IB History Exam Tips

For Paper 2 and 3 Open with a clear point, statement of relevance to the question/thesis.  Analyse/explain/ex  Analyse/explain/expand pand on the the point. Locate in time and place. place. Produce evidence. Use phrases such as ‘As a result/In fact/Indeed/In consequence/therefore’ and particularly ‘This suggests’. ‘The WR’s downfall was caused by economic issues rather than weakness of the constitution.’ The question states TWO issues, but you have to deal with more than two, ideally all. (It is desired that you challenge the question) So you could say...Yes the economic issues were important....weakness of constitution was more important...but the other issues can’t be forgotten eg. social polarization, lack  of effective military force. Put factors into context - eg. The Great Depression + Hyperinflation - Link the two’s context by talking about how the GD came AFTER hyperinflation, the crushing disappointment of the public because they thought they were done with money problems.

‘Force was essential to the rise to power of twentieth -century leaders.’ Comparing two leaders - Hitler and Mao - don’t write about Hitler and then Mao. Write a running commentary on the two. eg. three common factors in their rise that did not include force popular support, weakness of opposition, importance of ideology. Define totalitarianism. Provide the Orwell definition. If you make a literary allusion in your introduction, refer back to it in your conclusion.

Paper 3 You have to read historiography. Boxer Rebellion: You need to display arguments, not just list out causes and consequences. Plan: Causes Domestic Failure of Qing Backwardness of China Foreign  Anger at Western penetration penetration

Splitting up causes shows organization/structure. Consequences Short-term Boxer Protocol Long-term Collapse of Qing dynasty (subject-specific vocabulary --> shows analysis) ORGANIZATION -> PRIORITIZATION - deciding which cause and consequence is most significant --> EXPLORE RELATIONSHIP B/W FACTORS (web of causation) eg. The imperialism imposed on China exacerbates anti-Qing feeling. You need to include more empirical evidence. Vietnam: Look at from a Vietnamese perspective since it’s a paper on  Asia. ideological: From a US perspective, largely ideological - containment of communism. capitalism. Nationalist with a bit of ideology: From North Vietnam’s perspective, the war was in essence a war for freedom from US imperialism and French domination. The goal was unification of an independent Vietnam. South Vietnam: Different sort of nationalism. Historiography. Link idea to author. Numbers (evidence) + opinions. Refer to schools of thought. (^ Use in intro) Use sentences that start with ‘while’ or ‘whereas’. Don’t ever say ‘Some historians think’. Including the school of thought + historian is good (eg. marxist historians such as hobsbawm)

Write the number next to the question. Your thesis shouldn’t restate the question.

Paper 1 origin purpose value limitation lacks synthesis of historical ideas lacks hindsight never say ‘it is biased’ if it is ‘unreliable’ you have to say why it’s a limitation. because this could also be a value. look at history book reviews on the times literary supplement. in your 5 min reading time, just read q1 and answer it in your head. then write it down, saving 5 min. Think of What if....then scenarios

ESSAY SKILLZ CONCLUSION Don’t contradict the intro, reinforce it. Reassert the thesis. Restate the scope. Place in wider context. ‘While looking at women under Castro’s regime, one truly sees the nature of the revolution there was a will to bring about change but not the means to achieve it.’ ‘One must not be too judgmental of Castro - it was hard to undo the effects of a 50 year old culture.’ Try to have the intro and conc. come full circle.  At the start of the conclusion, you can say, ‘We have seen’ or ‘In the final analysis’ or ‘One could argue’. PRACTICE ESSAY How and why had Mao emerged as the leader of China by 1949? INTRO  Although the Communists emerged triumphant in the bloody Chinese Civil War that ravaged the

nation between 1946 to 1949, ensuring Mao’s ascent to power, Nationalist defeat was by no means certain. While Communist victory was bolstered by Mao’s able and con fident leadership, party strengths, and China’s socio -economic conditions, these factors were not crucial in the outcome of the war. The most significant reason can be considered, instead, to be the weaknesses of the Nationalist Party, whose feeble governance, lack of support and poor military force comprised the long-term external factors for its downfall. CONCLUSION We have seen that Mao’s rise to political power in China by 1949 depended primarily on the weaknesses of his opposition, namely the Nationalists. It was also aided, to a lesser extent, by the innate strengths of the CCP, Mao’s skilful leadership, and the socio -economic conditions prevalent in the nation. This combination of external and internal factors propelled Mao’s ultimate victory over the Guomindang, an outcome that would shape China’s history for the next twenty-seven years.  ANOTHER SAMPLE PLAN VIETNAM  Account for the origins of the VW. From the US p., it starts from 1954. From the Vietnamese p., it developed from 1945-46. MOTIVATION VIETNAM Taiwan considers itself to be China, and the PRC an illegitimate force suppressing people’s freedom. South Vietnam similarly considers itself the real Vietnam, and North Vietnam the illegitimate enclave, led by rabid Communists. US Domino theory - ideological in the Cold War context. Motivations adapt and change from containment. By 1964 it becomes more of an illustration of  American commitment. It is strategically political. What changed? Berlin Wall came up, Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy has come and gone, zero sum mentality (they win, we lose) = realpolitik, focused on political balance. But after Tet Offensive, US realizes - can’t win. Peace movement - US public starts to believe the war is a lost cause, and wrong on moral grounds. Splintering of the alliance between the people, the military and the political system. Nixon’s job becomes to get out of Vietnam, but - peace with honor. Cannot be seen to lose. Over escalation -----next phase---- Withdrawing from the war (by escalating the bombing)

CONSEQUENCES OF THE TET OFFENSIVE Politically significant Culturally significant Militarily a complete failure  Abandoned guerilla tactics. Seized US Embassy but could not hold it. Used conventional tactics to taunt the US. Significance is - It was a political point. ‘You cannot win.’ DOMESTICALLY Proved to the US media (not the US - be precise) that the US could not win this war. The media reported it and the public believed it.  American politicians accepted this to increase their vote. ‘We have to get out.’ WHY DID VIETNAMIZATION FAIL Nixon couldn’t return back to the Kennedy era which was moderate and mild, only sending military advisors and not full-scale troops. 10 years had passed in the meantime. Training soldiers in just 8 months could not work. The attempt wasn’t meant to succeed completely. It was mainly to show the Vietnamese that the US was intent on ‘getting out of there’. Vietnamization is overwhelmingly propaganda. This was the first moment the US had doubted their ideology/political systems.  August 1871 - The government abolishes domains and replaces them with prefectures.