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IBO History
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About IBO History
German Swiss International School historians follow the International Baccalaureate History course. At Standard Level this involves studying one Prescribed Subject and two World History Topics. Higher Level History also includes 'Aspects of the History of Asia and Oceania' in addition to the SL course. All students whether Standard or Higher are required to complete an Individual Assignment.
The course is comprised of the following elements: Paper 1, Paper 2, IA, and for HL students, a further Paper 3.
Standard Level
Paper 1: Prescribed Subject 'The Move to Global War'.
This prescribed subject focuses on military expansion from 1931 to 1941. Two case studies are prescribed, from different regions of the world, and both of these case studies must be studied. The first case study explores Japanese expansionism from 1931 to 1941, and the second case study explores German and Italian expansionism from 1933 to 1940. The focus of this prescribed subject is on the causes of expansion, key events, and international responses to that expansion. Discussion of domestic and ideological issues should therefore be considered in terms of the extent to which they contributed to this. For example, economic issues, such as the long-term impact of the Great Depression, should be assessed in terms of their role in shaping more aggressive foreign policy.
Case study 1: Japanese expansion in East Asia (1931–1941)
Material for detailed study
Causes of expansion
• The impact of Japanese nationalism and militarism on foreign policy
• Japanese domestic issues: political and economic issues, and their impact on foreign relations
• Political instability in China
Events
• Japanese invasion of Manchuria and northern China (1931)
• Sino-Japanese War (1937–1941)
• The Three Power/Tripartite Pact; the outbreak of war; Pearl Harbor (1941)
Responses
• League of Nations and the Lytton report
• Political developments within China—the Second United Front
• International response, including US initiatives and increasing tensions between the US and Japan
Case study 2: German and Italian expansion (1933–1940)
Material for detailed study
Causes of expansion
• Impact of fascism and Nazism on the foreign policies of Italy and Germany
• Impact of domestic economic issues on the foreign policies of Italy and Germany
• Changing diplomatic alignments in Europe; the end of collective security; appeasement
Events
• German challenges to the post-war settlements (1933–1938)
• Italian expansion: Abyssinia (1935–1936); Albania; entry into the Second World War
• German expansion (1938–1939); Pact of Steel, Nazi–Soviet Pact and the outbreak of war
Responses
• International response to German aggression (1933–1938)
• International response to Italian aggression (1935–1936)
• International response to German and Italian aggression (1940)
Paper 2: World History Topics, Authoritarian States in the 20th century (Paper 2.1) & Causes and Effects of 20th-Century Wars (Paper 2.2)
Paper 2.1 World history topic: Authoritarian states (20th century)
This topic focuses on exploring the conditions that facilitated the rise of authoritarian states in the 20th century, as well as the methods used by parties and leaders to take and maintain power. The topic explores the emergence, consolidation and maintenance of power, including the impact of the leaders’ policies, both domestic and foreign, upon the maintenance of power. Examination questions for this topic will expect students to make reference to specific authoritarian states in their responses, and some examination questions will require discussion of states from more than one region of the world. In order for students to be able to make meaningful comparisons across all aspects of the prescribed content, it is recommended that a minimum of three authoritarian states should be studied.
Topics and Prescribed Content:
Emergence of authoritarian states
• Conditions in which authoritarian states emerged: economic factors; social division; impact of war; weakness of political system
• Methods used to establish authoritarian states: persuasion and coercion; the role of leaders; ideology; the use of force; propaganda
Consolidation and maintenance of power
• Use of legal methods; use of force; charismatic leadership; dissemination of propaganda
• Nature, extent and treatment of opposition
• The impact of the success and/or failure of foreign policy on the maintenance of power
Aims and results of policies
• Aims and impact of domestic economic, political, cultural and social policies
• The impact of policies on women and minorities
• Authoritarian control and the extent to which it was achieved
Paper 2.2 World history topic: Causes and effects of 20th century wars
This topic focuses on the causes, practice and effects of war in the 20th century. The topic explores the causes of wars, as well as the way in which warfare was conducted, including types of war, the use of technology, and the impact these factors had upon the outcome. Examination questions for this topic will require students to make reference to specific 20th-century wars in their responses, and some examination questions will require discussion of wars from more than one region of the world. Please note that the suggested examples for this topic include “cross-regional” wars such as the First and Second World Wars. In examination questions that ask students to discuss examples of wars from different regions, students may use these wars in a regional context (for example, the Second World War in the Pacific) but may not then use the same war in a different region (for example, the Second World War in Europe) in the same response.
