War,+2015-16

IB Definition of Topic
War was a major feature of the 20th century. In this topic the different types of war should be identified, and the causes, practices and effects of these conflicts should be studied.

Major themes
Different types and nature of 20th century warfare
 * Civil war
 * Guerrilla
 * Limited war, total war

Origins and causes of wars •
 * Economic, ideological, political, religious causes
 * Long-term, short-term and immediate causes

Nature of 20th century wars •
 * Technological developments, tactics and strategies, air, land and sea
 * Home front: economic and social impact (including changes in the role and status of women)
 * Resistance and revolutionary movements

Effects and results of wars
 * Peace settlements and wars ending with treaties
 * Attempts at collective security pre- and post-Second World War
 * Political repercussions and territorial changes
 * Post-war economic problems

Material for detailed study
Here is the complete list from the IB. I have colored wars for which WFS students were NOT prepared in red. Notice that the three wars that remain allow students to have at least one case to use in response to the typical constraints placed on exam questions (compare two wars from different regions, compare one guerrilla war and one conventional war, etc.)
 * First World War (1914- 8)
 * Second World War (1939- 45)
 * Africa: Algerian War (1954- 62), Nigerian Civil War (1967-70)
 * Americas: Falklands/Malvinas war (1982), Nicaraguan Revolution (1976- 9)
 * Asia and Oceania: Indo-Pakistan wars (1947- 9, 1965, 1971), Chinese Civil War (1927- 37 and 1946- 9)
 * Europe and Middle East: Spanish Civil War (1936- 9), Iran–Iraq war (1980- 88), Gulf War (1991)

Past Questions from 2002-6
Lists of past Paper 2 exam questions about War from 2002-6 can be found [|here.]

More Recent Questions, with Associated Examiner Comments
2013-November


 * 1) Analyse the economic and political causes of two civil wars, each chosen from a different region.
 * 2) “The role of alliances in the origin and expansion of the war in 1914 was greatly exaggerated.” With reference to the First World War, to what extent do you agree with this statement?
 * 3) Why, and with what consequences, was there so little opposition to aggressive expansionism in the period 1931–1939?
 * 4) Assess the contribution of guerrilla warfare to the outcome of either the Chinese Civil War (1927–1937 and 1946–1949) or the Algerian War (1954–1962).
 * 5) With reference to the period 1945–1965, analyse the factors that helped and hindered attempts to promote collective security.
 * 6) To what extent was the outcome of either the Falklands/Malvinas War (1982) or the Gulf War (1991) determined by technological developments?

2013-May

> Settlement after the First World War; the economic crisis of 1929 onwards; ideological extremism. > war in the twentieth century.
 * 1) Assess the role of each of the following in causing the Second World War (1939–1945): the Peace
 * 1) With reference to two twentieth century civil wars, to what extent do you agree with the claim that victory was decided by the nature and extent of foreign intervention?
 * 2) Compare and contrast the factors that helped and hindered attempts at collective security in the ten years after each world war.
 * 3) Analyse the reasons for, and results of, either the Algerian War (1954–1962) or the Gulf War (1991).
 * 4) Examine the extent to which the role and status of women was affected by their involvement in total

