The Internal Assessment: The
Historical Investigation
L/O – To understand and identify how to complete the
history IA
Deadlines
• June-July: Topic and Question Confirmed. Begin researching
sources and evidence based on your question.
• July-August: Begin first draft of IA. Complete Section A:
Plan, Section B: Summary of Evidence, Section C: Evaluation,
Section D: Analysis, Section E: Conclusion and Section F:
Referencing and Word Count.
• September: Submit first draft by Friday 5th September. Draft
returned with Feedback by Monday 8th September.
• October: Final submission of IA due on Friday 24th October.
Scope of the Investigation
• Undertake a historical
investigation using a good
range of historical sources.
• Focus on an event with a cutoff date that is at least 10
years before submission.
(2004)
• Provide a title for the
investigate that is framed as a
question.
• Produce a written account of
between 1500-2000 words.
Name
Topic/Question
CHEUK,
Sabrina
History of the Philippines – Was the
occupation of the Philippines by the
USA beneficial to the Philippines?
DUBE, Noel
Women’s Rights – Was the women’s
movement of the 1960s in America
successful?
LIM, Mary
Nazi Germany – What were the causes
of Hitler’s anti-Semitism?
NGAI,
Melanie
US History – How useful is the film,
Killing Kennedy, to the historian
studying the assassination of JFK?
WEI, Le
Tone
Modern China – To what extent was
the GMD responsible for its loss
during the Chinese Civil War?
WU, Adrian
Nazi Germany – How and why did
Germany lose in World War Two?
ZHAO,
Felicia
Modern China – How did Mao Zedong
use propaganda to start the Cultural
Revolution?
Structure of the IA
Your IA is marked out of 25 and is worth 20% of your final mark. It is divided into
sections, with each section marked separately:
Section A – Plan of Investigation - 2 MARKS – 150 words
The Plan is essentially your introduction and should be written as such. You should discuss
your research question, scope of the investigation and methods/sources used to investigate.
Section B – Summary of Evidence - 6 MARKS – 600 words
This is where you present the factual material you have discovered from the sources you have
investigated. Evidence should be organised thematically or chronologically and can be written
in prose or as a numbered list. NO ANALYSIS of the evidence should be attempted!
Section C – Evaluation of Sources - 5 MARKS – 400 words
Here is where you show off your source work skills by evaluating TWO important sources by
referring explicitly to the origin, purpose, value and limitations of the sources.
Section D – Analysis - 6 MARKS – 650 words
This is the essay part of the investigation where you write up your research and analyse the
lines of argument found. YOU MUST use the evidence provided in Section B and Section C.
Section E – Conclusion - 2 MARKS – 200 words
Here you answer the question set in the title, based on the weight of evidence you have
presented. Re-state main findings and make a judgement.
Section F – Referencing - 3 MARKS – NOT INCLUDED IN WORD COUNT
This marks your ability to reference evidence throughout. Use a bibliography and appendix.
Title Page
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION
[PICTURE]
STUDENT NAME: Mr Stephen Budd
CANDIDATE NUMBER: 43422
CENTRE NUMBER/NAME: Kiangsu-Chekiang College International
Section / 3088
WORD COUNT: 1980
Section A: Plan of Investigation
1. State your research question –
explain and justify why you chose that
theme. i.e. ‘This study will seek to
answer the question… I chose this
question because…’
2. Define Scope in Investigation –
Identify the themes and lines of
argument, dates, to be considered.
3. Explain Methodology – What types of
sources will be used, which TWO key
sources will you evaluate. i.e. ‘In order
to answer this question, I made use
of…’
0
There is no plan of the
investigation, or it is
inappropriate.
1
The research question,
method and scope of the
investigation are not
clearly stated.
2
The research question is
clearly stated. The method
and scope of the
investigation are outlined
and related to the research
question.
3
The research question is
clearly stated. The method
and scope of the
investigation are fully
developed and closely
focused on the research
question.
To what extent was the Stalinist State established at the
expense of the Soviet people?
This investigation will contend to answer the question "to what extent was the
Stalinist state established at the expense of the Soviet people." I will focus on the
economical, agricultural and social policies undertaken by the Stalinist
dictatorship, and look into particular detail how these policies and reforms
affected the peasantry and the proletariat in Russia.
