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Syllabus Outline For the purposes of this course, students
will be studying one Prescribed
Subject (out of a choice of five), as well as two World History Topics (out of a choice
of twelve).These areas of study will
be assessed in Papers 1 and 2 in May. The region that will be tested in Paper 3 is the Americas. In addition, students are required to
undertake one historical investigation (internally assessed by the
teacher and externally moderated by IB).The selections for this course are as follows:
Prescribed
Subjects
The Move to Global War (Prescribed
Subject 3)
World History
Topics
Topic 11: Causes and Effects of 20th
Century Wars
Topic 12: The Cold War: Superpower
Tensions and Rivalries (20th Century)
Historical
Investigation
Internal Assessment (Detailed in the
following pages)
Syllabus Details
The following is a more detailed account of
material to be studied under each of the Prescribed Subjects and Topics listed
above in the Syllabus Outline.
Prescribed
Subject 3: 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 expansion, 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 Studies Material for Detailed StudyCase
study 1: Japanese expansion in East Asia (1931–1941)
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)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)
World History Topic 11: 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.
Topic Prescribed ContentCauses 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
World History Topic 12: The Cold War: Superpower Tensions and
Rivalries (20th century)
The Cold War dominated global affairs from the end of the
Second World War to the early 1990s. This topic focuses on how superpower
rivalries did not remain static but changed according to styles of leadership,
strength of ideological beliefs, economic factors and crises involving client states.
The topic aims to promote an international perspective on the Cold War by
requiring the study of Cold War leaders, countries and crises from more than
one region of the world.
Topic Prescribed Content
Rivalry, Mistrust and Accord
The breakdown of the grand alliance and the
emergence of superpower rivalry in Europe and Asia (1943–1949): role of ideology; fear and
aggression; economic interests; a comparison of the roles of the US and the
USSR
The US, USSR and China—superpower relations
(1947–1979): containment;
peaceful co-existence; Sino-Soviet and Sino-US
relations; détente Confrontation and reconciliation; reasons for
the end of the Cold War (1980–
1991): ideological challenges and dissent;
economic problems; arms race
Leaders and Nations
The impact of two leaders, each chosen from a
different region, on the course
and development of the Cold War
The impact of Cold War tensions on two
countries (excluding the USSR and the US)
Cold War Crises
Cold War crises case studies: detailed study
of any two Cold War crises from
different regions: examination and comparison of
the causes, impact and
significance of the two crises.
Selected Readings
A variety of selected readings will be
provided for the students. Examples of
these include:
1. Friedman,
Norman. The
Fifty-Year War: Conflict and Strategy in the Cold War.
2. Gaddis,
John Lewis, ed. We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History.
3. Hilsman,
Roger. The Cuban Missile Crisis: The Struggle Over Policy.
4. Judge,
Edward and John Langdon. The Cold War: A History Through Documents.
5. Keegan,
John. The Second World War.
6. Keylor,
William. The Twentieth Century World and Beyond.
7. Kort,
Michael. The Soviet Colossus: History and Aftermath.
8. Laqueur
and Rubin, ed. The Israel-Arab Reader.
9. MacMillan,
Margaret. Paris 1919:Six Months That Changed The World.
10. Macqueen,
Norrie. The United Nations Since 1945: Peacekeeping and the Cold War.
11. Snyder,
Louis. Historic Documents of World
War I.
12. Tucker,
Robert C. Stalin in Power: The Revolution from Above, 1928-1941.