2012-May

1. With reference to two examples, each chosen from a different region, assess the factors which helped and hindered successful guerrilla warfare. > 2. Analyse the economic and social effects of two wars in the second half of the twentieth century. > 3. To what extent were religious issues responsible for the wars between either India and Pakistan (1947–1971) or Iran and Iraq (1980–1988)? > 4. Analyse the reasons for, and importance of, foreign intervention in one of the following: the Chinese Civil War (1927–1949); the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939); the Gulf War (1991). > 5. In what ways did advances in technology affect the nature and outcome of warfare in the first half of the twentieth century? > 6. Assess the importance of each of the following in causing the First or the Second World War: nationalism; alliances; economic factors.
 * Examiners: It is likely that the requirement here to refer to leaders of guerrilla movements was an obstacle to many candidates as not many responses were seen. In general, there was some assessment of “discipline” and “support” but only rarely was leadership assessed.
 * Examiners: Very few good responses were seen to this question and most responses were very general. The majority of candidates who attempted this question did distinguish between economic and social effects, but detailed knowledge was, mostly, rather limited. World War One was the most common example chosen and candidates tended to look at post-war effects, although it would have been quite acceptable to have focused on the social and economic impact as the war was being fought during the period 1914 -18. There was a tendency to give an account of the Treaty of Versailles and the impact of reparations on Germany as economic effects and the return of women to the home as the social impact. It may be advisable to warn candidates that a good deal of detailed knowledge is needed to address questions on social and economic history effectively and unsupported assertions do not score well.
 * Examiners: Very few responses seen.
 * Examiners: This was a very popular question, with the vast majority of candidates choosing the Spanish Civil War. The level of knowledge was often very good indeed and focus was placed on “reasons for” and “results” in almost every response seen. References were, almost always, made to assistance received from Italy and Germany to the Nationalists and from the USSR to the Republicans. Mention was also made of the Non-Intervention Agreement as well as the contribution of the International Brigades.
 * Examiners: Although the level of knowledge concerning the ways in which wars are fought is often impressive, few responses to this question demonstrated more than rather basic detail on the kind of technology used in the wars chosen. Most candidates chose a war where technology won out (such as the Gulf War) or where it was no match for the resilience of guerrilla fighters (such as Vietnam) but, more often than not, failed to support arguments with good detailed knowledge.
 * Examiners: Quite possibly, this was the most popular question on the paper with the majority of candidates choosing to assess the causes of the Second World War. Most attempted to determine the importance of all three factors mentioned in the question, although too many responses resorted to a recounting of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, the impact of the Great Depression and made do with rather vague references to Lebensraum. It was a pity that so few candidates considered events outside of Europe or, indeed, outside of Germany seeing this, instead, as an opportunity to narrate the rise to power of Hitler. Much could have been said about the impact of treaties other than Versailles, and more focus placed upon agreements made in the 1930s that had a more immediate impact upon the outbreak of war. Similarly, the Great Depression had consequences beyond causing (it could be argued) the end of Weimar Germany and it was good to see some responses mention how economic problems also gave rise to Japanese expansionism. Some candidates linked ideology not only to Nazism/Fascism but also to Communism, demonstrating how the fears this raised contributed to the support for more extreme nationalism. The best answers did make explicit links to the outbreak of war in 1939. Some candidates chose to address the causes of the First World War. However these responses were all too often quite limited in scope with probably the majority not even approaching 1914 but becoming embroiled in alliances and imperialism. Again, specific knowledge linking treaties (alliances would do), economic circumstances and ideology (especially nationalism) to the outbreak of war, was well rewarded.

2011-May

1. Compare and contrast the causes and results of the Iran–Iraq war (1980–1988) and the Falklands/Malvinas war (1982). > 2. To what extent did nationalism contribute to the origins of both the First World War (1914–1918) and the Second World War (1939–1945)? > 3. With reference to one specific example, assess (a) the reasons for the use of guerrilla warfare, and (b) its effectiveness. > 4. Examine the reasons for the failure of collective security before the Second World War (1939–1945). > 5. “Hostilities of sufficient magnitude to be called wars have ended without peace treaties.” With reference to the conclusion of two wars, analyse the validity of this statement. > 6. Why do economic problems occur in post-war periods?
 * Examiners: This was not a popular choice of question and, it must be said, a comparing/contrasting of the Falklands/Malvinas War with the Iran-Iraq War was not an easy task. Nevertheless, candidates who chose this question had some relevant knowledge and made some effort to address the causes and the results of both wars.
 * Examiners:This was a very popular choice of question that required candidates to address the role of nationalism as a cause of both world wars. To do so within the time limit required a strong focus on relevant analysis and the avoidance of a narrative of the general long- and short- term causes. In general, examiners regretted the rather weak understanding of “nationalism” and the tendency of candidates to skirt around this term rather than attempting to define it clearly before evaluating its contribution to the outbreak of both wars. A disappointing number of candidates were rather unsure of the role of Serbia believing it to have been a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Better answers, however, were able to link unrest in the Balkans to nationalism and to explain clearly how this was viewed with trepidation in Vienna and Berlin. Attention was also paid to nationalism as both a cause and a result of colonial expansion and militarism. Similarly, better answers linked nationalism to the ideologies of both Hitler and Mussolini and to the militarism of Japan as a cause of the Second World War.
 * Examiners: This was not a particularly popular question, but candidates who did attempt it seemed quite familiar with the concept of guerrilla warfare. The most popular examples included the Vietnam War and the Chinese Civil War. These were quite appropriate and candidates had some knowledge of events, although a disappointingly low number were able to address both “reasons for” and “effectiveness” with good use of supporting evidence. On the whole, examiners concluded that this was not because of weak knowledge of the topic but, rather, a failure to read the question closely and to focus on its demands.
 * Examiners: Possibly, this was the most popular question on the paper with some strong linkage of “collective security” to the League of Nations and its subsequent failure to prevent another war of the magnitude of the First World War. Some candidates did get waylaid by the temptation to narrate the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and so did not manage their time well enough to take their arguments up to the outbreak of war in 1939. In general, many candidates provided a well supported analysis of the weaknesses of the League of Nations; mentioned not only the absence of the USA but outlined why this was a problem; discussed Manchuria and Abyssinia with some authority only to come to an abrupt halt in 1936. Candidates need to read the question very carefully and to make sure they meet its demands fully for a very good/excellent mark.
 * Examiners: A rather difficult question to attempt and it did not prove very popular. There were some interesting responses, however, and on the whole, candidates were able to discuss why peace treaties are not always signed at the end of a war. Popular choices were both World Wars, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
 * Examiners:Not many responses were seen to this question. Candidates tended to discuss economic problems in general terms rather than using factual evidence to support specific arguments.

