1. 20th Century World History
Paper 2:
20th Century World History
Tips! Tricks! Advice! Do’s and Don’t’s!

2. You’ve got this!
We have been studying IB History Route 2: This is our 20th Century History paper.
This paper is 90 minutes long: you must answer 2 questions which gives you 45 minutes (one class period) for each essay.
We only need two topics: We could potentially answer a question from four different topics.
Topic 1: Causes, Practices and Effects of War
Topic 2: Democratic States- Challenges and Responses
Topic 3: The Rise of Single Party States (dictatorships)
Topic 5: Cold War

3. What resources should you have? The studying should already begin.
You should have big binders and files of history notes: you will not learn these just by reading them.
To prepare for the exams, you need to condense your notes into a manageable size
Revision and summarization of key events/ideas will help you learn and organize the data into useable work.

4. How: Do the work– there are no shortcuts
Flashcards
ID Terms
Timelines
Study buddies
Charts
History squares
Cause and effect
Repetition and practice
Teach someone else

5. Google is your friend
Get online and look at past exams and study material to help you get familiar with the exam formatting
Identify and clarify command and historical terms
Produce essay plans for questions: identify facts needed to answer a question
Practice writing in the allocated time for each exam/essay
Work with a study buddy and use mark schemes to mark each other’s essays.

7. You must take the time to plan:
Read the questions carefully during the 5 minute reading time.
Choose questions you have studied: be smart!
Look at Section 1 first: 20th Century War
Look at Section 5 next: Cold War
Then look in Sections 2 and 3 if you have to…
DO NOT TACKLE Section 4 unless you have EXPERT knowledge… (no offense but you probably don’t.)
READ ALL of the Questions in the section before you make your selection. Sometimes there is an easier question.

8. A few minutes in the beginning could save you a lot later.
Write a brief outline (or at least key words) to help keep your essay organized and on topic.
Watch your timing: a major mistake is to spend so much time on one essay that you don’t have time to fully develop the second essay. They are equally weighted.
Write legibly-- Make it as easy on your moderator as possible
Number your answers/essays clearly on the answer book and on the cover sheet.

9. ATBQ! Answer the bloody question!!
(I borrowed this from a British teacher!)
Whether its in your introduction or in the conclusion, ruthlessly focus on the demands of the question and give a direct, clear answer.
No matter how amazing and knowledgeable your essay is, if you don’t answer the question, you will not mark high.

10. Make your essay dummy proof
Not a narrative: Answer the question being asked – and all parts of the question!
Double CHECK This!
Repeat your thesis statement MANY TIMES!
Stay focused
Need to support your answer with dates, facts etc
Signposting – using words from the question throughout the essay
Use transition sentences to show that you are honoring the command terms.
Conversely, In contrast, Compared to, Therefore, Furthermore, etc.

11. Common Mistakes and how to avoid them.
Telling the story:
You need to link your information to the question – not write a narrative
Writing general answers:
You must include detailed evidence to support your ideas
Spending too long on questions:
Timing is crucial in the exam
Don’t spend too long on one question – then not have enough time to write the other/s
Missing the focus of a question:
Use the command and clarifying terms to identify the focus of the question

12. Provide concrete details
Discuss dates, events, historical people, etc.
Don’t be wrong! If you can’t remember a specific date, put what you do know. A vague answer is still right… but a wrong answer is wrong!
For example: World War I began in 1914:
June 28: Assassination
July 28: Austria declares war
August 3: Germany declares war, etc.
If you can’t remember the day, put the month, if you can’t remember the month, put the year… if you can’t remember the year… you should have studied or chosen a different question.

