IB History — Causes and Effects of 20th-Century Wars flashcards
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Types, causes, practices and effects of 20th-century wars: both world wars, the Chinese, Spanish and Nigerian civil wars, Algeria, Iran–Iraq and the Falklands-Malvinas, with key historiography. For exams through November 2027.
Learn deck · part of IB History · written against: IB Diploma Programme IB History current subject guide (prescribed subjects and world history topics); SL and HL in one deck, HL-only cards under subtopic tags starting HL. Updated 2026-10-10.
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What distinguishes a total war from a limited war?In a total war a state mobilises its whole economy and society and treats enemy civilians and industry as targets; a limited war has restricted aims, geography and means.Causes and Effects of 20th-Century Wars › Types of War
Example: the world wars versus the Falklands War. -
Why is the Falklands War of 1982 often used as a textbook limited war?Fighting was confined to the South Atlantic and the islands, neither side attacked the other's mainland, aims were limited to control of the islands, and it lasted about ten weeks.Causes and Effects of 20th-Century Wars › Types of War
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What makes a civil war 'internationalised'? Give an example.Foreign states supply troops, weapons, money or diplomatic recognition to the sides, so the outcome depends partly on outside help.Causes and Effects of 20th-Century Wars › Types of War
Example: the Spanish Civil War, with Germany and Italy backing Franco and the USSR backing the Republic. -
What are the three stages of Mao's model of guerrilla (people's) war?Strategic defensive (survive and build base areas), stalemate (guerrilla attacks wear the enemy down) and counter-offensive (switch to conventional warfare to finish the enemy).Causes and Effects of 20th-Century Wars › Types of War
Mnemonic: Mao (1937) likened the people to water and guerrillas to the fish living in it. -
Why do guerrilla wars often turn on political support more than on battlefield victories?Guerrillas need the population for recruits, food, shelter and intelligence, so a stronger army can win most engagements yet lose if its methods alienate civilians or its own public.Causes and Effects of 20th-Century Wars › Types of War
Example: France won the Battle of Algiers but lost the Algerian War. -
Why do civil wars so often draw in outside powers? Compare Spain and Nigeria.Outside states see a chance to advance ideological, strategic or economic interests: in Spain Germany and Italy backed Franco and the USSR armed the Republic, though each side was a broad coalition rather than simply fascist or communist, while in Nigeria Britain and the USSR armed the federal side and France quietly aided Biafra, in a war that also decided control of the oil fields.Causes and Effects of 20th-Century Wars › Types of War
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What did Fritz Fischer argue in 1961 about the causes of the First World War?Fischer used German archives to argue that Germany's leaders deliberately pursued war to achieve European dominance, reviving war guilt and starting a long controversy in Germany.Causes and Effects of 20th-Century Wars › First World War
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How does Christopher Clark's The Sleepwalkers (2012) differ from the Fischer thesis?Clark spreads responsibility across all the great powers, portraying leaders who stumbled into war through miscalculation and alliance commitments rather than one state planning it.Causes and Effects of 20th-Century Wars › First World War
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What was the 'blank cheque' of July 1914, and why did it matter?Germany's promise of unconditional support for Austria-Hungary against Serbia; it encouraged Vienna to issue a harsh ultimatum, turning a Balkan crisis into a great-power confrontation.Causes and Effects of 20th-Century Wars › First World War
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How did the Schlieffen Plan help widen the July Crisis into a general war?It required Germany to defeat France quickly through Belgium before Russia fully mobilised, so Russian mobilisation triggered an attack in the west, and the invasion of Belgium brought Britain in.Causes and Effects of 20th-Century Wars › First World War
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About these cards
Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.
Checked against:
- IB Diploma Programme subject guide (topic outline only; no text copied): History guide for first assessment 2020, world history topic 11. A new History course is first assessed in May 2028.
- OpenStax World History, Volume 2, consulted as a reference; no text copied.
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