Description
Our Online IGCSE History course offers an engaging and in-depth study of significant global events and themes from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This meticulously designed syllabus not only enhances historical knowledge but also refines research skills. Students enrolled in this History IGCSE Online programme will delve into the complexities of cause and effect, continuity and change, similarity and difference, and the use and interpretation of historical evidence.
Suited for pupils with an existing passion for history, this IGCSE History Online Course serves as an excellent precursor for A Level studies, and also nurtures a lifelong interest in the subject. Moreover, this Online IGCSE History course enables students to gain a nuanced understanding of particular regions, thereby contributing to their holistic education.
Homework, Assessment and Reporting
Within our IGCSE History Online framework, students in the Upper School are required to complete a minimum of one piece of homework per subject every fortnight in Level 3, and weekly in Level 4. Academic success in our IGCSE History Online Course is secured through consistent revision and the active consolidation of class notes. Creating revision cards and summarised notes for each topic is strongly encouraged to ensure students are adequately prepared for their final exams at the conclusion of this two-year GCSE course.
Assessment for our IGCSE History Online Course comprises Level 3 internal assessments in June and Level 4 internal mock assessments in November and March. Detailed reports are subsequently issued at the end of the Autumn and Summer terms for Level 3, and following mock assessments for Level 4 in the Autumn and Spring terms. These reports include grades for both attainment and effort in each subject, along with written commentary from Success Coaches and the Head Teacher.
To facilitate an open channel of communication between teachers and parents, we encourage the use of family Teams accounts. This enables more detailed tracking of student progress throughout the academic year, offering a unique advantage over the limitations of an annual parent consultation evening.
Click here to see this year’s Assessment and Reporting schedule
Core Content: Option B
The 20th century: International Relations since 1919
1 Were the peace treaties of 1919–23 fair?
2 To what extent was the League of Nations a success?
3 Why had international peace collapsed by 1939?
4 Who was to blame for the Cold War?
5 How effectively did the USA contain the spread of Communism?
6 How secure was the USSR’s control over Eastern Europe, 1948–c.1989?
7 Why did events in the Gulf matter, c.1970–2000?
1 Were the peace treaties of 1919–23 fair?
Focus Points:
What were the motives and aims of the Big Three at Versailles?
Why did all the victors not get everything they wanted?
What was the impact of the peace treaty on Germany up to 1923?
Could the treaties be justified at the time?
Specified Content:
• The peace treaties of 1919–23:
– the roles of individuals such as Wilson, Clemenceau and Lloyd George in the peace-making process
– the impact of the treaties on the defeated countries
– contemporary opinions about the treaties.
2 To what extent was the League of Nations a success?
Focus Points:
How successful was the League in the 1920s?
How far did weaknesses in the League’s organisation make failure inevitable?
How far did the Depression make the work of the League more difficult?
How successful was the League in the 1930s?
Specified Content:
• The League of Nations:
– strengths and weaknesses in its structure and organisation: work of the League’s agencies/humanitarian work
– successes and failures in peacekeeping during the 1920s
– the impact of the World Depression on the work of the League after 1929
– the failures of the League in the 1930s, including Manchuria and Abyssinia.
3 Why had international peace collapsed by 1939?
Focus Points:
What were the long-term consequences of the peace treaties of 1919–23?
What were the consequences of the failures of the League in the 1930s?
How far was Hitler’s foreign policy to blame for the outbreak of war in 1939?
Was the policy of appeasement justified?
How important was the Nazi–Soviet Pact?
Why did Britain and France declare war on Germany in September 1939?
Specified Content:
The collapse of international order in the 1930s
The increasing militarism of Germany, Italy and Japan
Hitler’s foreign policy to 1939:
– the Saar
– remilitarisation of the Rhineland
– involvement in the Spanish Civil War
– Anschluss with Austria
– appeasement
– crises over Czechoslovakia and Poland
– the outbreak of war.
4 Who was to blame for the Cold War?
Focus Points:
Why did the USA–USSR alliance begin to break down in 1945?
How had the USSR gained control of Eastern Europe by 1948?
How did the USA react to Soviet expansionism?
What were the consequences of the Berlin Blockade?
Who was the more to blame for starting the Cold War: the USA or the USSR?
Specified Content:
• The origins of the Cold War:
– the 1945 summit conferences and the breakdown of the USA–USSR alliance in 1945–46
– Soviet expansion into Eastern Europe to 1948, and American reactions to it
– the occupation of Germany and the Berlin Blockade
– NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
5 How effectively did the USA contain the spread of Communism?
Focus Points:
This Key Question will be explored through case studies of the following:
America and events in Korea, 1950–53
America and events in Cuba, 1959–62
American involvement in Vietnam.
Specified Content:
Events of the Cold War
Case studies of:
– American reactions to the Cuban revolution, including the missile crisis and its aftermath
– American involvement in the Vietnam War, e.g. reasons for involvement, tactics/strategy, reasons for withdrawal
– American reactions to North Korea’s invasion of South Korea, involvement of the UN, course of the war to 1953.
6 How secure was the USSR’s control over Eastern Europe, 1948–c.1989?
Focus Points:
Why was there opposition to Soviet control in Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968, and how did the USSR react to this opposition?
How similar were events in Hungary in 1956 and in Czechoslovakia in 1968?
Why was the Berlin Wall built in 1961?
What was the significance of ‘Solidarity’ in Poland for the decline of Soviet influence in Eastern Europe?
How far was Gorbachev personally responsible for the collapse of Soviet control over Eastern Europe?
Specified Content:
• Soviet power in Eastern Europe:
– resistance to Soviet power in Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968)
– the Berlin Wall
– ‘Solidarity’ in Poland
– Gorbachev and the collapse of Soviet control over Eastern Europe.
