Ready for another list of awesome working History extended essay topics that was handpicked by Extended Essay Writers who know their stuff.
🟩 25 Simple but Interesting History Extended Essay Topics
(accessible, focused, source-rich topics)
- To what extent did appeasement policies lead to the outbreak of World War II?
- How significant was the Treaty of Versailles in causing political instability in Germany between 1919 and 1933?
- To what extent did the Cuban Missile Crisis improve U.S.–Soviet diplomatic communication?
- How did the Marshall Plan influence the economic recovery of Western Europe after World War II?
- To what extent was propaganda used effectively in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1939?
- How significant was the role of the Soviet Union in the defeat of Nazi Germany?
- To what extent did the U.S. Civil Rights Movement achieve legal equality by 1965?
- How did the Great Depression influence the rise of authoritarian regimes in Europe?
- To what extent did Mao Zedong’s policies contribute to the famine of 1959–1961?
- How did the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand affect Austro-Hungarian foreign policy?
- To what extent was the League of Nations effective in the 1920s?
- How did the Russian Civil War contribute to the consolidation of Bolshevik power?
- To what extent did women’s roles change in Britain during World War I?
- How significant was the use of trench warfare in determining the outcome of WWI?
- To what extent did the Weimar Republic fail due to economic problems?
- How did the bombing of Hiroshima influence the end of World War II?
- How did U.S. involvement in Vietnam escalate under Lyndon B. Johnson?
- How did the Berlin Blockade influence Cold War divisions in Europe?
- To what extent did Gorbachev’s reforms contribute to the collapse of the USSR?
- How did Gandhi’s leadership style affect the success of the Indian independence movement?
- To what extent was the First Intifada a turning point in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict?
- How did the D-Day invasion influence the outcome of World War II?
- How did Stalin consolidate power after Lenin’s death?
- To what extent was the 1905 Revolution a “dress rehearsal” for 1917 in Russia?
- How did the Prohibition era affect organized crime in the United States?
🟦 25 Unique and Not Overused History EE Questions
(fresh topics, less commonly explored events or countries)
- To what extent did Finland’s diplomatic strategy help it avoid occupation during WWII?
- How did the Harlem Renaissance influence the political activism of African Americans in the 1920s?
- How did the 1968 Prague Spring challenge the legitimacy of Soviet-style socialism?
- To what extent did Canadian conscription policies during WWII affect national unity?
- How did the role of women in the French Resistance differ from their portrayal in post-war memory?
- How did U.S. occupation influence the democratization of Japan between 1945 and 1952?
- To what extent did the Mau Mau Uprising contribute to the end of British colonial rule in Kenya?
- How did Tito’s Yugoslavia maintain independence from the USSR during the Cold War?
- To what extent did the Algerian War (1954–62) influence post-colonial migration to France?
- How did radio broadcasts shape public opinion during the Spanish Civil War?
- How did the 1973 Chilean coup impact the global perception of U.S. foreign policy?
- How did apartheid education policies reinforce racial inequality in South Africa?
- To what extent did the 1956 Hungarian Uprising undermine Soviet control of Eastern Europe?
- How did World War I affect the political role of the Ottoman Empire’s Arab subjects?
- To what extent did Chinese female revolutionaries challenge Confucian gender norms in the early 20th century?
- How did the Iranian Revolution of 1979 reshape Middle Eastern geopolitics?
- To what extent did the East German Stasi reshape everyday life and citizen behavior?
- How did the British Mandate affect the development of Palestinian nationalism?
- To what extent did the Suez Crisis alter Britain’s role as a world power?
- How did the cultural policies of Atatürk shape modern Turkish identity?
- How did the 1936 Berlin Olympics serve as a propaganda tool for the Nazi regime?
- To what extent did the Amritsar Massacre change British–Indian relations?
- How did the 1960s counterculture movement in West Germany influence post-war memory?
- To what extent did the Ethiopian resistance shape Italian colonial policy in the 1930s?
- How did the independence of Bangladesh in 1971 reshape South Asian geopolitics?
🟥 25 Complex and Challenging Questions for IB History EE
(deep analysis, historiographical debate, abstract or comparative focus)
- To what extent did the Cold War evolve from ideological differences rather than geopolitical concerns?
- How did economic factors compare with ideological motivations in the rise of Italian Fascism?
- To what extent can the Spanish Civil War be seen as a precursor to World War II?
- How did class conflict contribute to revolutionary success in Russia and China?
