GCSE History Key Topics 2

Question 1

What was Kristallnacht (November 1938)?

Accepted Answer

A coordinated attack on Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues across Germany

Answer

Kristallnacht ('Night of Broken Glass') on 9-10 November 1938 saw Nazi-orchestrated attacks on Jewish properties across Germany and Austria. Over 7,500 Jewish businesses were destroyed, 267 synagogues burned, 91 Jews killed, and 30,000 arrested.

Question 2

Which event is considered the immediate trigger for the start of World War I?

Accepted Answer

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo

Answer

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 was the immediate trigger for WWI. It set off a chain reaction through the alliance system that drew all major European powers into war.

Question 3

What was the Beveridge Report (1942) and why was it significant for Britain?

Accepted Answer

A report identifying five social evils and proposing a welfare state

Answer

The Beveridge Report (1942) identified five 'Giant Evils' — Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor, and Idleness — and proposed comprehensive social insurance. It became the blueprint for the post-war welfare state, including the creation of the NHS in 1948.

Question 4

In Weimar Germany, what was the main cause of the hyperinflation crisis of 1923?

Accepted Answer

The government printed excessive money to pay reparations and striking workers

Answer

The Weimar government printed money to pay reparations and to support workers striking against the French occupation of the Ruhr. This caused catastrophic hyperinflation — by November 1923, a loaf of bread cost 200 billion marks.

Question 5

What was the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) and how was it resolved?

Accepted Answer

A nuclear standoff resolved when the USSR agreed to remove missiles from Cuba in exchange for US concessions

Answer

The Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962) was a 13-day confrontation when the US discovered Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. It was resolved when the USSR removed the missiles in exchange for a US promise not to invade Cuba and the secret removal of US missiles from Turkey.

GCSE Revision Practice Test

GCSE Revision Practice Test

GCSE History Key Topics 2