O-LevelHistoryThe 20th century: International relations since 19192147/22 · Oct/Nov 2021 · Q48 Marks

Study Source F. SOURCE F I was convinced that a United Germany was only a question of time, that the North German Confederation was only the first step in its formation. I did not doubt that a Franco-German War must take place before the construction of a United Germany could be achieved. I was preoccupied with the idea of delaying the outbreak of this war until our fighting strength should be increased. I at no time regarded a war with France as a simple matter and my efforts to postpone the outbreak of war until our military training could be fully developed in all parts of the Confederation were therefore quite reasonable. I took it for granted that we could count on Russian support against any coalition France might form. From England we could not rely on any active support and the events of 1870 have shown I was correct. From Bismarck's memoirs, written in the 1890s during his retirement.

How reliable is this source? Explain your answer using details of the source and your knowledge.[8]

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

[7-8] Level 5: Considers Bismarck's motives in context, i.e., in his retirement. e.g., desire to shape his legacy.
[5-6] Level 4: Checks content of Source F against other sources or specific contextual knowledge.
[3-4] Level 3: Answers internal to the source. i.e., common sense, internal consistencies and inconsistencies, generalised contextual explanation.
[2] Level 2: Answers based on undeveloped use of provenance.
[1] Level 1: Unsupported assertions.

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