A Level World History: International History, 1870-1939 — Revision Notes

Condensed for the final weeks. For the full explanation, use the International History, 1870–1939 study guide. This 2027-2029 series syllabus redates the option from 1870-1945 to 1870-1939 and drops its former China and Japan topic — the option now has three topics, not four.

Where this fits

One of three AS options (European, American, International) — a school teaches one, not all three. Assessed via Paper 1 (Historical Sources) and Paper 2 (Outline Study), rotating which of the three topics is examined by which paper year on year, on a fixed published three-year cycle — secure all three, don’t bet on one.

Section 7: Imperialism and the emergence of world powers, c.1870–1918

• New Imperialism: economic/political motives; domestic support/opposition in Britain, France, Germany.
• Impact on relations: disputes with China (Boxer Rebellion), Anglo-German tension over South Africa, Berlin Conference 1884–85 (managing imperial rivalry).
• Japan rising: modernisation, wars vs China (1894–95) and Russia (1905), 1902 treaty with Britain, WWI role.
• USA rising: closing frontier, overseas trade need, Spanish–American War (1898), WWI entry.

Section 8: International relations, 1919–29: conflict and cooperation

• 1919–20 peace settlements: Versailles, Trianon, Neuilly, Saint Germain, Sèvres; reparations; Germany’s “Diktat.”
• 1920–23 high tension: Ruhr Crisis, Corfu Incident, German hyperinflation — despite Washington/Genoa Conferences, Rapallo Pact, Treaty of Lausanne.
• 1924–29 recovery: Dawes Plan, Locarno Treaties, Kellogg–Briand Pact, Young Plan.
• League itself: aims/membership/structure; collective security (Aaland Islands, Vilna, Upper Silesia); weaknesses; Agencies.

Section 9: International history, 1929–39: the rise of extremism and the road to war

• Rise of extremism: Great Depression’s impact on ideology, dictatorships, Spanish Civil War responses, Hitler’s expansion (rearmament, Rhineland 1936, Anschluss/Sudetenland 1938, Czechoslovakia/Poland 1939).
• League’s failure: failed disarmament, weak response to Manchuria and Abyssinia crises.
• Appeasement: British/French policy, shaped by economic/military factors and USSR relations — Rhineland, Anschluss, Munich Crisis.
• Outbreak of war, 1939: British rearmament, Polish guarantee, Nazi–Soviet Pact reasons, invasion of Poland.

Connecting Sections 8 and 9: from stabilisation to collapse

A common weak answer treats the 1920s and 1930s topics as two unrelated decades. A stronger answer explicitly traces how specific weaknesses left unresolved in Section 8 (the League’s limited use of collective security in disputes like the Aaland Islands, Vilna and Upper Silesia; its structural weaknesses as an institution) become directly relevant to explaining Section 9’s failures in the much higher-stakes Manchuria and Abyssinia crises – the League’s mechanisms did not fundamentally change between the two decades, but the scale and severity of the crises it faced did, exposing weaknesses that had already been present but less consequential in the 1920s.

Exam traps

• Blurring the run of named treaties/conferences (Washington, Genoa, Rapallo, Locarno, Kellogg–Briand, Munich) into an undifferentiated list — anchor each to its specific key question.
• Concentrating revision on only the topic that seems “likely” for Paper 1 — the rotation is fixed and published, so check the current year’s table rather than guessing.
• Treating appeasement as simply “weakness,” rather than a policy shaped by specific economic, military and USSR-relations considerations.
• Confusing this option with the European or American AS options — different content entirely, and a school teaches only one.

Self-test

1. What are the three AS options, and how many does a school teach?
2. Name the three topics of the International Option.
3. Name two named treaties/conferences from the 1920s topic and what each responds to.
4. What former topic did this option drop between the 2026 and 2027-2029 syllabus series?
5. Give one reason appeasement was pursued, beyond a simple desire to avoid war.
6. Why should a candidate secure knowledge of all three topics rather than concentrating on one or two?

Answers: 1. European (Modern Europe 1774–1924), American (USA 1820–1941), International; a school teaches one, not all three. 2. Imperialism and the Emergence of World Powers, c.1870–1918; International Relations, 1919–29: Conflict and Cooperation; International History, 1929–39: The Rise of Extremism and the Road to War. 3. E.g. the Dawes Plan (addressing German reparations payments) and the Locarno Treaties (addressing western European border security) — both part of the 1924–29 recovery. 4. China and Japan, 1912–45. 5. Economic considerations (avoiding the cost of rearmament/war) or military considerations (Britain and France not yet being militarily prepared), or changing relations with the USSR. 6. Because Paper 1 and Paper 2 draw on the same three topics but rotate, on a fixed three-year cycle, which is examined on Paper 1 (Historical Sources) versus Paper 2 (Outline Study), so concentrating on fewer than all three risks being unprepared for whichever topic is prescribed in the candidate’s own exam series.