 4: What was the significance of the Weimar Republic in German history?
- It was Germany's first Nazi government
- It was Germany's first attempt at democracy (1919–1933), weakened by economic crises and political extremism (Correct answer)
- It was the name for Germany's Second Reich
- It was a period of total military control
Correct answer: It was Germany's first attempt at democracy (1919–1933), weakened by economic crises and political extremism
The Weimar Republic was Germany's democratic government 1919–1933. It faced severe challenges: hyperinflation (1923), the Great Depression (from 1929), and attacks from both left and right, making it vulnerable to Hitler's rise.
Question 5: What caused the Great Depression of the 1930s?
- World War Two
- The Wall Street Crash of 1929, which caused a global economic collapse (Correct answer)
- The Treaty of Versailles only
- British colonialism
Correct answer: The Wall Street Crash of 1929, which caused a global economic collapse
The Great Depression was triggered by the Wall Street Crash (October 1929) when US stock prices collapsed. Banks failed, unemployment soared worldwide, and trade collapsed, creating global economic hardship throughout the 1930s.
Question 6: What was the policy of 'appeasement' in the 1930s?
- Aggressively opposing Hitler at every step
- Making concessions to aggressive powers (especially Hitler) to avoid war (Correct answer)
- Increasing military spending
- Building alliances with the Soviet Union
Correct answer: Making concessions to aggressive powers (especially Hitler) to avoid war
Appeasement was the policy, mainly associated with British PM Neville Chamberlain, of making concessions to Hitler to avoid another world war. The Munich Agreement (1938) gave Hitler the Sudetenland in exchange for a promise of peace.
GCSE GCSE History
What event triggered the start of World War One in 1914?