Secondary 6 History

A port whose main function is the transshipment of goods; from the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth Hong Kong played this role in support of China's foreign trade.

The large-scale civil war in southern China from 1851 to 1864; the upheaval drove many residents to settle in Hong Kong, bringing labour and capital.

The revolutionary society founded by Sun Yat-sen in 1894; its headquarters was later set up in Hong Kong, and it plotted uprisings aimed at overthrowing the Qing dynasty.

The revolution of 1911 that overthrew the Qing dynasty, ended imperial rule and founded the Republic of China; Hong Kong served as a key base for its propaganda and fund-raising.

During the War of Resistance Hong Kong sheltered large numbers of refugees fleeing the fighting and transshipped relief supplies, serving humanitarian and logistical functions.

The shift of Hong Kong from entrepôt trade to manufacturing from the 1950s, as textile, garment, plastics and electronics industries expanded rapidly and exported to Western markets.

The programme of economic reform and opening to the outside world launched by China in 1978; Hong Kong businessmen led the way in investing in mainland factories and spurred the industrialisation of the Pearl River Delta.

The division of labour after 1978: Hong Kong as the 'front shop' took orders and handled design, finance and marketing, while the Pearl River Delta as the 'back factory' carried out production.

The Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement signed between the mainland and Hong Kong in 2003, giving Hong Kong goods and services better access to the mainland market and deepening economic integration.

The arrangement under which Hong Kong, after the 1997 handover, retains its previous economic system and way of life, keeping its free-port status and its role as an international financial, trading and shipping centre.

Japan's wartime vision of an Asia united against Western colonisers — in practice a veil for Japanese hegemony and extraction.

The massacre of civilians and prisoners by Japanese troops after Nanjing fell in December 1937, central to Sino-Japanese historical dispute.

The 1951 multilateral peace treaty ending the occupation, after which Japan settled war responsibility through reparations agreements.

Postwar payments in goods and services to victim countries, which doubled as a gateway for Japanese firms into Asian markets.

Government loans, grants and technical cooperation for developing countries, long focused on Asia.

The gradient of industrial transfer with Japan leading, the NIEs following and Southeast Asia behind — a flock led by Japan.

Protests by China, Korea and others against Education Ministry screening that softens accounts of aggression, recurring since the 1980s.

The shrine enshrining Japan's war dead including Class-A war criminals; official visits repeatedly chill ties with neighbours.

The conscription of local labour and POWs for military construction and mining under occupation, causing mass deaths.

Japan's official acknowledgment of the war of aggression — apologies, compensation and historical narrative — the core issue of Asian reconciliation.

The nationalist movement launched by Theodor Herzl in 1896, calling for the rebuilding of a Jewish national home in Palestine.

The 1917 statement by British Foreign Secretary Balfour declaring support for a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine.

The League of Nations system that placed former Ottoman territories under victorious powers; Britain governed Palestine under such a mandate.

UN General Assembly Resolution 181 of 1947, proposing to divide Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state, with Jerusalem treated separately.

The Palestinians' name for the displacement of about 700,000 people who became refugees during the 1948 Arab–Israeli war.

The June 1967 war in which Israel defeated Egypt, Jordan and Syria in six days, occupying Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Sinai and the Golan Heights.

The October 1973 war launched by Egypt and Syria on the Jewish Day of Atonement, which later contributed to the Egyptian–Israeli peace treaty.

The 1993 peace agreements in which Israel and the PLO recognized each other and arranged Palestinian self-government.

The political organization founded in 1964 to represent Palestinian national aspirations, commonly known as the PLO.

Israeli communities built in territories occupied since 1967, whose status and legality remain core disputes in the peace process.

The US–Soviet surrender line of 1945 at 38 degrees north that later hardened into the inter-Korean border.

The barrier East Germany raised across Berlin in 1961; its fall on 9 November 1989 symbolised the Cold War's end.

The 1953 armistice that drew the military demarcation line without a peace treaty — the two Koreas technically remain at war.

The August 1990 treaty by which East Germany's five Länder acceded under the Basic Law, effective 3 October.

The 1990 treaty in which the four powers renounced their rights over Germany, confirming unity and NATO membership.

The buffer strip along the military demarcation line — one of the most heavily armed borders in the world.

Brandt's 1970s policy of engagement with the East, recognising the GDR and postwar borders and paving the way to unity.

South Korea's 1998–2008 engagement policy that produced the summit and economic cooperation, with contested results.

Families split by partition; inter-Korean reunions depend on official bargaining, whereas German contacts never fully ceased.

Unification by one system absorbing the other — Germany's model; neither Korea can currently absorb the other.

The compulsory question type of Paper 1, presenting sources such as written extracts, statistics, maps, cartoons and photographs for candidates to interpret and answer with their own knowledge.

The origin of a source — its author, identity, date, occasion and audience — the starting point for judging its nature, stance and reliability.

A source produced at the time of the events, such as a speech, letter, diary or photograph, directly reflecting contemporary views and circumstances.

A later work based on primary sources, such as a textbook or monograph — more systematic but further removed from the events.

Comparing the content of different sources, where matching points corroborate one another and conflicting points contradict — a common angle of data-based questions.

Where two or more sources give conflicting accounts of the same fact; answers must identify the conflict and explain its cause, such as differing stances or purposes.

A slanted presentation caused by the author's stance, interests or beliefs, detectable from loaded wording and the angle of narration.

The extent to which a source fails to reflect the full picture — representing only one side or one period, or serving propaganda purposes.

Words specifying what a question demands — 'identify', 'explain', 'compare', 'to what extent' — which set the depth and length of the answer.

Drawing on facts learned in the curriculum to supplement the sources; higher-order sub-questions usually state 'with reference to the sources and using your own knowledge'.

A question type requiring candidates to argue a case with historical facts and draw a conclusion — the format of DSE History Paper 2.

The key word in a question that dictates the mode of answering, such as 'to what extent', 'compare' or 'turning point'.

The candidate's clearly stated position on the question, declared in the introduction, restated in the conclusion and maintained throughout.

The sentence at the start of a body paragraph that captures its central point, letting the marker grasp the focus at a glance.

A concrete historical event used to support an argument, complete with dates, actors and process; Paper 2 provides no sources, so examples must come from your own learning.

The part that explains the causal link between an example and the argument, answering why the example supports the point.

A view opposed to the candidate's stance; a high-level answer concedes its merits before refuting it.

The reasoning that exposes the weakness of the opposing view and shows that one's own stance still holds, usually right after the concession.

The paragraph that sums up the essay, restates the stance and gives an overall assessment, without introducing new points.

The strategy of planning time for analysis, writing and checking; each Paper 2 essay averages about 45 minutes, plus time for choosing questions.