AQA_2024: A-level History - Component 2H France in Revolution: 1774–1815 (Merged Question Paper and Marking Scheme)

AQA_2024: A-level History - Component 2H France in Revolution: 1774–1815 (Merged Question Paper and Marking Scheme) A-level HISTORY Component 2H France in Revolution, 1774–1815 Friday 7 June 2024 Materials For this paper you must have:  an AQA 16-page answer book. Instructions Afternoon Time allowed: 2 hours 30 minutes  Use black ink or black ball-point pen.  Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Paper Reference is 7042/2H.  Answer three questions. In Section A answer Question 01. In Section B answer two questions. Information  The marks for questions are shown in brackets.  The maximum mark for this paper is 80.  You will be marked on your ability to: – use good English – organise information clearly – use specialist vocabulary where appropriate. Advice  You are advised to spend about: – 1 hour on Question 01 from Section A – 45 minutes on each of the two questions answered from Section B. IB/M/Jun24/G4006/E4 7042/2H A-Level History: Component 2H - France in Revolution, 1774–1815. Exam Preview This component focuses on the causes, events, and consequences of the French Revolution, and the political and social changes in France from 1774 to 1815. Key themes include:  The Ancien Régime and its Collapse (1774–1789): The social, political, and economic structure of France before the Revolution, including the inequality between the estates, financial crises, and the influence of Enlightenment ideas. The role of Louis XVI and his failure to address the financial crisis, leading to the calling of the Estates-General and the outbreak of the Revolution.  The French Revolution (1789–1792): The key events and stages of the Revolution, including the storming of the Bastille, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, the abolition of the monarchy, and the rise of radical political factions like the Jacobins. The social and economic reforms made during the Revolution, as well as the political turmoil and violence, such as the Reign of Terror under Robespierre.  The Rise of Napoleon (1799–1804): The collapse of the Revolution and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, from his coup d’état in 1799 to his coronation as Emperor in 1804. The political and social changes brought about by Napoleon's rule, including the Napoleonic Code and reforms to education and law.  Napoleon's Empire and Fall (1804–1815): The expansion of Napoleon's empire across Europe, his military successes, and the challenges posed by coalitions of European powers. The effects of Napoleon’s wars on France and Europe, his eventual defeat, the return of the monarchy, and the aftermath of his exile to Elba and later Waterloo.  The Legacy of the Revolution and Napoleon: The enduring impact of the French Revolution and Napoleonic rule on France and Europe, including the spread of revolutionary ideals, the reorganization of Europe, and the lasting influence on subsequent revolutions and political movements. This exam assesses the causes and course of the French Revolution, the role of Napoleon in shaping the direction of French and European history, and the political, social, and cultural changes that occurred during this transformative period. 2 IB/M/Jun24/7042/2H Section A Answer Question 01. Source A From a letter to the British government from William Miles, 1791. Miles was an English writer living in Paris and acting as a spy for Britain at this time. Robespierre is cool, measured and resolved. He is truly a republican. He does not support republicanism simply to win support from the multitude, but from the opinion that it is the very best and, indeed, the only form of government by which men should be ruled. He is a stern man, rigid in his principles, plain, unaffected in his manners and with no extravagance or vanity in his dress. He is certainly above corruption, despising wealth and with nothing of the usual excitability of a Frenchman in his character. I watch him very closely every night. I examine his face and features with my eyes steadily fixed on him. He is really a character to be contemplated. He is growing in confidence every hour but, surprisingly, the whole National Assembly consider him as insignificant. When I mentioned my feelings about him to one of the deputies and said he would soon be the man of influence, I was laughed at. 5 10 Source B From an address to the National Convention by Maximilien Robespierre, 5 February 1794. Our revolution must bring liberty, equality and a love of justice. The country must secure the well-being of each individual and each individual must take pride in his country. In your political conduct you should establish measures that lead towards the public good, and reject those that encourage selfishness. I am not justifying any excess, but we have more to fear from an excess of weakness, than an excess of energy. Happily, virtue is natural in the people. Having overthrown despotism, if the people do not reach the heights of their destiny, it can only be the fault of those who govern them. Government during a revolution must combine virtue with terror. Terror is a natural consequence of the principle of democracy. It has been said that terror grows from absolute government, but government in a revolution upholds the absolute power of liberty against tyranny. Internal plotters and traitors are the allies of enemies abroad. Death to the villain who dares abuse the sacred name of liberty. 