| S7 History |
Last
update -
09 February 2012 |
Official European
School History S7 Syllabus:
English,
French,
German |
 |
|
S7 Four Hour History - Bac Revision |
Get some
general revision advice to begin with. I wrote this
'top 10 tips' for IB
students a few years ago and much of what I say applies to you.
Similarly the great John D Clare wrote
these detailed guidelines for his English GCSE historians.
The oral exam
The exam is 20 minutes long. Candidates will
choose one question by lot twenty minutes before the
examination. Documents used for the examination will not
have been studied or presented in class before. Read my
advice on how to do this.
The written exam
In Year 7 the exam is four periods long. The exam is divided into two sections. In
the first section you will be expected to analyse 5 sources, in
the second section you will write an essay.
The sources
In the Bac exam the
topic for the source analysis is
Europe : between unity and
disunity (from 1945 to 1957) .
The paper will be four questions just as you
have been taught to
prepare.
This is a useful detailed
document that provides examples of the value of different
types of sources.
These presentations of the strengths and
weaknesses of different types of sources is also useful.
Possible questions for the synthesis question
4 i.e. Using the sources and your own knowledge….
|
…examine the impact of WWII on Europe |
…explain why the Cold
War began in Europe |
| …consider the view that
the division of Europe after 1945 was inevitable |
…examine the reasons why central and eastern Europe
became communist after 1945 |
|
…explain why a ‘third Europe’ emerged after 1945
|
…evaluate the view that
the EU emerged as a result of the Cold War |
| …examine the origins of
the European Union |
…explain how Europe was reconstructed after WWII |
|
…discuss the view that solving the ‘German problem’ made
Europe after 1945 |
…explain the successes
and failures of the European project up to 1957 |
| …examine the role of
Schuman in the creation of the EU |
...examine the events that led up to the signing of the
Treaty of Rome in 1957 |
The essays
You will write one essay from a choice of five
The topics are:
|
1. Cold War and Détente a)
origins, results of World War II, post-war situation; b)
major events, wars and crises, including Berlin, Korea,
Cuba and Vietnam; c) detente: conferences treaties; d)
end of the Cold War. |
2. Decolonisation and emergence of the
Third World a) post-1945 situation, changes in
balance of power; b) different patterns of
decolonisation; c) study of African or Asian
decolonisation (two examples in some detail); d) results
of decolonisation; e) development of newly independent
states (at least one example in some detail). |
3. USA since 1945 a) the
political system of the USA and the role of the
president; b) economic and social change; c) major
internal issues: McCarthyism, Civil Rights, the peace
movement, Watergate (at least two examples in some
detail). |
|
4. USSR and China (internal
developments) USSR a) The Soviet Union after World War
II; b) Khrushchev: destalinisation, economic policy,
successes and failures; c) The decline and collapse of
the USSR. China a) The Communists take power; b) China
under Mao: Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution; c)
China under Deng Xiaoping: economic and political
changes. |
5. Important regional developments and
international co-operation a) UNO, origins,
structures and examples of work; b) Arab-Israeli
question; c) Southern Africa. |
|
Essay questions in the last five years have
been:
Cold war and Détente
1. "Neither we nor the Soviet Union can wish away the
differences between our two societies and our philosophies, but
we should always remember that we do have common interests and
the foremost among them, is to avoid war and reduce the level of
arms." (US President, Ronald Reagan in a television address on
16 January 1984).
Explain how in the years between 1945 and 1984 the relationship
between the USA and the USSR had moved between confrontation and
a relaxation of tensions.
2. "Peace impossible, war improbable." (Raymond Aron, 1948).
To what extent is this quotation applicable to the events of the
Cold War from 1947-1962?
3. "It is clear that the main element of any United States
policy towards the Soviet Union must be that of a long-term,
patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive
tendencies".
George Kennan, Director of the Policy Planning Staff, State
Department, July 1947, in 'The sources of Soviet conduct', in
the Foreign Affairs Journal, July 1947.
To what extent did the United States follow this policy of
'Containment' in the period 1947-1975?
