IGCSE History Revision Notes - Cambridge (CIE)

Introduction to IGCSE History Revision

These revision notes cover core topics often examined in the Cambridge IGCSE History syllabus. They are structured to provide a concise overview of key events, causes, and consequences, aiding rapid review and recall for examinations.

The First World War (1914-1918)

Causes of WWI

• Militarism: Arms race, naval competition (Anglo-German).
• Alliances: Triple Entente (Britain, France, Russia) vs. Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy - though Italy later switched).
• Imperialism: Competition for colonies, leading to conflicts (e.g., Morocco Crises).
• Nationalism: Pan-Slavism, German desire for power, Austro-Hungarian empire's internal tensions.
• Assassination: Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary by a Serbian nationalist (Gavrilo Princip) in Sarajevo, June 1914.
• Schlieffen Plan: Germany's plan for a swift victory over France via Belgium, bringing Britain into the war.

Key Features & Consequences

• Western Front: Trench warfare, stalemate, attrition.
• Eastern Front: More fluid, Russian struggles, eventual withdrawal (Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, 1918).
• US Entry: 1917, due to unrestricted submarine warfare and Zimmermann Telegram.
• Treaty of Versailles (1919): Imposed harsh terms on Germany (BRAT - Blame, Reparations, Army reductions, Territory losses).
• League of Nations: Created to prevent future wars, but weakened by US non-membership.

The League of Nations

Aims & Structure

• Aims: Collective security, disarmament, improving living conditions.
• Structure: Assembly, Council (permanent members: Britain, France, Italy, Japan), Secretariat, Permanent Court of International Justice, commissions.

Successes & Failures

• Successes (1920s): Aaland Islands, Upper Silesia, preventing war between Greece and Bulgaria.
• Failures (1930s):
  • Manchurian Crisis (1931-33): Japan invaded Manchuria; League condemned but took no effective action.
  • Abyssinian Crisis (1935-36): Italy invaded Abyssinia; League imposed weak sanctions, ineffective.
  • Disarmament Conference (1932-34): Failed.
  • Lack of major power membership (USA), lack of enforcement power, self-interest of members.

The Rise of Dictatorial Regimes

Italy: Mussolini & Fascism

• Post-WWI economic problems, political instability.
• March on Rome (1922): Mussolini appointed Prime Minister.
• Consolidated power through fear, propaganda, one-party rule.

Germany: Hitler & Nazism

• Weimar Republic (1919-33): Faced hyperinflation, Ruhr Crisis, Great Depression.
• Rise of Nazism: Exploited economic hardship, resentment over Versailles, political instability.
• Hitler became Chancellor (1933): Eliminated opposition, established totalitarian state (Night of the Long Knives, Reichstag Fire Decree, Enabling Act).
• Propaganda, terror (Gestapo, SS), youth organizations.

USSR: Stalin & Communism

• Lenin's successor: Stalin consolidated power after Lenin's death.
• Totalitarianism: Five-Year Plans (industrialization), collectivization (agriculture), Great Purge, gulags.
• State control of all aspects of life.

Causes of the Second World War

• Treaty of Versailles: Resentment in Germany, Hitler's determination to overturn it.
• Failure of Appeasement: Britain and France's policy of making concessions to Hitler (e.g., Rhineland re-militarization, Anschluss with Austria, Sudetenland/Munich Agreement).
• German Expansionism: Lebensraum (living space), annexation of Czechoslovakia.
• Nazi-Soviet Pact (1939): Non-aggression pact between Germany and USSR, secret protocol to divide Poland.
• Invasion of Poland (September 1, 1939): Triggered declarations of war by Britain and France.

The Cold War (c. 1947-1991)

Origins

• Ideological Conflict: Capitalism/Democracy (USA) vs. Communism (USSR).
• Post-WWII Power Vacuum: Superpower rivalry, breakdown of wartime alliance.
• Yalta & Potsdam Conferences: Disagreements over post-war Europe.
• Iron Curtain Speech (1946): Churchill highlighted division.
• Truman Doctrine & Marshall Plan (1947): US policies to contain communism.

Key Events & Tensions

• Berlin Blockade (1948-49): Soviet attempt to cut off West Berlin, countered by Berlin Airlift.
• Formation of Alliances: NATO (1949), Warsaw Pact (1955).
• Arms Race & Space Race: Nuclear proliferation, Sputnik.
• Korean War (1950-53): Proxy war.
• Cuban Missile Crisis (1962): Closest to nuclear war.
• Vietnam War (1955-75): US intervention.
• Détente (1970s): Period of reduced tension, SALT treaties.

End of the Cold War

• Gorbachev's Reforms (1980s): Glasnost (openness) and Perestroika (restructuring).
• Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989): Symbolized collapse of Soviet control in Eastern Europe.
• Dissolution of the USSR (1991): End of the Soviet Union.

Exam Tips

• Understand Causes & Consequences: Focus on 'why' events happened and 'what' their impact was.
• Chronology: Have a clear timeline of major events.
• Key Terms: Know definitions of terms like 'appeasement', 'collective security', 'totalitarianism'.
• Evidence & Examples: Support your points with specific historical examples (e.g., Manchuria for League failure).
• Historiography: Be aware of different interpretations where appropriate (e.g., blame for WWI).
• Essay Structure: Plan your essays with a clear introduction, developed arguments, and a strong conclusion.
• Source Skills: Practice analyzing historical sources for content, reliability, and utility.