History IA ideas: how do you choose one?
Choose an idea that fits the subject criteria and can be answered with evidence, a method, and resources you can access.
The History IA is a 2200-word investigation of one clearly defined question, with three parts: evaluating two sources for origin, purpose, value and limitations; the investigation itself using a range of evidence; and a reflection on the methods of the historian. A strong question is specific, debatable, and at least ten years in the past.
Which research questions fit History IA?
The questions below are starting points to adapt to your own variables, evidence, and assessment task.
To what extent was the Schlieffen Plan responsible for Germany's failure to win a quick victory in 1914?
Approach · Weigh the plan's design flaws against command decisions and Allied resistance; evaluate a German staff document and a later historian's account.
How significant was propaganda in maintaining British public support for the war effort, 1914–1918?
Approach · Compare propaganda output with other factors (censorship, casualty management, patriotism); evaluate a wartime poster and a modern study.
To what extent was economic mismanagement the main cause of the collapse of the Weimar Republic?
Approach · Set hyperinflation and the Depression against political and constitutional weaknesses; evaluate a contemporary economic report and a historian's synthesis.
What were the most important reasons for the success of the Cuban Revolution by 1959?
Approach · Compare Batista's loss of support, the 26th of July Movement's tactics, and US policy; evaluate a memoir and a scholarly history.
To what extent did the Marshall Plan cause the economic recovery of Western Europe, 1948–1952?
Approach · Weigh Marshall aid against indigenous recovery and currency reform; evaluate a US government source and a revisionist historian.
How far was the Cultural Revolution driven by ideology rather than a struggle for power?
Approach · Compare Mao's stated aims with the factional politics of 1966–68; evaluate a Party document and a Western biography.
To what extent was the 1947 partition of India the result of British policy rather than communal tension?
Approach · Set British timing and decisions against long-run communal politics; evaluate a Mountbatten-era document and a South Asian historian.
What was the most significant cause of the 1994 Rwandan genocide?
Approach · Compare colonial legacy, the civil war, elite planning and the failure of international response; evaluate a UN document and an academic account.
To what extent did Gorbachev's reforms cause the dissolution of the USSR?
Approach · Weigh perestroika and glasnost against structural economic decline and nationalism; evaluate a Politburo record and a historian's overview.
How important was Martin Luther King's leadership to the successes of the US civil rights movement, 1955–1965?
Approach · Compare King's role with grassroots organising, legal strategy and federal politics; evaluate a speech and a movement history.
Was appeasement a realistic policy for Britain in 1938?
Approach · Weigh military unreadiness, public opinion and imperial commitments against the case for firmness; evaluate a Cabinet paper and a later assessment.
What were the main reasons for the Nationalist victory in the Spanish Civil War?
Approach · Compare foreign intervention, Republican disunity and Franco's strategy; evaluate a contemporary despatch and a scholarly history.
Find questions that fit your resources
Filter the History ideas by time and equipment. This is a practical shortlist, not a judgement about the quality of a research question.
12 of 12 starting points match these time/equipment filters
- 01To what extent was the Schlieffen Plan responsible for Germany's failure to win a quick victory in 1914?
- 02How significant was propaganda in maintaining British public support for the war effort, 1914–1918?
- 03To what extent was economic mismanagement the main cause of the collapse of the Weimar Republic?
- 04What were the most important reasons for the success of the Cuban Revolution by 1959?
- 05To what extent did the Marshall Plan cause the economic recovery of Western Europe, 1948–1952?
- 06How far was the Cultural Revolution driven by ideology rather than a struggle for power?
- 07To what extent was the 1947 partition of India the result of British policy rather than communal tension?
- 08What was the most significant cause of the 1994 Rwandan genocide?
- 09To what extent did Gorbachev's reforms cause the dissolution of the USSR?
- 10How important was Martin Luther King's leadership to the successes of the US civil rights movement, 1955–1965?
- 11Was appeasement a realistic policy for Britain in 1938?
- 12What were the main reasons for the Nationalist victory in the Spanish Civil War?
Items with unspecified equipment or time remain visible. Check safety, ethics, available evidence and the current assessment guide before choosing.
Research question feasibility test →Sources & verification
Primary-source references used to verify key assessment facts on this page. Last source check: September 22, 2026.
These History ideas are original iBacalao starting points, not official IB research questions. Check the current History subject guide, your assessment session and your school's safety/ethics rules before committing to a question.
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