ICSE Class 10 · Chapter 16

The Second World War ICSE Class 10: Causes, Consequences and the Cold War

Updated 14 October 2026 · Fact-checked

The Second World War (1939-1945) began when Hitler invaded Poland. ICSE Class 10 tests six causes (resentment against Versailles, Fascism and Nazism, appeasement, Japan's invasion of China, the League's failure and the attack on Poland), a brief mention of Pearl Harbour and Hiroshima-Nagasaki, three consequences, and the meaning of the Cold War, NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

What The Second World War is about

Only twenty years after the First World War, a second and even more destructive war broke out. It was fought between the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) and the Allies (Britain, France, the USSR, the USA, China and others).

The syllabus lists six causes: dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Versailles, the rise of Fascism and Nazism, the policy of appeasement, the Japanese invasion of China, the failure of the League of Nations, and Hitler's invasion of Poland. It asks for only a brief mention of the attack on Pearl Harbour and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The consequences tested are the defeat of the Axis Powers, the formation of the United Nations and the Cold War, with only the meaning of the Cold War, NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

Recent papers have used a cartoon of Hitler marching into Poland, a passage on Japan in Manchuria, and questions on the cities bombed in 1945 and reasons for the attack on Poland. CISCE examiners noted students choosing Czechoslovakia instead of Poland as the start of the war, confusing the two Japanese cities, copying lines from passages instead of inferring, and giving vague reasons for the League's failure.

Weightage: CISCE publishes no chapter weightage. History is tested in Part I (compulsory 1- and 2-mark items) and in Part II Section B, where you answer three of five 10-mark History questions, each split 3 + 3 + 4.Source: CISCE ICSE 2027 Specimen Question Paper 501, History & Civics (H.C.G. Paper 1)

Key concepts

Dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Versailles

Germany regarded the Treaty of Versailles as a dictated, humiliating peace: war guilt, heavy reparations, loss of territory and colonies, and military restrictions. Italy too was unhappy, as it had received less than it was promised.

Hitler built his popularity on promises to tear up the treaty, and once in power he broke its terms step by step: he left the League and the Disarmament Conference (1933), reintroduced conscription and expanded the army (1935), and sent troops into the demilitarised Rhineland (1936). Each violation went unpunished, which encouraged further aggression.

Worked example

(3 marks) How did dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Versailles lead to the Second World War?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Germans felt humiliated by war guilt, reparations, territorial losses and military limits - 1 mark.
Hitler won support by promising to overturn the treaty - 1 mark.
He broke its terms, rearming and remilitarising the Rhineland (1936), and this unchecked aggression led towards war - 1 mark.

Answer: The treaty's harsh terms created deep resentment in Germany. Hitler rose to power promising to undo it, then broke it by rearming and remilitarising the Rhineland. Each unpunished breach encouraged more aggression, leading to war.

Rise of Fascism and Nazism

Both ideologies glorified war and national expansion, so their rise made war likely.

Italy under Mussolini invaded Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in 1935.
Germany under Hitler sought 'living space' (Lebensraum) in the east and the union of all German-speaking people; it annexed Austria (the Anschluss) in March 1938.
The aggressive powers drew together: the Rome-Berlin Axis (1936) and the Anti-Comintern Pact of Germany and Japan (1936), joined by Italy (1937), which formed the Axis bloc.

Worked example

(2 marks) Give two examples of aggression by Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany before 1939.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Italy invaded Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in 1935 - 1 mark.
Germany annexed Austria in 1938 (or remilitarised the Rhineland in 1936) - 1 mark.

Answer: Mussolini's Italy invaded Abyssinia in 1935, and Hitler's Germany annexed Austria in 1938 after remilitarising the Rhineland in 1936.

Policy of appeasement

Appeasement was the policy of Britain and France, especially under the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, of giving in to some of Hitler's demands to avoid war.

Why they followed it: memories of the slaughter of 1914-1918 and a strong desire for peace; a feeling that Versailles had been too harsh on Germany; fear of communism, which made a strong Germany seem a useful barrier against the USSR; and their own lack of military preparation.

The Munich Pact (September 1938): Britain and France agreed that Germany could take the Sudetenland, the German-speaking region of Czechoslovakia. Hitler promised it was his last demand, but in March 1939 he occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia.

Effect: appeasement convinced Hitler that Britain and France would never fight, and allowed Germany to grow stronger.

