Note: New, updated, 20th century world history plans were added to the Mater Amabilis site in 2024. See those plans here.
Note: Broken links are being updated as the volunteer team has time. See archived page for missing links.
This year’s history study focuses on the twentieth century. Studying modern history has certain difficulties that do not apply to earlier periods:
(1) Most history texts stop either at the beginning or in the middle of the twentieth century.
(2) Those books that cover the whole century are more suitable for high school or adult reading, rather than younger teenagers.
(3) The nature of twentieth century history means that secular books with material sufficiently challenging for this age group will almost always have problematic sections or images.
(4) Books covering the entire century from a Catholic perspective simply aren’t available.
Due to the lack of a narrative text suitable for this level to provide an overview of world history for this level we have arranged this course as a series of units from which you can choose. We recommend that each student studies the history of their own country (USA or Britain) for twelve weeks during the first term, and follow this up with four six-week units chosen from the following list of topics:
First World War
Second World War
Russia and the Fall of Communism
China
Middle East
South Africa
South East Asia (India, Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan)
For World War I, World War II and the Middle East, complete units divided into eighteen lessons are available; for the other topics we have provided lists of resources, and hope to add full lesson plans later.
If you would like a recommended course of study, we suggest:
(1) Second World War
(2) Russia or China
(3) First World War or South East Asia
(4) Middle East or South Africa
These units rely heavily on primary source material (original documents from the period being studied). Where possible we have used books from the Witness to History series recently published by Heinemann. These short books on a number of twentieth century history topics consist of double page spreads, with a brief introduction to an aspect of the topic complemented by an extract from an original document. You can see a sample here. They include sources from different perspectives, ranging from eyewitness accounts to newspaper reports and extracts from speeches and official documents. We have supplemented these with other accounts and documents that can be found online, including Catholic sources where possible.
Time requirement: Three lessons weekly, of approximately 45 minutes each, plus supplementary reading.
Teacher involvement: While students can study the material alone, it is important to remember that twentieth century history is a heavy subject that includes distressing and emotive topics. Please make time to follow up your child’s history lessons with some discussion about what they are learning. This does not need to be formal discussion: conversation while doing dishes would be fine!
Key Resources (Key Texts for individual study units are listed separately)
US: * The Century for Young People, by Peter Jennings
UK: * Young Oxford History of Britain and Ireland, Section 5: A Century of Change
(also published as a separate volume, A Century of Change by James Mason)
Witness to History: The Troubles in Northern Ireland by Tony Allan
Recommended Resource
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia (formerly published as Kingfisher History of the World), or similar history encyclopedia
Note: Selections from this book are listed for some units. They provide a useful introduction to certain topics, but are not an essential element of the course.
Suggested Reference Works
There are a number of books available providing newspaper style reports, photographic illustrations or eyewitness accounts of the twentieth century. We recommend having at least one of these additional reference books to hand.
Note: The nature of the subject matter means that there may be problematic information or images in these books. We have not thoroughly previewed them, as the criteria people use for judging suitability for this age group varies so widely. Items we consider acceptable, you may not; and vice versa. Please review any of these books that you plan to use and exercise your own judgment. Many of these were published at the end of the twentieth century and are now out of print, but are likely to be easily available used or through libraries. Any other similar book(s) can be substituted.
20th Century Day by Day ]Dorling Kindersley] – US edition (available from Sonlight), or UK edition as appropriate (previous title Chronicle of the 20th Century)
20th Century: a Visual History by Simon Adams (pub.Dorling Kindersley)
National Geographic: Eyewitness to the 20th Century
LIFE: Our Century in Pictures by Tony Chiu
Children’s History of the 20th Century (pub.Dorling Kindersley)
Eyewitness: the 20th Century (Eyewitness Accounts of the Moments that Shaped Our Century), by Jon E. Lewis [Robinson]
Usborne Illustrated Atlas of the 20th Century
Useful Links
About: 20th Century History – links to many topics and sites about individuals. Includes very useful timeline and map links.
