Island School History
  • Home
  • Y7/8 MYP
  • Y9 History
    • 1. Innovation & Industry >
      • 1. Causes
      • 2. Innovations
      • 3. Conditions
      • 4. Changes
      • 5. Sources
      • 6-7. Assessment 1 >
        • The USA
      • 8. Reflection
    • 2. Empire and Expansion >
      • 1. What is an Empire?
      • 2. Benefits of an Empire
      • 3. Negatives of Empire expansion
      • 4. Perspectives on Empires
      • 5. Assessment
    • 3. Rebellion and Revolution >
      • 1. Why do people protest?
      • 2. What are the causes of revolutions?
      • 3. What are the methods of protest?
      • 4. What are the consequences of protests?
      • 5. Assessment
      • Student Work
    • 4. War and Conflict >
      • 1. Causes of WW2
      • 2. Did that really happen here? WW2 in Hong Kong
      • 3. Why did the War extend to Hong Kong?
      • 4. How did the War affect Hong Kong?
      • 5. Assessment
    • Old History >
      • 1. Hong Kong Story >
        • Further Reading
      • 2. The Slave Trade
      • 3. The First World War
      • 4. The Changing Role of Women
  • Elements
    • Big History Project >
      • 1. What is Big History? >
        • 1.0 - Welcome to Big History
        • 1.1 - Scale
        • 1.2 - Origin Stories
        • 1.3 - What are Disciplines?
        • 1.4 - My Big History
        • Glossary
      • 2. The Big Bang >
        • 2.0 - Changing Understandings
        • 2.1 - The Big Bang
        • 2.2 - Claim Testing
        • Glossary
        • Links & Resources
      • 3. Stars and Elements >
        • 3.0 - How were stars formed?
        • 3.1 - Creation of Complex Elements
        • 3.2 - Ways of Knowing: Stars & Elements
        • Glossary
      • 4. Our Solar System & Earth >
        • 4.0 - Formation of Earth & Our Solar System
        • 4.1 - What was young Earth like?
        • 4.2 - Why is Plate Tectonics important?
        • 4.3 - Ways of Knowing: Our Solar System and Earth
        • Glossary
      • 5. Life >
        • 5.0 - What is Life?
        • 5.1 - How did Life Begin and Change?
        • 5.2 - How do Earth and Life Interact?
        • 5.3 - Ways of Knowing: Life
        • Glossary
      • 6. Early Humans >
        • 6.0 - How Our Ancesters Evolved
        • 6.1 - Ways of Knowing: Early Humans
        • 6.2 - Collective Learning
        • 6.3 - How did the First Humans live?
        • Glossary
      • 7. Agriculture & Civilisation >
        • 7.0 - The Rise of Agriculture
        • 7.1 - The First Cities and States
        • 7.2 - Ways of Knowing: Agriculture & Civilisation
        • Glossary
      • 8. Expansion & Interconnection >
        • 8.0 - Expansion
        • 8.1 - Exploration & Interconnection
        • 8.2 - The Columbian Exchange
        • 8.3 - Commerce & Collective Learning
        • Glossary
      • 9. Acceleration >
        • 9.0 - Transitions, Thresholds & Turning Points in Human History
        • 9.1 - Acceleration
        • 9.2 - The Anthropocene
        • 9.3 - Changing Economies
        • 9.4 - Industrialism
        • 9.5 - Modern States and Identities
        • 9.6 - Crisis and Conflict
        • 9.7 - Acceleration: Demographic, Political, and Technological
        • Glossary
      • 10. The Future >
        • 10.0 - Looking Back
        • 10.1 - The Biosphere
        • 10.2 - Looking Forward
        • Glossary
      • Assessment Rubrics
      • Key Texts
      • Little Big History
      • Further Reading
      • Further Watching
      • Thresholds of Increasing Complexity
      • Student Work
    • Social History
  • IGCSE
    • Germany 1918-45 >
      • 1. The Establishment of the Weimar Republic & Its Early Problems
      • 2. The Recovery of Germany 1924-1929
      • 3. The Rise of Hitler and the Nazis 1919-1933
      • 4. Life in Nazi Germany 1933-1939
      • 5. Germany during the Second World War
      • Old Exam Questions
      • Further Reading
      • Further Watching
    • China 1900-89 >
      • 1. China 1900-1934
      • 2. Mao & the CCP 1934-1949
      • 3. Change under Mao 1949-1963
      • 4. The Impact of the Cultural Revolution
      • 5. China after Mao 1976-1989
      • Old Exam Questions
      • Further Reading
      • Further Watching
    • US Civil Rights 1945-74 >
      • 1. McCarthyism and the Red Scare
      • 2. Civil Rights in the 1950s
      • 3. The Impact of MLK & Black Power
      • 4. Protest Movements
      • 5. Nixon & Watergate
      • Old Exam Questions
      • Further Reading
      • Further Watching
    • Russia & the USSR 1905-24 >
      • Old Exam Questions
    • Past Papers
  • IBDP
    • Paper 1 >
      • Rights and Protest >
        • Exam Questions
      • The Move to Global War >
        • 1. Japanese Expansion >
          • 1. Impact of the Meiji Restoration
          • 2. Foreign Policy in the 1920s
          • 3. The Invasion of Manchuria
          • 4. The Sino-Japanese War
          • 5. The Road to War
        • 2. German and Italian Expansion >
          • 1. Causes of Italian Expansion
