Cambridge International AS & A Level

HISTORY 9489/12
Paper 1 Document Question February/March 2024
MARK SCHEME
Maximum Mark: 40

Published

This mark scheme is published as an aid to teachers and candidates, to indicate the requirements of the
examination. It shows the basis on which Examiners were instructed to award marks. It does not indicate the
details of the discussions that took place at an Examiners’ meeting bef ore marking began, which woul d have
considered the acceptability of alternative answers.

Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report f or
Teachers.

Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes.

Cambridge International is publishing the mark schemes f or the February/March 2024 series f or most
Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge International A and AS Level components, and some Cambridge O Level
components.

This document consists of 13 printed pages.

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Generic Marking Principles

These general marking principles must be applied by all examiners when marking candidate answers.
They should be applied alongside the specific content of the mark scheme or generic level
descriptions for a question. Each question paper and mark scheme will also comply with these
marking principles.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 1:

Marks must be awarded in line with:

• the specific content of the mark scheme or the generic level descriptors for the question
• the specific skills defined in the mark scheme or in the generic level descriptors for the question
• the standard of response required by a candidate as exemplified by the standardisation scripts.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 2:

Marks awarded are always whole marks (not half marks, or other fractions).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 3:

Marks must be awarded positively:

• marks are awarded for correct/valid answers, as defined in the mark scheme. However, credit
is given for valid answers which go beyond the scope of the syllabus and mark scheme,
referring to your Team Leader as appropriate
• marks are awarded when candidates clearly demonstrate what they know and can do
• marks are not deducted for errors
• marks are not deducted for omissions
• answers should only be judged on the quality of spelling, punctuation and grammar when these
features are specifically assessed by the question as indicated by the mark scheme. The
meaning, however, should be unambiguous.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 4:

Rules must be applied consistently, e.g. in situations where candidates have not followed
instructions or in the application of generic level descriptors.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 5:

Marks should be awarded using the full range of marks defined in the mark scheme for the question
(however; the use of the full mark range may be limited according to the quality of the candidate
responses seen).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 6:

Marks awarded are based solely on the requirements as defined in the mark scheme. Marks should
not be awarded with grade thresholds or grade descriptors in mind.

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Please note, sentences in italics are intended as examples of evaluation.

Part (a) Generic Levels of Response: Marks

Level 4 Makes a developed comparison 12–15

Makes a developed comparison between the two sources.
Explains why points of similarity and difference exist through contextual
awareness and/or source evaluation.

Level 3 Compares views and identifies similarities and differences 8–11

Compares the views expressed in the two sources, identifying differences and
similarities and supporting them with source content.

Level 2 Compares views and identifies similarities or differences 4–7

Identifies relevant similarities or differences between the two sources and the
response may be one-sided with only one aspect explained.

OR

Compares views and identifies similarities and differences but these are
asserted rather than supported from the sources
Identifies relevant similarities and differences between the two sources
without supporting evidence from the sources.

Level 1 Describes content of each source 1–3

Describes or paraphrases the content of the two sources.
Very simple comparisons may be made (e.g. one is from a letter and the other
is from a speech) but these are not developed.

Level 0 No creditable content. 0

No engagement with source material.

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Part (b) Generic Levels of Response: Marks

Level 5 Evaluates the sources to reach a supported judgement 21–25

Answers are well focused, demonstrating a clear understanding of the
sources and the question.
Reaches a supported judgement about the extent to which the sources
support the statement and weighs the evidence in order to do this.

Level 4 Using evaluation of the sources to support and/or challenge the 16–20
statement
Demonstrates a clear understanding of how the source content supports and
challenges the statement.
Evaluates source material in context, this may be through considering the
nature, origin and purpose of the sources in relation to the statement.

Level 3 Uses the sources to support and challenge the statement 11–15
Makes valid points from the sources to both challenge and support the
statement.

Level 2 Uses the sources to support or challenge the statement 6–10

Makes valid points from the sources to either support the statement or to
challenge it.

Level 1 Does not make valid use of the sources 1–5

Describes the content of the sources with little attempt to link the material to
the question.
Alternatively, candidates may write an essay about the question with little or
no reference to the sources.

Level 0 No creditable content. 0

No engagement with source material.

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Question Answer Marks

1(a) Read Source A and Source D. Compare and contrast these two sources 15
as evidence about canals.

