SUBJECT AIM
IGCSE History is a 2-year course that offers pupils the opportunity to study world history from the nineteenth century to the beginning of the twenty-first century. Learners will explore history from a diversity of perspectives, including social, economic, cultural and political. IGCSE History encourages learners to raise questions and to develop and deploy historical skills, knowledge and understanding in order to provide historical explanations. Studying History at IGCSE will develop pupils’ interest in and enthusiasm for learning about and understanding the past.
WHAT YOU WILL STUDY
Pupils will be given the opportunity to explore historical concepts such as cause and consequence, change and continuity, and similarity and difference. This will focus around the following areas.
The 20th century: International Relations since 1919
Vietnam, Cold War, Causes of WWII, Peace after WWI, Cuban missile crisis, Interwar period politics, The Gulf 1970 to 2000
Students will also investigate a depth study on Germany 1918 to 1945
HOW WILL YOU BE ASSESSED
Paper 1 | Paper 2 | Coursework |
Candidates answer two questions from Section A (Core Content) and one question from Section B (Depth Study). All questions are in the form of structured essays, split into three parts: (a), (b) and (c). 2 hours 60 marks (40%) | Candidates answer six questions on one prescribed topic taken from the Core Content. There is a range of source material relating to each topic. 2 hours 60 marks (33%) | Candidates answer one question on a Depth Study. 1 hour 40 marks (27%) |
WHAT THIS SUBJECT CAN LEAD TO
- A wide variety of potential careers including (but not limited to): Archaeology, Politics, Teaching, Law, Curating/museum/gallery work, Research, Journalism/media work, Heritage industry/tourism, International development organisations/charities
- A deeper and better understanding of where we have come from and where we are heading. A desire to help look after our planet for the benefit or future generations
| THE LEARNING JOURNEY FOR HISTORY | |||||
| Unit / Block of work | Key Episodes / Questions | Additional Detail | Length of time. | Possible Symbol? | Learner Attribute(s) |
| 1: Was the Treaty of Versailles fair? | · What were the motives and aims of the Big Three at Versailles? | The roles of Wilson, Clemenceau and Lloyd George in the peacemaking process The terms of the Treaty Social, economic and political impact of the Treaty in Germany to the end of 1923 Contemporary opinions about the Treaty | 10 | Speech bubble | Communicator – being able to take on the role of one of the key leaders |
| · Why did the victors not get everything they wanted? | |||||
| · What was the impact of the Treaty on Germany up to the end of 1923? | |||||
| · Could the Treaty be justified at the time? | |||||
| 2: To what extent was the League of Nations a success? | · How far did weaknesses in the League’s organisation and membership make failure inevitable? | The structure, aims and membership of the League Successes and failures in peacekeeping during the 1920s: Vilna 1920 Aaland Islands 1920–21 Corfu 1923 Bulgaria 1925 The League’s humanitarian work: refugees health working conditions slavery The League in the 1930s: causes, events and consequences of the Manchurian crisis and of the Abyssinian crisis | 10 | League of Nations Symbol | Open Minded – being able to evaluate a range of opinions about the relative success of the LON |
| · How successful were the League’s attempts at peacekeeping in the 1920s? | |||||
| · How important was the League’s humanitarian work? | |||||
| · How far did the Depression make the work of the League more difficult in the 1930s? | |||||
| 3: How far was Hitler’s foreign policy to blame for the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939? | · What were the long-term consequences of the Treaty of Versailles? | Hitler’s foreign policy aims Rearmament The Saar Remilitarisation of the Rhineland The Rome–Berlin Axis and the Anti-Comintern Pact German and Italian involvement in the Spanish Civil War Anschluss with Austria The crisis over Czechoslovakia and the Munich Agreement The Polish crisis and the outbreak of war | 10 | Map of Europe | Knowledgeable – being able to synthesis different events, in chronological order, considering different factors |
| · What were the consequences of the failures of the League of Nations in the 1930s? | |||||
| · Was the policy of appeasement justified? | |||||
| · How important was the Nazi–Soviet Pact? | |||||
| · Why did Britain and France declare war on Germany in September 1939? | |||||
| DS: Was the Weimar Republic doomed from the start? | · How did Germany emerge from defeat at the end of the First World War? | The Revolution of 1918 and the establishment of the Republic The Versailles Settlement and German reactions to it The Weimar Constitution, the main political divisions, the role of the army Political disorder, 1919–23: threats from the left and the right economic crises and hyper-inflation the occupation of the Ruhr The Stresemann era: economic achievements foreign policy achievements Cultural achievements of the Weimar period | 8 | Weighing scales | Inquirer – being able to ask questions about the birth of the republic and its possible impact |
