Study this source. Source D 'Hitler was not solely responsible for the outbreak of war in 1939. The Treaty of Versailles created the conditions for German r...

Source analysis

Source D is from a historian's analysis published in 2005. It explicitly argues that Hitler was 'not solely responsible' for the outbreak of war, identifying multiple contributing factors: the Treaty of Versailles created conditions for German resentment, appeasement allowed Hitler to expand without opposition, Britain and France failed to act over the Rhineland in 1936, and Stalin's Nazi-Soviet Pact removed the last obstacle to invading Poland. The source concludes that while Hitler was 'the primary aggressor,' other nations share responsibility. As a secondary source, it benefits from hindsight and access to declassified documents, but it presents one historian's interpretation.

Contextual knowledge

The case that Hitler bears primary responsibility: his foreign policy was consistently aggressive. He withdrew from the League of Nations and Disarmament Conference (1933), announced rearmament and conscription (1935), remilitarised the Rhineland (1936), achieved Anschluss with Austria (March 1938), demanded the Sudetenland at Munich (September 1938), invaded Czechoslovakia (March 1939), and invaded Poland (September 1939). The Hossbach Memorandum (November 1937) recorded his war plans.

The case that others share blame: Britain and France's appeasement emboldened Hitler. The USA's isolationism kept it out of European affairs. The Soviet Union's pact with Germany freed Hitler to attack Poland. Italy's Rome-Berlin Axis (1936) and Pact of Steel (1939) strengthened Hitler. The Treaty of Versailles left many Germans feeling the post-war settlement was unjust, creating a political environment Hitler exploited.

Mark scheme (Levels of Response) [12 marks]

• Level 1 [1-4 marks]: Simple statements. For example, 'The source says Hitler was not the only one to blame.' No development.
• Level 2 [5-8 marks]: Uses sources OR own knowledge to argue one or both sides. Discusses Hitler's aggressive actions or the failures of other nations, but may not integrate source material with own knowledge effectively.
• Level 3 [9-12 marks]: Uses BOTH sources AND own knowledge to build a balanced, evaluated argument. Weighs Hitler's aggressive foreign policy against the failures of appeasement, the impact of the Treaty of Versailles, and the actions of other powers. Reaches a supported conclusion, for example that Hitler's foreign policy was the most important single cause but that the war resulted from a combination of factors.

Exam reminder: The word 'entirely' in the statement is a signal. Very few historical events have a single cause. Your job is to assess the relative importance of Hitler's actions compared to other contributing factors, not simply to list them.