13. This isn’t “English” so don’t worry about sounding redundant or not having “hooks” you are going to for maximum knowledge not artistry.
Be clear and concise. You don’t want to ramble. There is no minimum word count so say what you mean and move on.
Never ever give a hypothetical or “what if” response. This is history. We deal in what did happen, not what could have happened!
(Think of all the pregnant women in the GD)

14. Your conclusion is critical
This is the last thing your reader will see and will leave the final impression. This is more important than the intro kinda
Be strong.. Don’t fizzle…
ATBQ! AGAIN!
Answer the Bloody Question! Again! Refer directly to the question: AGAIN! Just to make sure!
Make any final thoughts, wrap ups, analysis.
Leave your paper on a strong final thought. This is your last “kick in the head” to the fight you are engaged in. Make it HURT. :D

15. Historical terms and vocabulary
Right Wing State
Historical Circumstances
Left Wing State
Outbreak of War
Single Party State
Outcome of War
Authoritarian State
Consolidation of Power
Totalitarian State
Rise to Power
Multi-party State
To maintain Power Nationalism
Democratic State
Imperialism
Ideology
Alliance
Social Policy
Agreement
Economic Policy
Armistice
Political Policy
Treaty
Domestic Policy
Foreign Policy

16. Your task is to…
Go through past essay questions
Write practice essays for your teacher – use the assessment criteria to guide you
Submit and resubmit
Write outlines and drafts for essays
Write detailed plans for essays

17. If you finish early: you probably missed something
Go back through quickly and see if you can add any details in (maybe squeeze in a date, or a person, or the name of a treaty).
If you have a lot of time, add another supporting paragraph with another example to support your assertion. Yes it may be out of order, but if it isn’t there then you can’t earn points.

18. So that’s what you are going to study….
You will write on ONE essay from Topic ___and ONE essay from Topic ___.
There will be five options per topic.
You cannot write two essays from the same topic. I said, YOU CANNOT WRITE TWO ESSAYS FROM THE SAME TOPIC!
You cannot guarantee any questions but past papers indicate some sort of pattern!
You can be judicious in choosing your favored topics.
What aspects of the two topics do you most want to write on?
Topic __ - ________________________________
What other aspects do you think you could do OK on?
Topic __- ________________________________
Which wars are you most comfortable with to use as your SUPPORTING EVIDENCE? Choose 3
So that’s what you are going to study….

19. Don’t forget this is a REGIONS exam: Pay attention to the map and the question.
If the question says “from two different regions” go back to the cover and double check the map to your examples.
People mess this up EVERY YEAR! Don’t be the one that does it this year!

20. Different types and nature of 20th century warfare Civil Guerrilla
Limited war,
Total war
Origins and causes of wars
Long-term,
short-term
immediate causes
Political
Economic,
Religious,
Social
Ideological
Nature of 20th century wars
Technological developments
tactics and strategies,
air, land and sea
Home front:
economic and social impact
(including changes in the role and status of women)
Resistance and revolutionary movements
Effects and results of wars
Peace settlements and wars ending without treaties
Attempts at collective security pre- and post-Second World War
Political repercussions and territorial changes
Post-war economic problems

21. Material for detailed study
20th Century Wars
First World War (1914-8)
Second World War ( )
Mexican Revolution
Korean War
Vietnam War

22. Let’s talk about a typical (tricky) question:
In what ways, and for what reasons, did technological developments affect the nature and the outcome of two twentieth century wars, each chosen from a different region? (N 2010) What would you say if I said you MUST draft an answer using WWI and WWII?

23. Account for either the defeat of the Central Powers in the First World War or the Axis powers in the Second World War.
To what extent do you agree with the view that war accelerates social change?
Evaluate the contribution made towards the war effort by civilians on the home front and the battlefront in two wars, each chosen from a different region.
Compare and contrast the reasons for, and impact of, foreign involvement in two of the following: Russian Civil War; Spanish Civil War; Chinese Civil War.
Peace settlements create conditions for new conflicts.. With reference to at least two settlements, explain to what extent you agree with this statement.