I have chosen this topic for I am deeply interested in how Josef Stalin managed to
re-organise the Russian nation into the superpower it had the potential to be after
Russia emerged victorious after WW2. I was amazed how quickly the country
progressed after it had been soiled and dragged in the mud by a painful and
endless tsarist autocratic rule, displaying Tsars each as bad as the other, failing to
reform in multiple aspects of Russian life. In order to answer this question, I have
structured my analysis to firstly see what were the benefits of the changes adopted
by Stalin, and secondly if these benefits were outweighed by their cost. In order to
keep the scope of the study manageable, I have made use of a variety of carefully
selected sources, in particular a wide range of book passages, photographs, quotes
and statistics.“ - Word Count: 200 words
Section B: Summary of Evidence
1. Conditions in the Mining Industry
a.) 70% of mine owners ' costs were for labour - wages would be cut (1).
0
There is no relevant factual
material.
1-2
There is some relevant
factual material but it has
not been referenced.
3-4
There is relevant factual
material that shows
evidence of research,
organisation and
referencing.
5-6
The factual material is all
relevant to the
investigation and it has
been well researched,
organised and correctly
referenced.
b.) 'Miners were amongst the nation's worst paid workers and suffered the
nation's highest rate of unemployment' (2).
2. Broader economic problems
a.) The Triple Alliance was formed in April 1914 (comprising 1.5 million
miners, railwaymen and transport workers) after a series of strikes (12).
b.) 'The war led to over-investment in... iron, steel, coal, shipbuilding and
textiles [which] were not needed in such quantities in peacetime' (13).
3. Political Discontent
a.) In 1920, of the 288 Trades and Labour Councils, 139 voted in favour of
ending the economic blockade of the USSR 'in defiance of the right-wing
national leadership' (21).
b.) November 1924: 'the stage was set for the offensive against the
conditions of the British working class. Economic crisis was to be translated
into political attack' (22).
'Prior to Stalin's rise to power as leader of the USSR, Russia was
undergoing a period of great change and turmoil. Immediately after
Lenin's death in 1924, the struggle for power and individual ruling of
Soviet Russia had already started only to end in 1928, with Stalin
beating both left and right with cunning ability enhanced by good
fortune (2).
In the late 1920s, Stalin became the definite vozhd (3) of the USSR and
did not wait to apply his concept of 'Socialism in One Country' (concept
that had countered Trotsky's notion of 'Permanent Revolution'). (4).
This concept aimed to overcome Russia's present primitive agriculture
and industrial problems (5). Stalin, who believed that the USSR's
survival depended on its ability to became a powerful modern and
industrialised nation, made it very clear from the start that this was
his main priority, for in 1931, Stalin announced that 'We (the USSR) are
fifty or a hundred years behind the advanced countries. We must make
good this distance in ten years [...] or we shall be crushed' (6).
Section C: Evaluation of Sources
• To get full marks, you need to
critically evaluate TWO sources and
refer explicitly to OPVL.
• By analysing the origins and purpose
of each source, you can work out the
values and limitations of each source
to your investigation.
• The choice of TWO sources is
important – they must be sources
you can use meaningfully and you
must refer to them again in Section
D: Analysis.
0
There is no description or
evaluation of the sources.
1
The sources are described
but there is no reference to
their origin, purpose, value
and limitation.
2-3
There is some evaluation of
the sources but reference
to their origin, purpose,
value and limitation may
be limited.
4-5
There is evaluation of the
sources and explicit
reference to their origin,
purpose, value and
limitation.
Origin
Purpose
Value
Limitations
In order to analyse a source, it is important to first determine what it is and where it came
from.
• Is it a primary source or a secondary source?
• Who created/wrote it and when?
•
•
•
•
Why was the document created?
What is the intent?
Who do you think is the intended audience?
What does the document say?
Based upon who wrote the document and why, what value does the document have to an
historian? Question to consider:
• What can you tell about the author and the time period?
• Under what circumstances was the document created and what can we tell about the
circumstances from the document?
• What can you tell about any controversies that may exist from the document?
• What can you tell about the author’s perspective from the document?
• How does the document accurately reflect what was going on in history at the time?
At what point does this source cease to be of value to historians? Questions to consider:
• What part of the story can you NOT tell from the document?
• How can you verify the content of the piece?
• Does the piece inaccurately reflect anything about the time period?
• Does the author leave anything out and if so, why do you think they did so?
OPVL
Value
Origins
Primary Sources – provide first
hand knowledge of the events
described, give a ‘snapshot’ of
opinion at the time.
Limitations
Primary Sources – Too wrapped
up in events, miss ‘big picture’,
sometimes subject to censorship
(China).
(when,
where and
by whom
was the
source
produced?)
Secondary Sources – Hindsight,
Objectivity
Secondary Sources – Often a
narrow depth study or a
superficial overview
Purpose
Facts – dry, objective sources give
data to be checked against other
sources to provide conclusions.
