The Second World War in Europe and the Asia–Pacific
Compare the course of the war in Europe and the Asia–Pacific, occupation and resistance, civilian experiences, military turning points and the Allied settlement and trials in 1945.
Section D-E · How did the war develop, affect civilians and end in 1945?
Exam scope and assessment notes
This original lesson maps Cambridge IGCSE History 0470 key question D-E for exams in 2024–2030. 0470 uses grades A*–G; 0977 uses grades 9–1 and has limited zone availability. Cambridge states that the 2029–2030 syllabus has no significant changes affecting teaching and that resources for examinations from 2024 remain suitable. This pathway maps the shared subject content across the published 2024–2030 cycles; always use the exact exam-year syllabus, exam-series prescribed topic and centre route. StudyForA explanations, examples and practice are original learning materials, not Cambridge questions, source documents, mark schemes or grades. Paper 2's prescribed topic changes each exam series: use the exact topic for your year and series from Cambridge. Source-analysis exercises here use clearly labelled, invented practice claims and do not reproduce historical documents. Component 3 is centre-approved coursework based on a depth study and needs authentic learner work, supervision, internal assessment and Cambridge moderation; StudyForA cannot conduct, authenticate or award that coursework mark. Practice feedback is formative and is not an official Cambridge grade.
Before you begin
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
How should you approach this question: How did the war develop, affect civilians and end in 1945?
What you will learn
- Explain German control in Europe in 1940, the Battle of Britain, the invasion of the Soviet Union and Stalingrad.
- Explain Pearl Harbor, early Japanese victories including Malaya and Singapore, Midway and Japanese rule and its impact.
- Assess bombing, Nazi occupation and the Holocaust in Poland, resistance in Malaya and France, the Allied campaign in Italy and Germany's defeat.
- Explain Japan's defeat through Guadalcanal, Okinawa, island-hopping, bombing and the atomic bomb decision and consequences, then occupation and the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials.
War in Europe and the Pacific
In Europe, assess the extent of German conquest in 1940: France's invasion and surrender, the Vichy government, Dunkirk, Operation Sea Lion and the Battle of Britain. Then explain Operation Barbarossa, initial Nazi successes and Stalingrad's impact.
Explain the deterioration of US–Japanese relations and the attack on Pearl Harbor and consequences. Study early Japanese successes in Southeast Asia through Malaya and Singapore, then Midway. Compare geography, resources, strategy and leadership rather than treating the European and Pacific campaigns as one theatre.
Occupation, civilians, defeat and aftermath
Study the impact of the Blitz and Allied bombing of German cities on lives and morale; Japanese rule in Malaya and Singapore; and Nazi occupation in Poland, including the circumstances leading to the Holocaust and its impact. Compare the methods and effectiveness of resistance in Malaya and France.
Explain the Allied invasion of Sicily and campaign in Italy, D-Day and the advance from the west, the Russian advance from the east and why Germany was close to collapse by April 1945. Japan's defeat involved Guadalcanal, Okinawa, island-hopping, bombing and the decision to use atomic bombs; assess reasons and human consequences carefully. Finish with Allied occupations and control of Germany and Japan and the Nuremberg and Tokyo war-crimes trials.
Sources for this lesson
- Cambridge IGCSE History 0470 · 2024–2026 syllabus
- Cambridge IGCSE History 0470 · 2024–2026 syllabus update
- Cambridge IGCSE History 0470 · 2027–2028 syllabus
- Cambridge IGCSE History 0470 · 2029–2030 syllabus
- Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) History 0977 · 2024–2026 syllabus
- Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) History 0977 · 2027–2028 syllabus
- Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) History 0977 · 2029–2030 syllabus
- Cambridge IGCSE History 0470 qualification page
- Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) History 0977 qualification page
Pause and explain
Why should a turning point not be described as the sole cause of victory?
Worked example
Why was Stalingrad a turning point?
Show the worked solution
- Place it in the wider German invasion of the Soviet Union.
- Explain the military losses and the change in initiative.
- Connect the turning point to later outcomes without treating it as the sole reason for German defeat.