7 Why did events in the Gulf matter, c.1970–2000?
Focus Points:
Why was Saddam Hussein able to come to power in Iraq?
What was the nature of Saddam Hussein’s rule in Iraq?
Why was there a revolution in Iran in 1979?
What were the causes and consequences of the Iran-Iraq War, 1980–88?
Why did the First Gulf War take place?
Specified Content:
The rise to power of Saddam Hussein in Iraq
The rule of Saddam Hussein up to 2000, and the consequences of his rule for different groups in Iraq
The nature of the Shah’s rule in Iran and the Iranian Revolution of 1979
The causes and consequences of the Iran-Iraq War, 1980–88; Western involvement in the war
The causes, course and consequences of the Gulf War, 1990–91.
Depth Study B: Germany, 1918–45
1 Was the Weimar Republic doomed from the start?
Focus Points:
How did Germany emerge from defeat at the end of the First World War?
What was the impact of the Treaty of Versailles on the Republic?
To what extent did the Republic recover after 1923?
What were the achievements of the Weimar period?
2 Why was Hitler able to dominate Germany by 1934?
Focus Points:
What did the Nazi Party stand for in the 1920s?
Why did the Nazis have little success before 1930?
Why was Hitler able to become Chancellor by 1933?
How did Hitler consolidate his power in 1933–34?
3 The Nazi regime
(a) How effectively did the Nazis control Germany, 1933–45?
Focus Points:
How much opposition was there to the Nazi regime?
How effectively did the Nazis deal with their political opponents?
How did the Nazis use culture and the mass media to control the people?
Why did the Nazis persecute many groups in German society?
Was Nazi Germany a totalitarian state?
(b) What was it like to live in Nazi Germany?
Focus Points:
How did young people react to the Nazi regime?
How successful were Nazi policies towards women and the family?
Did most people in Germany benefit from Nazi rule?
How did the coming of war change life in Nazi Germany?
Specified Content:
The Revolution of 1918 and the establishment of the Republic
The Versailles Settlement and German reactions to it
The Weimar Constitution, the main political divisions, the role of the army
Political disorder, 1919–23:
– economic crises and hyper-inflation
– the occupation of the Ruhr
The Stresemann era
Cultural achievements of the Weimar period
The early years of the Nazi Party:
– Nazi ideas and methods
– the Munich Putsch
– the roles of Hitler and other Nazi leaders
The impact of the Depression on Germany:
– political, economic and social crisis of 1930–33
– reasons for the Nazis’ rise to power
– Hitler takes power
– the Reichstag Fire and the election of 1933
Nazi rule in Germany:
– the Enabling Act
– the Night of the Long Knives
– the death of Hindenburg
– the removal of opposition
– methods of control and repression
– use of culture and the mass media
Economic policy including re-armament
Different experiences of Nazi rule:
– women and young people
– anti-Semitism
– persecution of minorities
– opposition to Nazi rule
Impact of the Second World War on Germany:
– the conversion to war economy
– the Final Solution
Parents are responsible for arranging their child’s examinations at their local registered examination centre. Cambridge Home School students study from every part of the globe and so it is not practical for the school to offer a single venue to sit examinations. Consequently, Cambridge Home School is not registered with Cambridge International Examinations but has partnerships with examination centres registered with Cambridge International Examinations, Edexcel, OCR and AQA, and will support students in locating a suitable venue for sitting their written and practical examinations.
If you are intending to study A Level History after IGCSE, we recommend that you spend some time in the summer holidays preparing. Here are some suggested activities:
Watch:
Film – October (Ten days that shook the world)
Film – Les Miserables – Available on all the major streaming services
Youtube – Jeremy Paxman, BBC Empire Episode 2 – Making Ourselves at Home Documentary
Film – Napoleon (2023) – watch it when it’s released in November…
Youtube short – The Bolshevik Party: the Russian Communists and the Difference between Bolsheviks and Mensheviks
Youtube short – Ten Minute History – German Unification and Empire
Listen:
Podcasts on a Range of Topics – Historical Association – History Resources for Students
Podcast – Historical Association – Weltpolitik and German Nationalism
Podcast – Lockhart, R.B., ‘The February Revolution of 1917’, History Today, 41:2 (February, 1991)
Podcast – BBC History Hour – The Russian Revolution: The Bolsheviks Take Control
Read:
Journal article – Anderson, P., ‘Why did the Bolsheviks win the Russian Civil War?’, History Review 43, September 2002.
What is the focus of the online IGCSE History course?
The online IGCSE History course delves into significant global issues from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It emphasises not only historical knowledge and understanding but also the skills necessary for historical research.
What skills will be developed in the online IGCSE History class?
The online IGCSE History class is designed to develop various analytical skills. These include understanding cause and effect, examining continuity and change, and learning how to use and interpret historical evidence.
How is the assessment carried out in the online IGCSE History course?
Students in the online IGCSE History course undergo internal assessments. For Level 3, these assessments are conducted in June, whereas Level 4 students have mock assessments in November and March. Assessment reports are issued that include grades for attainment and effort, along with written feedback.
What are the homework expectations for History IGCSE online?
For History IGCSE online, students in Level 3 are expected to complete at least one piece of homework every fortnight, while Level 4 students should do so every week. Additionally, revision notes and cards should be regularly updated for effective exam preparation.
How are exams conducted for History IGCSE online?
For History IGCSE online, parents are responsible for arranging their child’s exams at a local registered examination centre. While Cambridge Home School is not directly registered with Cambridge International Examinations, it has partnerships with registered examination centres and will assist students in finding a suitable venue for their exams.
The Teachers
History at Cambridge Home School Online is taught by Dr Elerian, Mrs Till and Mrs Knight. Click on the names below to find out more about our History teachers.