Superpower involvement in the Middle East had mixed results.

Mark scheme

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

1. [1] (a) Nasser announced that the Suez Canal was 'our Canal'.
2. [1] (a) Nasser decided that Egypt would nationalise the Canal and Egyptians would run it themselves.
3. [1] (a) Egyptian forces occupied key positions in the Canal Zone.
4. [1] (a) Nasser froze the assets of the Suez Canal Company and announced the compulsory purchase of its shares.
5. [1] (a) The Canal was closed to Israeli shipping.
6. [1] (a) The Straits of Tiran were closed to Israeli shipping.
7. [1] (a) Nasser ordered that the Gulf of Aqaba be blockaded.
8. [1] (b) The agreements did not demand from Israel recognition of the Palestinians' right to self-determination.
9. [1] (b) It was a weakening of Arab opposition to Israel.
10. [1] (b) Egypt was suspended from the Arab League.
11. [1] (b) King Hussein was angry that Jordan's interests in the West Bank were not discussed.
12. [5] (b) Many Arab nations did not agree with the agreements made at Camp David. The agreements did not demand from Israel recognition of the Palestinians' right to self-determination. Therefore, Arab states saw Camp David as a disintegration of a united Arab front in opposition to Israel.
13. [1] (c) Czechoslovakia, an ally of the USSR, provided weapons to Egypt in the Suez Crisis.
14. [1] (c) The USSR used the Suez Crisis to divert attention away from events in Hungary.
15. [1] (c) The USSR provided aid for the Aswan Dam.
16. [1] (c) Weapons were supplied which helped the Arab states in the Yom Kippur War.
17. [5] (c) In some ways the USSR was an effective ally for the Arab states. In 1955, the Russians started to sell weapons to Nasser to attempt a balancing of power in the region. During the Six-Day War, the Russians supported the Arabs and, despite their defeat, the support continued up to 1973. The USSR also provided support to Egypt in projects such as building the Aswan Dam.
18. [5] (c) In other ways the USSR had a negative influence. In 1967, the USSR passed on intelligence to the Arab states about Israeli troop movements on the border of Syria. This was later proved to be false but was one of the main reasons the Six-Day War was launched. Some leaders, for instance President Sadat, were concerned they were being used by the USSR as a pawn in the Cold War and relations cooled in the 1970s.
19. [10] (c) Explanation of both sides (Level 4, 7-9 marks) with evaluation of 'how far' (Level 5, 10 marks).