Similarities

• Both sources see some positive elements in the development of transport

by canal. This is most obvious in Source D where the coal and iron
masters do not want the canal replaced as it is best for their trade.
However, Source A also admits that the canals were a positive
development – they were built for the public good and ‘experience has
justified the decision’. This implies that industry has benefited from the
development of canals.
• Both see that it is possible that canals will become outdated and replaced
by a faster means of transport. In Source A the railway company wants
investors for the new line to reduce transport costs. In Source D there is
a plan to replace the canal and drain it, presumably to lay a railway over
the old route of the canal.

Differences

• In Source D canals are seen as the best option of transport for the coal
and iron industry. However, In Source A the implication is that railways
will undercut the cost of canals and be more convenient, benefiting trade.
• Source A makes an argument that the canal companies have a
monopoly which has meant transportation prices have been much higher
than they need to be. Source D doesn’t accept this argument as it claims
the traders have their own barges and can use the canals without facing
restrictions.

Explanation

The similarities between the sources can be explained by reference to

contextual knowledge about the development of the transport revolution. The
cost of any new transport venture was considerable and investors were
needed to finance new schemes. The price of transporting goods was
significant for manufacturers and impacted to final price of products. Canals
were first developed in the 1750s and were important in supplying coal from
the Duke of Bridgewater’s coal mines to Manchester. A network of canals
developed rapidly and was particularly useful for transporting bulky materials
such as clay and fragile goods such as pottery.

The difference between the sources could be developed from the provenance
of the source. Source A is from a railway company which is looking for
investors to finance a railway from Liverpool to Manchester. They have a clear
interest in arguing that canals are no longer the most effective form of
transport. Both towns were very important to the cotton industry and cheap,
reliable transport was vital for business. However, the coal and iron masters
favour canal transport. They have invested in development along the canals
and it was still likely that in 1846 it was cheaper to transport bulky goods such
as coal and iron by water.

Accept any other valid responses.

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Question Answer Marks

1(b) Read all of the sources. ‘The development of railways was unpopular.’ 25
How far do these sources support this view?

Indicative content

Support

Source B: those who own land where railways are proposed, and the
proprietor of the nearby canal, are opposed to the scheme. The source shows
that they are obstructive, barring the surveyors from the land and firing guns
in the night to stop them approaching under cover of darkness.
Source D: the coal and iron merchants have invested heavily in the canal and
consider this will have been a waste of money if the canal is replaced by a
railway. They also accuse the railway companies of being obstructive and
trying to control trade for their own benefit.

Challenge

Source A: railways will be cheaper than using canals and will have none of
the disadvantages caused by the weather. They claim the canal companies
have a monopoly and that the public is suffering higher prices as a result.
They argue the competition from the railway would be healthier for business.
Source C: the opening of the Darlington and Stockton railway has attracted a
crowd to watch the train and many passengers. This suggests that it was a
popular event and that people were interested in the new locomotive.
Source D: although not the main drift of the argument, the source recognises
that there is an intention to replace the canal with a railway and therefore they
must be popular with some.

Evaluation

Source A has a vested interest in presenting the canal companies as

monopolisers and railways as the solution. Having this purpose may be
considered to weaken the weight source as evidence in response to the
question. However, candidates could use their knowledge of the progress of
industrialisation and the development of the railways to explain why the
company is so keen for support. The existing means of water transport dated
from the 1700s and many thought the owners of the canals were making
excessive profits from the cotton trade and preventing the growth of
Manchester and other towns.

Source B is written by George Stephenson who was responsible for building

the first steam locomotive and the railway seen in Source C. He was the
surveyor of the line in question and had first-hand experience of the problems
faced by the survey. The existing canals connecting the port of Liverpool to
Manchester and other textiles producing towns were partly owned by the
landowners mentioned in the source and it is not surprising they resisted the
innovation of railways.

Source C was probably produced to celebrate the opening of the railway and
so it shows the event in a positive light. The line was the first to use steam
locomotives and, although carrying passengers in the picture, it was used to
transport coal to Darlington and Stockton. There was huge public interest in
the opening of the railway and large crowds gathered along the route.

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Question Answer Marks

1(b) Source D shows strong opposition to the railways. This is not surprising as
the coal masters have invested heavily in the canal and see the possibility of
a railway as a hindrance to their business. This source was written at the
beginning of a phase known as ‘railway mania’ when canals were closed in
favour of railways, accompanied by speculation on land prices which
encouraged non-viable railway building schemes.

Accept any other valid responses.

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Question Answer Marks

2(a) Read Source C and Source D. Compare and contrast these two sources 15
as evidence about the young ‘New Dealers’.

