Group 3 - History

Group 3 - History

IB History is a fascinating course, giving you the opportunity to explore the world from a variety of perspectives, building global connections and a wider understanding of the world around you.

This page will provide you with a summary of the topics we cover and where it would be best to start your reading. Additional reading is the key to success for IB History - it's a good idea to begin building in a habit of regular reading now.

At the end of this page there is a list of additional optional activities - please have a look at this! If you have any questions, please get in touch: hilary.samuels@dulwich.org

Enjoy!

What will we be learning?

Have a look at these files, which give you information about the topics we will be studying. 

NOTES - For the 'specification' document, the last three pages are HL only. SL students will not learn about Mussolini's Italy.

Summer tasks:

Over the summer, the best way to prepare for IB History is to read! Anything you can read that is relevant to any of our topics will be useful. It's a good idea to try to get an overview of the topics below, starting with:

1. SL students - Authoritarian States, the Move to Global War

2. HL students - Authoritarian States, Russia 1855-1924, the Move to Global War

Overall topics to research:

  • Authoritarian States - Mao's China and Hitler's Germany (HL students - also Mussolini's Italy)
  • The Move to Global War - Japanese, German and Italian expansionism leading to WWII
  • The Cold War - its origins, key events and end
  • (HL students only) - Russia 1855-1924
  • (HL students only) - Interwar Europe (Spain, Britain, Germany, Italy)
  • (HL students only) - Diplomacy in Europe (1919–1945)

What is History?

Below you will find a series of quotations about History. What do they suggest? Which do you agree with? What do you think is the purpose of studying and writing about History?

  1. History is filled with the sound of silken slippers going downstairs and wooden shoes coming up. (Voltaire)
  2. What is history but a fable agreed upon? (Napoleon Bonaparte)
  3. Any fool can make history, but it takes a genius to write it. (Oscar Wilde)
  4. To be ignored of what occurred before you were born is to always remain a child. (Cicero)
  5. History does not usually make sense till long afterward. (B. Catton)
  6. History is the unfolding of miscalculations. (B. Tuchman)
  7. History is little more than the register of crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind. (Edward Gibbon)
  8. History is not simply a record of events, but a coherent evolution of human though. (Francis Fukuyama)
  9. Women’s history has a duel goal: to restore women to history, and to restore history to women. (Joan Kelly-Gadol)
  10. Unless we learn from history, we are destined to repeat it. This is no longer merely an academic exercise, but may contain our world’s fate and our destiny. (Alex Haley)

What is Historiography? 

Historiography is the study of the way History has been written. This includes an awareness of different interpretations and perspectives on events we study in History, as well as an exploration of different schools of thought. This Britannica definition and the following YouTube video explain this concept in a little more detail:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/historiography


Other ideas 

I would recommend you have a look at some of these if you're interested:

  1. Read a History book! Any History book! There is a list in the files above to help you choose a relevant book.
  2. Listen to a History podcast - good ones include 'You're Dead to Me', 'Killing Time', Dan Snow's 'History Hit' and the BBC's 'A History of the World in 100 Objects'.
  3. Watch some documentaries on YouTube - Charter History by D Townsend has a good playlist of YouTube documentaries.
  4. Watch a historical film/TV series and research how accurate it is. Some films which might be interesting to explore include 'Hitler: The Rise of Evil' and 'Pearl Harbor'.