Worked example

(3 marks) What was the policy of appeasement? How did it contribute to the war?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Appeasement was the policy of Britain and France of giving in to Hitler's demands to avoid war - 1 mark.
Example: the Munich Pact (1938) gave the Sudetenland to Germany - 1 mark.
It encouraged Hitler to think Britain and France would not fight, so he went on to seize Czechoslovakia and attack Poland - 1 mark.

Answer: Appeasement meant Britain and France conceding Hitler's demands to keep peace, as at Munich in 1938 when they let him take the Sudetenland. It made Hitler believe they would never resist, so he occupied all of Czechoslovakia and then attacked Poland.

Japanese invasion of China

Japan, an industrial power short of raw materials and markets, wanted to expand on the Asian mainland.

In 1931 Japan invaded Manchuria, a resource-rich province of northern China, and set up a puppet state (Manchukuo).
China appealed to the League of Nations. The League's Lytton Commission condemned Japan, but the League took no effective action; Japan simply left the League in 1933.
In 1937 Japan launched a full-scale invasion of China.

The episode showed that aggression could succeed, and it brought Japan into alliance with Germany and Italy.

Worked example

(3 marks) How did the Japanese invasion of China contribute to the Second World War?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 to gain raw materials and markets - 1 mark.
The League condemned Japan but took no action, and Japan left the League in 1933, showing the League was powerless - 1 mark.
Japan invaded the rest of China in 1937 and joined Germany and Italy, encouraging aggression elsewhere - 1 mark.

Answer: Japan seized Manchuria in 1931 for its resources. The League only condemned it, and Japan left the League in 1933, proving that aggressors would go unpunished. Japan's full invasion of China in 1937 and its alliance with Germany and Italy pushed the world towards war.

Failure of the League of Nations

The League failed to stop aggression for specific reasons:
1. No armed force of its own; it depended on members to enforce decisions.
2. Absence of major powers: the USA never joined; Germany and Japan left in 1933 and Italy in 1937; the USSR was expelled in 1939.
3. Decisions needed unanimity, so action was slow or impossible.
4. Members put self-interest first. Britain and France did not want to risk war; for example, sanctions against Italy over Abyssinia (1935) excluded oil and were soon dropped.
5. Specific failures: Manchuria (1931), Abyssinia (1935), German rearmament and the Rhineland (1936), and the failure of the Disarmament Conference.
6. It was linked to the unpopular peace treaties and seen as a club of the victors.

Worked example

(4 marks) Mention any four reasons for the failure of the League of Nations.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

It had no army of its own to enforce decisions - 1 mark.
Major powers were absent: the USA never joined; Germany, Japan and Italy left - 1 mark.
Decisions required unanimity, so action was difficult - 1 mark.
Members such as Britain and France put self-interest first; sanctions on Italy over Abyssinia excluded oil and failed - 1 mark.

Answer: (1) The League had no armed force. (2) The USA never joined, and Germany, Japan and Italy left. (3) Its decisions needed unanimity. (4) Britain and France put their own interests first, as when weak sanctions failed to stop Italy in Abyssinia; it also failed to act against Japan in Manchuria.

Hitler's invasion of Poland (immediate cause)

Hitler demanded Danzig, a largely German port that the Treaty of Versailles had made a free city, and a road and rail route across the Polish Corridor, which separated East Prussia from the rest of Germany. Poland refused, and Britain and France guaranteed Poland's independence.

On 23 August 1939 Germany and the USSR signed a Non-Aggression Pact, so Hitler no longer feared a war on two fronts. On 1 September 1939 Germany invaded Poland. Britain and France declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939.

Reasons for the attack: to recover Danzig and the Polish Corridor lost at Versailles; to win 'living space' in the east; the belief, based on appeasement, that Britain and France would not actually fight; and the security given by the pact with the USSR.

Worked example

(3 marks) Mention any three reasons for Hitler's attack on Poland.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

To regain Danzig and the Polish Corridor, given to Poland or made a free city by the Treaty of Versailles - 1 mark.
To gain 'living space' (Lebensraum) for Germans in the east - 1 mark.
He believed Britain and France would not fight because of their appeasement, and the Nazi-Soviet Pact had secured his eastern flank - 1 mark.

Answer: Hitler attacked Poland (1) to recover Danzig and the Polish Corridor lost at Versailles, (2) to gain living space in the east, and (3) because appeasement made him think Britain and France would not fight, while the Nazi-Soviet Pact removed the danger of a Soviet attack.

