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
    • Hall of Fame
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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
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      • questiaschool.com
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    • TOK
    • Links >
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      • Island School Humanities
      • Island Educators
      • Mr Budd History

6.1 - WAYS OF KNOWING: EARLY HUMANS

Lesson Purpose


Considering we have never met a ​Homo habilis ​or an ​Australopithecus, how do we know about these early human species? Disciplines such as anthropology, archaeology, primatology, and history give us bits and pieces of evidence to help solve the puzzle of how humans have evolved over time. While we have learned a great deal about this topic in the last hundred years, there are still many unanswered questions and more evidence to be found!

The outcomes of this lesson are: 1.) To describe how early humans lived; 2.) To understand what scholars from multiple disciplines know about a topic and the questions they can ask to gain an understanding of the topic from an integrated perspective.

Activity 1 - Driving Question Notebook


Picture
Activity Objectives
This activity presents the driving question for Unit 6. It’s meant to help you stay focused on this question as you learn new material.

Activity Tasks
  1. DQ - What makes humans different from other species? - Complete the first column of this table by writing down your initial ideas on the driving question.​
  2. Share your ideas with the class. What else did others write down?

Activity 2 - Intro to Anthropology


Activity Objectives
In this introduction to anthropology, Professor Kathy Schick describes the study of anthropology and what it means to be an anthropologist. This video will provide you with information on this discipline and possibly inspire you to investigate this field in the future.

Activity Tasks
  1. Watch the video and try to answer these questions:
    1. 0:28 What is anthropology?
    2. 3:00 How does anthropology inform us about early humans?
    3. Discuss - What would anthropologists do if they found evidence of a new culture. What kind of questions would they ask? Why would they ask those questions?
Being an anthropologist is like being a detective who uses clues from both the modern world and the past to learn about our early human ancestors. If you like traveling, seeing new cultures, learning a new language, or searching for clues to solve puzzles, you’ll make a great anthropologist!

Activity 3 - Intro to Archaeology


Archaeology informs us about early humans by examining the remains of ancient peoples (fossils) and the items they left behind, such as tools and pottery.

Hiking and searching to find new dig sites, using pickaxes and shovels to excavate fossils, putting clues together from fossil records to discover long-lost information from the past – these are the types of things an archaeologist does to learn about our early human ancestors. ​
Activity Objectives
Professor Nick Toth describes the study of archaeology, the tools used by archaeologists to study fossils, and the questions that archaeologists ask to uncover clues about the past. The discoveries made by archaeologists are just one of the many ways we know about our early ancestors.

Activity Tasks
  1. Watch the video and try to answer these questions:​
    1. 0:25 What is archaeology?
    2. 0:35 What do archaeologists do?
    3. 3:25 How does archaeology teach us about early humans? What are the different types of archaeology?
    4. Discuss - What would archaeologists do if they found fossils from an unknown society. What kind of questions would they ask? Why would they ask those questions?

Activity 4 - What do you know? What do you ask?


Activity Objectives
This activity asks you to decide what kinds of questions scholars from different disciplines might ask about an object or a significant event. The goal is to help you solidify your understanding of the different disciplines, but more important, to move yourself toward thinking in an interdisciplinary fashion.

Activity Tasks
  1. Select an event or object to think about and complete this worksheet. A fossil or tool might be a good option since you've learned earlier about what archaeologists and anthropologists study. ​
  2. Think of three disciplines that would help you find out more about the object or event. What would someone from this discipline know or want to know about this object or event?
  3. If your team got together, what are the 2 most important scientific and historical questions they would ask about the event or object?
  4. Why is your team the best team for the job?
Picture

Activity 5 - Historos Cave


Activity Objectives
Earlier in this lesson, you learned about the fields of archaeology and anthropology. Now you’ll put that information to use as you attempt to describe how early humans at a fictional site would have lived. Although Historos Cave is fictional, the images in this activity are from a variety of sites in the area around Blombos Cave, South Africa. This activity will allow you to draw on previous information from the lesson as well as new research in order to draw conclusions about how early humans lived.

Activity Tasks
  1. Divide into 3 groups of 4 students each and look at this worksheet. Each group member should choose one of the following roles:​
    1. Anthropologist
    2. Archaeologist
    3. Geologist
    4. Paleontologist
  2. Describe what each scientist would focus on when investigating the cave, and think about how each discipline would answer the following questions:
    1. What were some of the physical traits of the early humans living in this cave?
    2. What were they eating and how did they get at that food?
    3. What was a day in the life of an early human like here?

Activity 6 - Little Big History Kickoff


Activity Objectives
In this activity, you are introduced to the Little Big History project (LBH), which is the culminating project for the course. You will be using a Big History approach to examine a single object about which you’ll create a Little Big History. This is an opportunity for you to practice what you’ve learned throughout the course.

Activity Tasks
  1. What is a Little Big History? The LBH is defined in 3 ways:
    1. It captures change over time and includes at least three thresholds of increasing complexity.
    2. Unlike many histories, the chronological account must refer to at least one time period, event, or piece of evidence dating from before the evolution of humans.
    3. Since Big History uses many approaches to knowledge, such as geology, cosmology, biology, and chemistry, an LBH should include at least two approaches to knowledge.
  2. You will work individually to investigate one of the following:
    1. an object or a commodity (anything that is bought and sold)
    2. a process or technical innovation
    3. a social construct or institution
    4. an activity
  3. At the end of the research process, you will have completed:
    1. An individual paper
    2. A presentation of the subject of their LBH
  4. Choose an object for your LBH project. Watch some of the videos for ideas. Think about these questions to test whether it is a good choice:
    1. Is my LBH idea too big or too small? (Sports is a very big topic—probably too big.)
    2. How could I narrow or expand the idea? (Narrow it down to one sport; a tool for a sport, such as a baseball bat; or think about gaming in general.)
    3. Am I really truly interested in this topic? Do I really want to study it for the rest of the school year?

Challenge Yourself! - Optional Activities


1. The world's most famous fictional archaeologist? Indiana Jones.
2. Making Stone Tools - Nicholas Toth shows how early humans made stone tools that were simple but effective.

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
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • 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
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