IB DP History (DP History): World history topics – Study Guide

The world history topics are the breadth part of IB History. There are twelve, covering societies, wars, rulers, states and ideologies from the eighth century to the end of the twentieth. You do not learn everything: your school chooses two of the twelve topics, and your teacher selects examples from different regions within each, and you answer essay questions that ask you to compare, evaluate and write thematically across those examples.

Where this fits in the course

These topics are assessed in Paper 2, which asks for essays on topics you have studied. Each essay is marked out of 15 using five holistic markbands, which reward focus on the question, accurate knowledge, analysis, evaluation of perspectives and a reasoned conclusion. Paper 2 sets two questions on each of the twelve topics, and you answer two essays, each on a different topic, in 1 hour 30 minutes. That is 30 marks in 90 minutes, or 3 minutes per mark, so each 15 mark essay should take about 45 minutes including planning.

The twelve topics

The topics fall into time blocks, which helps you see links between them.

Medieval and early modern, 750 to 1700

1. Society and economy (750-1400). Agriculture, trade, towns, social hierarchy, religion and the roles of women and peasants. Examples might compare feudal Europe with other regions.
2. Causes and effects of wars (750-1500). Why wars were fought, how they were fought, and their political, economic and social results. The Crusades and the Mongol conquests are typical.
3. Dynasties and rulers (750-1500). How rulers gained, held and lost power, and the structures of government, such as dynasties in China, the Islamic world or Europe.
4. Societies in transition (1400-1700). Change in thought, culture, economy and religion, including the Renaissance, the Reformation, exploration and the movement of goods and people.
5. Early Modern states (1450-1789). The growth of centralised states, absolutism and bureaucracy, and the limits on rulers.
6. Causes and effects of Early Modern wars (1500-1750). Religious and dynastic conflict, changes in military technology and the consequences for states, as in the Thirty Years’ War.

Modern, 1750 onwards

7. Origins, development and impact of industrialization (1750-2005). Why industrialisation began where it did, how it spread, and its effect on society, the economy and the environment.
8. Independence movements (1800-2000). Causes, methods and outcomes of movements for independence, including nationalism, leadership and the role of external events.
9. Emergence and development of democratic states (1848-2000). Reform movements, expansion of the franchise, political institutions and challenges to democracy.
10. Authoritarian states (20th century). How leaders came to power, methods of control, ideology and the effect on society, including single-party and military regimes.
11. Causes and effects of 20th-century wars. The causes, course and effects of conflicts, including world wars and civil or regional wars, with attention to technology, economy and society.
12. The Cold War: superpower tensions and rivalries (20th century). Ideological differences, alliances, crises, proxy conflicts and the end of the Cold War.

Skills the topics are designed to build

Comparison. Many questions ask you to compare examples from different regions. A good comparison makes similarities and differences explicit, explains why they exist and does not describe each example separately.

Thematic thinking. A topic such as authoritarian states has recurring themes: the conditions that helped leaders take power, the tools of control and the limits of control. Organise notes by theme as well as by case study.

Evaluation of causes and consequences. Distinguish short-term from long-term causes, and immediate from lasting consequences. Say which factor mattered most and why.

Historiography. Know that historians disagree and be ready to refer briefly to different views, giving them accurately.

Worked example: planning a comparative essay

Question: “Compare and contrast the methods used by two authoritarian leaders, each from a different region, to maintain power.”

1. Choose examples you know well, from two regions, for example one European and one Asian or Latin American leader taught in your class.
2. Choose points of comparison: use of force, propaganda and ideology, economic policy, and the control of institutions.
3. Plan the structure: an introduction with a clear thesis, then one paragraph per point of comparison, each dealing with both leaders. Finish with an overall judgement about which similarities or differences were most significant.
4. Time it: 45 minutes in total. Spend 5 minutes planning, 5 on the introduction, 4 x 7 = 28 minutes on four comparison paragraphs and 5 on the conclusion plus a final read: 5 + 5 + 28 + 5 = 43 minutes, leaving 2 minutes spare.

Thesis example: “Both leaders combined coercion with persuasion, but they differed in how far they relied on mass organisations and on the support of existing elites.”

Building revision notes

For each case study, record the dates and a short chronology, the key people, the causes, the main developments, the consequences and a brief evaluation. Add a line on how it links to the other topics you study. For example, a note on a 19th-century independence movement should be tied to nationalism and to the effect of wars on imperial powers.

Common mistakes

• Writing a narrative of one case study when the question asks for comparison.
• Using only one region when the question requires examples from more than one.
• Giving a list of causes without ranking or linking them.
• Vague dates and names. Precision shows secure knowledge.
• Failing to define the focus of the question, for example “methods” or “impact”.

Exam technique

Common command terms include compare and contrast, evaluate, discuss, examine and to what extent. Underline the command term, the topic and any date limits. Write a plan with a thesis before you begin. Each paragraph should begin with a point that answers the question, followed by evidence and explanation. End with a conclusion that makes a judgement.

Check your understanding

1. How many world history topics are there? Twelve.
2. Which topic covers the period 1450 to 1789? Early Modern states.
3. What is the difference between short-term and long-term causes? Short-term causes are immediate triggers; long-term causes are underlying conditions that developed over time.
4. Why is it weak to describe two examples in separate halves of a comparative essay? It does not make direct links between them.
5. In the planning example, how many minutes do four paragraphs of 7 minutes each take? 28 minutes.
6. What time per mark is available in Paper 2 if 30 marks must be earned in 90 minutes? 3 minutes per mark.
7. Name two themes useful for studying authoritarian states. Any two from rise to power, methods of control, ideology and the limits of control.
8. Why should your examples come from more than one region when a question asks for it? The question requires comparison across regions, and a single region does not meet that requirement.

Frequently asked questions

How many world history topics do I study? Two of the twelve, chosen by your school, each taught through examples from more than one region of the world.

How are Paper 2 essays marked? Each essay is marked out of 15 using five markbands; the top band (13–15) needs a focused, well-structured, well-supported argument that evaluates different perspectives.

How long should each Paper 2 essay take? About 45 minutes: 30 marks in 90 minutes is 3 minutes per mark, including about five minutes of planning.

Can both essays come from the same topic? No. Your two essays must be on two different world history topics.