The title of the first unit in the Core Content of Option B in the CiE History iGCSE is 'Were the peace treaties of 1919-1923 fair?' This unit investigates the post-First World War peace treaties of 1919-1923.

This unit focuses on international relations and the way in which different nation states interacted, and the change, continuity and significance of their relationships over time. You will study their priorities, agreements, disagreements and the key events that affected them.

This unit gives you the information you need to understand the following:

• ❖ The motives and aims of the Big Three at Versailles.
• ❖ Why the victors did not get everything that they wanted.
• ❖ The impact of the Treaty of Versailles on Germany up to 1923.
• ❖ Contemporary opinions of the treaties and whether they could be justified at the time.

Topics covered in this course include:

• ❖ The Paris Peace Conference.
• ❖ The role and aims of the Big Three.
• ❖ The terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
• ❖ Reactions to the Treaty of Versailles.
• ❖ The impact of the Treaty of Versailles on Germany.
• ❖ The Treaty of St Germain with Austria.
• ❖ The Treaty of Neuilly with Bulgaria.
• ❖ The Treaty of Trianon with Hungary.
• ❖ The Treaty of Sevres with the Ottoman Empire.
• ❖ The Treaty of Lausanne with Turkey.
• ❖ The arguments why the treaties could be considered fair or unfair.

Key individuals studied in this course include:

• ❖ David Lloyd George.
• ❖ Georges Clemenceau.
• ❖ Woodrow Wilson.

This unit usually appears as one of four possible questions in Option B Core Content International Relations Since 1919 on the Paper 1 exam, of which you must complete two. Therefore you will answer one question on the success of the League of Nations if this appears as an option on your exam paper. The question is comprised of 3 sections - a, b, and c. However, check with your teacher to find out whether this unit will appear on the Paper 2 source paper in your exam.

• ❖ On the Paper 1 exam, you may choose to complete a three-part question on this topic, which will be divided into sections a, b and c.
• ❖ Question A is worth 4 marks and requires you to describe key features of the time period. You will be asked to recall 2 relevant points and support them with details or provide at least four relevant points without supporting detail.
• ❖ Question B is worth 6 marks and requires you to explain a key event or development. You will need to identify 2 reasons, support those reasons with relevant factual detail, and then explain how the reasons made the event occur.
• ❖ Question C is worth 10 marks and requires you to construct an argument to support and challenge an interpretation stated in the question. You will need a minimum of 3 explanations in total and fully evaluate to come to a justified conclusion. The best approach is to discuss 2 arguments on one side of the debate and 2 arguments on the other, before coming to a brief conclusion. You will have the opportunity to show your ability to explain and analyse historical events using 2nd order concepts such as causation, consequence, change, continuity, similarity and difference.
• ❖ If this topic appears on Paper 2, you will answer six questions on a range of source material about this topic. Check with your teacher to find out your Paper 2 topic.