          • 2. Responses to Italian Expansion
          • 3. Causes of German Expansion
          • 4. Responses to German Expansion
          • 5. The Road to War in Europe
        • Exam Questions
    • Paper 2 >
      • Paper 2: The Cold War >
        • 1. Why did the Grand Alliance breakdown? >
          • 1. What role did ideology play in the Grand Alliance?
          • 2. How did wartime disagreements affect the alliance?
          • 3. Did Soviet expansionism end the alliance?
          • 4. Was US exceptionalism to blame?
          • 5. Did events in Asia exacerbate tensions?
          • 6. Were tensions over Germany the final straw?
          • 7. Assessment: Who was to blame for the Cold War?
        • 2. How did superpower competition unfold? >
          • 1. How did competition unfold in Asia?
          • 2. What conflicts emerged in Europe?
          • 3. How did the Cold War shape the Middle East?
          • 4. Were tensions in the Americas unexpected?
          • 5. Why did the Cold War spread to Africa?
          • 6. How did scientific change drive the conflict?
          • 7. Assessment: Who won the global struggle?
        • 3. Were attempts at detente a failure? >
          • 1. Did peaceful coexistence work?
          • 2. What did detente achieve?
          • 3. Why did detente fail?
          • 4. Were other forms of cooperation effective?
          • 5. Assessment: Was detente a failure?
        • 4. What role did China play in the Cold War?
        • 5. How did the Cold War end?
        • 6. What role did leaders, crises and nations play?
        • Exam Questions
        • Further Reading
        • Glossary
        • Historiography
        • Primary Sources
      • Paper 2: Authoritarian States >
        • 1. Emergence of Authoritarian States >
          • 1. Why do Authoritarian States emerge?
          • 2. Rise of Hitler
          • 3. Rise of Mao
          • 4. Rise of Castro
          • 5. Rise of Stalin
          • 6. Comparing the Emergence of Authoritarian States
        • 2. Consolidation & Maintenance of Power >
          • 1. Hitler's Germany 1933-45
          • 2. Mao's China 1949-1976
          • 3. Castro's Cuba 1959-Present
          • 4. Comparing the Rule of Authoritarian States
        • 3. Aims and Results of Domestic Policies >
          • 4. Comparing Domestic Policies
        • Exam Questions
    • Paper 3: Asia and Oceania >
      • Topic 9: Imperial Decline in East Asia 1860-1912 >
        • 1. The Tongzhi Restoration
        • 2. Effects of the Sino-Japanese War
        • 3. Impact of the Boxer Rebellion
        • 4. The 1911 Xinhai Revolution
        • 5. The Meiji Restoration
        • 6. Early Japanese Imperialism
        • 7. The Opening of Korea
        • Exam Questions
      • Topic 11: Japan 1912-1990 >
        • 1. Taisho Japan
        • 2. The Rise of Militarism
        • 3. The Move to Global War
        • 4. The Pacific War
        • 5. The US Occupation
        • 6. The 'Economic Miracle'
        • Exam Questions
      • Topic 12: China and Korea 1910-1950 >
        • 1. What accounts for the rise of nationalism? >
          • 1. Was Yuan Shikai a national hero or villain?
          • 2. What did Sun Yixian do to promote nationalism?
          • 3. What was the impact of WW1 on nationalism?
          • 4. How significant was the New Culture Movement?
          • 5. Did the May 4th Movement achieve anything?
          • 6. How did nationalism survive the warlords?
          • 7. Assessment: What accounts for the rise of nationalism?
        • 2. Did Guomindang rule achieve anything? >
          • 1. How did Chiang Kai-shek emerge as leader of the GMD?
          • 2. Why was the Northern Expedition successful?
          • 3. Was the Nanjing Decade a success?
          • 4. Assessment: Was GMD rule a success or failure?
        • 3. Was the rise of communism inevitable? >
          • 1. What were conditions like for peasants in China?
          • 2. How did the CCP benefit from the First United Front?
          • 3. Why did the First United Front fail?
          • 4. How did Mao become leader of the Jiangxi Soviet?
          • 5. To what extent was the Long March a turning point?
          • 6. How did Mao consolidate his position at Yan'an?
          • 7. Assessment: Was Communism inevitable?
        • 4. How did war and conflict benefit the CPC? >
          • 1. What were the turning points of the Sino-Japanese War?
          • 2. What accounts for GMD failures during the war?
          • 3. What were the turning points of the Civil War?
          • 4. Did the CPC win or GMD lose the civil war?
          • 5. Assessment: Where did the CPC win the civil war?
        • 5. What was the impact of Japanese occupation on Korea?
        • 6. Was martial law in Taiwan justified?
        • Exam Questions
      • Topic 14: The People's Republic of China 1949-2005 >
        • 1. How did the CPC consolidate power? >
          • 1. What form of government did the CPC take?