Indicative content

Similarities include:

• Source C says that it was the advice of the New Dealers which made
Roosevelt ‘hostile to business’ while Source D says that they had a ‘deep
suspicion of all businessmen.’
• Both Sources maintain that they had a major influence on Roosevelt with
Source C saying that ‘much of the responsibility for this’ lay with them
and Source D says that ‘much of the responsibility for the President’s
thinking lay with those young lawyers.’
• Both Sources suggest that the New Dealers knew little of business or
government.

Differences include:

• Source C says that while claiming to be motivated by high ideals, in fact

they were after ‘power and jobs’. Source D says they were ‘motivated by
high ideals.’
• Source C says they were after ‘radical change’ while Source D saw what
they were only after a ‘temporary’ change’ in order to return to prosperity.
• Source C says they wished to give the government the ‘dominant role in
in the management of the economy’ while Source D maintains that they
wished eventually for it to ‘return to its former role’ in the management of
the economy. They did not anticipate that it would not.

Explanation:

Source C is an article in a leading New York financial newspaper which

naturally sees the issue of the downturn from a business perspective. Much of
what is written here about the New Dealers is largely accurate, if rather
generalised. There were plenty of those young New Dealers who came for a
‘dollar a day’, worked hard, and then returned to their universities and law
offices. There is some balance there however, the earlier comments about the
failure of business to understand the pressures on government, especially in
the light of the 1936 Presidential and Congressional elections, show this. It is
the second paragraph that is more one-sided and critical. Source D is written
by the man who played a huge role in getting Roosevelt elected to the
Presidency three times and who was also in his Cabinet for the whole of the
New Deal period. It is worth noting that he is quite critical of Roosevelt, and it
shows that Roosevelt was quite prepared to tolerate critics in his
administration. The memoir was written after Roosevelt’s death in 1945, when
there was a growing hostility to the idea of the ‘New Deal.’

Accept any other valid responses.

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Question Answer Marks

2(b) Read all of the sources. ‘Roosevelt’s government was responsible for 25
causing the recession of 1937–38.’ How far do these sources support
this view?

Indicative content

Support:

• Source A quite strongly supports the assertion. It is the ‘flood of

legislation’ which Roosevelt’s administration put through Congress, in the
famous ‘100 Days’. It also mentions that is government action that is
causing all the uncertainty which makes business reluctant to invest.
• While Source C is more nuanced, there is certainly evidence there to
suggest that the government did play a part in causing the downturn,
suggesting that ‘government did not understand how business works’ and
had not created the conditions needed to incentivise investment.
• Source D is strongly in favour of the assertion. Farley says that
‘government was at war with its economic machinery’, and that Roosevelt
would not ‘make a genuine attempt to make peace with business.’ He is
very clear where responsibility lies.

Challenge:

• Source B is very clear that it does not support the assertion. Ickes, a
leading member of the Cabinet throughout the New Deal years, argues
that the recession is caused by a small group of 60 families determined to
destroy the New Deal in order to safeguard their own interests. Their
opposition if for political reasons. He also suggests, correctly, that the
actions of the Courts in striking down many of the New Deal acts, did not
help either.
• Source C, more balanced than other sources, does suggest that the
recession is not entirely the fault of government as ‘business does not
understand the great expectations placed on government to restore
prosperity, and ‘could well have been more supportive in the current
downturn.’ There were failings on both sides.

Evaluation:

Source A is written by the Chief Executive of a major corporation, writing to

shareholders, probably explaining why their dividends were not as high as
they might have wished. Naturally he would be inclined to place the blame for
this on the government, rather than any failings on the part of himself or the
management of the Corporation. He is making rather an extreme case
obviously and was not considering the fact that Roosevelt had recently won
re-election and there was the expectation that the government would continue
to legislate and act to deal with the ongoing high levels of unemployment.

Source B, a speech by Ickes, one of the more radical (and big spending) New
Dealers naturally has a different view. He would be reluctant to see the
government as the cause of the downturn and was looking for someone else
to blame. The view he put forward was held by some members of the
administration at the time, but not, as Source D shows, all of them.

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Question Answer Marks

2(b) Source C is an article in a leading New York financial newspaper at the time
and reflected the views of many on Wall Street. There is a degree of balance
in it, certainly in the first paragraph, but the comments on the motives of the
New Dealers contrast with those seen in Source D. Contextual knowledge
would suggest that there is some truth in what the article says, but overall, it is
harsh.

Source D, by James Farley contrasts interestingly with Source B, another

Cabinet member throughout the whole New Deal era. It shows Roosevelt’s
ability to work with men of very diverse views and utilise their views and skills
to both get into power and stay there. What he writes is accurate, both in the
first paragraph about investment and the ‘economic machinery’ and also his
views on the young New Dealers. It is worth noting that Farley was a vital
factor in Roosevelt’s winning the elections of 1932,1936 and 1940. He was a
very astute political manager.

