Tense relations between the Allied powers developed rapidly after the Second World War.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2022). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] (a) Little was agreed at Potsdam.
2. [1] (a) Germany/Berlin would be divided as agreed at Yalta.
3. [1] (a) Germany had to pay reparations.
4. [1] (a) Industrial equipment could be taken from zones in Germany as reparations.
5. [1] (a) Poland's eastern border would be moved west to the rivers Oder and Neisse.
6. [1] (a) The Nazi Party was banned.
7. [1] (a) Nazi leaders were to be tried as war criminals.
8. [1] (a) Germans living in Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia would be sent back to Germany.
9. [1] (b) Stalin wanted to control Berlin.
10. [1] (b) The Western powers were trying to make Germany strong.
11. [1] (b) Britain, USA and France had combined their zones.
12. [1] (b) The Western powers had set up a new currency.
13. [1] (b) The Marshall Plan resulted in West Berlin flourishing.
14. [1] (b) Stalin wanted the Western powers out of Berlin.
15. [1] (b) Stalin wanted all Berlin to be under communist control.
16. [5] (b) Stalin blockaded Berlin because he felt the USA's handling of Western Germany was provocative. The Allies joined their zones together and introduced a new currency. Stalin could do nothing to prevent this but wanted to assert his own power over Berlin as it was deep inside Eastern Germany. Therefore, he took the decision to cut the Western sectors off from Western Germany.
17. [1] (c) Stalin did not do what was agreed at Potsdam.
18. [1] (c) Free elections were not held in Poland and this angered the Allies.
19. [1] (c) The USA started the policy of containment.
20. [1] (c) Marshall Aid was designed to help European states which were struggling to recover from the war.
21. [1] (c) Marshall Aid was designed to prevent countries falling to communism.
22. [1] (c) Stalin felt threatened by Marshall Aid.
23. [5] (c) The Western Allies wanted Poland to have a government which had been elected by free and fair multi-party elections. They wanted the elections to be held as soon as possible but agreed to a provisional government of pro-Soviet Lublin Poles and exiled London Poles. Stalin wanted a pro-Soviet government on his border and was willing to murder opposition leaders and fix the elections to achieve this. His failure to do what had been agreed angered the Allies.
24. [5] (c) The USA interpreted the Soviet takeover of Eastern Europe as the start of spreading communism around the world and responded with Marshall Aid. This was a package of financial support which was to help strengthen vulnerable European economies suffering from the effects of war. The USSR saw this as a threat.
25. [10] (c) Explanation of both sides (Level 4, 7-9 marks) with evaluation of 'which did more' (Level 5, 10 marks).