          • 2. What policies did Mao use to consolidate power?
          • 3. What methods of repression did Mao use?
          • 4. What does the Hundred Flowers Campaign reveal?
          • 5. Assessment: How successful was Mao's consolidation of power?
        • 2. Was the transition to socialism successful? >
          • 1. Did the First Five Year Plan achieve its goals?
          • 2. What happened during the Great Leap Forward?
          • 3. Who was responsible for the Great Famine?
          • 4. How did the economy change in the 1960s?
          • 5. Assessment: How successful was the socialist economy?
        • 3. Who benefited from CPC rule under Mao? >
          • 1. How did CPC rule change society?
          • 2. Assessment: Did CPC rule benefit society?
        • 4. What was the cultural revolution? >
          • 1. What caused the cultural revolution?
          • 2. How did the cultural revolution evolve?
          • 3. What was the impact of the cultural revolution?
          • 4. Assessment: How can we explain the cultural revolution?
        • 5. Did China become a global power under Mao? >
          • 1. How did the CPC change China's foreign policy?
          • 2. Why were Sino-Soviet relations so turbulent?
          • 3. How did Sino-American relations change?
          • 4. What other relations did China cultivate?
          • 5. Assessment: When did China become a global power?
        • 6. How did Deng Xiaoping win power? >
          • 1. How did the Gang of Four rise to power?
          • 2. Why did Hua Guofeng become leader?
          • 3. Assessment: How did Deng Xiaoping win power?
        • 7. What accounts for China's modern success? >
          • 1. How successful were Deng Xiaoping's reforms?
          • 2. Why wasn't there a fifth modernisation in China?
          • 3. What was the significance of Tiananmen Square?
          • 4. How did China develop under Jiang Zemin?
          • 5. Assessment: What accounts for China's modern success?
        • Exam Questions
        • Further Reading
        • Historiography
        • Primary Sources
      • Topic 15: Cold War Conflicts in Asia >
        • 1. How was Communism defeated in Malaya? >
          • 1. What triggered conflict in Malaya?
          • 2. How did the Emergency evolve?
          • 3. Why was the insurgency defeated?
          • 4. What was the impact of the Emergency?
          • 5. Assessment: Why was Communism defeated?
        • 2. Why was the Korean War a turning point? >
          • 1. What caused the Korean War?
          • 2. How did the Korean War evolve?
          • 3. How was the Korean War resolved?
          • 4. What was the impact of the war?
          • 5. Assessment: Was the war a turning point?
        • 3. Why did the French fail to defeat the Vietminh? >
          • 1. What caused the Indochina War?
          • 2. How did the Indochina War evolve?
          • 3. How was the war in Indochina resolved?
          • 4. What was the impact of the French Indochina War?
          • 5. Assessment: What accounts for the French defeat?
        • 4. Could the Vietnam War have been avoided? >
          • 1. What caused the Vietnam War?
          • 2. How did the Vietnam War evolve?
          • 3. How was the Vietnam War resolved?
          • 4. What was the impact of the Vietnam War?
          • 5. Assessment: Was the Vietnam War inevitable?
        • 5. How was Cambodia shaped by the Cold War?
        • 6. How were the Soviets defeated in Afghanistan?
        • Exam Questions
    • Internal Assessment >
      • Forming Questions
      • Researching Primary Sources >
        • New York Times Digital Archive
        • SCMP Digital Archive
      • Researching Secondary Sources >
        • Google Scholar
        • History Today
        • HK Public Library e-resources
        • jstor
        • questia
        • Worldcat
      • Source Evaluation
      • Chicago Citation Format
      • IA Help Guide
    • Extended Essay >
      • 1. Title Page
      • 2. Abstract & Contents Page
      • 3. Introduction
      • 4. Body of the Essay
      • 5. Conclusion
      • 6. References, Bibliography & Appendices
    • Mark Schemes
    • Revision
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    • History Help >
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      • Historical Skills >
        • Essay Planning >
          • 1. Forming Questions
          • 2. Command Words
          • 3. Topic Analysis
          • 4. Essay Structure
        • Essay Writing >
          • 1. Introductions
          • 2. Conclusions
          • 3. Words and Phrases
          • 4. Quotations
          • 5. Sentences
          • 6. Width and Depth
          • 7. Citing Sources
          • 8. Spelling and Grammar
    • Resources >
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      • questiaschool.com
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    • Links >
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      • Mr Budd History

