International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB) Group 3: Individuals and Societies (History) Syllabus

What is a 'cult of personality'?

The deliberate creation of an idealized, heroic public image of a leader through propaganda, media, and art to legitimize and entrench power.

What economic policy did Stalin use to transform the USSR, and what were its features?

The Five-Year Plans (from 1928): rapid state-directed industrialization and forced collectivization of agriculture, causing famine (e.g., Holodomor) but heavy-industry growth.

Identify common causes of 20th-century independence movements.

Nationalism, the weakening of European powers after the world wars, anti-colonial ideologies, economic exploitation, and the example of other independence struggles.

What method of resistance did Gandhi pioneer in India's independence movement?

Satyagraha (nonviolent civil disobedience), seen in the 1930 Salt March against the British salt monopoly.

What is 'decolonization' and roughly when did its main wave occur?

The process by which colonies gained independence from imperial powers; the main wave occurred from the late 1940s to the 1960s (especially in Asia and Africa).

Name two common effects of independence movements on new nations.

Challenges of nation-building (e.g., partition, ethnic conflict, unstable governments) and economic difficulties from dependence on former colonial structures.

What distinguishes a 'democratic state' in IB History analysis?

Free and fair elections, rule of law, protection of civil rights and liberties, separation of powers, and peaceful transfers of power.

Name two factors that lead to the emergence of democratic states.

Struggles against authoritarian or colonial rule and economic/social development; also influential individuals, constitutions, and pressure from civil society.

What challenges can threaten newly established democratic states?

Economic crises, ethnic/regional division, weak institutions, corruption, and the risk of military coups or a return to authoritarianism.

What region does the IB 'History of the Americas' route (HL) cover?

North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean, studied across at least two countries from c.1750 to the present.

What event triggered the Latin American wars of independence in the early 19th century?

Napoleon's 1808 invasion of Spain and deposition of King Ferdinand VII, which created a crisis of legitimacy in Spain's American colonies.

Who were Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín?

The two principal liberators of Spanish South America: Bolívar in the north (Gran Colombia) and San Martín in the south (Argentina, Chile, Peru).

What were the 'colonial foundations' that shaped Latin American societies?

A rigid racial/social hierarchy (peninsulares, creoles, mestizos, indigenous, enslaved Africans), the Catholic Church, mercantilist economies, and centralized Spanish rule.

Why did creole elites lead many Latin American independence movements?

Creoles (American-born of Spanish descent) resented exclusion from top offices reserved for peninsulares and sought economic and political control.

What is 'nation-building' in the post-independence Americas context?

The process of creating national identity, stable institutions, constitutions, infrastructure, and economic systems after gaining independence.

What was 'caudillismo' in 19th-century Latin America?

Rule by caudillos: strongman military/political leaders who held power through personal charisma and force amid weak institutions.

What tension shaped post-independence political development in many American states?

The conflict between Liberals (federalism, secularism, free trade) and Conservatives (centralism, Church power, protectionism).

What was the broad impact of the Cold War on the Americas?

US interventionism to contain communism, support for anti-communist regimes/coups, ideological polarization, and revolutionary movements across Latin America.

What was the Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962)?

A 13-day standoff after the US discovered Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba; resolved when the USSR withdrew them in exchange for a US non-invasion pledge and secret removal of US missiles from Turkey.

What US policy doctrine guided its Cold War actions in the Americas?

Containment—preventing the spread of communism—applied via aid (e.g., Alliance for Progress) and covert/military intervention (e.g., Guatemala 1954, Chile 1973).

In source analysis, what is the difference between a primary and a secondary source?

A primary source originates from the period under study (e.g., a letter, photo, treaty); a secondary source is a later interpretation or analysis of the past (e.g., a historian's book).

What does evaluating a source's 'origin, purpose, and content' (OPCVL) involve?

Examining who created it and when (origin), why it was made (purpose), and what it says (content) to assess its value and limitations for historians.

Define 'provenance' in source analysis.

The origin and authorship of a source—who created it, when, where, and in what context—used to judge reliability.

What is 'historiography'?

The study of how history is written: the methods, interpretations, and perspectives historians use, and how these change over time.

Name three major historiographical schools/perspectives.

Orthodox/traditionalist, revisionist, and post-revisionist interpretations (others include Marxist, feminist, and post-colonial approaches).

What is 'historical interpretation' and why do historians disagree?

The way historians explain and assign meaning to events; they disagree due to differing evidence, ideologies, methodologies, and the time/context in which they write.

What is the recommended structure of an IB History essay?

An introduction with a clear thesis/argument, body paragraphs each with a point, supporting evidence, and analysis/link, and a conclusion that answers the question.

What is a 'thesis statement' in a history essay?

A clear, arguable claim stated in the introduction that directly answers the question and sets out the line of argument the essay will sustain.

What does 'analysis' (rather than narration) mean in IB essay writing?

Explaining how and why evidence supports the argument and addressing the question's command term—not merely describing events chronologically.

What is the historical investigation (Internal Assessment) in IB History, and its components?

A student-conducted research project with three sections: (1) identification and evaluation of sources, (2) the investigation, and (3) reflection on methods of the historian.

What makes a good focused research question for a historical investigation?

It is specific, analytical (not just descriptive), narrow in scope and time frame, debatable, and answerable with available evidence.

What is the word count for the IB History Internal Assessment, and what does academic integrity require?

A maximum of 2,200 words; academic integrity requires accurate citation of all sources, a bibliography, and no plagiarism or collusion.