Modern History of Kazakhstan

Nature of the Subject

Modern history of Kazakhstan is a school-based syllabus developed by educators of Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Astana in 2016. This course is designed to balance the national requirements for the teaching of Kazakh history with the international dimension and criteria of an IB course. Thus, students will receive both an international perspective as well as a deeper understanding of their own roots. Both aspects are vital in a country which became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991, is the ninth largest country in the world and embraces 160 different ethnicities.

It should be noted that ‘modern history’ is defined as the history of Kazakhstan since the beginning of the 20th century. It is focused around key historical concepts such as causation, consequence, continuity, change, significance and perspectives.

Kazakhstan is a country situated on the Eurasian continent and, due to its geographical location, it is influenced by the history of some of the major cultures of the world. Accordingly, the primary aim of the subject is to study and investigate Kazakhstan’s relationship with its neighbours, and also with the global community. Students will study and inquire deeply into the complex development of Kazakhstan society, and the multifaceted aspects and different modern historical periods that have created the unique place and role of Kazakhstan in the world today. Students are encouraged to seek answers to broad and complex questions through investigative methods. Many topics within the course lend themselves well to exploring the international dimension, for example, ‘Deportation of nations’ or ‘Nuclear testing in Semipalatinsk and its consequences’.

As a national requirement, the course is taught in the Kazakh language which allows students also to increase their command of Kazakh. The course is taught as a Standard Level course in the Diploma Programme group 3: individuals and societies.