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HGGSP Terminale revision sheets: 6 themes covering geopolitics, conflicts, heritage, memory, environment and knowledge. French Bac 2026 exam prep.
HGGSP (Histoire-Géographie, Géopolitique et Sciences Politiques) is a popular French Bac speciality combining history, geography, geopolitics, and political science. The Terminale exam lasts 4 hours (coefficient 16) and includes a dissertation and a document analysis. The syllabus covers six themes.
This theme examines three strategic spaces: oceans, outer space, and cyberspace.
Oceans are governed by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, 1982), which defines territorial waters (12 nautical miles), exclusive economic zones (200 nm), and continental shelves. Key tensions include the South China Sea (China’s nine-dash line vs. neighbouring claims) and the Arctic (new shipping routes and resource competition as ice melts). Over 80% of global trade travels by sea, making straits (Malacca, Hormuz) and canals (Suez, Panama) critical chokepoints.
Outer space was shaped by Cold War rivalry (Sputnik 1957, Apollo 11 1969). The Outer Space Treaty (1967) declares space a common heritage and bans nuclear weapons in orbit. Today’s space race involves new state actors (China, India) and private companies (SpaceX, Starlink). Military space commands have been created by the US (2019) and France (2019).
Cyberspace has three layers: physical (cables, servers), logical (protocols, software), and semantic (data, information). It is a domain of conflict: cyberattacks (Stuxnet, ransomware), espionage, and disinformation. Governance tensions pit Western models (ICANN) against Chinese and Russian digital sovereignty. France’s ANSSI coordinates national cyber defence.
Clausewitz defined war as “the continuation of politics by other means.” Modern conflicts have evolved from classical interstate wars to intra-state conflicts (civil wars in Syria, Sudan), asymmetric warfare (terrorism, guerrilla) and hybrid warfare (combining conventional, cyber, and information operations, as in Ukraine since 2022).
International humanitarian law stems from the Geneva Conventions (1949). International criminal justice includes the ICTY (ex-Yugoslavia), ICTR (Rwanda), and the ICC (created by the Rome Statute, 1998), which prosecutes genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
The UN Security Council can authorise force and deploy peacekeepers, but the veto power of the five permanent members often blocks action. Peace processes (e.g. the Oslo Accords, 1993) illustrate both hopes and limits of diplomacy.
History is a critical, evidence-based discipline; memory is subjective and collectively constructed. Pierre Nora theorised “lieux de mémoire.”
In France, post-1945 memory initially promoted the Resistance myth (de Gaulle). Robert Paxton’s Vichy France (1973) revealed active collaboration. Chirac’s 1995 declaration acknowledged France’s role in the deportation of Jews.
The Algerian War (1954-1962) remains sensitive, with competing memories from conscripts, harkis, pieds-noirs, and Algerian nationalists. France only officially used the term “war” in 1999.
Memory laws (Gayssot Act 1990, Taubira Act 2001) raise debate about whether the state should legislate historical truth.
Heritage encompasses tangible (monuments) and intangible assets (traditions, languages). UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention (1972) protects sites of “outstanding universal value.” The 2003 Convention extended protection to intangible heritage. Inscription is a soft-power tool.
Heritage faces threats from armed conflict (Palmyra, Bamiyan Buddhas), uncontrolled urbanisation, and climate change. The restitution debate (Sarr-Savoy report, 2018) over colonial-era looted artefacts is a growing diplomatic issue.
Resource exploitation causes deforestation, pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change. The IPCC confirms human-caused warming has reached +1.1°C.
Key agreements: Kyoto Protocol (1997) and the Paris Agreement (COP 21, 2015) committing 196 countries to limit warming below 2°C. The debate between sustainable development (Brundtland, 1987) and degrowth shapes policy. The EU Green Deal targets carbon neutrality by 2050. Climate justice highlights that the most vulnerable nations are the least responsible for emissions.
Knowledge is power. Universities and research centres compete globally (Shanghai ranking). Patents protect innovation but can restrict access (e.g. pharmaceutical patents vs. generics).
Soft power (Joseph Nye) operates through cultural exchange programmes (Erasmus, Fulbright), cultural institutes, and media. GAFAM dominate information flows, raising digital sovereignty concerns. Censorship (China’s Great Firewall) and mass surveillance (Snowden revelations, 2013) illustrate the tension between security and freedom. Disinformation (fake news, deepfakes) threatens democracies.