5 10 3 Source C From a description of the June 1794 Festival of the Supreme Being, by Joachim Vilate, published 1795. Vilate, a member of the Revolutionary Tribunal, wrote while in prison after Thermidor. With what joyful pride Robespierre walked at the head of the National Convention. He was surrounded by an immense throng of people, who had responded to the clear and shining brilliance of such a beautiful day in the elegance of their dress. Robespierre marched along wearing the tricolor scarf of the representatives of the people, his head shaded by flowing feather plumes. Everyone observed his exhilaration and the crowd, carried away, uttered resounding cries of ‘Vive Robespierre!’ However, his colleagues, alarmed at his bold pretensions, embarrassed him – as he complained later – with sarcastic comments and cutting remarks. ‘Do you see all that applause? Who is playing God? Look at the high priest of the Supreme Being!’ It was not only members of the National Convention who mocked his pose and manner. There was a vigorous response from one genuine sans-culotte, reported by someone who heard it at the Tuileries. ‘Look at him! It’s not enough to be master; he wants to be God as well!’ 5 10 0 1 With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, assess the value of these three sources to an historian studying Robespierre. [30 marks] Turn over for Section B IB/M/Jun24/7042/2H Turn over ► 4 IB/M/Jun24/7042/2H Section B Answer two questions. 0 2 ‘The urban workers and peasants were responsible for the political changes in France in 1789.’ Assess the validity of this view. [25 marks] 0 3 ‘Most people in France benefited from Napoleonic rule in the years 1799 to 1808.’ Assess the validity of this view. [25 marks] 0 4 How significant was the 1812 Russian campaign to the collapse of the Napoleonic Empire? [25 marks] END OF QUESTIONS Copyright information For confidentiality purposes, all acknowledgements of third-party copyright material are published in a separate booklet. This booklet is published after each live examination series and is available for free download from Permission to reproduce all copyright material has been applied for. In some cases, efforts to contact copyright-holders may have been unsuccessful and AQA will be happy to rectify any omissions of acknowledgements. If you have any queries please contact the Copyright Team. Copyright © 2024 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. A-level HISTORY 7042/2H Component 2H France in Revolution, 1774–1815 Mark scheme June 2024 Version: 1.0 Final MARK SCHEME – A-LEVEL HISTORY – 7042/2H – JUNE 2024 Mark schemes are prepared by the Lead Assessment Writer and considered, together with the relevant questions, by a panel of subject teachers. This mark scheme includes any amendments made at the standardisation events which all associates participate in and is the scheme which was used by them in this examination. The standardisation process ensures that the mark scheme covers the students’ responses to questions and that every associate understands and applies it in the same correct way. As preparation for standardisation each associate analyses a number of students’ scripts. Alternative answers not already covered by the mark scheme are discussed and legislated for. If, after the standardisation process, associates encounter unusual answers which have not been raised they are required to refer these to the Lead Examiner. It must be stressed that a mark scheme is a working document, in many cases further developed and expanded on the basis of students’ reactions to a particular paper. Assumptions about future mark schemes on the basis of one year’s document should be avoided; whilst the guiding principles of assessment remain constant, details will change, depending on the content of a particular examination paper. No student should be disadvantaged on the basis of their gender identity and/or how they refer to the gender identity of others in their exam responses. A consistent use of ‘they/them’ as a singular and pronouns beyond ‘she/her’ or ‘he/him’ will be credited in exam responses in line with existing mark scheme criteria. Further copies of this mark scheme are available from Copyright information AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for internal use within the centre. Copyright © 2024 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. 