2010-May

1. Discuss the part played in the outbreak of the First World War by two states (excluding Germany). > 2. Analyse the reasons for, and the results of, either the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) or the Chinese Civil War (1946–1949). > 3. Assess the significance of naval warfare in determining the outcome of one twentieth century war. > 4. “Many twentieth century wars had the characteristics of both a limited and a total war.” With reference to two wars explain to what extent you agree with this statement. > 5. For what reasons, and with what results, did Iran and Iraq fight a war from 1980 to 1988?
 * Examiners:The question required consideration of the part played by two states (excluding Germany) and did emphasise the term „outbreak‟. For many respondents this was seen as an opportunity to write general answers on the origins of the Great War without sufficient focus and detail about the chosen states and the events in 1914 in particular. Excluding Germany led many candidates to choose states which were not always easy to examine (the role of Britain was usually not well understood) or which were largely or totally irrelevant (Italy, USA!). The better responses tended to be those which concentrated upon the Dual Monarchy, Serbia or Russia. These allowed for a more relevant coverage of „outbreak‟ as well as some shorter/longer term coverage to put the 1914 events into perspective.
 * Examiners:Relatively few candidates chose this question. Spain‟s Civil war was too often poorly understood in terms of causation and, apart from the fact that the Nationalists won, lacked much in terms of „results‟. Candidates who chose the Chinese Civil War tended to do better in terms of causation/reasons and results. Some argued that the period 1946-49 merely marked the resumption of a conflict which had been evident since 1927.
 * Examiners:The significance of naval warfare in determining the outcome of one twentieth century war was tackled with reference to either the First World War or the Second World War (usually only in relation to the Pacific) Answers tended to focus heavily upon the USA in both cases- reiterating yet again quite wrongly that it was the sinking of the Lusitania which brought the USA into the war. Better responses did have knowledge of blockades, the use of carriers, submarine warfare, major invasion attempts etc. and were able to also comment on „other factors‟ which may have been significant in determining the outcome.
 * Examiners:Without a clear and comprehensive working definition of the terms „limited„ and „total war‟ it is difficult to see how the question can be successfully tackled. Those who had a clear understanding could argue convincingly by referring to the characteristics of such wars and how applicable they were in the selected conflicts. Those who did not have such a definition tended to produce repetitive descriptions of two wars without really addressing the demands of the question. As noted in the comments above, these terms (See History Guide) need to be focused upon in class preparation if Topic 1 is a chosen area of study.
 * Examiners: Very few responses were seen to this question.

6. For what reasons, and with what results, did twentieth century wars influence the status of women?
 * Examiners:This was an extremely popular question indeed and produced an extremely poor performance from the great majority of respondents. Answers lacked detail and consisted of generalized, repetitive, erroneous comments about women (almost always in the USA during the First and Second World wars)) and the extent to which their role changed (rather than status). It was quite worrying to see how many candidates used this question as a way to produce responses which were little more than opinionated rants about persecuted minorities (such as women) and how war liberated them. Such questions require specific and relevant detail otherwise they become little more than weak, subjective sweeping essays which do little more than reveal the lack of historical knowledge of the candidate. Such questions are dangerous indeed for the unwary who seem to believe that somehow their personal views and a bare minimum of facts will earn them success.

2009-May

1. Compare and contrast the causes of two twentieth century civil wars. 2. Define guerrilla warfare, and discuss its significance in two wars, each chosen from a different region. 3. Analyse (a) the short-term results, and (b) the long-term results up to 1935, of the First World War. 4. In what ways, and with what results, did either the Korean War or the Vietnam War bring about social and cultural changes in the countries involved? 5. In what ways, and for what reasons, did the nature of war in the air change between 1939 and 1990?

