HISTORY
GRADE 12
PAPER 1
NSC PAST PAPERS AND MEMOS
SEPTEMBER 2017

INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION 

  1. This question paper consists of SECTION A and SECTION B based on the  prescribed content framework in the CAPS document.
    • SECTION A: SOURCE-BASED QUESTIONS
      • QUESTION 1: THE COLD WAR: THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS
      • QUESTION 2: INDEPENDENT AFRICA: CASE STUDY – ANGOLA 
      • QUESTION 3: CIVIL SOCIETY PROTESTS FROM THE 1950s TO THE  1970s – BLACK POWER MOVEMENT IN THE USA
    • SECTION B: ESSAY QUESTIONS
      • QUESTION 4: CASE STUDY – CHINA
      • QUESTION 5: INDEPENDENT AFRICA: COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY – THE CONGO AND TANZANIA.
      • QUESTION 6: CIVIL SOCIETY PROTESTS FROM THE 1950s TO THE  1970s: THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT 
  2. SECTION A consists of THREE source-based questions. Source material  that is required to answer these questions will be found in the accompanying  ADDENDUM of sources.
  3. SECTION B consists of THREE essay questions.
  4. Answer THREE questions as follows:
    4.1 At least ONE (1) must be a source-based question and at least ONE  (1) must be an essay question.
    4.2 The THIRD question can either be a source-based question or an  essay question. 
  5. Candidates are advised to spend about an hour on each question. 
  6. When candidates answer questions, they are required to demonstrate  application of knowledge, skills and insight. 
  7. Merely rewriting of the sources as answers will be to the disadvantage of  candidates. 
  8. Questions and subsections of questions must be numbered clearly and  correctly using the same numbering system used in the question paper. 
  9. Write neatly and legibly.

QUESTIONS 

SECTION A: SOURCE-BASED QUESTIONS 
Answer at least ONE question, but not more than TWO questions from this  section. 
Source material to be used to answer these questions is contained in the  accompanying ADDENDUM. 

QUESTION 1: HOW DID THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS CONTRIBUTE TO  COLD WAR TENSIONS BETWEEN THE SOVIET UNION AND  THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN THE 1960s? 
Study Sources 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D and answer the questions that follow.
1.1 Refer to Source 1A. 

1.1.1 According to information in the source, which country was a threat to  Cuba? (1 x 1) (1) 
1.1.2 Why did Khrushchev choose to assist Cuba? Give THREE reasons for your answer from the source. (3 x 1) (3) 
1.1.3 What, according to the information in the source, was the pre condition for the removal of missiles from Cuba by the Soviet Union?  (1 x 2) (2) 
1.1.4 Explain the concept quarantine in the context of the Cuban Missile  Crisis. (1 x 2) (2) 
1.1.5 Comment on the usefulness of the information in this source to a  historian studying the Cuban Missile Crisis. (2 x 2) (4) 

1.2 Use Source 1B. 

1.2.1 Why, according to the information in the source, was the USA  keeping a close watch of the activities that unfolded in Cuba? (1 x 2) (2) 
1.2.2 Explain why it was necessary for Kennedy to impose a quarantine on Soviet missiles that were deployed to Cuba. (2 x 2) (4) 
1.2.3 Why, in your opinion, was the USA against the installation of Soviet  missiles in Cuba? (2 x 2) (4) 
1.2.4 Comment on what you think Kennedy meant by the statement, ‘I call  upon Chairman Khrushchev … to transform the history of man.’  (2 x 2) (4)

1.3 Consult Source 1C. 

1.3.1 Explain why you think Robert Kennedy and Dobrynin decided to talk.  (2 x 2) (4)
1.3.2 Using the information in the source and your own knowledge,  explain Dobrynin’s reference to Turkey. (1 x 2) (2) 

1.4 Explain how the information in Source 1C supports the evidence in  Source 1B regarding the deployment of Soviet missiles to Cuba. (2 x 2) (4) 
1.5 Study Source 1D. 

1.5.1 Identify the two leaders that are portrayed in the cartoon. (2 x 1) (2) 
1.5.2 Explain what is implied by the words, ‘THIS HURTS ME MORE  THAN IT HURTS YOU’ in the context of the Cuban Missiles Crisis.  (2 x 2) (4) 

1.6 Using the information from the relevant sources and your own knowledge,  write a paragraph of about EIGHT lines (about 80 words) explaining how the  Cuban Missile Crisis contributed to Cold War tensions between the United  States of America and the Soviet Union in the 1960s. (8)

[50]

QUESTION 2: HOW DID FOREIGN COUNTRIES BECOME INVOLVED IN THE  ANGOLAN CIVIL WAR AFTER 1975? 
Study Sources 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D and answer the questions that follow.
2.1 Consult Source 2A. 

