Key Idea: Topic 6.5 pulls together everything you've studied about conflict and hands you the toolkit for Paper 2. Four concepts — cause and consequence, continuity and change, perspectives, and significance — are the lens examiners test through. Master these four and the exam skills that go with them, and you can answer almost any Paper 2 conflict question thrown at you.
How this topic is tested
Paper 2 always has the same shape: Section A gives you two concept questions (cause and consequence, OR perspectives) — you pick ONE, worth 6 marks. Section B(a) asks you to explain one example, worth 4 marks. Section B(b) is the big 'To what extent...' essay, worth 15 marks.
Section A [6]: analyse ONE concept using ONE tightly-linked example — description alone caps you at 3-4 marks. Section B(a) [4]: explain ONE specific example in detail — no second example needed, and vagueness kills marks. Section B(b) [15]: a 'to what extent' essay that MUST use at least 2 examples from at least 2 different IB regions (Africa & the Middle East, the Americas, Asia & Oceania, Europe), compared throughout, ending in a clear graded judgement.
Must-know facts from every sub-topic
| Micro | What it covers | Key names/dates to recall |
|---|---|---|
| 6.5.1 — Cause and consequence | Wars have layered causes (long-term tensions + short-term triggers) and chains of consequences. Never call a war 'inevitable' — show it was probable, shaped by choices. | First World War (1914-18): alliance blocs + arms race, trigger = assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (June 1914), consequence = 16m+ dead, four empires collapse, Treaty of Versailles. Mexican Revolution (1910-20): land inequality under Porfirio Díaz, trigger = Madero's revolt, consequence = 1917 constitution. |
| 6.5.1 — Continuity and change | Change and continuity happen at the same time, not in sequence — a war can transform some things while older patterns quietly survive. | Vietnam War (1955-75): reunification under communism (change) vs. village life recovering largely as before (continuity). Rwandan genocide (1994): RPF takes power (change) vs. Hutu-Tutsi identity categories, hardened under Belgian colonial rule, persisting (continuity). |
| 6.5.1 — Perspectives | The same war looks different depending on who describes it — combatants, civilians, victors, later historians. Explain WHY views differ, don't just list them. | Vietnam War: U.S. official reports of progress vs. journalists'/soldiers' accounts — the 'credibility gap'. Rwandan genocide: perpetrator propaganda (Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines) vs. survivor testimony and later UN/historian investigations. |
| 6.5.1 — Significance | Significance is a judgement, not a fixed fact — based on power (who holds it), impact (how many affected), or what the event reveals about a society. | First World War: redrew the map of Europe/Middle East, ended 4 empires, caused WWII (power + impact). Rwandan genocide: reveals how colonial-era identity politics + international inaction produce mass atrocity (what it reveals). |
| 6.5.2 — Section A concept mini-essay [6] | Command term is always 'Analyse'. Pick ONE example, name the concept explicitly, then show step by step how the example proves it. | Example given: Rwandan Genocide (1994) — analyse HOW Belgian colonial ethnic classification created the division that exploded into roughly 800,000 deaths in 100 days. |
| 6.5.2 — Section B(a) explain one example [4] | Only 4 marks, ONE example only — no reward for a second. Use Identify → Describe → Explain → Specify. | Example given: Vietnam War (1955-75) as a proxy war — US backs South Vietnam, USSR/China supply North Vietnam, roughly 2 million Vietnamese civilian deaths. |
| 6.5.2 — Section B(b) cross-regional essay [15] | Must use ≥2 examples from ≥2 different regions, compared explicitly throughout, ending in a graded 'to what extent' judgement (not yes/no). | Example given: Chinese Civil War (1927-49, Asia & Oceania) — total transformation under Mao vs. Nigerian/Biafran War (1967-70, Africa & Middle East) — federal Nigeria restored, more continuity than change. |
Worked example — Section B(b), 15 marks
To what extent did wars of independence transform the societies that fought them?
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Important: The single most common way students throw away marks on Section B(b) is writing a brilliant essay on just ONE conflict. No matter how detailed, an essay using only one region self-penalises and cannot reach the top markband. Always plan two examples from two different regions before you start writing.
What are the four Paper 2 conflict concepts? Cause and consequence, continuity and change, perspectives, and significance.
Why should you never call a war 'inevitable'? Because wars result from choices made by real leaders and people under real conditions — they were probable, not certain, and often partly intentional and partly the result of accidental escalation.
How many regions must a Section B(b) essay use? At least 2 examples from at least 2 different IB regions (Africa & the Middle East, the Americas, Asia & Oceania, Europe), compared explicitly throughout.
What are the three grounds for judging significance? Power (did it shift who holds political/military power?), impact (how many people were affected, and how deeply?), and what it reveals (does it expose something important about a society or system?).
Give an example of continuity and change happening at once. The Vietnam War: reunification under communism by 1975 was rapid change, but rural village life in much of the countryside recovered much as before — continuity alongside change.
What is the biggest trap in Section B(a)? Being too vague. 'A war happened in Asia and lots of people died' earns almost nothing — you need a named conflict, exact dates, and a specific correct detail.
Always name the concept out loud in your answer ('this shows cause and consequence because...'). Never assert significance or perspective without evidence behind it. For Section B(b), pick your two regions before you start writing, not halfway through. And remember the mark shape: 6 for one concept, 4 for one example, 15 for a judged, cross-regional essay.