History | 2147 O-Level | 0470 IGCSE | May 2025 Exams | Live Class by Kiran Khan

We will cover the following topics in the live classes:

Subject content

This syllabus gives you the flexibility to design a course that will interest, challenge and engage your learners. 

Where appropriate you are responsible for selecting topics, subject contexts, resources and examples to support your learners’ study. These should be appropriate for the learners’ age, cultural background and learning context as well as complying with your school policies and local legal requirements.

All candidates study Core content in either:

 Option A The nineteenth century: the development of modern nation states, 1848–1914

  or:

 Option B The twentieth century: international relations since 1919.

In addition, all candidates must also study at least one of the Depth studies.

The Core content and Depth studies are structured around a series of key questions, focus points, and specified content: 

• Key questions define the over-arching issues. 

• Focus points identify the issues that enable candidates to gain an understanding of the key question. 

• Specified content provides guidance on what needs to be studied for each key question.

Candidates will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the key questions using knowledge of relevant historical examples.

Core content: Option A

The nineteenth century: the development of modern nation states, 1848–1914

The Core content in Option A focuses on six key questions:

 1 Were the revolutions of 1848 important?

 2 How was Italy unified?

 3 How was Germany unified?

 4 Why was there a civil war in the United States and what were its results?

 5 Why, and with what effects, did nations gain and expand their overseas empires in the nineteenth century?

 6 What caused the First World War?

Core content: Option B

The twentieth century: international relations from 1919

The Core content in Option B focuses on six key questions:

 1 Was the Treaty of Versailles fair?

 2 To what extent was the League of Nations a success?

 3 How far was Hitler’s foreign policy to blame for the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939?

 4 Who was to blame for the Cold War?

 5 How effectively did the United States contain the spread of communism?

 6 How secure was the USSR’s control over Eastern Europe, 1948–c.1989? 

Depth studies

Candidates must study at least one of the following Depth studies: 

 A The First World War, 1914–18

 B Germany, 1918–45

 C Russia, 1905–41

 D The United States, 1919–41 

 E The Second World War in Europe and the Asia–Pacific, 1939–c.1945

Depth study A: The First World War, 1914–18

1 Why was there stalemate on the Western Front? 

2 To what extent was it a world war? 

3 How important were other fronts?

4 Why did Germany ask for an armistice in 1918?

Depth study B: Germany, 1918–45

1  Was the Weimar Republic doomed from the start?

2  Why was Hitler able to dominate Germany by 1934?

3  The Nazi regime

Depth study C: Russia, 1905–41

1  Why did the Tsarist regime collapse in 1917?

2  How did the Bolsheviks gain power, and how did they consolidate their rule?

3  How did Stalin gain and hold on to power?

4  What was the impact of Stalin’s economic policies?

Depth study D: The United States, 1919–41

1  How far did the US economy boom in the 1920s?

2  How far did US society change in the 1920s?

3  What were the causes and consequences of the Wall Street Crash?

4  How successful was the New Deal?

Depth study E: The Second World War in Europe and the Asia–Pacific, 1939–c.1945

1  How did the Second World War in Europe develop? 

2  How did the Second World War in the Asia–Pacific develop? 

3  What was the impact of war on civilian populations in Europe and the Asia–Pacific? 

4  How did the Allies achieve victory over the Axis powers?