Flashcards · IB Diploma Programme World History · Topic 2

World history topics flashcards

48 cards on Topic 2, subtopics 1 to 12. Pick a subtopic or study them all.

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1 Society and economy (750-1400)

What does the world history topic Society and economy (750-1400) cover?: Agriculture, trade, towns, social hierarchy, religion and the roles of women and peasants, compared across regions.
What were feudalism and manorialism in medieval Europe?: Feudalism: land granted by a lord in return for military service and loyalty. Manorialism: the economic system of the manor, where peasants and serfs farmed the lord’s land in return for protection and a share of the produce.
When did the Black Death strike Europe, and with what effect?: 1347-51. It killed roughly a third or more of Europe’s population, causing labour shortages that raised wages and weakened serfdom in many areas.
How is Paper 2 structured, according to the study guide?: Two essays, each on a different world history topic, in 1 hour 30 minutes. Each essay is marked out of 15, so about 45 minutes per essay including planning.

2 Causes and effects of wars (750-1500)

What does the topic Causes and effects of wars (750-1500) cover?: Why wars were fought, how they were fought, and their political, economic and social results. The Crusades and the Mongol conquests are typical examples.
What did the First Crusade (1096-99) achieve?: Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099 and set up crusader states in the Levant.
When was the Hundred Years’ War, and between whom?: England and France, 1337-1453, over the English claim to the French throne and English lands in France. It ended with England losing all its French lands except Calais.
How do you write a strong Paper 2 causes-of-war essay?: Distinguish long-term from short-term causes, rank them, and use examples from more than one region where the question asks for it, rather than narrating one war.

3 Dynasties and rulers (750-1500)

What does the topic Dynasties and rulers (750-1500) cover?: How rulers gained, held and lost power, and the structures of government they used, with dynasties drawn from China, the Islamic world or Europe.
When did the Abbasid caliphate begin and when did Baghdad fall?: The Abbasids took power in 750. Baghdad was sacked by the Mongols in 1258.
When was Charlemagne crowned emperor, and by whom?: On Christmas Day 800, by Pope Leo III in Rome.
Which themes help compare medieval rulers?: Legitimacy (religion, descent, conquest), methods of government and administration, relations with nobles and religious authorities, and reasons for decline.

4 Societies in transition (1400-1700)

What does the topic Societies in transition (1400-1700) cover?: Change in thought, culture, economy and religion, including the Renaissance, the Reformation, exploration and the movement of goods and people.
Why was Gutenberg’s printing press (c.1450) significant?: It made books cheaper and faster to produce, spreading new ideas quickly and helping the Renaissance and the Reformation reach a wide audience.
When did Luther begin the Protestant Reformation?: In 1517, when he issued his Ninety-Five Theses criticising the sale of indulgences.
What was the Columbian Exchange?: The transfer of plants, animals, people and diseases between the Americas and the rest of the world after Columbus’s voyage of 1492.

5 Early Modern states (1450-1789)

What does the topic Early Modern states (1450-1789) cover?: The growth of centralised states, absolutism and bureaucracy, and the limits on rulers’ power.
What is absolutism?: A system in which the monarch claims supreme, unchecked authority, often justified by divine right. Louis XIV of France (reigned 1643-1715) is the classic example.
What did the Glorious Revolution of 1688 change in England?: James II was replaced by William and Mary, and the Bill of Rights (1689) limited royal power and strengthened Parliament.
What limits existed on Early Modern rulers?: Representative bodies, the nobility, religious authorities, the cost of war and weak communications, which meant even "absolute" rulers depended on co-operation.

6 Causes and effects of Early Modern wars (1500-1750)

What does the topic Causes and effects of Early Modern wars (1500-1750) cover?: Religious and dynastic conflict, changes in military technology and organisation, and the consequences for states.
When was the Thirty Years’ War, and how did it end?: 1618-48, beginning in the Holy Roman Empire as a religious conflict. It ended with the Peace of Westphalia (1648).
What is meant by the "military revolution" of the Early Modern period?: Changes in warfare such as gunpowder weapons, new fortifications and larger standing armies, which raised costs and pushed states to centralise and tax more.
Religious vs dynastic causes of Early Modern wars: Religious: conflict between Catholic and Protestant states or communities. Dynastic: rival claims to thrones and territory between ruling families. Many wars combined both, so weigh them.