Topics and Prescribed Content:
Causes of war
• Economic, ideological, political, territorial and other causes
• Short- and long-term causes
Practices of war and their impact on the outcome
• Types of war: civil wars; wars between states; guerrilla wars
• Technological developments; theatres of war—air, land and sea
• The extent of the mobilization of human and economic resources
• The influence and/or involvement of foreign powers
Effects of war
• The successes and failures of peacemaking
• Territorial changes
• Political repercussions
• Economic, social and demographic impact; changes in the role and status of women
Higher Level
Paper 3: History of Asia and Oceania
3.1: Early modernization and imperial decline in East Asia (1860–1912)
This section focuses on developments in China and Japan between the mid-19th century and early 20th century. It examines the largely unsuccessful attempts at modernization and reform in China. The conservative and popular opposition to change was demonstrated by the failures of the Self-Strengthening Movement and the Hundred Days’ Reform, and by the violence of the Boxer Rebellion. In contrast, Japan modernized rapidly and successfully during this period to emerge as a country that challenged the power of the western nations in Asia.
• Tongzhi restoration and Self-Strengthening Movement (1861–1894); Cixi
• Impact of defeat in the Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895); Guangxu and the Hundred Days’ Reform (1898)
• Boxer Rebellion (1900–1901); the late Qing reforms
• Sun Yixian and the causes of the 1911 Xinhai Revolution; the reasons for its failure
• Meiji restoration (1868) in Japan; the 1889 Constitution
• Social, cultural and economic developments in Meiji Japan
• The rise of Japanese military power; victory in the Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895) and the Russo- Japanese War (1904–1905)
• Korean isolation: Queen Min; opening (1876); Tonghak Rebellion (1894); Japanese annexation (1910)
3.2: China and Korea (1910–1950)
This section focuses on China and Korea between 1910 and 1950. It examines the rise of nationalism and communism in China after the establishment of the Chinese Republic, as well as the nature of Japanese rule of Korea, which had been formalized with the annexation in 1910, and which became more oppressive during the years of the Sino-Japanese War. The section concludes by examining the reasons for the victory of the communists in the Chinese Civil War and the consequences of this defeat for the nationalists.
• Rise of national identity in China: Yuan Shikai; Sun Yixian; 21 Demands (1915); new culture movement; Treaty of Versailles (1919); May Fourth movement (1919); effects of warlordism
• Nationalist rule of China: Guomindang leadership and ideology; Jiang Jieshi; successes and failures of domestic policy during the Nanjing decade (1927–1937)
• Rise of communism in China: Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ideology; First United Front; Shanghai massacre (1927); Yan’an; Jiangxi Soviet; Long March; Mao Zedong
• Impact of Japanese invasion of China; Manchuria (1931); Second United Front; Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945); Chinese Civil War (1946–1949); nature of conflict; reasons for communist victory
• Impact of Japanese rule of Korea: social, political and economic effects of annexation (1910); impact of the Sino-Japanese War on Korea: Japanese use of forced labour, conscription and comfort women; division of Korea at 38th parallel (1945); Syngman Rhee; Kim Il-Sung
• Taiwan and Republic of China (ROC): nature of Jiang Jieshi’s rule: martial law (1949); White Terror (1950); beginnings of Taiwanese independence movement
3.3: The People’s Republic of China (1949–2005)
This section focuses on China under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, and the great changes as the Communist Party under Chairman Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung) extended its rule and Mao’s vision of a socialist state. The focus of this section is on the impact of domestic political, social and economic policies. It also examines modernization of China’s economy since Mao’s death.
• Consolidation of the communist state (1949–1961) under Mao Zedong; key policies; land reforms; rectification campaigns; Hundred Flowers campaign (1956)
• Transition to socialism; successes and failures in economic developments (1949–1961); First Five-Year Plan; Great Leap Forward; Second Five-Year Plan
• Social developments; women’s rights; health; education
• Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution: causes; Gang of Four; political, social and cultural impact
• Foreign policy and foreign affairs 1949–1976; Sino-American relations; establishment and breakdown of Sino-Soviet relations; China as a regional and global power
• Power struggle following the death of Mao Zedong; Hua Guofeng, the re-emergence of Deng Xiaoping and the defeat of the Gang of Four
• China under Deng Xiaoping (1976–1997); economic developments; Four Modernizations; political developments; causes and effects of Tiananmen Square (1989); Jiang Zemin
Internal Assessment: an Historical Investigation
Students at both SL and HL are required to complete a historical investigation into a topic of their choice. The historical investigation is made of up three sections:
1. Identification and evaluation of sources
2. Investigation
3. Reflection
Historical investigation: Students have a free choice of topic for their historical investigation—the topic need not be related to the syllabus, and students should be encouraged to use their own initiative when deciding on a topic. However, the topic must be historical, and therefore cannot be on an event that has happened in the last 10 years.