4.1 - what was young earth like?

Lesson Purpose


Scientists estimate that the Earth formed about 4.56 billion years ago. The Earth that we know today, the relatively peaceful home of myriad forms of life, didn't appear overnight. Rather, it took billions of years to slowly evolve into its current form. The process of accretion that led to the formation of the Earth was a violent one, and it produced an Earth that was only a little less violent and hostile. For a few hundred million years, the early Earth was characterised by high temperatures, toxic gases, high levels of radiation, and ongoing high-impact collisions. Over time, these conditions improved and the Earth took on its distinctive structure with differentiated layers of core, mantle, crust, and atmosphere. This distinctive structure has important consequences: First, it helps explain why the surface of the Earth changes over time; and second, it helps explain why the Earth evolved into a suitable setting for living things.

The outcomes of this lesson are: 1.) To explain how the Earth formed and the environment changed over time; 2.) To explain how the Earth's atmosphere formed.

Activity 1 - It's Alive! The Universe Verse Book 2


Picture
Activity Purpose
In Lesson 1.2, you read part of The Universe Verse, a comic book that illustrates many of the key elements of the Big History story. This second book tells the story of the formation of planet Earth and the emergence of life. This activity invites you to review the comic to get a very quick understanding of how the Earth was formed before moving on to the rest of the lesson.

Activity Tasks
  1. Download and read: ​It's Alive! The Universe Verse Book 2. When finished, try to answer the following questions:​​
    1. What stands out from the first few pages covering the earlier thresholds?
    2. What do we learn about the early Earth?
    3. What do we think we’ll learn in this lesson that explains the early Earth in more detail?

Activity 2 - What was young Earth like?


Activity Purpose
This video explains what life was like on the early Earth and asks us to think about what it would have been like to live on the Earth back then. It wasn’t pleasant, and it highlights the challenges emerging life forms had to overcome to survive. This video also previews the idea of plate tectonics, which will be the focus of the next two lessons in this unit. Understanding both the history of the Earth and plate tectonics are critical to understanding how the Earth became a place that could support life.

Activity Tasks
  1. Watch the video and try to answer the following questions:​
    1. 1:08 What challenges would humans have faced if they lived on the early Earth?
    2. 2:23 Why was the early Earth so hot?
    3. 3:57 Why is it important that the inner core of the Earth is metal?
    4. 4:18 How is the mantle different from the core of the Earth?
    5. 4:40 How is the crust different from the mantle?
    6. 4:47 How did the Earth’s atmosphere form?
    7. 6:18 What important hypothesis did Alfred Wegener make about the Earth, and what was his evidence?
    8. 6:33 What was this supercontinent called?
    9. 7:04 Why were many scientists unwilling to accept Wegener’s hypothesis?
    10. 7:59 When and how did an explanation for the movement of the Earth’s plates come together?
    11. 8:57 How does continental crust differ from oceanic crust?
    12. 9:37 How were the Andes and Himalayas formed?
    13. 10:59 What is plate tectonics?
    14. Discuss - Is the Earth is still forming today?
    15. Discuss - Can you think of other examples of accretion elsewhere in the Solar System?
The layers of the Earth were – and still are – constantly moving, and it was this movement that resulted in the creation of separate continents. Life on each of the continents evolved independently until the continents were reunited much, much later in our story.
Picture

