AQA A-level HISTORY 7042/2T Component 2T The Crisis of Communism: the USSR and the Soviet Empire, 1953–2000 Version: 1.0 Final IB/M/Jun23/E7 7042/2T A-level HISTORY Component 2T The Crisis of Communism: the USSR and the Soviet Empire, 1953–2000QUESTION

AQA A-level HISTORY 7042/2T Component 2T The Crisis of Communism: the USSR and the Soviet Empire, 1953–2000 Version: 1.0 Final IB/M/Jun23/E7 7042/2T A-level HISTORY Component 2T The Crisis of Communism: the USSR and the Soviet Empire, 1953–2000 Friday 9 June 2023 Afternoon Time allowed: 2 hours 30 minutes Materials For this paper you must have: • an AQA 16-page answer book. Instructions • Use black ink or black ball-point pen. • Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Paper Reference is 7042/2T. • 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. 2 IB/M/Jun23/7042/2T Section A Answer Question 01. Source A From the memoirs of Bolshakov, published in Pravda, February 1989. Bolshakov was an intelligence officer in the Soviet Embassy in Havana at the time of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. The events of October 1962 were the first and, fortunately, only nuclear crisis in our history, a moment of fear and illumination. Nikita Khrushchev, John Kennedy, Fidel Castro and the whole of mankind felt that for the first time they were in the same boat at the epicentre of a nuclear abyss. Some thought that the causes of the crisis were military. By deploying missiles in Cuba the USSR was, they reckon, trying to correct the imbalance in the number of nuclear warheads with the USA, which, so they claimed, was something like 15:1 or 17:1 in the USA’s favour at that time. Others put forward political reasons: the USA’s intention to destroy the Republic of Cuba, and the USSR’s desire to consolidate the position of the socialist camp on the American continent. I myself think that the Cuban crisis was primarily a failure of trust – between states and leaders. 5 10 Source B From a confidential letter written by Nikita Khrushchev to US President JF Kennedy, 30 October 1962. We have received from you a promise that you will not invade Cuba and will not allow others to do so. We, on this condition, will remove from Cuba the weapons that you call aggressive. On the basis of this compromise and mutual concessions, the problem seems to have been resolved. We realised the seriousness of the issue, looked beyond self-interest and have achieved mutual satisfaction. No doubt, there will be those that will be displeased, who will say harsh and unfair things about our agreement. No doubt, they will look closely at the detail to try to find out whether the USSR gave greater concessions to the USA or vice versa. Yet, I would say that we both gave way to reason and found a sensible resolution, which dealt with the problem and will ensure peace for all, including those who will try to find fault and be critical. 5 10 3 IB/M/Jun23/7042/2T Turn over ► Source C From comments made by Fidel Castro during talks with Mikoyan, the Soviet Deputy Prime Minister, 3 November 1962. The Soviet Union’s concessions to the USA have had a depressing effect. Psychologically our people were not ready for it. There was a feeling of deep disappointment, bitterness and pain. It was as though we were deprived not only of missiles but of the very symbol of solidarity. Our people thought that the report that the missile installations were being dismantled and returned to the Soviet Union was a barefaced lie. Why was the decision taken without consulting us? Why are they taking the missiles away? Are they going to take all missiles back? These are the questions which have been concerning our people. In recent days these feelings of bitterness and pain have spread across the country. It has been one thing after another. On 27 October came the proposal to remove missiles from Cuba on condition that the Turkish bases were shut down. On 28 October came the order for dismantling and agreement to inspection. Nobody could believe it and everybody thought it was a pack of lies. 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 the USSR’s involvement in the Cuban Missile Crisis. [30 marks] Turn over for Section B 4 IB/M/Jun23/7042/2T Section B Answer two questions. 0 2 ‘Western influence was the most significant challenge to Soviet control of the satellite states in the years 1968 to 1980.’ Assess the validity of this view. [25 marks] 0 3 ‘Opposition to the Communist regime in Hungary, in the years 1980 to 1989, was mainly the result of economic difficulties.’ Assess the validity of this view. [25 marks] 0 4 To what extent was Gorbachev’s attempt at political reform the main reason for his downfall in 1991? [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 © 2023 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. *236A7042/2T* A-level HISTORY 7042/2T Component 2T The Crisis of Communism: the USSR and the Soviet Empire, 1953–2000 Mark scheme June 2023 Version: 1.0 Final *236A7042/2T/MS* MARK SCHEME – A-LEVEL HISTORY – 7042/2T – JUNE 2023 2 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. 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 © 2023 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. MARK SCHEME – A-LEVEL HISTORY – 7042/2T – JUNE 2023 3 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, i.e. 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. MARK SCHEME – A-LEVEL HISTORY – 7042/2T – JUNE 2023 4 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 the USSR’s involvement in the Cuban Missile Crisis. [30 marks] Target: AO2 Analyse and evaluate appropriate source material, primary and/or contemporary to the period, within the historical context. Generic Mark Scheme L5: 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 L4: 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 L3: 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: 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 L1: 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. 1–6 Nothing worthy of credit. 0 MARK SCHEME – A-LEVEL HISTORY – 7042/2T – JUNE 2023 5 Indicative content Note: This content is not prescriptive and students are not obliged to refer to the material contained in this mark scheme. Any legitimate answer will be assessed on its merits according to the generic levels scheme. Students must deploy knowledge of the historical context to show an understanding of the relationship between the sources and the issues raised in the question, when assessing the significance of provenance, the arguments deployed in the sources and the tone and emphasis of the sources. Descriptive answers which fail to do this should be awarded no more than Level 2 at best. Answers should address both the value and the limitations of the sources for the particular question and purpose given. Source A: in assessing the value of this source, students may refer to the following: Provenance, tone and emphasis • as an adviser in the Soviet Embassy in Havana, Bolshakov’s views are likely to be well informed and therefore of value • Bolshakov writes with the benefit of hindsight and therefore is in a position to consider more fully the causes of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Also, he likely holds off on publishing his memoirs until after the fall of communism, due to his desire to speak truthfully and openly • ordinarily, Pravda would publish propaganda in order to promote the Soviet cause. However, the date is significant here. By 1989, the Cold War is lost and the USSR is collapsing, and there is perhaps not the need for Pravda to print propaganda • the tone gives the source value – it is both measured and b