Modern History Unit 1: Change & Conflict
Elective Unit
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this unit.
Course Description
In this unit, students investigate the nature of social, political, economic and cultural change in the later part of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, with a specific study into life in Stalin’s USSR. Modern History provides students with an opportunity to explore the significant events, ideas, individuals and movements that shaped the social, political, economic and technological conditions and developments that have defined the modern world.
Areas of Study
Area of Study 1
Ideology and conflict
In this Area of Study students focus on the; the consequences of World War One; the emergence of conflict; and the causes of World War Two. They investigate the impact of the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 which redrew the maps of Europe and its colonies; they also consider the aims, achievements and limitations of the League of Nations. In 1933, Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi) gained power in Germany. The 1930s saw considerable suffering as a result of the Great Depression, a global economic event that challenged and changed societies such as Germany and the USSR. While democratic governments initially replaced the monarchies and authoritarian forms of government in European countries at the end of World War One, new ideologies of socialism, communism and fascism began to gather popular support. As a result of the Treaty of Versailles despite the establishment of the League of Nations, the world became increasingly hostile and unstable. Widespread economic instability, failure of diplomacy, growing militarism and territorial aggression in Europe, Africa and Asia, along with totalitarianism, combined in 1939 to draw the world into a second major conflict.
Outcome 1
On completion of this unit the student should be able to explain how significant events, ideologies and individuals contributed to political and economic changes in the first half of the 20th century, and analyse how these contributed to the causes of World War Two.
To achieve this outcome the student will draw on key knowledge and key skills outlined in Area
of Study 1.
Area of Study 2
Social and cultural change
The first half of the twentieth century saw changes in technological, political and economic changes. This Area of Study has a specific focus on the ways in which Stalin’s USSR underwent significant changes in how society was organised and the ways this influenced how people lived their lives, such as working conditions, workers’ rights, the positions and roles of men, women and children, law and order, social control and personal freedoms and/or the influence of other social, political, economic, cultural, religious and technological changes; including continuity and change to the social life and experiences of people, such as race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, class, political and religious affiliation and the methods and consequences of inclusion and/or exclusion of certain groups, for example, The Great Purge.
Outcome 2
On completion of this unit the student should be able to explain patterns of social and cultural change in everyday life in the first half of the twentieth century and analyse the conditions which influenced these changes.
To achieve this outcome the student will draw on key knowledge and key skills outlined in Area
of Study 2.
Assessment
The award of satisfactory completion for a unit is based on whether the student has demonstrated the set of outcomes specified for the unit. Teachers should use a variety of learning activities and assessment tasks that provide a range of opportunities for students to demonstrate the key knowledge and key skills in the outcomes.
All assessments at Units 1 and 2 are school-based.