2 MARK SCHEME – A-LEVEL HISTORY – 7042/2H – JUNE 2024 Level of response marking instructions Level of response mark schemes are broken down into levels, each of which has a descriptor. The descriptor for the level shows the average performance for the level. There are marks in each level. Before you apply the mark scheme to a student’s answer read through the answer and annotate it (as instructed) to show the qualities that are being looked for. You can then apply the mark scheme. Step 1 Determine a level Start at the lowest level of the mark scheme and use it as a ladder to see whether the answer meets the descriptor for that level. The descriptor for the level indicates the different qualities that might be seen in the student’s answer for that level. If it meets the lowest level then go to the next one and decide if it meets this level, and so on, until you have a match between the level descriptor and the answer. With practice and familiarity, you will find that for better answers you will be able to quickly skip through the lower levels of the mark scheme. When assigning a level, you should look at the overall quality of the answer and not look to pick holes in small and specific parts of the answer where the student has not performed quite as well as the rest. If the answer covers different aspects of different levels of the mark scheme you should use a best fit approach for defining the level and then use the variability of the response to help decide the mark within the level, ie if the response is predominantly Level 3 with a small amount of Level 4 material it would be placed in Level 3 but be awarded a mark near the top of the level because of the Level 4 content. Step 2 Determine a mark Once you have assigned a level you need to decide on the mark. The descriptors on how to allocate marks can help with this. The exemplar materials used during standardisation will help. There will be an answer in the standardising materials which will correspond with each level of the mark scheme. This answer will have been awarded a mark by the Lead Examiner. You can compare the student’s answer with the example to determine if it is the same standard, better or worse than the example. You can then use this to allocate a mark for the answer based on the Lead Examiner’s mark on the example. You may well need to read back through the answer as you apply the mark scheme to clarify points and assure yourself that the level and the mark are appropriate. Indicative content in the mark scheme is provided as a guide for examiners. It is not intended to be exhaustive and you must credit other valid points. Students do not have to cover all of the points mentioned in the Indicative content to reach the highest level of the mark scheme. An answer which contains nothing of relevance to the question must be awarded no marks. 3 MARK SCHEME – A-LEVEL HISTORY – 7042/2H – JUNE 2024 Section A 0 1 With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, assess the value of these three sources to an historian studying Robespierre. Target: AO2 [30 marks] Analyse and evaluate appropriate source material, primary and/or contemporary to the period, within the historical context. Generic Mark Scheme L5: L4: L3: Shows a very good understanding of all three sources in relation to both content and provenance and combines this with a strong awareness of the historical context to present a balanced argument on their value for the particular purpose given in the question. The answer will convey a substantiated judgement. The response demonstrates a very good understanding of context. 25–30 Shows a good understanding of all three sources in relation to both content and provenance and combines this with an awareness of the historical context to provide a balanced argument on their value for the particular purpose given in the question. Judgements may, however, be partial or limited in substantiation. The response demonstrates a good understanding of context. 19–24 Shows some understanding of all three sources in relation to both content and provenance together with some awareness of the historical context. There may, however, be some imbalance in the degree of breadth and depth of comment offered on all three sources and the analysis may not be fully convincing. The answer will make some attempt to consider the value of the sources for the particular purpose given in the question. The response demonstrates an understanding of context. 13–18 L2: L1: The answer will be partial. It may, for example, provide some comment on the value of the sources for the particular purpose given in the question but only address one or two of the sources, or focus exclusively on content (or provenance), or it may consider all three sources but fail to address the value of the sources for the particular purpose given in the question. The response demonstrates some understanding of context. 7–12 The answer will offer some comment on the value of at least one source in relation to the purpose given in the question but the response will be limited and may be partially inaccurate. Comments are likely to be unsupported, vague or generalist. The response demonstrates limited understanding of context. Nothing worthy of credit. 1–6 0 4 MARK SC