Unit 15: Paper 2 — Authoritarian States (20th Century)
Topic 15.2: Consolidation and maintenance of power Questions
Practice 20 exam-style questions for IB History Topic 15.2. Review the question stems below, then unlock the full Question Bank to access markschemes, model answers, and AI grading.
1Examine15 marks
2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.1 - Q1
Examine the methods used by two authoritarian states, each chosen from a different region, to consolidate and maintain their power.
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.1 - Q16
Which German law of March 1933 allowed Hitler to pass laws without the approval of parliament?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.2 - Q17
Which event on 30 June 1934 saw Hitler murder the leaders of the SA and other rivals?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.1 - Q8
Evaluate the view that propaganda maintained consent while terror maintained control in two authoritarian states, each chosen from a different region.
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.1 - Q2
Evaluate the importance of force and terror in maintaining the power of two authoritarian states, each chosen from a different region.
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.1 - Q3
Discuss the role of law and constitutional change in consolidating the power of two authoritarian leaders, each chosen from a different region.
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.1 - Q19
Which Nazi minister ran the Ministry of Propaganda, controlling the media, rallies and film industry?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.2 - Q1
Examine the reasons why organised opposition remained weak in two authoritarian states, each chosen from a different region.
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.1 - Q4
To what extent did the cult of personality maintain the power of two authoritarian leaders, each chosen from a different region?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.2 - Q3
Discuss the importance of the secret police and surveillance in maintaining control over opposition in two authoritarian states, each chosen from a different region.
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.2 - Q20
Which secret police force relied on ordinary citizens informing on their neighbours to detect opposition in Nazi Germany?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.1 - Q5
Compare and contrast the use of propaganda by two authoritarian states, each chosen from a different region, to maintain power.
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.1 - Q17
What was the name of the secret police used to crush opposition in Stalin's Soviet Union?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.2 - Q4
To what extent were purges of internal rivals more important than mass terror in securing authoritarian control in two states, each chosen from a different region.
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.1 - Q6
Analyse the reasons why authoritarian leaders combined methods of persuasion with methods of coercion to maintain their power, with reference to two states from different regions.
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.2 - Q5
Compare and contrast the methods used to deal with opposition in two authoritarian states, each chosen from a different region.
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.2 - Q18
What was the Gulag in the Soviet Union?
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.1 - Q7
Examine how one named authoritarian leader from Europe and one from a different region eliminated their rivals in order to consolidate power.
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.2 - Q6
Analyse the role of concentration camps and forced-labour camps in dealing with opposition in two authoritarian states, each chosen from a different region.
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2026• Aimnova original vault - 15.2.1 - Q9
Discuss the importance of controlling the media and the arts in maintaining the power of two authoritarian states, each chosen from a different region.
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