Facts – Censorship: a factual
account can still be misleading if
it leaves out ‘inconvenient
truths’.
(what is the
intended
audience?)
Opinions – Biased, subjective
sources give an insight into the
attitudes of the time.
Opinions – Propaganda misleads
the reader about the popularity
of a regime’s policies.
Sample Document Analysis
Sample Document Analysis
Source 1: Foster, J. (1976) 'British Imperialism and the Labour
aristocracy' in Skelley, J. The General Strike, 1926, London: Lawrence
and Wishart, pp. 3-57.
The origin of the source is of value because the author is a
professional expert in the field of history, studying at St Catherine's
College, Cambridge, and lecturing in politics at Strathclyde University.
He was awarded a PhD 'for a these on working-class consciousness in
the early nineteenth century' (1), showing he is a peer-assessed
professional in early 20th-century British history and politics. The
essay is part of J. Skelley's book The General Strike, 1926, which is a
collaboration of historical essays, including bibliographical information
throughout.
The purpose of Foster's essay is to analyse the run-up to the General
Strike of 1926. This is valuable, since it enables a variety of
information to be given over a long period of time, providing
academic analysis and historical evidence of the political and
economic causes.
Source 1: Foster, J. (1976) 'British Imperialism and the
Labour aristocracy' in Skelley, J. The General Strike, 1926,
London: Lawrence and Wishart, pp. 3-57.
The origin of this source also limits its value, however, as
Foster is a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain
(2), therefore the evidence presented in the essay may not
be accurate as it may focus on the trade unions and
Communist Party. Also, as it was published in 1976 more
evidence might since have come to light.
The purpose of this source also makes it limited; the title,
'British Imperialism and the Labour Aristocracy', uses biased
language, referring to the government as 'aristocracy'. This
displays Foster's political views, which are extremely left
wing, and therefore the analysis may not be objective.
Section D: Analysis
• Use the evidence presented in
Section B AND C to write your essay –
explain and analyse the lines of
argument your have found in your
research.
0
There is no analysis.
1-2
There is some attempt at
analysing the evidence
presented in Section B.
3-4
There is analysis of the
evidence presented in
Section B and references are
included. There may be
some awareness of the
significance to the
investigation of the sources
evaluated in Section C.
Where appropriate, different
interpretations are
considered.
5-6
There is critical analysis of
the evidence presented in
Section B, accurate
referencing, and an
awareness of the
significance to the
investigation of the sources
evaluated in Section C.
Where appropriate, different
interpretations are analysed.
• Use evidence in your analysis as
supporting examples, especially two
sources from Section C.
• Try to consider different
interpretations on the
question/historiography. Be sure to
reference ALL evidence used!
Many contemporary historians, including John Foster, believe that the General
Strike was the result of problems in Britain's mining industry, and 'was called by a
reluctant, apprehensive Trade Unions Congress to defend the living standards... of
the miners' (1). The inter-war period saw a dramatic collapse of the industry, as
demand for coal decreased and use of other fuels increased, such as oil in British
shipping (2). In addition, the Treaty of Versailles negatively affected the industry, as
Germany was ordered to pay reparations of coal to Italy and France; meaning the
demand for British coal was almost non-existent (3). Due to the post-war situation in
Europe, there was little demand for British exports, and after 1918 the coal-mining
industry was left 'with around a quarter to a third surplus capacity' (4). This meant
the owners of mines were left with little choice but to cut wages, since 70% of costs
went to labour (5), and between 1920 and 1924 wages were cut by 26% (6).
However, in 1925 the industry 'was losing $1 million a month' and 'more than a
tenth of [collieries were] forced to close' (7). Miners were among the nation's lowest
paid workers (8) working in appalling conditions; 'between 1922 and 1924, 3,603
miners were killed and 597,158 injured' (9). Due to the necessary cut-backs, hours
were lengthened from 7 to 8 hours, and wages cut 13-38% (10). In March 1926 the
government produced the Samuel Commission, proposing an end to mining
subsidies (around $25 million) along with further pay-cuts. This led to a lock-out on
1 April, which triggered the outbreak of the General Strike on 3 May 1926 (11).
To what extent was the General
Strike of 1926 caused by conditions
in the mining industry? Section D:
Analysis
However, there were also broader economic problems during the 1920s, suggesting
the causes of the General Strike were perhaps broader than historians such as John
Foster suggest. Even before the First World War there was unrest in British industry.