From ActiveHistory (Russel J. Tarr)

 * A worksheet to help you process the above lists of questions, and to focus you on the key issues you need to learn:
 * [[file:War-Past Qs chart.pdf]]
 * A variety of [|interactive quizzes, activities and videos]
 * Excellent review materials on Topic 1, "War", are found at the top of [|this page]
 * Sample essays by Russel J. Tarr
 * "Why did Germany and her allies lose World War I?"
 * [[file:Why did Germany lose WW I?-RJT.pdf]]
 * "Compare and Contrast the Causes of 20th Century Wars"
 * [[file:War-Comparing Causes-RJT.doc]]
 * Analytical charts
 * The social-economic impact of World War I on two countries
 * [[file:Soc-Econ Impact of WW1 on 2 ctries-RJT.pdf]]
 * The impact of World War I–Summary
 * [[file:Impact of WW1-Summary-RJT.pdf]]
 * Does war accelerate social change?
 * [[file:Does war accelerate social change-RJT.pdf]]
 * Comparison of total wars and limited wars
 * [[file:Limited v. total war comps-RJT.doc]]
 * Compare and contrast the impact of WW I and WW II
 * [[file:Impact of WW1 v WW2–RJT.pdf]]

From Shannonn Leggett
Some useful analytical charts
 * This one compares all the wars and revolutions we have studied along multiple dimensions
 * [[file:Wars-Revs-Review Grid.doc]]

From me
>>>
 * Blank analytical charts, with a common format for understanding and comparing wars across their phases of development (long-term, short-term, and immediate, or some variant) and one's level of analysis (cultural, political, socio-economic, etc.). I include both PDF and Excel formats, in case some of you want to paste notes directly onto the Excel columns.
 * World War I
 * Origins
 * [[file:WW I-Origins-Phases & Levels.xls]]
 * [[file:WW I-Origins-Phases & Levels.pdf]]
 * Course
 * [[file:WW I-Course-Phases & Levels.xls]]
 * [[file:WW I-Course-Phases & Levels.pdf]]
 * Effects
 * [[file:WW I-Effects-Phases & Levels.xls]]
 * [[file:WW I-Effects-Phases & Levels.pdf]]
 * World War II
 * Origins
 * [[file:WW II-Origins-Phases & Levels.xls]]
 * [[file:WW II-Origins-Phases & Levels.pdf]]
 * Course
 * [[file:WW II-Course-Phases & Levels.xls]]
 * [[file:WW II-Course-Phases & Levels.pdf]]
 * Efffects
 * [[file:WW II-Effects-Phases & Levels.xls]]
 * [[file:WW II-Effects-Phases & Levels.pdf]]
 * Chinese Civil War
 * Origins
 * [[file:Chinese Civil War-Origins-Phases & Levels.xls]]
 * [[file:Chinese Civil War-Origins-Phases & Levels.pdf]]
 * Course
 * [[file:Chinese Civil War-Course-Phases & Levels.xls]]
 * [[file:Chinese Civil War-Course-Phases & Levels.pdf]]
 * Effects
 * [[file:Chinese Civil War-Effects-Phases & Levels.xls]]
 * [[file:Chinese Civil War-Effects-Phases & Levels.pdf]]


 * How in-depth should a review chart above be filled in? That depends on how well you are trying to do on the exam. Here is one way to think about this, working backward:
 * To earn a top grade on an essay, aim to include 30 or more points of evidence on your essay the day of the test.
 * To be able to provide that many points of evidence, you need to aim to include more than that number of points on your review chart corresponding to that phase of the historical event in question. (Almost all essays focus on only one phase of a historical event: its origins, course, or effects.)
 * So you need to include >30 points (40? 45?) of evidence on each chart above