Pearl Harbour and Hiroshima-Nagasaki (brief mention)

Pearl Harbour: on 7 December 1941 Japan made a surprise air attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, destroying many ships and aircraft. The next day the USA declared war on Japan, and the war became truly global.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki: the USA dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima (6 August 1945) and Nagasaki (9 August 1945). Tens of thousands died instantly, and many more later from radiation. Japan surrendered in August 1945 (formally on 2 September 1945), ending the war. Germany had already surrendered in May 1945.

Worked example

(2 marks) Name the two Japanese cities bombed by the USA in 1945. What was the result?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Hiroshima (6 August 1945) and Nagasaki (9 August 1945) - 1 mark.
Japan surrendered, ending the Second World War - 1 mark.

Answer: The USA dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, causing huge loss of life, and Japan surrendered soon afterwards, ending the war.

Consequences: Axis defeat, UN and Cold War

1. Defeat of the Axis Powers: Italy surrendered in 1943, Germany in May 1945 and Japan in August-September 1945. Germany was divided into four zones of occupation (later East and West Germany); fascist and Nazi regimes ended.
2. Formation of the United Nations: established on 24 October 1945 to maintain international peace and prevent another world war.
3. The Cold War: the USA and the USSR emerged as superpowers with rival systems.

Cold War (meaning): a state of tension, suspicion and rivalry between the USA-led capitalist bloc and the USSR-led communist bloc after the Second World War, without direct fighting between the two. It was carried on through propaganda, an arms race, military alliances and economic aid.

NATO (meaning): the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, formed in 1949, a military alliance of the USA, Canada and West European countries for collective defence; an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all.

Warsaw Pact (meaning): a military alliance formed in 1955 by the USSR and the communist countries of Eastern Europe, in response to NATO, for collective defence.

Worked example

(3 marks) What is meant by the Cold War? Explain the meaning of NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Cold War: tension and rivalry between the USA-led and USSR-led blocs after 1945 without direct war between them - 1 mark.
NATO: the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (1949), a military alliance of the USA, Canada and Western Europe for collective defence - 1 mark.
Warsaw Pact: the 1955 military alliance of the USSR and East European communist states in response to NATO - 1 mark.

Answer: The Cold War was the post-1945 rivalry between the USA and the USSR and their blocs, carried on without direct war. NATO (1949) was the Western military alliance of the USA, Canada and West European countries; the Warsaw Pact (1955) was the rival alliance of the USSR and East European communist countries.

The Second World War in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Appeasement

Suppose a bully in school demands a classmate's lunch, and the teachers, wanting to avoid trouble, tell the classmate to give it up. Next week the bully demands his bag, then his seat.

Which policy of the 1930s does this resemble, and what lesson does it teach?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Giving in to demands to avoid conflict is appeasement.
Britain and France let Hitler take the Sudetenland at Munich in 1938.
Each concession encouraged bigger demands, until war could not be avoided.

Answer: It resembles the policy of appeasement. Like the teachers, Britain and France conceded to Hitler hoping for peace, but each concession encouraged more demands, ending in the invasion of Poland and war.

Memory hook: Feed the bully, grow the bully.

Failure of the League

Imagine a residents' association with no guards and no power to fine anyone. When one member builds over a common park, the association only passes a resolution of disapproval; the member resigns from the association and keeps the land.

Which failure of the League of Nations does this resemble?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The League had no army and relied on members' goodwill.
When Japan seized Manchuria, the League only condemned it.
Japan left the League in 1933 and kept Manchuria.

Answer: It resembles the League's failure over Manchuria: without force, it could only condemn Japan, which left the League and kept the territory, showing aggressors could act freely.

Memory hook: A judge without police is ignored.

Cold War

Suppose two rival companies never fight in court but constantly spy on each other, race to hire scientists, form partnerships with smaller firms, and run advertising campaigns attacking each other.

How does this resemble the Cold War? Name the two military alliances that were the 'partnerships' of the Cold War.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The Cold War was rivalry without direct war between the USA and USSR.
It was carried on through espionage, an arms race, propaganda and alliances.
The two alliances were NATO (1949) and the Warsaw Pact (1955).

Answer: Like the companies, the USA and the USSR competed through spying, an arms race, propaganda and alliances without fighting each other directly. Their military alliances were NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

Memory hook: Cold War: hot rivalry, no direct fire.