Accept any other valid responses.

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Question Answer Marks

3(a) Read Source B and Source C. 15

To what extent do these sources agree about the Locarno Conference?

Indicative content

Similarities

• It was the result of a German initiative.

• This represented a big shift in attitudes – it was the ‘first time’ the
countries had met as ‘as equals’ in Source B; Germany was changing
and making a proposal to build peace in Source C.
• It ended in success, stated in Source B and implied by the ‘change’ in
relations between Germany and France described in Source C.

Differences

• Distrust at home and abroad is emphasised in Source C, which is less

positive in mood than Source B; Source B emphasises a ‘spirit of good-
will on all sides, of confidence’.
• Source C refers to ‘entry into the League of Nations’ as a ‘condition’ for
the agreement at Locarno, implying that Germany was still being treated
differently to other nations. Source B presents the negotiations as
between ‘free nations, meeting as equals to discuss their differences’.

Explanation

The similarities reflect the situation of the mid 1920s, at which point the
German government was working to establish better relations with other
powers, in an effort to boost the economy and gain consent for the removal of
British and French troops from its territories. Chamberlain was also keen to
support France and reduce tension in Europe. The achievement was seen as
significant at the time: Chamberlain was awarded the Nobel Prize for peace in
1925, with Stresemann and Briand sharing the same honour a year later in
recognition of their work in securing the Locarno pact.

Chamberlain’s positivity, which contrasts with Stresemann’s more cautious

optimism, reflects his hope that the Locarno agreement would secure his
reputation not only as Foreign Secretary but as an international statesman.
He was also trying to persuade a more sceptical British Parliament that the
Locarno Agreement should be signed and celebrated. Stresemann, in his
Nobel Lecture, is demonstrating the magnitude of the change which he has
helped to bring about, both within Germany and in terms of international
recognition.

Accept any other valid responses.

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Question Answer Marks

3(b) Read all of the sources. 25

How far do the sources support the view that French and German
leaders were committed to seeking peaceful solutions to international
problems?

Indicative content

Support:

• Source A: The German leader Stresemann is shown as sincere and

offering both hands in friendship.
• Source B: This emphasises the ‘sincere desire for peace’ of the German
statesmen, led by Stresemann, and is particularly effusive about Briand
as a man ‘works to make peace’. The success of the conference is
attributed to ‘the character of the representatives of Germany and of
France’.
• Source C: Stresemann refers to his ‘battle for German foreign policy’ to
reject old habits of militarism. He also mentions with great approval
Briand’s words that ‘that the era of cannons and machine guns must end’.

Challenge:

• Source A: This offers clear challenge in terms of Briand’s hidden boxing

glove, indicating his underlying hostility to Germany.
• Source D: This also indicates France’s continued deep animosity
towards Germany. This is attributed to German actions in 1870 in ‘the
captured provinces’ of Alsace-Lorraine. It was also determined not to
move to general disarmament as promised by the Treaty of Versailles.
Poincaré is shown as much more determined than Briand in his aim ‘to
prevent every effort to restore goodwill in Europe’. His influence was
strong as he was either President or Prime Minister of France for most of
the period from 1913 to 1929.

Evaluation:

Source A – The cartoon shows a British audience the sense that the
appearance of cooperation is worth little. There is a strong suggestion of
hypocrisy not only in Briand’s hidden threat but also in the expressions of the
British and French foreign ministers. Low was to build a reputation for
mocking the empty gestures of western leaders when faced with the rise of
fascism and militarism.

Source B – Chamberlain is showing his part in bringing together the formerly

hostile nations – as made mockingly clear in Source A – and his good
relations with each. His hopes for success seem sincere but need to be
emphasised in the context of a parliamentary debate.

Source C – Stresemann represents himself as a moderniser in Germany and

the man who has instigated the Locarno Pact, with its hope of international
peace. This is in keeping with the ideals of the Nobel Peace Prize, to which
his speech relates.

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Question Answer Marks

3(b) Source D – Lloyd George and Poincaré had met on several occasions,
particularly in negotiations for the Genoa Conference 1921–1922. They had
not had a harmonious relationship. However, the view of the French leader’s
attitude to Germany has some basis – it was Poincaré who refused to accept
any delay in German reparation payments in 1923 and ordered French troops
into the Ruhr.

Taken together, the sources show some genuine desire to create the
conditions for peace, but that it depended on the personality of individual
leaders, and that there was entrenched hostility in both countries.

Accept any other valid responses.

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