This is a Paper 2 world history topic. Paper 2 is the comparative essay paper: you write on two of twelve topics, drawing examples from different regions.
Here we explore Society and Economy (750-1400) — how medieval societies were organised and how they traded — across the Islamic world, Europe and Song China. Collect ⭐ stars on the checks, then press Start.
Paper 2 (both SL and HL) lasts 1 hour 30 minutes and requires two essays, each from a different world history topic, each marked out of 15. The best answers compare across more than one region and sustain an argument.
This topic — Society and Economy (750-1400) — is thematic: you study social structures and the economy in at least two societies from different regions.
Most societies were steeply hierarchical. In feudal Europe, land was held in return for service: monarch, nobility, knights, and peasants/serfs bound to the manor. The Church was a vast landholder and shaped daily life.
The Islamic Abbasid world and Song China were more urban and bureaucratic — Song China selected officials through civil-service examinations based on Confucian learning.
The Abbasid Caliphate built Baghdad (founded 762) into a hub of trade and learning. Its House of Wisdom translated and advanced Greek, Persian and Indian knowledge; the scholar al-Khwarizmi (c. 820s) gave his name to algorithm and helped found algebra.
Muslim merchants linked the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and Silk Roads, spreading goods, coinage, credit and ideas.
Under the Song dynasty (960-1279), China saw an economic surge: wet-rice farming, booming cities, and innovations including gunpowder, movable-type printing (Bi Sheng, c. 1040) and the world’s first widely used paper money (jiaozi).
Comparison point: while Europe’s economy was largely rural and manorial, Song China and the Abbasid world were far more commercial and monetised — a rich contrast for a Paper 2 essay.
Sort each feature under the society it belongs to.
Long-distance trade tied these regions together. The overland Silk Roads and the maritime Indian Ocean routes moved silk, spices, silver and — crucially — technologies and religions. Towns grew at trade nodes, and in Europe guilds came to control crafts and urban trades.
Tap an item on the left, then its match on the right.
Religion structured law, learning and time. Islam, Christianity and Confucian and Buddhist traditions each supported scholarship, art and charity, while also justifying social hierarchy. Universities, madrasas and monasteries preserved and produced knowledge.
Plague reached Europe in 1347 and killed perhaps a third of the population within a few years. Labour shortages raised peasants’ bargaining power, strained the manorial system, and contributed to revolts — a dramatic economic and social turning point to weigh in essays.
Tap the events in sequence, earliest first.
For 15 marks, open with a clear thesis, structure by theme (e.g. social hierarchy, trade, technology) rather than region by region, and support each point with specific examples from at least two regions. Reach a reasoned judgement in the conclusion.
Paper 2: 1h30, two 15-mark essays from two different topics; compare across regions
Social order: feudal Europe (serfs, Church) vs urban, bureaucratic Abbasid and Song societies
Economy: Abbasid trade and learning; Song commerce, printing and paper money
Turning point: the Black Death (1347) reshaped Europe’s labour and society
Essay craft: structure by theme, support with regional examples, judge in the conclusion
You can now compare medieval societies and economies across regions for Paper 2. Press Finish to see your score.
You’ve worked through Society & Economy (750-1400) for IB Diploma History SL. 🎉
Your stars: 0 / 0
Next: test yourself in the Evaluate stage, then lock it in with Verify.