Written By our IB ++ Tutor Owain J.
Are you looking for fresh History Internal Assessment (IA) Topic Ideas? Here are 25 ideas brought to you by one of our expert tutors!
The History IA, although daunting at first, gives you many opportunities. Choosing an IA
topic can be a struggle. This post has been written to help those who are unable to select a
topic for their History IA. Here are 25 ideas to help get you started. Please make sure you
discuss any proposals with your teacher before researching and writing your IA:
1. Pandemics in history; the current Covid pandemic is not the first deadly illness to
have struck the globe. Investigating the causes and impact of the Black Death in the
14th century or the flu pandemic after WWI could be a good option for your IA.
2. Black and minority history in the USA; the protests in 2020 about the treatment of
some communities in the United States by the police is nothing new. America has a
diverse racial history well worthy of investigation.
3. LGBTQ rights; pride marches are a common sight in many cities of the world in June.
What have been the experiences of LGBTQ people in history?
4. Cuba; recently, Miguel Diaz-Canel became the first Cuban leader since the 1950s
without the surname Castro. Why did the Castros stay in power so long if Cuba still
doesn’t have free elections?
5. Israel/Palestine; you may have seen this in the news in recent times. Why not
investigate the historical root of the problem?
6. Climate change; is probably the biggest global challenge today. How has
humankind damaged the environment in previous ages?
7. Refugees; recent cases in places like Myanmar have highlighted the plight of
refugees. How did people become refugees in the past? How were they treated?
8. Voting rights; recent years have seen a rise in attempts to make voting more difficult.
How have people fought for their right to vote in the past?
9. Cold War; why did the USA and the USSR hate each other so much? Was the
experience of the Cold War the same for everyone around the world? Why did it end?
10. Nuclear weapons; how close has the world come to a nuclear war? The Cuban
Missile Crisis and the Able Archer Crisis saw the world closer to nuclear war than we
might like to admit.
11. Nazi Germany; why did the Nazi regime come to power? How did the regime affect
women, children, minorities like the disabled, homosexuals, or even Germany’s small
black population?
12. Technology: technology plays a huge role in a global society. But how has it been used
in the past, for example in wars? The role of new technology in WWI and WWII are
two possible examples.
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13. Sport: sports have been used for a variety of political reasons in the past, very worthy
of a historical investigation.
14. American/French Revolutions; two very important events in the 18th century, that
provided some of the inspiration for modern human rights today.
15. The end of Apartheid; an event that saw the end of minority white rule in South
Africa and launched Nelson Mandela to be a global figure. Why did it happen? What
was the impact on South Africa?
16. WWII; there are endless possibilities with this one. This was a global war, so you
could look at the war in a specific region or its impact outside of the military sphere.
17. Empires; unfortunately, empires have been a huge feature of history from Rome, the
Mongols and the British. How did the imperialists benefit from the empire? What
impact did the empire have on the local population? Why did it end?
