Exam Connection

🎯 Exam Connection

Frequency: This topic appeared in 5 out of 5 recent sittings — VERY HIGH frequency. "Steps to war" questions are among the most common in Paper 1 Section C, often testing the Rhineland or the whole sequence as a narrative of escalation.

This topic is in Paper 1, Section C (Wider World Depth Study — Conflict and Tension). The question types are different from Section B.

Typical questions:

• "How useful is Source A to a historian studying the remilitarisation of the Rhineland?" (12 marks, AO3)
• "Write an account of how Hitler's actions in 1936–1939 caused increasing international tension" (8 marks, AO2)
• "How far do you agree that the remilitarisation of the Rhineland was the most important step towards war?" (16 marks, AO1+AO2)
• "Write an account of how Hitler achieved the Anschluss" (8 marks, AO2)

For the source utility question (12 marks): Evaluate using NOP — what is it (nature), who produced it and when (origin), why was it produced (purpose)? Use your own knowledge of the Rhineland's specific details (only 22,000 troops, orders to retreat if France resisted) to test whether the source gives an accurate picture.

For Level 3+ on the 8-mark account question: Show how the steps connect — don't just list them. Use causal language: "This emboldened Hitler to..." or "The failure to respond meant that when Hitler next..." Show the chain of escalation between events.

For Level 4 on the 16-mark essay: Argue one side (yes — the Rhineland was the psychological turning point that proved appeasement would work) AND counter-argue (but the Nazi-Soviet Pact was more important because it removed Hitler's last fear, making the invasion of Poland certain). Then make a clear sustained judgement. Note: this essay is 16 marks with NO separate SPaG allocation in Section C.