24. To what extent should Germany be held responsible for causing both the First and Second World Wars?
Why was there so much civil strife and civil war in China during the first half of the twentieth century?
Compare and contrast the outcome and effects of two revolutionary wars, each chosen from a different region.
How and why has guerilla warfare been used in the twentieth century? Examples should be given from at least two different regions.
Explain the impact of war on two of the following: women, the arts, and the media.

25. Assess the significance of either the Mexican Revolution (1910-1940) or the Vietnam War (1964-1975).
In what ways have wars a) caused suffering and hardship to women and b) helped promote women’s equality? Specific evidence must be given from at least two regions.
Analyze the reasons for the outbreak of war either in Algeria in 1954, or in Korea in 1950.
In what ways and for what reasons did foreign intervention play an important role in two civil war, each chosen from a different region?
Evaluate the successes and failures of one twentieth century treaty in addressing the causes of conflict, and restoring peace and normality.

26. Using specific examples explain the popularity of war themes in a) films and b) novels and/or plays.
To what extent has any twentieth century war changed the role of women?
How far do you agree with the view of some recent historians that Chamberlain’s appeasement of Hitler at Munich was NOT a mistake?
“The First and Second World Wars were European civil wars that required outside intervention to settle.” How far do you agree with this quotation?
Examine the extent to which guerilla warfare has been successful since 1945 in any two wars each chosen from a different region.

27. In what ways did Truman’s policy of “limited warfare” in Korea set the pattern of military conflict up to 1990?
To what extent can it be said that the First World War was caused by the alliance system?
Evaluate the role of ideological differences in two civil wars each chosen from a different region.
In what ways and for what reasons have tactics changed in twentieth century warfare?
How valid is the claim that treaties are not necessary to end wars? Support your answer with evidence from at least two regions.

28. Explain with specific examples from their work, how artists have reacted to two of the following: Mexican Revolution, Spanish Civil War, and Vietnam War
Explain in what ways did the causes of the Second World War differ from the causes of the First World War?
Evaluate the importance of naval warfare in twentieth century wars. Specific examples must be given from at least two wars.
Analyze the results of two wars, each chosen from a different region.
Assess the social and economic effects of one war on two of the countries involved, in the ten years following the end of the war.

29. Explain with specific examples from their work, how artists have reacted to two of the following: Mexican Revolution, Spanish Civil War, and Vietnam War
In what ways did the causes of the Second World War differ from the causes of the First World War?
Evaluate the importance of naval warfare in twentieth century wars. Specific examples must be given from at least two wars.
Analyze the results of two wars, each chosen from a different region.
Assess the social and economic effects of one war on two of the countries involved, in the ten years following the end of the war.

30. Don’t forget this is a REGIONS exam: Pay attention to the map and the question.
If the question says “from two different regions” go back to the cover and double check the map to your examples.
People mess this up EVERY YEAR! Don’t be the one that does it this year!

31. The Origins of the cold war: Ideology, suspicion & fear
wartime allies to post war enemies.
Nature of the Cold War:
Ideological opposition,
Superpowers & spheres of influence,
Alliances and diplomacy
Development & Impact of the Cold War: 
Global spread from Europe,
Cold War policies of:
containment,
brinkmanship,
peaceful coexistence,
Détente
UN & non aligned movement
Role and Significant leaders
Arms race, proliferation & limitation
5. Social, cultural and economic impact
End of the Cold War:
End of USSR,
Internal and external problems/pressures,
Breakdown of Soviet control over central and eastern Europe.