Modern History Sourcebook – hundreds of primary source documents
This course makes use of a number of articles and primary source documents available through websites. You may wish to print these at the beginning of a unit ready for your student to use.
Lesson Format
- A lesson should take around 45 minutes
- Read the recommended selections
- Look at additional reference material (as time permits)
- Add events and people to a timeline or Book of Centuries
- Look up places mentioned on a map. (You may like to add outline maps to a history notebook).
- Write narration in a history notebook. (This could take various forms: a straightforward summary of the topic; comparison of two sides of an issue; an imaginative “eyewitness” account; a newspaper style report; or any other “narration” of your choice.)
You could choose to approach a week’s work in one of two ways (or a mixture of both):
(1) For each lesson spend 30 minutes reading, followed by a short written narration and / or map and timeline work
(2) Spend two lessons reading, then use the entire third lesson for a longer written narration and map/timeline work
For some units specific lesson breakdowns are given together with suggestions for narration and notebook work. These are only ideas: feel free to use them or ignore them as you choose.
Suggested additional reading is given for each 6 week period – your child should read at least one of the books recommended.
Further reading suggestions are optional, intended for children who enjoy history, are voracious readers, or who develop an interest in a particular topic.
National History – United States of America (12 weeks)
Key Resource
The Century for Young People by Peter Jennings
Week 1
Ch.1 – Seeds of Change 1901-1914
Week 2: First World War
Ch.2 – Shell Shock, 1914-1919
Week 3: The Twenties
Ch.3 – Boom to Bust, 1920-29
Week 4: The Depression
Ch.4 – Stormy Weather, 1929-1936
Week 5
Ch.5 – Over the Edge, 1936-1941
Week 6
Ch.6 – Global Nightmare, 1941-1945
The USS Franklin’s Hero Priest by Katie O’Brien
Week 7
Ch.7 – An Uneasy Peace, 1946-1952
Week 8
Ch.8 – Mass Markets, 1953-1961
Week 9
Ch.9 – Into the Streets, 1961-1969
Week 10
Ch.10 – Years of Doubt, 1969-1981
Week 11
Ch.11 – New Morning, 1981-1989
Week 12
Ch.12 – Machine Dreams, 1989-1999
Further Reading
Carry a Big Stick: the Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt (George Grant) – conservative Christian perspective
You Want Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton (Jean Fritz)
Earthquake at Dawn (Kristiana Gregory)
The Yanks are Coming: the United States in the First World War (Albert Marrin) – out of print
Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry (Mildred D.Taylor)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
Witness to History: The Great Depression (Nathaniel Harris)
Witness to History: World War II Homefront (Gary Barr)
Victory in the Pacific (Albert Marrin)
Air Raid: Pearl Harbor (Theodore Taylor)
Witness to History: Pearl Harbor (Gary Barr)
Up Periscope (Robb White) – life aboard a submarine in the Pacific
Witness to History: Civil Rights by Brendan January
National History – Britain (12 weeks)
Key Resources
* Young Oxford History of Britain and Ireland, Section 5: A Century of Change (also published as a separate volume, A Century of Change by James Mason)
Witness to History: The Troubles in Northern Ireland by Tony Allan
Week 1: Edwardian England
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – The British Empire 1815-1913
A Century of Change: Ch.1 – Land of Hope and Glory
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – Suffrage 1848-1928
Week 2: First World War
A Century of Change: Ch.2 – Your Country Needs You
Week 3: Ireland
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
- Ireland 1800-1913
- Ireland: Civil Unrest 1916-1923 (KHE, p.392-93)
Weeks 4 and 5: Between the Wars
A Century of Change: Ch.3 – Peace in Our Time (to ‘Give peace in our time, O Lord’)
Weeks 6 to 8: World War II
A Century of Change: Ch.4 – The People’s War
Witness to History: The D-Day Landings
Week 9: Post-War Britain
A Century of Change: Ch.5 – Winds of Change
Week 10: 1970s-90s
A Century of Change: Ch.6 – Britain in Doubt
Week 11: Northern Ireland
Witness to History: The Troubles in Northern Ireland by Tony Allan [Heinemann]
Week 12
A Century of Change: Ch.7 – The Twenty-First Century
Further Reading
Bring Out the Banners by Geoffrey Trease – historical fiction telling the story of two very different English “suffragettes”
Double Take: Votes for Women by Belinda Hollyer
Street of Tall People by Alan Gibbons – set in the East End of London in 1936. Story of the friendship between two boys – one Jewish, and the other connected with Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts.