Activity 3 - The Early Atmosphere


The atmosphere of the Earth keeps changing and adapting to the conditions around it. There is a never-ending cycle of warming, cooling, and recovery from traumatic events.
Picture
Activity Objectives
The atmosphere, like the Earth, has evolved over time. These changes in the atmosphere can be traced to changes on Earth. Many factors can influence the climate, but geological forces such as increased volcanic activity, and biological changes such as the development of photosynthesis, are two examples. It’s important to understand that the atmosphere is part of a larger system, and changes in that system can bring about changes in the atmosphere.

Activity Tasks
  1. Watch the video and try to answer the following questions:​​
    1. 0:37 How did the first atmosphere of the Earth form?
    2. 0:48 What is the “greenhouse effect,” and how did the conditions on the early Earth allow for its development?
    3. 1:41 How did the formation of the Moon impact the Earth?
    4. 2:11 How did the Earth’s atmosphere change during the Hadean eon?
    5. 3:07 How did the Earth’s atmosphere change during the Archaean eon?
    6. 3:55 What was the Great Oxidation Event and why did it happen?
    7. 4:50 How did the buildup of oxygen in the atmosphere impact that Earth’s climate?
    8. Discuss - Apart from Oxygen, can you think of other examples of elements or substances that are deadly to some species and not others?

Activity 4 - Evaluating Writing


Activity Objectives
​You will be evaluating “Early Earth,” a sample Big History essay, using the rubric that will be used to grade your own writing in the course. The goal of this activity is to familiarize you with the rubric by asking you to review the rubric’s categories and the descriptions of the standards by applying them to a sample paper.

Activity Tasks
  1. Read and discuss the Big History writing rubric on this page, looking at the five categories used to evaluate written work.​
  2. When you have finished, read this essay and mark it using the writing rubric.
  3. Now share your grade choices with the class, explaining the reasons for your choices.
Picture

Activity 5 - The Driving Question Notebook


Picture
Activity Objectives
By now, you should be familiar with the DQ Notebook activity. Although you won’t have much background to inform your work yet, it’s important that you begin to think about what you already know about this unit’s driving question.

Activity Tasks
  1. Download the DQ notebook for our driving question of this unit: 'How and why do theories become generally accepted?'​​
  2. Think about this question and respond to it by noting down your initial ideas in the first column - we will revisit it in later lessons.

Challenge Yourself! - Optional Activities


1. The Hadean was Earth's first geologic eon and lasted from 4.5 to 4 billion years ago. Named for the Greek god Hades, ruler of the underworld, it was a hellish and extremely violent time in our planet's early history.
2. Panthalassa is the name for the vast global ocean that surrounded the supercontinent Pangaea. It means "all" and "ocean" in a Greek.
3. Earth's early atmosphere was a noxious mix of hydrogen and helium, methane and ammonia. Today's atmosphere is a friendly-to-us mix of nitrogen, oxygen, and argon with traces of carbon dioxide, neon, and helium.
4. Ever noticed rocks with thin layers of red running through? It's probably a banded iron formation, a result of the Great Oxygenation Event that occurred 2.4 billion years ago. ​​​
TAKE THE QUIZ!