7 Origins, development and impact of industrialization (1750-2005)

What does the topic Origins, development and impact of industrialization (1750-2005) cover?: Why industrialisation began where it did, how it spread, and its effects on society, the economy and the environment.
Why did industrialisation begin in Britain?: Coal and iron deposits, capital from trade and empire, an agricultural revolution that freed labour, good transport by river, canal and sea, and inventions such as improved steam engines.
Give two social effects of industrialisation: Rapid urbanisation with overcrowded, unhealthy housing, and the growth of a factory working class, which led to trade unions and labour reforms.
How did Meiji Japan industrialise?: After 1868 the state led modernisation, building railways and factories, importing Western technology and experts, and later selling enterprises to private firms.

8 Independence movements (1800-2000)

What does the topic Independence movements (1800-2000) cover?: The causes, methods and outcomes of movements for independence, including nationalism, leadership and the effect of external events such as wars.
When did India and Pakistan become independent?: In August 1947, when British rule ended and the subcontinent was partitioned.
When did Ghana become independent, and why is it a key example?: In 1957, under Kwame Nkrumah, as the former British colony of the Gold Coast. It was one of the first colonies in sub-Saharan Africa to win independence and encouraged movements elsewhere.
How did the world wars affect independence movements?: They weakened colonial powers economically and militarily, damaged their prestige, and raised expectations among colonised peoples who had served or suffered in them.

9 Emergence and development of democratic states (1848-2000)

What does the topic Emergence and development of democratic states (1848-2000) cover?: Reform movements, expansion of the franchise, political institutions, and challenges to democracy.
What is the franchise, and why does its expansion matter?: The right to vote. Extending it to more men, then to women, is a key measure of how democratic a state became.
What challenges can threaten a new democracy?: Economic crisis, weak constitutions, extremist parties, hostile elites or armies, and lack of public trust. Weimar Germany is a common example of a democracy that failed.
How do you compare two democratic states in a Paper 2 essay?: Choose themes such as the conditions in which democracy emerged, constitutional design, social and economic policies, and challenges faced, and deal with both states in each paragraph.

10 Authoritarian states (20th century)

What does the topic Authoritarian states (20th century) cover?: How leaders came to power, their methods of control, ideology and its effect on society, including single-party and military regimes.
Which conditions help an authoritarian leader emerge?: Economic crisis, war or defeat, weak or discredited government, social division, and the use of ideology, persuasion and force.
Which methods do authoritarian leaders use to keep power?: Force and terror, propaganda and a personality cult, control of education and the media, removal of opponents, and economic and social policies that win support.
Compare and contrast: what does the command term require in a Paper 2 essay?: Similarities and differences between two or more examples, made explicit point by point throughout, with an explanation of why they exist. Describing each example separately earns little.

11 Causes and effects of 20th-century wars

What does the topic Causes and effects of 20th-century wars cover?: The causes, practices and effects of wars, including world wars and civil or regional wars, with attention to technology, the economy and society.
Total war vs limited war: Total war: a state mobilises its whole population, economy and resources, and civilians become targets. Limited war: aims, weapons and areas of fighting are deliberately restricted.
When was the Spanish Civil War, and why is it a common example?: 1936-39. It combined a civil war with foreign intervention by Germany, Italy and the USSR, and saw the bombing of civilians, as at Guernica (1937).
What is guerrilla warfare?: Fighting by small, mobile forces using ambush, sabotage and support from the local population against a stronger conventional army, as in the Chinese Civil War and the Vietnam War.

12 The Cold War: Superpower tensions and rivalries (20th century)

What does the topic The Cold War: superpower tensions and rivalries cover?: Ideological differences, alliances, crises, proxy conflicts, and the end of the Cold War, with leaders and countries from more than one region.
What is a proxy war?: A conflict in which the superpowers support opposing sides rather than fighting each other directly, such as the Korean War (1950-53) or the Soviet-Afghan War (1979-89).
What was détente?: The easing of Cold War tension in the late 1960s and 1970s, seen in arms agreements such as SALT I (1972) and the Helsinki Accords (1975).
Why did the Cold War end?: Soviet economic weakness, Gorbachev’s reforms and his refusal to use force in Eastern Europe, pressure from Reagan’s arms build-up, and popular movements. The Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and the USSR dissolved in 1991.