2.1.1 Using the information in the source and your own knowledge define  the concept, Cold War, in the context of the Angolan Civil War.(1 x 2) (2) 
2.1.2 Quote any FOUR countries from the source that became involved in  the Angolan Civil War. (4 x 1) (4) 
2.1.3 Why, according to the information in the source, did the apartheid  government support UNITA? (1 x 2) (2) 
2.1.4 Explain why you think a number of countries became involved in the  Angolan Civil War. (2 x 2) (4) 

2.2 Refer to Source 2B. 

2.2.1 What direct support, according to the source, did the MPLA  government receive from the Soviet Union and Cuba? (2 x 1) (2) 
2.2.2 Comment on the usefulness of the information in this source to a  historian studying the roles that Cuba and the USA played in the  Angolan Civil War. (2 x 2) (4) 
2.2.3 What, according to the source, was Cuba’s pre-condition to withdraw from Angola? (1 x 2) (2) 
2.2.4 Explain why, in your opinion, Cuba decided to prescribe pre conditions before withdrawing from Angola. (2 x 2) (4)  

2.3 Explain how the information in Source 2A supports the evidence in  Source 2B, regarding the involvement of foreign powers in the Angolan  Civil War. (2 x 2) (4) 
2.4 Use Source 2C. 

Related Items

2.4.1 Explain why you think this photograph was published. (2 x 2) (4) 
2.4.2 Identify the Angolan political party that published this photograph.   (1 x 2) (2)

2.5 Study Source 2D. 

2.5.1 Why was the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale regarded as a turning point in  the Angolan Civil War? (2 x 2) (4) 
2.5.2 Explain why you think there were different views as to who won the  Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. (2 x 2) (4) 

2.6 Using the information in the relevant sources and your own knowledge, write  a paragraph of about EIGHT lines (about 80 words) explaining how foreign  countries became involved in the Angolan Civil War after 1975. (8)

[50]

QUESTION 3: WHY WAS THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT FORMED IN THE  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA DURING THE 1960s? 
Study Sources 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D and answer the questions that follow.
3.1 Consult Source 3A. 

3.1.1 What, according to the information in the source, were the TWO basic  problems that African Americans faced? (2 x 1) (2) 
3.1.2 How should black people affirm themselves as ‘worthy’? Provide  THREE pieces of evidence from the source. (3 x 1) (3) 
3.1.3 Explain why, in your opinion, blacks were inspired by black Africans ruling their own countries. (2 x 2) (4) 
3.1.4 Comment on the usefulness of the information in this source to a  historian studying the philosophy of the Black Power. (2 x 2) (4) 

3.2 Read Source 3B. 

3.2.1 Define the concept nationalism in the context of the emergence of the  Black Power Movement. (1 x 2) (2) 
3.2.2 What, according to the information in the source, was the basic  demand of black people living in the USA? (1 x 1) (1) 
3.2.3 Using the information in the source and your own knowledge, explain  the message that Malcolm X communicated to African Americans.  (2 x 2) (4) 
3.2.4 Explain what you think was implied by the statement, ‘We’ve got to  fight until we overcome’, in the context of the strategies that were used  by the Black Power Movement. (2 x 2) (4) 

3.3 Explain how the information in Source 3B supports the evidence in Source 3A regarding the philosophy of the Black Power Movement. (2 x 2) (4) 
3.4 Refer to Source 3C. 

3.4.1 Why, according to the information in the source, was the term ‘Negro’  replaced with ‘black’? (1 x 2) (2) 
3.4.2 Explain why, in your opinion, the philosophy of Black Power appealed to many African Americans. (2 x 2) (4) 
3.4.3 Mention TWO pieces of evidence from the source that show that  African Americans were still victims of racism. (2 x 1) (2)

3.5 Use Source 3D. 

3.5.1 Explain the messages that are conveyed in this photograph. (2 x 2) (4)
3.5.2 Why do you think the Black Panther Party was established? (1 x 2) (2) 

3.6 Using the information in the relevant sources and your own knowledge, write a  paragraph of about EIGHT lines (about 80 words) explaining why the Black  Power Movement was formed in the United States of America during the 1960s. (8)

[50]

SECTION B: ESSAY QUESTIONS 
Answer at least ONE question, but not more than TWO questions from this  section. 

QUESTION 4: CASE STUDY – CHINA 
By the late 1960s the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) realised that Mao  Zedong’s policies of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution were a  big mistake. 
Do you agree with this statement? Support your line of argument with relevant  evidence. [50] 

QUESTION 5: INDEPENDENT AFRICA: CASE STUDY – THE CONGO 
Critically discuss the political, economic, social and cultural successes and  challenges the Congo and Tanzania experienced after they attained independence from colonial rule. [50] 

QUESTION 6: CIVIL SOCIETY PROTESTS IN THE 1950s TO THE 1960s: THE  CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT 
Explain to what extent the various forms of civil society protests were successful in  ensuring that African Americans attained equality and fairness in the United States  of America in the 1960s. [50] 

TOTAL: 150

Last modified on Monday, 19 July 2021 08:15