An HL-only Paper 3 regional option covering North and Latin America. Paper 3 is the depth-study paper: study three of eighteen sections in detail.
Here we cover how Paper 3 works and the sweep of the Americas option — the US Civil War, the Great Depression and New Deal, the Mexican and Cuban Revolutions, and the Cold War in the Americas. Collect ⭐ stars, then press Start.
Paper 3 is sat by HL only: 2 hours 30 minutes, three essays, each out of 15 (total 45). It requires depth — detailed knowledge across the history of the Americas, both North and South.
The Americas option has 18 sections spanning the colonial era to the late 20th century, covering both the United States and Latin America. Your class chooses three for depth study.
The US Civil War (1861-1865) pitted the Union against the secessionist Confederacy over slavery and union. It ended slavery, strengthened federal power, and left a long struggle over Reconstruction and civil rights.
The Wall Street Crash (October 1929) triggered the Great Depression across the Americas. President Franklin D. Roosevelt responded with the New Deal (from 1933) — relief, recovery and reform programmes that reshaped the role of the US federal government.
Sort each topic under its strand of the Americas option.
Latin America produced major revolutions: the Mexican Revolution (from 1910) and the Cuban Revolution, which brought Fidel Castro to power on 1 January 1959. Earlier, Simón Bolívar had led the wars of independence from Spain.
Tap an item on the left, then its match on the right.
The Cold War played out sharply in the region: the failed Bay of Pigs invasion (April 1961) and the Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962), the closest the world came to nuclear war, plus US interventions across Latin America under the policy of containment.
Paper 3 rewards precise, detailed knowledge and the ability to argue about causes and consequences within the Americas. Include exact dates, figures and, where you can, historiography.
Tap the events in sequence, earliest first.
Address the command term, plan a thesis and several analytical points, and support each with specific, dated evidence. Reach a clear judgement, and allow about 50 minutes per essay.
Paper 3: HL only; 2h30; three 15-mark depth essays
Option: 18 sections across the United States and Latin America; choose three
USA: Civil War (1861-65); Crash (1929); New Deal (from 1933)
Latin America & Cold War: Mexican (1910) and Cuban (1959) Revolutions; Missile Crisis (1962)
Depth skill: precise dated evidence and argument within the Americas
You now know how Paper 3 works and the shape of the Americas option. Press Finish to see your score.
You’ve worked through HL Option: The Americas for IB Diploma History HL. 🎉
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