- To what extent did Bismarck’s Realpolitik differ from Hitler’s foreign policy strategy?
- How do Marxist and revisionist historians differ in their interpretation of the causes of the French Revolution?
- To what extent did Enlightenment thought contribute to both the American and Haitian revolutions?
- How do historians differ in their assessment of Truman’s decision to use atomic weapons in 1945?
- How did the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk influence the global trajectory of the Bolshevik Revolution?
- To what extent was World War I a “total war” across European societies?
- How did the Nazi regime construct racial ideology through legal frameworks and education?
- To what extent was the Cold War “cold” in Asia, and “hot” in Latin America?
- How did the perception of the Vietnam War differ between U.S. policymakers and anti-war activists?
- To what extent was the 1848 Revolutions a failure in terms of political change?
- How did industrialization shape the nature of warfare between 1860 and 1918?
- How do different schools of thought interpret the fall of the Roman Empire?
- To what extent did Lenin alter Marxist theory to suit the Russian context?
- How did historical memory of World War I shape French diplomacy leading up to WWII?
- To what extent did Stalin’s foreign policy change after WWII compared to before 1941?
- How did Cold War historiography evolve from orthodox to revisionist interpretations between 1945–1990?
- To what extent did the nature of genocide in Rwanda differ from that in Nazi Germany?
- How did colonial policies of assimilation differ between French West Africa and British East Africa?
- How did World War I affect the status of colonial troops in imperial armies?
- How has the historical legacy of slavery shaped political identity in Brazil compared to the U.S.?
- How do feminist historians interpret the French Revolution differently from traditional narratives?
🟨 25 IB History EE Current and Up-to-Date Questions
(history with contemporary relevance or reflecting ongoing debates)
- To what extent did the legacy of colonial borders contribute to modern conflict in the Middle East?
- How has the historiography of the Vietnam War changed in U.S. textbooks since the 1970s?
- To what extent did the legacy of apartheid influence South Africa’s 1996 constitution?
- How did Cold War alliances shape the current political divisions in the Korean Peninsula?
- To what extent has historical memory of World War II shaped Japan’s pacifist constitution?
- How has Brexit revived historical narratives of British imperial identity?
- To what extent did NATO’s 1999 Kosovo intervention reflect a shift in sovereignty norms?
- How have recent debates about Confederate statues reshaped the public understanding of the American Civil War?
- How did historical treaties contribute to modern water conflicts in the Middle East?
- To what extent has the legacy of the Rwandan Genocide shaped peacebuilding efforts in Central Africa?
- How has the declassification of CIA Cold War documents affected interpretations of U.S. foreign policy?
- To what extent does the historical memory of colonialism affect French–Algerian relations today?
- How does the legacy of the Holocaust influence modern German immigration policy?
- To what extent has the global war on terror reshaped the memory of 9/11 in American education?
- How does the history of the Soviet occupation affect contemporary Estonian national identity?
- To what extent has historical memory influenced the Ukraine–Russia conflict since 2014?
- How has the reinterpretation of colonial history affected education policy in the UK?
- To what extent do modern Indigenous land claims reflect unresolved historical treaties in Canada?
- How has the post-apartheid reinterpretation of Afrikaner history affected South African museums?
- To what extent has the history of slave resistance informed reparations debates in the U.S.?
- How does historical memory of Franco’s dictatorship shape Spain’s current political polarization?
- To what extent has the history of Stalinism been rehabilitated in modern Russian politics?
- How does the reinterpretation of Chinese imperial history inform modern national identity?
- To what extent has the perception of the British Empire shifted in post-Brexit Britain?
- How has global digital access changed public engagement with Cold War history?
🟪 10 Fun and Unusual Questions for Your History Extended Essay
(quirky, creative, and still historically valid)
- To what extent did coffeehouses contribute to revolutionary thought in 18th-century Europe?
- How did the use of animals (e.g. pigeons, horses, elephants) influence communication during wartime?
- How did pirate governance in the 17th century challenge European monarchies?
- To what extent did fashion reflect political ideology in revolutionary France?
- How did food shortages shape political revolutions in 18th and 19th-century Europe?
- How did the spread of jazz influence cultural diplomacy during the Cold War?
- To what extent did the invention of the printing press shape political dissent in Reformation Europe?
- How did facial hair reflect power and masculinity in the court of Henry VIII?
- How did sports act as a soft power tool during the Cold War Olympics?
- To what extent did superstition affect medical responses during the Black Death?
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