Topics in this chapter

Causes and Consequences of the Second World War

The Second World War: key facts

Manchuria: Invaded by Japan 1931; Japan left the League 1933; full invasion of China 1937
Abyssinia: Invaded by Italy 1935; Weak League sanctions.
Rhineland: Remilitarised by Germany 1936
Anschluss: Austria annexed March 1938
Munich Pact: September 1938: Sudetenland to Germany; Chamberlain's appeasement.
Start of war: Nazi-Soviet Pact 23 August 1939; Poland invaded 1 September 1939; Britain and France declare war 3 September 1939
Pearl Harbour: 7 December 1941; USA enters the war.
Atomic bombs: Hiroshima 6 August 1945; Nagasaki 9 August 1945
Cold War alliances: NATO 1949; Warsaw Pact 1955; Only meaning tested.

How the board asks The Second World War

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Question type	How it is asked	Method
Cartoon or picture MCQ (Part I)	A cartoon of Hitler marching into a country; choose the event that began the war.	The war began with the invasion of Poland (1 September 1939), not Czechoslovakia or Austria.
Not a consequence (Part I)	Pick the option that is NOT a consequence of the Second World War.	Consequences in the syllabus: Axis defeat, UN, Cold War. Austria-Hungary's break-up belongs to the First World War.
Passage on Japan / League (Part II)	A passage on Manchuria, then questions on its link to the war, reasons for attacking Poland and failure of the League.	Infer in your own words; do not copy lines. Give specific examples of failure.
Meaning questions (2 marks)	Meaning of the Cold War, NATO or the Warsaw Pact; cities bombed.	One precise sentence each with the year.

Tricks to remember The Second World War

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

V-F-A-J-L-P
Versailles, Fascism/Nazism, Appeasement, Japan, League's failure, Poland: 'Very Few Armies Joined Late in Poland.'
Use it when: Six causes.
H before N
Hiroshima (6th) before Nagasaki (9th), alphabetical and chronological.
Use it when: Atomic bomb cities.
NATO 49, Warsaw 55
West first (1949), East replies (1955).
Use it when: Cold War alliances.
Consequences: A-U-C
Axis defeated, United Nations, Cold War.
Use it when: Consequences in the syllabus.

The Second World War: board-level solved questions

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Example 1: Beginning of the war · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

Which incident led directly to the beginning of the Second World War?
(a) Hitler's annexation of Austria
(b) Hitler's attack on Poland
(c) Hitler's occupation of Czechoslovakia
(d) Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Britain and France declared war on Germany after it invaded Poland on 1 September 1939.
Austria (1938) and Czechoslovakia (1938-39) were taken without war; Pearl Harbour was in 1941.

Answer: (b) Hitler's attack on Poland.

Example 2: Not a consequence · 1 mark · MCQHarder board level

Which of the following is NOT a consequence of the Second World War?
(a) Austria and Hungary became separate states
(b) Defeat of the Axis Powers
(c) Beginning of the Cold War
(d) Formation of the United Nations

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The break-up of Austria-Hungary followed the First World War.
The other three are consequences of the Second World War.

Answer: (a) Austria and Hungary became separate states.

Example 3: Assertion and reason: Munich · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

Assertion (A): The Munich Pact encouraged Hitler to make further demands.
Reason (R): At Munich, Britain and France allowed Germany to take the Sudetenland.
(a) Both A and R are true and R explains A
(b) Both A and R are true but R does not explain A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

After Munich, Hitler seized the rest of Czechoslovakia and demanded Danzig: A is true.
The surrender of the Sudetenland showed him that Britain and France would give way: R is true and explains A.

Answer: (a) Both A and R are true and R explains A.

Example 4: Cities bombed · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

Name the two cities of Japan bombed by the USA in 1945, with dates.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Hiroshima, 6 August 1945.
Nagasaki, 9 August 1945.

Answer: Hiroshima (6 August 1945) and Nagasaki (9 August 1945).

Example 5: Passage on Manchuria · 3 marks · Source-basedHOTS / competency

Read: 'To secure resources for its expanding industries, Japan invaded Manchuria. Western nations protested, but most League members opposed military action. A League commission condemned Japan, which then left the League.' Using the passage and your knowledge, explain how this event weakened the League and led towards war. Write in your own words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The League could only condemn Japan, as members refused to use force; this showed it had no means of enforcement.
Japan left the League (1933) and kept Manchuria, so aggression paid off.
Other dictators, Mussolini and Hitler, learnt that the League could be ignored, which encouraged the aggression that led to war.