| · What was the impact of the Treaty of Versailles on the Republic? | |||||
| · To what extent did the Republic recover after 1923? | |||||
| · What were the achievements of the Weimar Period? | |||||
| DS: Why was Hitler able to dominate Germany by 1934? | · What did the Nazi Party stand for in the 1920s? | The early years of the Nazi Party: Nazi ideas and methods the Munich Putsch the roles of Hitler and other Nazi leaders The impact of the Depression on Germany: political, economic and social crisis of 1930–33 reasons for the Nazis’ rise to power Hitler takes power the Reichstag Fire and the election of 1933 | 8 | Staircase | Risk Taker – being able to think differently and explore new ideas about Hitler |
| · Why did the Nazis have little success before 1930? | |||||
| · Why was Hitler able to become Chancellor by 1933? | |||||
| · How did Hitler consolidate his power in 1933-14? | |||||
| DS: How effectively did the Nazis control Germany, 1933-1945? | · How much opposition was there to the Nazi regime? | Nazi rule in Germany: the Enabling Act the Night of the Long Knives the death of Hindenburg the removal of opposition methods of control and repression use of culture and the mass media Economic policy including rearmament | 8 | Clenched Fist | Thinker – being able to understand the complexity of the relationship between terror and indoctrination (historiography) |
| · How effectively did the Nazis deal with their political opponents? | |||||
| · How did the Nazis use culture and the mass media to control the | |||||
| · Why did the Nazis persecute many groups in German society? | |||||
| · Was Nazi Germany a totalitarian state? | |||||
| DS: What was it like to live in Nazi Germany? | · How did young people react to the Nazi regime? | Different experiences of Nazi rule: women and young people anti-Semitism persecution of minorities opposition to Nazi rule Impact of the Second World War on Germany: the conversion to a war economy the Final Solution | 8 | Group of people | Inquirer – being able to ask questions about why and how people lived in NG |
| · How successful were Nazi policies towards women and the family | |||||
| · Did most people in Germany benefit from Nazi rule? | |||||
| · How did the coming of war change life in Nazi Germany? |
| THE LEARNING JOURNEY FOR HISTORY | |||||
| Unit / Block of work | Key Episodes / Questions | Additional Detail | Length of time. | Possible Symbol? | Learner Attribute(s) |
| Coursework | Introduction to the key question | Intellectual rights and academic integrity – correct citations | 20 | Open book | Principled – being able to conduct individual research correctly |
| Planning your answer | |||||
| Research | |||||
| Drafting your answer | |||||
| 4: Who was to blame for the Cold War? | · Why did the US–Soviet alliance begin to break down in 1945? | The origins of the Cold War: the 1945 summit conferences and the breakdown of the US–Soviet alliance in 1945-46 Soviet expansion into Eastern Europe to 1948, and American reactions to it the occupation of Germany and the Berlin Blockade NATO and the Warsaw Pact | 10 | USSR/USA Flags | Open Minded – being able to consider both sides of the argument and assess their validity |
| · How had the USSR gained control of Eastern Europe by 1948? | |||||
| · How did the United States react to Soviet expansionism? | |||||
| · What were the consequences of the Berlin Blockade? | |||||
| · Who was more to blame for starting the Cold War: the United States or the USSR? | |||||
| 5: How effectively did the United States contain the spread of Communism? | · Introduction to Paper 2 | Case studies of: American reactions to North Korea’s invasion of South Korea, the involvement of the UN, the course of the war to 1953 American reactions to the Cuban Revolution, including the Missile Crisis and its aftermath American involvement in the Vietnam War, including reasons for involvement, tactics and strategy and reasons for withdrawal | 10 | Hammer and Scythe behind do not sign | Reflective – being able to use this and other units to consider the role of the US in the world |
| · The United States and events in Korea, 1950–53 | |||||
| · The United States and events in Cuba, 1959–62 | |||||
| · American involvement in Vietnam, 1955–75 | |||||
| · Paper 2 practice | |||||
| 6: How secure was the USSR’s control over Eastern Europe, 1948-1989? | · Why was there opposition to Soviet control in Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968, and how did the USSR react to this opposition? | Soviet power in Eastern Europe: resistance to Soviet power in Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968) the Berlin Wall Solidarity in Poland Gorbachev and the collapse of Soviet control over Eastern Europe | 10 | Brick wall | Communicator – being able to consider the different perspectives and explain these effectively |
| · How similar were events in Hungary in 1956 and in Czechoslovakia in 1968? | |||||
| · Why was the Berlin Wall built in 1961? | |||||
| · What was the significance of Solidarity in Poland for the decline of Soviet influence in Eastern Europe? | |||||
| · How far was Gorbachev personally responsible for the collapse of Soviet control over Eastern Europe? |