Dolphin Crossing by Jill Paton Walsh – two boys join the effort to rescue British soldiers stranded at Dunkirk
A Spoonful of Jam by Michelle Magorian – slice of life story of a grammar school scholarship girl in 1947
World History – First World War (6 weeks)
Key Resources
Witness to History: World War I by Sean Connolly (pub.Heinemann) [Note: Some sections of this book are read out of order]
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
Any reference work from the suggested list
Additional Reading
Choose at least one book from the further reading list.
Useful Links
BBC History Website: World War I
Week 1: The Beginning
Lesson 1: Background
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – The Balkan Wars 1921-1913; The World at a Glance 1914-1949;
World War I – Introduction; How do we know?
Map work: Look at a map of Europe in 1914. Add to notebook
Lesson 2: Causes
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – The Start of World War I 1914
World War I – Alliances and crises; Shots at Sarajevo
Notebook: Write a brief note on the causes of the First World War
Lesson 3: The Early Stages
World War I – Europe at War; ‘Over by Christmas’
The Christmas Truce of 1914 (website)
Notebook: Write a narration about the Christmas Truce or research and report on Lord Kitchener
Week 2: Trench Warfare
Lesson 1
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – Battles of World War I, 1914-1917
World War I – The German Advance; Trench Warfare
Notebook: Copy the map of the Battle of the Marne and summarise the Schlieffen Plan
Lesson 2
Selections from Journal of Private Donald Fraser of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1915 Note: Graphic description of trench warfare.
Lesson 3
World War I – Gas attacks (pp.36-37)
Notebook: Write a report on trench warfare or a newspaper account or a first-person diary entry
Week 3:
Lesson 1: Eastern and Southern Fronts
World War I – The Eastern Front; Gallipoli; The Wider Conflict (pp.40-41)
Notebook: Narration of Battle of Gallipoli (this could be a description by either an Australian or a Turkish soldier)
Mapwork: Add maps of the Eastern Front and Gallipoli to notebook
Lesson 2: Air War
World War I – Battles in the air (you can also read another account from the Red Baron here); Total war
Memoirs of Harold F.Taylor, pilot of the Royal Flying Corps (website)
Notebook: Research and report on the Red Baron or Zeppelins
Lesson 3: Sea War
World War I – U-boats; The Battle of Jutland (pp.30-31)
British newspaper report on the Battle of Jutland
Notebook: Research and report on the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915
Week 4: The Later Stages
Lesson 1: Uprising and Revolution
World War I – The Irish Uprising; Turmoil in Russia
Lesson 2: America and the War
World War I – The USA enters the war
Woodrow Wilson’s speech to Congress and formal declaration of war
Notebook: Question to answer – Do you think the USA should have entered the war earlier? Explain your answer.
Lesson 3: War Poets
World War I – War poetry
Audio gallery: ‘The Sentry’ by Wilfred Owen and a letter from the poet to his mother
More poetry by Wilfred Owen and others
Poems by Rupert Brooke and Siegfried Sassoon.