Answer: Because members would not use force, the League could only condemn Japan, which left the League and kept Manchuria. This exposed the League as powerless and taught Italy and Germany that aggression would go unpunished, encouraging the acts that led to the Second World War.

Example 6: Why appeasement · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Give three reasons why Britain and France followed the policy of appeasement.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Memories of the First World War's slaughter made them desperate to avoid another war.
Many felt the Treaty of Versailles had been too harsh, so some German demands seemed fair.
They feared communism and saw a strong Germany as a barrier against the USSR; they were also militarily unprepared.

Answer: (1) They wanted to avoid a repeat of the First World War's slaughter. (2) Many believed Versailles had been too harsh, so some German demands seemed reasonable. (3) They feared communism more than Hitler and were not ready for war.

Example 7: Linking causes · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Show how the failure of the League of Nations and the policy of appeasement together made Hitler's attack on Poland possible.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The League failed to stop Japan (Manchuria) and Italy (Abyssinia), showing aggression would not be punished collectively.
Britain and France, instead of acting through the League, followed appeasement: Rhineland unchallenged, Austria accepted, Sudetenland given at Munich.
Hitler concluded that neither the League nor Britain and France would fight.
Securing the Nazi-Soviet Pact, he invaded Poland expecting no real resistance, which started the war.

Answer: The League's failures over Manchuria and Abyssinia showed collective security was dead. Britain and France then appeased Hitler over the Rhineland, Austria and the Sudetenland. Hitler concluded nobody would stop him, so after the Nazi-Soviet Pact he invaded Poland, which finally made Britain and France declare war.

Case-study practice (Section B style)

Read the situation, then answer every part. In the board paper this is a 10-mark question split into 3 + 3 + 4 marks.

The road to war

Read the extract and answer the questions.

'In September 1938 the British Prime Minister returned home waving a piece of paper and promising "peace for our time". Eleven months later German tanks crossed into another neighbouring country, and within two days Britain and France were at war. Six years later, two cities in Asia were destroyed by a new kind of bomb.'

(i) · 3 marks
Identify the agreement of September 1938 and the policy it represented. State two reasons why that policy was followed.
Answer
Answer: The Munich Pact, representing the policy of appeasement. Reasons: desire to avoid another world war; belief that Versailles was too harsh (also fear of communism; lack of preparation).
1 mark for the pact and policy; 1 per reason.
(ii) · 3 marks
Which country did German tanks enter? Give three reasons for Hitler's attack on it.
Answer
Answer: Poland (1 September 1939). Reasons: to regain Danzig and the Polish Corridor; to gain living space in the east; belief that Britain and France would not fight, and security from the Nazi-Soviet Pact.
1 mark per reason (country named).
(iii) · 4 marks
Name the two cities, and state three consequences of the war included in your syllabus, explaining the meaning of the Cold War.
Answer
Answer: Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Consequences: defeat of the Axis Powers; formation of the United Nations; the Cold War, meaning a state of tension and rivalry between the USA-led and USSR-led blocs without direct war between them.
1 mark for cities; 1 per consequence with the Cold War meaning.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is split into step marks. Show every step: a right final answer alone rarely earns full marks.

Name the two Japanese cities bombed in 1945. (2 marks) (2 marks)

Step	Marks
Hiroshima.	1
Nagasaki.	1

Three reasons for Hitler's attack on Poland. (3 marks) (3 marks)

Step	Marks
Danzig and the Polish Corridor.	1
Living space in the east.	1
Appeasement / Nazi-Soviet Pact.	1

Four reasons for the failure of the League. (4 marks) (4 marks)

Step	Marks
No army.	1
Major powers absent.	1
Unanimity.	1
Self-interest of members, with example.	1

Where students lose marks in The Second World War

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Choosing Czechoslovakia as the start of the war
CISCE examiners' comments, 2024: candidates selected Hitler's attack on Czechoslovakia.
Do this: Britain and France declared war after the invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939.
Usually costs: The full mark.
Mistake: Confusing the bombed cities
CISCE examiners' comments, 2024: candidates confused the names of the cities.
Do this: Hiroshima (6 August), Nagasaki (9 August).
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.
Mistake: Copying lines from the passage
CISCE examiners' comments, 2025: candidates copied lines directly from the passage and lost marks.
Do this: Use the passage as evidence, then explain in your own words with your own knowledge.
Usually costs: Up to 3 marks.
Mistake: Generalised reasons for the League's failure
CISCE examiners' comments, 2025: candidates wrote generalised answers instead of specific points.
Wrong working
The League was weak and failed.
Right working
The League had no army; the USA never joined; sanctions on Italy over Abyssinia excluded oil.
Do this: Each reason should have a fact or example.
Usually costs: Up to 4 marks.