32. Wartime Conferences: Yalta & Potsdam
DETAILED STUDY:
Wartime Conferences: Yalta & Potsdam
U.S. Policies and developments in Europe
Truman Doctrine & Marshall Plan, NATO
Soviet Policies, Sovietization of East Europe
COMECON, Warsaw Pact
Sino-Soviet relations versus US-Chinese relations
Proxy Wars
Germany (Berlin 45-61) Congo (60-64) Afghanistan (79-88) Korea, Cuba, Vietnam
Important Leaders
Castro, Gorbachev, Kennedy, Mao, Reagan, Stalin, Truman

33. So that’s what you are going to study….
You will write on ONE essay from Topic ___and ONE essay from Topic ___.
There will be five options per topic.
You cannot write two essays from the same topic. I said, YOU CANNOT WRITE TWO ESSAYS FROM THE SAME TOPIC!
You cannot guarantee any questions but past papers indicate some sort of pattern!
You can be judicious in choosing your favored topics.
What aspects of the two topics do you most want to write on?
Topic __ - ________________________________
What other aspects do you think you could do OK on?
Topic __- ________________________________
Which wars are you most comfortable with to use as your SUPPORTING EVIDENCE? Choose 3
So that’s what you are going to study….

34. Assess the significance for the development of the Cold War between 1945 and 1950 of three of the following:
The Yalta Conference, 1945
The Iron Curtain speech, 1946
The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, 1947
The expulsion of Yugoslavia from the Soviet block, 1948
The Berlin Blockade and Airlift,
The formation of NATO, 1949.
“A different kind of Cold War.” To what extent is this a valid statement about the Cold War after 1953?
Using specific examples, evaluate the successes and/or failures of “Détente”.
What role did economic issues play in ending the Cold War?
“Ideological differences played only a minor role in the origin and development of the Cold War.” How far do you agree with this statement?

35. Analyze the importance of spheres of interest for one of the superpowers in the Cold War.
“The Cold War was caused by fear, not aggression.” To what extent does this view explain how the Cold War developed between 1945 and 1949?
Examine the impact of the Cold War on educational developments in two countries, each chosen from a different region.
Compare and contrast the aims and policies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Warsaw Pact up to 1970.
For what reasons, and with what results, up to 1963, did the United States adopt the policy known as “containment”?

36. Excluding the superpowers, assess the role of two countries in the development of the Cold War after 1950.
Assess the importance in the development of the Cold War of two of the following: the Yalta Conference; Berlin; the arms race; non-alignment; South East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO).
Examine the impact of the Cold War on the social life and culture of two countries each chosen from a different region.
How, and to what extent, did the conferences at Yalta and Potsdam (1945) contribute to the origin of the Cold War?
“Although it began in Europe the spread of the Cold War to other regions was a much more dangerous development.” To what extent do you agree with this judgment?

37. How and why did the policies of either the USA or the USSR affect superpower rivalry between 1950 and 1970?
In what ways were gender and social issues affected by the Cold War?
Assess the importance of détente and internal opposition to Communist rule in Communist countries, in ending the Cold War
To what extent did events in the final year of the Second World War turn wartime allies into Cold War enemies?
Compare and contrast the policies of the USA and the USSR towards Korea between 1945 and 1955.

38. Assess the impact of the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan on the development of the Cold War between 1945 and 1961.
In what ways, and to what extent, did the Cold War become less confrontational after 1970?
Assess the importance of social and economic issues in causing opposition to communist regimes.
“Ideological differences played little part in the origin of the Cold War.” How far do you agree with this judgment?
To what extent was Germany the cause of East/West disagreements between 1943 and 1963?

39. Define “superpower rivalry” and assess its importance in international politics since 1945.
Analyze the role of either Cuba or Vietnam in the development of the Cold War.
Compare and contrast the economic and social impact of the Cold War on two countries, each chosen from a different region.
“The build up of missiles in Cuba in 1962 was a deliberate, provocative and unjustified action.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?
What were the main social and cultural consequences of the Cold War?

40. I’m out of advice
Please know that you know how to do this. You have been training for this for years in some manner or another.
There is a question somewhere for you to choose from so find it and do the best you can. Do what you can do and let the rest go.
Of course we want all students to score perfect, but at the end of the day, we am proud of you no matter how this paper turns out.
Mrs. B and Mrs. G