This section in the IB Syllabus

External Assessment: Papers 2 & 3

2019-10-04T12:48:56+03:00

Paper 2 (SL and HL)

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Weighting: 45% SL, 25% HL

Paper 2 is an essay paper based on the 12 world history topics.

The paper consists of two questions for each of the 12 topics. Students must answer two questions, each selected from a different topic. Some comparative questions on this paper require that examples be drawn from more than one region. When the word “region” is used in a paper 2 question, it refers to one of the four regional options defined by the world map in the introduction to the world history topics in the “World history topics” section.

The maximum mark for this paper is 30. The paper is marked using generic markbands and a paper-specific markscheme.

Paper 3 (HL only)

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

Weighting: 35%

Each of the four HL regional options has a separate examination paper. Students are registered for one of these papers.

The paper 3 examination paper for each regional option will consist of 36 questions, consisting of two essay questions on each of the 18 sections specified for the regional option. Students must answer any three questions. Questions that refer to specific countries, events or people are restricted to those listed in the syllabus descriptions. The maximum mark for this paper is 45. The paper is marked using generic markbands and a paper-specific markscheme.

World history topic 10: Authoritarian states (20th century) Paper 2

2017-04-29T10:41:25+03:00

This topic focuses on exploring the conditions that facilitated the rise of authoritarian states in the 20th century, as well as the methods used by parties and leaders to take and maintain power. The topic explores the emergence, consolidation and maintenance of power, including the impact of the leaders’ policies, both domestic and foreign, upon the maintenance of power. Examination questions for this topic will expect students to make reference to specific authoritarian states in their responses, and some examination questions will require discussion of states from more than one region of the world. In order for students to be able to make meaningful comparisons across all aspects of the prescribed content, it is recommended that a minimum of three authoritarian states should be studied.

Topic	Prescribed content
Emergence of authoritarian states	Conditions in which authoritarian states emerged: economic factors; social division; impact of war; weakness of political system Methods used to establish authoritarian states: persuasion and coercion; the role of leaders; ideology; the use of force; propaganda
Consolidation and maintenance of power	Use of legal methods; use of force; charismatic leadership; dissemination of propaganda Nature, extent and treatment of opposition The impact of the success and/or failure of foreign policy on the maintenance of power
Aims and results of policies	Aims and impact of domestic economic, political, cultural and social policies The impact of policies on women and minorities Authoritarian control and the extent to which it was achieved

(Source: IB History Guide)

Stalin's period on Paper 3 Syllabus

2016-09-21T19:45:42+03:00

'This section examines the consolidation of the Soviet state from 1924 and the methods applied to ensure its survival, growth and expansion inside and outside the borders of the Soviet Union. It explores the rise and nature of the rule of Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev and their policies. East–West relations post-1945 in relation to Soviet aims and leadership should also be considered. Finally, the decline and collapse of the Soviet Union should be considered, as well as political and economic developments in post-Soviet Russia.'

Soviet Union (1924–1941): Stalin and the struggle for power (1924–1929); defeat of Trotsky; Stalin’s policies of collectivization and the Five-Year Plans; government and propaganda under Stalin; the purges and the Great Terror
The impact of the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945); post-war Soviet Union (1945–1953): political and economic developments

(Source: IB History Guide/ Paper 3, Topic 16: The Soviet Union and Post-Soviet Russia, 1924-2000)