Wars and their consequences dominated the Middle East.

Mark scheme

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

1. [1-4] e.g. 'Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal.'
2. [1-4] 'Britain met with France and Israel and agreed to invade Suez.'
3. [1-4] 'Israel invaded Egypt.'
4. [1-4] 'The whole of Sinai ended up in Israeli hands.'
5. [1-4] 'Britain and France issued an ultimatum threatening to intervene if the Egyptians and Israelis did not agree to a ceasefire.'
6. [1-4] 'British and French aircraft bombed Egyptian airfields.'
7. [1-4] 'British and French troops invaded Suez.’
8. [1-4] 'Russia threatened to attack Israeli, British and French forces.'
9. [1-4] 'Under US pressure, Britain and France agreed to a ceasefire in November.'
10. [1-4] 'British and French forces withdrew and their forces were replaced by a UN Emergency Force.'
11. [4-5] e.g. 'The consequences were important because the war increased Israel's problems. The military victory would not ensure Israel's safety forever. Only a diplomatic settlement would do that. Its conquests of Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights meant that many Palestinian Arabs were now living under Israeli control. This would cause Israel problems in the future as would Arab claims that Israel had no right to the conquered territory. The consequences were to build up more problems for Israel.'
12. [2-3] e.g. 'The Arab countries were seriously weakened militarily.'
13. [2-3] 'The Golan Heights helped Israel to protect itself against Syria.'
14. [2-3] 'Israel gained much more defensible borders.'
15. [2-3] 'The Arab states were even more determined not to recognise Israel.'
16. [2-3] 'The land conquered by Israel caused future problems with the Arab states who wanted it back.'
17. [2-3] 'Israel now faced an enormous problem over the million Palestinians now under its control.'
18. [2-3] 'The war made clear that a diplomatic solution was needed to make Israel safe, not military victories.'
19. [4-6] e.g. 'I think the Arab states gained a lot. This was because the war showed how powerful a weapon the Arab states had over the US and the West. During the war, the Arab states had announced an embargo on oil supplies to the US and the West. This led to the price of oil shooting up. Although the war ended shortly afterwards, this threat showed everyone what a powerful weapon the oil states had over the West. The Arab states produced over a third of the world's oil and they could cripple the West's economies by reducing supply.'
20. [4-6] OR e.g. 'I think the Israelis gained the most. They again proved their military superiority over the Arab countries. They had been taken by surprise and had started by having some setbacks, but they soon recovered and recaptured all their territory. They inflicted enormous casualties on their enemy. Egypt and Syria had 16000 men dead.'
21. [2-3] e.g. 'The Arab states had shown they could harm the West by stopping the supply of oil.'
22. [2-3] 'The Arab states worked together much more effectively.'
23. [2-3] 'The Arab armed forces and people regained a lot of self-confidence.'
24. [2-3] 'Israel realised that it would not have security until a diplomatic solution was found.'
25. [2-3] 'The Arab countries had shown they could act together.'
26. [2-3] 'Israel had enjoyed a massive military victory.'
27. [2-3] 'Israel had again shown its military superiority.'
28. [2-3] 'The Arab countries had shown they could have military successes against Israel.'