Twentieth Century History 1918 – 1939.

In Unit 1 students explore the nature of political, social and cultural change in the period between the world wars. The period after World War 1 was characterized by significant social and cultural change in the contrasting decades of the 1920s and 1930s. 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. Students will focus their studies on post war Germany, first under the democratic Weimar government and then under the influence of the Nazi Party.

OUTCOMES

1. Explain the consequences of the peace treaties which ended World War One, the impact of ideologies on nations and the events that lead to World War two.
2. Explain patterns of social life and cultural change in Germany, and analyse the factors which influenced changes to social life and culture, during the inter-war years.

ASSESSMENT TASKS

• Extended Response Questions
• Visual and Written Source Analysis
• Research Project and Presentation – Cultural expression before and during the Third Reich
• Examination

Twentieth Century History 1945 – 2000

In Unit 2 students explore the nature and impact of the Cold War and the challenges and changes to existing political, economic and social arrangements in the second half of the twentieth century. This was dominated by the competing ideologies of democracy and communism, setting the backdrop to the Cold War. 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.

Students will focus on the causes and consequences of the Cold war; the competing ideologies that underpinned events, the effects on people, groups and nations, and the reasons for the end of this sustained period of ideological conflict. An investigation will also be made of the ways in which traditional ideas, values and political systems were challenged and changed by individuals and groups in a range of contexts during the period 1945 to 2000. Students explore the causes of significant political and social events and movements, and their consequences for nations and people.

OUTCOMES

• Explain the ideological divisions in the post war period and analyse the nature, development and impact of the Cold War on nations and people, in relation to one or more particular conflicts in the period.
• Explain the causes and nature of challenge and change in relation to two selected contexts in the second half of the twentieth century and analyse the consequences for nations and people.

ASSESSMENT TASKS

• An Historical Inquiry
• An Analysis of Historical Interpretations
• An Essay
• Examination