Y7-9 MYP

Y7 Humanities
Y8 Humanities
Y9 History

Y10-11 IGCSE

IGCSE History
Big History
Social History

Y12-13 IBDP HISTORY

Paper 1 SL/HL
Paper 2 Cold War / Paper 2 Authoritarian States
Paper 3 HL Only
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  • Home
  • Y7/8 MYP
  • Y9 History
    • 1. Innovation & Industry >
      • 1. Causes
      • 2. Innovations
      • 3. Conditions
      • 4. Changes
      • 5. Sources
      • 6-7. Assessment 1 >
        • The USA
      • 8. Reflection
    • 2. Empire and Expansion >
      • 1. What is an Empire?
      • 2. Benefits of an Empire
      • 3. Negatives of Empire expansion
      • 4. Perspectives on Empires
      • 5. Assessment
    • 3. Rebellion and Revolution >
      • 1. Why do people protest?
      • 2. What are the causes of revolutions?
      • 3. What are the methods of protest?
      • 4. What are the consequences of protests?
      • 5. Assessment
      • Student Work
    • 4. War and Conflict >
      • 1. Causes of WW2
      • 2. Did that really happen here? WW2 in Hong Kong
      • 3. Why did the War extend to Hong Kong?
      • 4. How did the War affect Hong Kong?
      • 5. Assessment
    • Old History >
      • 1. Hong Kong Story >
        • Further Reading
      • 2. The Slave Trade
      • 3. The First World War
      • 4. The Changing Role of Women
  • Elements
    • Big History Project >
      • 1. What is Big History? >
        • 1.0 - Welcome to Big History
        • 1.1 - Scale
        • 1.2 - Origin Stories
        • 1.3 - What are Disciplines?
        • 1.4 - My Big History
        • Glossary
      • 2. The Big Bang >
        • 2.0 - Changing Understandings
        • 2.1 - The Big Bang
        • 2.2 - Claim Testing
        • Glossary
        • Links & Resources
      • 3. Stars and Elements >
        • 3.0 - How were stars formed?
        • 3.1 - Creation of Complex Elements
        • 3.2 - Ways of Knowing: Stars & Elements
        • Glossary
      • 4. Our Solar System & Earth >
        • 4.0 - Formation of Earth & Our Solar System
        • 4.1 - What was young Earth like?
        • 4.2 - Why is Plate Tectonics important?
        • 4.3 - Ways of Knowing: Our Solar System and Earth
        • Glossary
      • 5. Life >
        • 5.0 - What is Life?
        • 5.1 - How did Life Begin and Change?
        • 5.2 - How do Earth and Life Interact?
        • 5.3 - Ways of Knowing: Life
        • Glossary
      • 6. Early Humans >
        • 6.0 - How Our Ancesters Evolved
        • 6.1 - Ways of Knowing: Early Humans
        • 6.2 - Collective Learning
        • 6.3 - How did the First Humans live?
        • Glossary
      • 7. Agriculture & Civilisation >
        • 7.0 - The Rise of Agriculture
        • 7.1 - The First Cities and States
        • 7.2 - Ways of Knowing: Agriculture & Civilisation
        • Glossary
      • 8. Expansion & Interconnection >
        • 8.0 - Expansion
        • 8.1 - Exploration & Interconnection
        • 8.2 - The Columbian Exchange
        • 8.3 - Commerce & Collective Learning
        • Glossary
      • 9. Acceleration >
        • 9.0 - Transitions, Thresholds & Turning Points in Human History
        • 9.1 - Acceleration
        • 9.2 - The Anthropocene
        • 9.3 - Changing Economies
        • 9.4 - Industrialism
        • 9.5 - Modern States and Identities
        • 9.6 - Crisis and Conflict
        • 9.7 - Acceleration: Demographic, Political, and Technological
        • Glossary
      • 10. The Future >
        • 10.0 - Looking Back
        • 10.1 - The Biosphere
        • 10.2 - Looking Forward
        • Glossary
      • Assessment Rubrics
      • Key Texts
      • Little Big History
      • Further Reading
      • Further Watching
      • Thresholds of Increasing Complexity
      • Student Work
    • Social History
  • IGCSE
    • Germany 1918-45 >
      • 1. The Establishment of the Weimar Republic & Its Early Problems
      • 2. The Recovery of Germany 1924-1929
      • 3. The Rise of Hitler and the Nazis 1919-1933
      • 4. Life in Nazi Germany 1933-1939
      • 5. Germany during the Second World War
      • Old Exam Questions
      • Further Reading
      • Further Watching
    • China 1900-89 >
      • 1. China 1900-1934
      • 2. Mao & the CCP 1934-1949
      • 3. Change under Mao 1949-1963
      • 4. The Impact of the Cultural Revolution
      • 5. China after Mao 1976-1989
      • Old Exam Questions
      • Further Reading
      • Further Watching
    • US Civil Rights 1945-74 >
      • 1. McCarthyism and the Red Scare
      • 2. Civil Rights in the 1950s
      • 3. The Impact of MLK & Black Power
      • 4. Protest Movements