>>>> [] >>>> [] >>>> [] >>>> [] >>>> [] >>>> [] >>>> [] >>>> [] >>>> [] >>>> [] >>>> [] >>>> [] >>>> [] >>>> [] >>>> [] >>>> [] >>>> [] >>>> []
 * My own Quia quizzes on related topics.
 * World War I
 * Origins
 * [[image:http://www.quia.com/img/web/instructor-zone/icon-hidden.gif width="13" height="13" align="absmiddle" link="http://www.quia.com/servlets/quia.web.QuiaWebManager?tagModuleType=11800&rand=2944337&tagProfileActionFromList=VISIBLE_TO_ALL&tagSpecifiedTab=6&tagSpecifiedSubMenuTab=1&tagActivityId=13478994"]] **20C Quiz U1-02: World War I–Origins**
 * Course
 * **20C Quiz U2-03: World War I–Course**
 * Effects
 * **20C Quiz U3-F: WW I Peace Settlement**
 * **20C Quiz U3-N: Treaties**
 * [[image:http://www.quia.com/img/web/instructor-zone/icon-hidden.gif width="13" height="13" align="absmiddle" link="http://www.quia.com/servlets/quia.web.QuiaWebManager?tagModuleType=11800&rand=6787130&tagProfileActionFromList=VISIBLE_TO_ALL&tagSpecifiedTab=6&tagSpecifiedSubMenuTab=1&tagActivityId=12867102"]] **20C Quiz U3-K: International Relations 1920-32 and Disarmament**
 * [[image:http://www.quia.com/img/web/instructor-zone/icon-hidden.gif width="13" height="13" align="absmiddle" link="http://www.quia.com/servlets/quia.web.QuiaWebManager?tagModuleType=11800&rand=8058505&tagProfileActionFromList=VISIBLE_TO_ALL&tagSpecifiedTab=6&tagSpecifiedSubMenuTab=1&tagActivityId=12881525"]] **20C Quiz U3-N: The League of Nations**
 * World War II
 * Origins
 * [[image:http://www.quia.com/img/web/instructor-zone/icon-hidden.gif width="13" height="13" align="absmiddle" link="http://www.quia.com/servlets/quia.web.QuiaWebManager?tagModuleType=11800&rand=936434&tagProfileActionFromList=VISIBLE_TO_ALL&tagSpecifiedTab=6&tagSpecifiedSubMenuTab=1&tagActivityId=12879981"]] **20C Quiz U3-O: Interwar International Relations, 1930s**
 * [[image:http://www.quia.com/img/web/instructor-zone/icon-hidden.gif width="13" height="13" align="absmiddle" link="http://www.quia.com/servlets/quia.web.QuiaWebManager?tagModuleType=11800&rand=6576399&tagProfileActionFromList=VISIBLE_TO_ALL&tagSpecifiedTab=6&tagSpecifiedSubMenuTab=1&tagActivityId=13095432"]] **20C Quiz U5-E: The Origins of World War II–All Questions**
 * Course
 * **20C Quiz U5-F: The Early Course of World War II–All Questions**
 * [[image:http://www.quia.com/img/web/instructor-zone/icon-hidden.gif width="13" height="13" align="absmiddle" link="http://www.quia.com/servlets/quia.web.QuiaWebManager?tagModuleType=11800&rand=163895&tagProfileActionFromList=VISIBLE_TO_ALL&tagSpecifiedTab=6&tagSpecifiedSubMenuTab=1&tagActivityId=13125478"]] **20C Quiz U5-G: The Later Course of World War II in Europe–All Questions**
 * **20C Quiz U5-H: The Course of World War II in the Pacific–All Questions**
 * [[image:http://www.quia.com/img/web/instructor-zone/icon-hidden.gif width="13" height="13" align="absmiddle" link="http://www.quia.com/servlets/quia.web.QuiaWebManager?tagModuleType=11800&rand=8109052&tagProfileActionFromList=VISIBLE_TO_ALL&tagSpecifiedTab=6&tagSpecifiedSubMenuTab=1&tagActivityId=13185882"]] **20C Quiz U5-P: The Holocaust (All Questions)**
 * **20C Quiz U5-K: Allied Conferences**
 * Effects
 * [[image:http://www.quia.com/img/web/instructor-zone/icon-hidden.gif width="13" height="13" align="absmiddle" link="http://www.quia.com/servlets/quia.web.QuiaWebManager?tagModuleType=11800&rand=4054780&tagProfileActionFromList=VISIBLE_TO_ALL&tagSpecifiedTab=6&tagSpecifiedSubMenuTab=1&tagActivityId=13152160"]] **20C Quiz U5-M: The Peace Arrangements at the End of the War–All Questions (21)**
 * **20C Quiz U5-Q: The Effects of World War II–All Questions**
 * Chinese Civil War
 * Origins
 * **20C Quiz U7-01 Pre-Manchu China**
 * Course
 * **20C Quiz U7-03 Republican China**
 * Effects
 * **20C Quiz U7-04 Communist China**