VCE History

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. 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. 

The late 19th century marked a challenge to existing empires, alongside growing militarism and imperialism. Empires continued to exert their powers as they competed for new territories, resources and labour across Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Americas, contributing to tremendous change. This increasingly brought these world powers into contact and conflict. Italian unification and German unification changed the balance of power in Europe, the USA emerged from a bitter civil war and the Meiji Restoration brought political revolution to Japan. Meanwhile, China under the Qing struggled to survive due to foreign imperialism. Modernisation and industrialisation also challenged and changed the existing political, social and economic authority of empires and states. During this time the everyday lives of people significantly changed.

World War One was a significant turning point in modern history. It represented a complete departure from the past and heralded changes that were to have significant consequences for the rest of the twentieth century. The post-war treaties ushered in a period where the world was, to a large degree, reshaped with new borders, movements, ideologies and power structures and led to the creation of many new nation states. These changes had many unintended consequences that would lay the foundations for future conflict and instability in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Economic instability caused by the Great Depression contributed to great social hardship as well as to the development of new political movements. 

The period after World War One, in the contrasting decades of the 1920s and 1930s, was characterised by significant social, political, economic, cultural and technological change. In 1920 the League of Nations was established, but despite its ideals about future peace, subsequent events and competing ideologies would contribute to the world being overtaken by war in 1939. 

New fascist governments used the military, education and propaganda to impose controls on the way people lived, to exclude particular groups of people and to silence criticism. In Germany, the persecution of the Jewish people and other minorities intensified, resulting, during World War Two, in the Holocaust. In the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), millions of people were forced to work in state-owned factories and farms and had limited personal freedom. Japan became increasingly militarised and anti-Western. Turkey emerged out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire and embarked on reforms to establish a secular democracy. In the United States of America (USA), foreign policy was shaped by isolationism, and the consumerism and material progress of the Roaring Twenties was tempered by the Great Depression in 1929. Writers, artists, musicians, choreographers and filmmakers reflected, promoted or resisted political, economic and social changes.

In this unit students investigate the nature and impact of the Cold War and challenges and changes to social, political and economic structures and systems of power in the second half of the twentieth century and the first decade of the twenty-first century.

The establishment of the United Nations (UN) in 1945 was intended to take an internationalist approach to avoiding warfare, resolving political tensions and addressing threats to human life and safety. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted in 1948 was the first global expression of human rights. However, despite internationalist moves, the second half of the twentieth century was dominated by the Cold War, competing ideologies of democracy and communism and proxy wars. By 1989 the USSR began to collapse. Beginning with Poland, Eastern European communist dictatorships fell one by one. The fall of the Berlin Wall was a significant turning point in modern history.

The period also saw continuities in and challenges and changes to the established social, political and economic order in many countries. The continuation of moves towards decolonisation led to independence movements in former colonies in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific. New countries were created and independence was achieved through both military and diplomatic means. Ethnic and sectarian conflicts also continued and terrorism became increasingly global. 

The second half of the twentieth century also saw the rise of social movements that challenged existing values and traditions, such as the civil rights movement, feminism and environmental movements, as well as new political partnerships, such as the UN, European Union, APEC, OPEC, ASEAN and the British Commonwealth of Nations. 

The beginning of the twenty-first century heralded both a changing world order and further advancements in technology and social mobility on a global scale. However, terrorism remained a major threat, influencing politics, social dynamics and the migration of people across the world. The attack on the World Trade Centre on 11 September, 2001 was a significant turning point for what became known as the war on global terror and shaped the first decade of the twenty-first century, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Global Financial Crisis challenged and contributed to some change in the social, political and economic features and structures; however, many continuities remained. Technology also played a key role in shaping social and political change in different contexts. The internet significantly changed everyday life and revolutionised communication and the sharing of information and ideas, some of which challenged authority, most notably the Arab Spring.