4. Evaluate the role and the importance of Germany in the Cold
War between 1945 and 1975.
5. "The Soviet-American dialogue of 1961-1963 was not, however,
accidental; the reasons that gave rise to it are still in force
today." Gromyko, 1968, (Soviet Minister for Foreign Affairs).
Quoted in A.Dobrynin In Confidence, America's Ambassador to
America's six Cold War Presidents, New York, 1995.
Discuss this opinion for the 1960s, putting it in context.
USA since 1945
6. "By the end of the war the African -Americans had discovered
the three weapons with which, in the fifties and sixties, they
were to achieve such striking victories: the imaginative use of
political and economic pressure; the appeal to the courts and
the Constitution; violence ". (Hugh Brogan, The Penguin History
of the USA, London 1999).
Assess the effectiveness of each of these three methods after
1945 in achieving progress for the civil rights movement.
7. " We cherish our freedom here at home, but are we to say to
the world, and much more importantly, to each other that this is
the land of the free except for Negroes''. Radio and Television
Report to the American People on Civil Rights, John F. Kennedy,
June 11th, 1963.
To what extent were the issues of freedom and civil rights
resolved in the USA during the 1950s and 1960s?
8. "...the essential humanity of men can be protected and
preserved only where government must answer - not just to those
of a particular religion, or a particular race; but to all its
people". Robert Kennedy, Cape Town, 7 June 1966.
Describe how far the American government defended such rights
for its citizens during the years 1945 -1975,
9. "They came here - the exile and the stranger, brave but
frightened - to find a place where a man could be his own man.
They made a covenant with this land. Conceived in justice,
written in liberty, bound in union, it was meant one day to
inspire the hopes of all mankind; and it binds us still. If we
keep its terms, we shall flourish. " Extract from Lyndon
Johnson's Inaugural Address, January 1965
Did Johnson's vision of the USA match the reality of post-war
American society? Support your answer with at least two case
studies from this period.
10. "The Great Society rests on abundance [wealth] and liberty
for all. It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice, to
which we are totally committed in our time. " President Lyndon
B. Johnson's remarks at the University of Michigan, May 22,
1964.
How far do you agree with Johnson's assessment in the light of
the challenges he faced?
Decolonization and Emergence of the Third World
11. "We will do [...] fight for freedom, democracy and social
improvement". (In the final resolution of the 5th Pan-African
congress in Manchester, 1945).
To what extent did this prove to be true? Give two examples from
the time after the Second World War.
12. "Inadequacy of political, economic, social or educational
preparedness should never
serve as a pretext (excuse) for delaying independence".
UN Resolution on the granting of independence to colonial
countries, 1960.
Discuss this quotation with reference to at least 2 examples of
decolonization that you have studied.
13. "We prefer self-government with danger to servitude in
tranquility" Kwame Nkrumah, 1957.
Discuss this quotation with the help of examples of
decolonization after World War Two.
What importance had nationalism in the process of
decolonisation?
14. "In1955 (...) the world met in Bandung to proclaim to Europe
that the era of European
colonialism was finished..."
Aime Cesaire, Modern Times, March-April 1956.
Was the author right to claim that "European colonialism was
finished" in 1955? Support your ideas by citing at least two
examples.
USSR and China (2006 and 2011 only)
15. "The only way to settle questions of an ideological nature
or controversial issues among the people is by the democratic
method, the method of discussion, of criticism, of persuasion
and education, and not by the method of coercion or repression."
Chairman Mao, February, 1957.
Discuss the extent to which Chairman Mao followed these
principles during the years of his leadership, 1949-1976.
16. "The only way to settle questions of an ideological nature
or controversial issues among the people is by the democratic
method, the method of discussion, of criticism, of persuasion
and education, and not by the method of coercion or repression."
President Mao Ze Dong, February, 1957.
Discuss the extent to which Mao Ze Dong followed these
principles during the years of his leadership, 1949-1976.
The knowledge
Test your factual knowledge in quizzes that
cover all the work covered this year. |
|
|
