Modern History

 Unit 1 & 2

Course Description

Students will develop an understanding of political ideologies and how they have shaped the thoughts of governments around the world. For Unit 1, students will complete an in-depth study on the interwar period from 1918-1939; this will include the examination of key events, movements and ideas which contributed to the development of WWII. Students will also analyse the social and cultural change that occurred in the US and Germany during the interwar period, such as the changes in art and literature as well as the societal changes for women and different racial groups. For Unit 2, students will complete an in-depth study on the end of World War II and the development, emergence and length of the Cold War. Students will also analyse the continuity and change that occurred in the second half of the twentieth century, such as the emergence of the civil rights movement in the US and the establishment of terrorist organisations such as al-Qaeda. 

Unit 1: Twentieth Century History 1918–1939

In this unit, students explore the events, ideologies and movements of the period after World War One; the emergence of conflict; and the causes of World War Two. They investigate the impact of the treaties which ended the Great War and which redrew the map of Europe and broke up the former empires of the defeated nations.They consider the aims,achievements and limitations of the League of Nations.

Students will also explore the social life and cultural expression in the 1920s and 1930s and their relation to the technological, political and economic changes of the period. Cultural expression and social life in both the USA and Germany are covered, with an emphasis on the continuity and changes that occurred between the 1920s and 1930s in both countries.

Outcomes - On completion of this unit students will be able to:

Assessment Tasks

Pathways into VCE or VCAL

Unit 2: Twentieth Century History 1945–2000 

In Unit 2 students explore the nature and impact of the Cold War and challenges and changes to existing political, economic and social arrangements in the second half of the twentieth century. While the USA and the USSR never engaged in direct armed conflict, they opposed each other in a range of international conflicts such as those in Berlin and Cuba. Students consider the reasons for the end of this long-running period of ideological conflict and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Students also focus on 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. While the Cold War dominated the second half of the twentieth century, political and social challenge and change occurred within and between nations based on religion, nationalism, race, gender and human rights.  

Outcomes - On completion of this unit students will be able to:

Assessment Tasks

Pathways into VCE or VCAL

Textbook requirements:

Class sets of these textbooks are available however students may purchase their own copy.

Resources/Requirements: 

Additional Costs:

Career Pathways

What Courses/Careers this could lead to: 

Historian, Museum Curator, Museum Guide, Author, Archaeologist, Teacher, Librarian, Archivist, Anthropologist, Parliamentarian.