Practice questions on The Second World War

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour took place on:
(a) 1 September 1939
(b) 7 December 1941
(c) 6 August 1945
(d) 24 October 1945
Hint
It brought the USA into the war.
Answer
(b) 7 December 1941.
Q2 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
NATO was formed in:
(a) 1945
(b) 1949
(c) 1955
(d) 1961
Hint
Before the Warsaw Pact.
Answer
(b) 1949.
Q3 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level
Why did the Nazi-Soviet Pact encourage Hitler to attack Poland?
Hint
Two fronts.
Answer
It assured Hitler that the USSR would not attack Germany, so he would not face a war on two fronts, and he could invade Poland with less risk.
Q4 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level
What is meant by the Warsaw Pact?
Hint
Eastern bloc alliance.
Answer
A military alliance formed in 1955 by the USSR and the communist states of Eastern Europe for collective defence, in response to NATO.
Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Explain how the rise of Fascism and Nazism was a cause of the Second World War.
Hint
Expansion and alliances.
Answer
Both ideologies glorified war and expansion. Italy invaded Abyssinia (1935); Germany rearmed, annexed Austria (1938) and dismembered Czechoslovakia. The two formed the Rome-Berlin Axis and, with Japan, the Anti-Comintern bloc, making a general war likely.
Q6 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Mention any four reasons for the failure of the League of Nations, with one example.
Hint
Army, members, unanimity, self-interest.
Answer
(1) No army of its own. (2) The USA never joined, and Germany, Japan and Italy left. (3) Decisions needed unanimity. (4) Britain and France put self-interest first. Example: over Abyssinia (1935), sanctions on Italy excluded oil and failed to stop the invasion.
Q7 · 2 marks · Very short answerHOTS / competency
Why did the USA and the USSR become rivals after 1945? Give two reasons.
Hint
Systems and influence.
Answer
(1) They had opposite systems: capitalist democracy versus communism. (2) Each wanted to spread its influence over the countries liberated or weakened by the war, especially in Europe, and feared the other's expansion.
Q8 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
'The Second World War was a result of the First.' Justify with three points.
Hint
Versailles, dictators, League.
Answer
(1) The harsh Treaty of Versailles bred German resentment that Hitler exploited. (2) Post-war economic crises and disappointment helped Fascists and Nazis to power. (3) The League of Nations, created after the First World War, proved too weak to stop aggression.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.When did Germany invade Poland?Show answer
1 September 1939.
2.Who was the British Prime Minister at Munich?Show answer
Neville Chamberlain.
3.When did Japan invade Manchuria?Show answer
1931.
4.When was the UN established?Show answer
24 October 1945.
5.What is NATO's full form?Show answer
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

Best order to study it

Revise the Treaty of Versailles and the dictators.
Learn the six causes with dates and examples.
Note Pearl Harbour and the atomic bombs briefly.
Learn the three consequences.
Learn the meanings of the Cold War, NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

Versailles resentment: Hitler rearmed (1935), Rhineland (1936).
Fascism/Nazism: Abyssinia (1935), Austria (1938), Axis.
Appeasement: Munich 1938, Sudetenland; Czechoslovakia seized 1939.
Japan: Manchuria 1931, left League 1933, China 1937.
League failed: no army, absentees, unanimity, self-interest.
Poland: Danzig, Corridor; Nazi-Soviet Pact 23 August; invasion 1 September; war 3 September 1939.
Pearl Harbour 7 December 1941; Hiroshima 6 August, Nagasaki 9 August 1945.
Consequences: Axis defeat, UN (1945), Cold War; NATO 1949, Warsaw Pact 1955.

The Second World War: frequently asked questions

Do I need the battles of the Second World War?

No. Apart from a brief mention of Pearl Harbour and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the syllabus covers only causes and consequences.

How much do I need to know about NATO and the Warsaw Pact?

Only their meaning: what they were, who formed them, and why, with the year.

Is the failure of the League of Nations a cause of the Second World War?

Yes. It is one of the six causes in the syllabus. Learn specific reasons and examples such as Manchuria and Abyssinia.

Based on: CISCE ICSE 2027 History & Civics syllabus (H.C.G. Paper 1); CISCE ICSE 2027 Specimen Question Paper and Marking Scheme, History & Civics (501)