      • 5. Nixon & Watergate
      • Old Exam Questions
      • Further Reading
      • Further Watching
    • Russia & the USSR 1905-24 >
      • Old Exam Questions
    • Past Papers
  • IBDP
    • Paper 1 >
      • Rights and Protest >
        • Exam Questions
      • The Move to Global War >
        • 1. Japanese Expansion >
          • 1. Impact of the Meiji Restoration
          • 2. Foreign Policy in the 1920s
          • 3. The Invasion of Manchuria
          • 4. The Sino-Japanese War
          • 5. The Road to War
        • 2. German and Italian Expansion >
          • 1. Causes of Italian Expansion
          • 2. Responses to Italian Expansion
          • 3. Causes of German Expansion
          • 4. Responses to German Expansion
          • 5. The Road to War in Europe
        • Exam Questions
    • Paper 2 >
      • Paper 2: The Cold War >
        • 1. Why did the Grand Alliance breakdown? >
          • 1. What role did ideology play in the Grand Alliance?
          • 2. How did wartime disagreements affect the alliance?
          • 3. Did Soviet expansionism end the alliance?
          • 4. Was US exceptionalism to blame?
          • 5. Did events in Asia exacerbate tensions?
          • 6. Were tensions over Germany the final straw?
          • 7. Assessment: Who was to blame for the Cold War?
        • 2. How did superpower competition unfold? >
          • 1. How did competition unfold in Asia?
          • 2. What conflicts emerged in Europe?
          • 3. How did the Cold War shape the Middle East?
          • 4. Were tensions in the Americas unexpected?
          • 5. Why did the Cold War spread to Africa?
          • 6. How did scientific change drive the conflict?
          • 7. Assessment: Who won the global struggle?
        • 3. Were attempts at detente a failure? >
          • 1. Did peaceful coexistence work?
          • 2. What did detente achieve?
          • 3. Why did detente fail?
          • 4. Were other forms of cooperation effective?
          • 5. Assessment: Was detente a failure?
        • 4. What role did China play in the Cold War?
        • 5. How did the Cold War end?
        • 6. What role did leaders, crises and nations play?
        • Exam Questions
        • Further Reading
        • Glossary
        • Historiography
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      • Paper 2: Authoritarian States >
        • 1. Emergence of Authoritarian States >
          • 1. Why do Authoritarian States emerge?
          • 2. Rise of Hitler
          • 3. Rise of Mao
          • 4. Rise of Castro
          • 5. Rise of Stalin
          • 6. Comparing the Emergence of Authoritarian States
        • 2. Consolidation & Maintenance of Power >
          • 1. Hitler's Germany 1933-45
          • 2. Mao's China 1949-1976
          • 3. Castro's Cuba 1959-Present
          • 4. Comparing the Rule of Authoritarian States
        • 3. Aims and Results of Domestic Policies >
          • 4. Comparing Domestic Policies
        • Exam Questions
    • Paper 3: Asia and Oceania >
      • Topic 9: Imperial Decline in East Asia 1860-1912 >
        • 1. The Tongzhi Restoration
        • 2. Effects of the Sino-Japanese War
        • 3. Impact of the Boxer Rebellion
        • 4. The 1911 Xinhai Revolution
        • 5. The Meiji Restoration
        • 6. Early Japanese Imperialism
        • 7. The Opening of Korea
        • Exam Questions
      • Topic 11: Japan 1912-1990 >
        • 1. Taisho Japan
        • 2. The Rise of Militarism
        • 3. The Move to Global War
        • 4. The Pacific War
        • 5. The US Occupation
        • 6. The 'Economic Miracle'
        • Exam Questions
      • Topic 12: China and Korea 1910-1950 >
        • 1. What accounts for the rise of nationalism? >
          • 1. Was Yuan Shikai a national hero or villain?
          • 2. What did Sun Yixian do to promote nationalism?
          • 3. What was the impact of WW1 on nationalism?
          • 4. How significant was the New Culture Movement?
          • 5. Did the May 4th Movement achieve anything?
          • 6. How did nationalism survive the warlords?
          • 7. Assessment: What accounts for the rise of nationalism?
        • 2. Did Guomindang rule achieve anything? >
          • 1. How did Chiang Kai-shek emerge as leader of the GMD?
          • 2. Why was the Northern Expedition successful?
          • 3. Was the Nanjing Decade a success?
          • 4. Assessment: Was GMD rule a success or failure?
        • 3. Was the rise of communism inevitable? >
          • 1. What were conditions like for peasants in China?