The Triple Alliance, consisting of 1.5 million miners, railwaymen and transport
workers, was formed in April 1914 (12) and was involved in further strikes leading up
to and including the General Strike. During the war there was increased industrial
production; however, afterwards there was huge over-production in 'iron and steel,
coal, shipbuilding and textiles... [which were] not needed in such quantities in
peacetime' (13). Additionally, the growth of the USA, which 'was producing two-thirds
of the world's steel' by 1919 (14) and the economic collapse of Europe hindered
Britain. This caused a fall in profits in many staple industries, causing 'mass
unemployment and industrial unrest' in the 1920s (15); a situation described by the
prime minister as 'unprecedented', especially as many of those unemployed were
skilled workers (16). 'Three-quarters of the jobless [in 1920-21] were in... shipbuilding,
textiles and engineering' where '20 or 30%... were permanently unemployed (17)'.
These problems were exacerbated in 1925, when the government put Britain back on
the Gold Standard, meaning the pound was overvalued by 2.5-10% (18) and the price
of exports rose by 10%, causing a decrease in foreign trade (19). Statistics suggest that
although imports rose in 1925, exports were '25% down on the 1913 figure' (20). This
meant that it was extremely difficult for export industries to recover during the early
1920s, and there was discontent among the British working class as a whole.
There are also political factors leading to the outbreak of the General Strike in
1926. Historian James Kluggman claimed that although economic problems were
important, the strike saw this 'translated into political attack' (21). The British
government believed the strike was an attempt at revolution, and an article in the
government publication, the British Gazette, stated 'The General Strike is in
operation, expressing in no uncertain terms a direct challenge to ordered
government' (22). This reflected popular opinion at the time, as there was a great
fear of communism after the Bolshevik revolution of 1917 (23). The trade unions
also had apparent links with the Communist Party, shown in 1920, when of the 288
Trades and Labour Councils, 139 voted in favour of ending the economic blockade of
the USSR, and against the right-wing governments' proposals (24). In Trotsky's book
Whither England, he wrote of 'a gradual and painless penetration of communism
into the ranks of the British Labour Party and trade unions' (25), suggesting a link to
the Soviet Union. This fear was exacerbated by the 'Zinoviev Letter' published in the
Daily Mail in 1924, a forged letter allegedly from Comintern addressed to the CPGB
(26). This letter referred to the necessity to 'stir up the masses of the British
proletariat' to 'bring increased pressure... upon the government' (27). On 3 May
1926, the day of the outbreak of the General Strike, Daily Mail printers refused to
print a passage calling the strike 'a revolutionary movement, intended to inflict
suffering on the great mass of innocent persons' (28).
Section E: Conclusion
• This is where your conclude your
investigation by answering your
research question.
0
There is no
conclusion, or the
conclusion is not
relevant.
• Re-state your main findings and make
a judgement based on the weight of
evidence that you have presented.
1
The conclusion is
stated but is not
entirely consistent
with the evidence
presented.
2
The conclusion is
clearly stated and
consistent with the
evidence
presented.
• You may like to finish by outlining
why any conclusion remains
provisional, or whether your
investigation has raised any
problems/areas for further study.
To what extent was the General Strike of 1926 caused by
conditions in the mining industry?
It is clear that conditions in the mining industry and
discontent among miners played a key role in the build-up
to the General Strike. These problems were intensified by
broader economic issues in Britain and post-war Europe,
leading to the decline of the economic situation nationally.
Equally as important were the political issues, specifically
the conflict between the left-wing trade unions and the
right-wing government, and the potential association with
the revolutionary Communist Party of Great Britain. Based
on the weight of evidence, it was these political tensions,
specifically in the months prior to the outbreak of the strike,
that explain why a general strike happened in May 1926.
Section F: Sources and Word Limit
• This section marks your ability to
accurately and consistently reference
all sources, evidence and citations
used in your investigation.
• Reference all sources and citations
and list them in a bibliography. Use
an appendix to attach any
illustrations, documents, transcripts.
• State the word count clearly on your
title page.
0
A list of sources is not
included or the
investigation is not within
the word limit.
1
A list of sources is included
but these are limited or one
standard method is not
used consistently or the
word count is not clearly
and accurately stated on the
title page.
2
A list of sources using one
standard method is
included and the
investigation is within the
word limit.
3
An appropriate list of
sources, using one standard
method, is included. The
investigation is within the
word limit.
General Advice
• Put each section on a new page
• Keep track of your bibliography as you are working, do not
leave it to the last minute!
• You must use referencing (Harvard) throughout the essay
and include all sources, evidence and citations in the
bibliography. An Appendix should be used for all
illustrations, documents, interview transcripts etc.
• Organise your time and set clear objectives.
• Keep the mark scheme with you and refer to it at all times!
• Read through example IA’s first.