Answer Stalingrad destroyed a major German force and ended the prospect of an easy eastern victory, strengthening Soviet momentum. It was an important turning point, but Germany's eventual defeat also depended on the wider war, Allied pressure and the advance from both east and west.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Explain why the Battle of Midway mattered in the Asia–Pacific war.
Give me a hint
Start with one named syllabus fact, explain its effect and connect it to the question.
Compare my reasoning
- Select accurate evidence: Stalingrad shifted momentum in Europe, while Midway and island-hopping mattered in the Pacific.
- Explain the link between that fact and the issue being tested.
- Add a second condition or limitation before reaching a short answer. A model answer follows: Midway checked Japanese expansion and changed the strategic balance in the Pacific, giving the United States greater scope to take the initiative. Its importance should be placed alongside later island-hopping, Guadalcanal and Okinawa rather than treated as the single event that defeated Japan.
Midway checked Japanese expansion and changed the strategic balance in the Pacific, giving the United States greater scope to take the initiative. Its importance should be placed alongside later island-hopping, Guadalcanal and Okinawa rather than treated as the single event that defeated Japan.
Look for these in your work
- Uses a relevant named fact
- Explains a cause, consequence or comparison
- Qualifies the conclusion with evidence
How did civilian experiences differ under wartime bombing and occupation?
Give me a hint
Choose a clear criterion for importance or success; compare evidence before you decide.
Compare my reasoning
- Select accurate evidence: Stalingrad shifted momentum in Europe, while Midway and island-hopping mattered in the Pacific.
- Compare the strongest supporting evidence with a counterpoint.
- State which factor matters most, for whom and during which period. A model answer follows: People experienced the Blitz, Allied bombing of German cities, Japanese control in Malaya and Singapore and Nazi occupation in Poland in different ways. Compare direct violence, coercion, scarcity, displacement, resistance and the Holocaust, using precise evidence. Do not equate distinct policies or experiences merely because civilians suffered in each case.
People experienced the Blitz, Allied bombing of German cities, Japanese control in Malaya and Singapore and Nazi occupation in Poland in different ways. Compare direct violence, coercion, scarcity, displacement, resistance and the Holocaust, using precise evidence. Do not equate distinct policies or experiences merely because civilians suffered in each case.
Look for these in your work
- Selects evidence from the correct period
- Weighs more than one factor
- Makes a supported judgement
Original StudyForA practice claim (not a historical source): ‘One decisive battle explains the Allied victory in 1945.’ Evaluate the claim.
Give me a hint
Treat the prompt as an interpretation to test. Identify what evidence supports it and what it leaves out.
Compare my reasoning
- Select accurate evidence: Stalingrad shifted momentum in Europe, while Midway and island-hopping mattered in the Pacific.
- Check the claim against at least two relevant pieces of contextual knowledge.
- Explain a limitation or alternative explanation; do not treat an invented practice prompt as a real historical source. A model answer follows: Major battles such as Stalingrad and Midway changed momentum, but neither alone explains the outcome. Consider campaigns in Europe and the Pacific, Allied resources and coordination, resistance, bombing, the advance from east and west, and Japan's final defeat. A judgement should distinguish turning points from the combined causes of victory.
Major battles such as Stalingrad and Midway changed momentum, but neither alone explains the outcome. Consider campaigns in Europe and the Pacific, Allied resources and coordination, resistance, bombing, the advance from east and west, and Japan's final defeat. A judgement should distinguish turning points from the combined causes of victory.
Look for these in your work
- Tests rather than repeats the claim
- Uses contextual knowledge to support or challenge it
- Explains a limitation and reaches a qualified conclusion
Common mistakes
- Treating 1945 in Europe and the Pacific as one identical sequence
- Describing bombing or the atomic bomb without considering civilian impact and contested reasoning
- Omitting occupation, resistance, the Holocaust or the post-war trials
What can you explain now?
Why should a turning point not be described as the sole cause of victory?
Compare with the explanation
How should the two theatres of war be compared?
Build an evidence-led answer: describe the relevant context, explain how it supports the claim, test it against another factor or limitation, and reach a qualified judgement.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
Without looking, state the key question, name two syllabus facts that bear on it, and explain one limit to your first conclusion.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.