          • 2. How did the CCP benefit from the First United Front?
          • 3. Why did the First United Front fail?
          • 4. How did Mao become leader of the Jiangxi Soviet?
          • 5. To what extent was the Long March a turning point?
          • 6. How did Mao consolidate his position at Yan'an?
          • 7. Assessment: Was Communism inevitable?
        • 4. How did war and conflict benefit the CPC? >
          • 1. What were the turning points of the Sino-Japanese War?
          • 2. What accounts for GMD failures during the war?
          • 3. What were the turning points of the Civil War?
          • 4. Did the CPC win or GMD lose the civil war?
          • 5. Assessment: Where did the CPC win the civil war?
        • 5. What was the impact of Japanese occupation on Korea?
        • 6. Was martial law in Taiwan justified?
        • Exam Questions
      • Topic 14: The People's Republic of China 1949-2005 >
        • 1. How did the CPC consolidate power? >
          • 1. What form of government did the CPC take?
          • 2. What policies did Mao use to consolidate power?
          • 3. What methods of repression did Mao use?
          • 4. What does the Hundred Flowers Campaign reveal?
          • 5. Assessment: How successful was Mao's consolidation of power?
        • 2. Was the transition to socialism successful? >
          • 1. Did the First Five Year Plan achieve its goals?
          • 2. What happened during the Great Leap Forward?
          • 3. Who was responsible for the Great Famine?
          • 4. How did the economy change in the 1960s?
          • 5. Assessment: How successful was the socialist economy?
        • 3. Who benefited from CPC rule under Mao? >
          • 1. How did CPC rule change society?
          • 2. Assessment: Did CPC rule benefit society?
        • 4. What was the cultural revolution? >
          • 1. What caused the cultural revolution?
          • 2. How did the cultural revolution evolve?
          • 3. What was the impact of the cultural revolution?
          • 4. Assessment: How can we explain the cultural revolution?
        • 5. Did China become a global power under Mao? >
          • 1. How did the CPC change China's foreign policy?
          • 2. Why were Sino-Soviet relations so turbulent?
          • 3. How did Sino-American relations change?
          • 4. What other relations did China cultivate?
          • 5. Assessment: When did China become a global power?
        • 6. How did Deng Xiaoping win power? >
          • 1. How did the Gang of Four rise to power?
          • 2. Why did Hua Guofeng become leader?
          • 3. Assessment: How did Deng Xiaoping win power?
        • 7. What accounts for China's modern success? >
          • 1. How successful were Deng Xiaoping's reforms?
          • 2. Why wasn't there a fifth modernisation in China?
          • 3. What was the significance of Tiananmen Square?
          • 4. How did China develop under Jiang Zemin?
          • 5. Assessment: What accounts for China's modern success?
        • Exam Questions
        • Further Reading
        • Historiography
        • Primary Sources
      • Topic 15: Cold War Conflicts in Asia >
        • 1. How was Communism defeated in Malaya? >
          • 1. What triggered conflict in Malaya?
          • 2. How did the Emergency evolve?
          • 3. Why was the insurgency defeated?
          • 4. What was the impact of the Emergency?
          • 5. Assessment: Why was Communism defeated?
        • 2. Why was the Korean War a turning point? >
          • 1. What caused the Korean War?
          • 2. How did the Korean War evolve?
          • 3. How was the Korean War resolved?
          • 4. What was the impact of the war?
          • 5. Assessment: Was the war a turning point?
        • 3. Why did the French fail to defeat the Vietminh? >
          • 1. What caused the Indochina War?
          • 2. How did the Indochina War evolve?
          • 3. How was the war in Indochina resolved?
          • 4. What was the impact of the French Indochina War?
          • 5. Assessment: What accounts for the French defeat?
        • 4. Could the Vietnam War have been avoided? >
          • 1. What caused the Vietnam War?
          • 2. How did the Vietnam War evolve?
          • 3. How was the Vietnam War resolved?
          • 4. What was the impact of the Vietnam War?
          • 5. Assessment: Was the Vietnam War inevitable?
        • 5. How was Cambodia shaped by the Cold War?
        • 6. How were the Soviets defeated in Afghanistan?
        • Exam Questions
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