2020 syllabus, Paper 2, World History Topic 2: Causes and effects of wars (750-1500), evaluative essay. Peace is established either when a military outcome removes one side’s ability to continue fighting or when a negotiated settlement leads opposing sides to accept agreed terms. Neither method guarantees lasting peace: durability depends on legitimacy, enforcement and whether the conflict’s causes are resolved.
How Each Method Establishes Peace
A decisive military victory ends organized resistance by destroying armies, capturing territory or replacing political leadership. The victor can then impose terms, redraw boundaries or establish a new ruling system.
A negotiated settlement ends conflict through compromise. The parties may agree on territorial control, succession, tribute, religious rights or political authority, often because continued warfare is too costly or neither side can achieve complete victory.
| Method | How peace is established | Main weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Military outcome | One side gains sufficient control to impose order and prevent immediate resistance. | Harsh terms may create resentment, rebellion or renewed war. |
| Negotiated settlement | Opponents recognize mutually accepted terms and retain an interest in maintaining them. | Ambiguous terms or weak enforcement may allow conflict to restart. |
The key historical concept is causation: explain the mechanism connecting the end of warfare to peace. Peace is more durable when it addresses underlying political, territorial, economic or religious disputes, includes accepted enforcement mechanisms and is considered legitimate by major groups.
A common misconception is that military victory automatically creates peace. Victory may end active warfare, but peacemaking can fail if the defeated side retains military capacity, rejects the imposed settlement or receives external support.
Exam Technique
For a Paper 2 essay, evaluate both the immediate end of hostilities and subsequent long-term stability. Organize paragraphs around factors such as decisiveness, legitimacy and enforcement rather than narrating events. For evaluate or discuss, compare relevant wars and reach a supported judgement about which method produced the more durable peace.
