decemberr94 Posted July 19, 2012 Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 Hey!I am starting my History IA and have decided upon two topics that I would like to write about. It's either "Did the purges in 1936-39 help establish Stalins power?" or "What role did Germany play in the outbreak of the war. Aggressor or victim?"It would be smart to write about Stalin because I'm not as confident on that part of the curriculum so it could be good for revision, also it would be within the interwar year period which means I might be able to use the knowledge on paper 1 (?)...However, I really want to write about Germany because the war guilt question is something that really interests me, and I already know which historians to use etc.So what do you think? Also if you want to, write what question your History IA was Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Stark Posted July 19, 2012 Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 Both are still too broad for a HI, though the latter might form a good History EE. You can start with either one, though I'd personally be tempted to go with the latter as it's more contentious, whereas the former is quite obvious (unless you word it stronger i.e. 'Were the purges the primary reason he stayed in power?"); however then you need to go deeper.Plus, this being a Historical investigation, and arguably requiring more in-depth research than an exam essay due to its nature as a research task, having a good base in the historiography to start with is definitely beneficial. Oh, and remember, the IA is worth 20-25% of your mark, depending on whether you do HL or SL, you probably shouldn't make your decision heavily based on what'll prepare you better for the exam, rather you should focus on what you can do best at (which is generally linked to what you'll enjoy more, in such tasks). I did mine on "To what extent were the CIA directly responsible for the 1973 Chilean coup over Salvador Allende?", and I found that even that was a bit too broad in the end - I should have focused on a specific time period or policy in that time. I chose it not out of any particular personal interest (my personal interest kept drawing me to ancient history, but I knew trying to do a HI on that with no prior academic study in the field would be suicidal), but rather because we were told the less common the topic is, the better, as it makes it easier to show in-depth personal research and engagement. On that note, look for an aspect of either of the fields you've chosen less commonly dealt with, it'll help your IA stand out. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
decemberr94 Posted July 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 Thank youu!I ended up choosing something different and now I'm writing about the Spanish Civil war and the role of the non-intervention pact. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmi Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 Thank youu!I ended up choosing something different and now I'm writing about the Spanish Civil war and the role of the non-intervention pact. Haha your topic is basically like 1/4 of my EE If you need some sources, PM me and I'll send you the names of some historians you might want to look into Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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