Notebook: Copywork – any World War I poem
Week 5: The Church
Lesson 1: Pope Benedict XV
Biography of Pope Benedict XV; Pope Benedict XV’s Peace Note of 1st August 1917
Notebook: Add narration of Benedict XV and his role in the war
Lesson 2: An Emperor and a Chaplain
Emperor Charles I who was beatified in 2004
A brief biography of Fr. Francis Duffy, an American army chaplain (third section of article)
Notebook: Report on Blessed Charles of Austria
Lesson 3: Fatima
Read any account of the Fatima apparitions of you choice
or explore EWTN’s Fatima website
Week 6: The End of the War
Lesson 1: The Armistice
World War I – Turning the tide; The armistice
British newspaper report of the Armistice
Lesson 2: Treaty of Versailles
World War I – A lasting peace?
American journalist’s description of the Versailles signing ceremony
Mapwork: Add map of Europe in 1919 to your notebook. Compare it with the map of Europe in 1914.
Lesson 3: The Aftermath
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – World War I: the Aftermath 1918-1923 (KHE, p.396-97)
World War I – What have we learnt from World War I?
Notebook: Essay: What have you learnt from studying World War I?
Further Reading
The Good Master and The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy – set in Hungary before and during World War I
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo – told through the eyes of a horse used at the Front by the British army
Private Peaceful (Michael Morpurgo) – a soldier refuses to follow orders and is court martialled for cowardice. Moving and thought provoking.
POW by Martin Booth – a boy sailor finds himself in a prisoner of war camp after his boat is torpedoed. Based on the memories of the author’s grandfather.
Gay Neck: the Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji – story of an carrier pigeon used by an Indian regiment in France
The Flying Aces of World War I by Gene Gurney – out of print
The Yanks are Coming: the United States in the First World War by Albert Marrin – out of print
Rilla of Ingleside: Anne of Green Gables No. 8 by L.M.Montgomery
The Road From Home: the Story of an Armenian Girl by David Kherdian – true story of the author’s mother, caught up in the twentieth century’s “unknown holocaust” as Turkey attempted to destroy its Armenian minority
World History – Second World War (6 weeks)
Key Resources
Witness to History: World War II by Sean Connolly [Note: Some sections of this book are read out of order]
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
Any reference work from the suggested list
Recommended Resource
Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World War II
Useful Links
Eyewitness to History: World War II
Additional Reading
Anne Frank: the Diary of a Young Girl
Note: There are so many books available on World War II that further reading is listed by week rather than in a single list.
Week 1: Fascism and Nazi Germany
Lesson 1: Fascism
Kingfisher History Encylopedia – The Rise of Fascism 1922-1939; Weimar and Hitler 1919-1939;
German Expansion 1938-1939; The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939
Lesson 2: Hitler and Life in Germany
Brief biography of Adolf Hitler (website)
Listen to extracts from speeches by Hitler made in 1933 and 1939 (with translation)
Cardinal Recollections: Pope Benedict XVI’s childhood in Nazi Germany
Lesson 3: Beginning of the War
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – The Beginning of World War II 1939
World War II – Introduction; How do we Know?; Blitzkrieg!
Further Reading
The Shadow of His Wings by Fr. Gereon Goldmann [Ignatius Press]
I Was There by Hans Peter Richter – partly autobiographical book about German children in the Hitler Youth.
Witness to History: The Rise of Hitler by Nathaniel Harris
The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler by William L.Shirer (World Landmarks Series)
Hitler by Albert Marrin – biography
Week 2: Britain and the Blitz
Lesson 1: Dunkirk
Brief description of evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk, May / June 1940
Five eyewitness accounts of Dunkirk
Two eyewitness accounts of Dunkirk, including that of Albert Barnes, a
fourteen year old rescuer. (website)
Speeches by British prime minister Winston Churchill:
1. “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat” – 13 May 1940 (YouTube)
2. Listen to “We shall fight on the beaches” – 18 June 1940 (YouTube)
Lesson 2: The Battle of Britain
World War II – The Battle of Britain
Another speech by Churchill: “Never in the field of human conflict...” – 20 August 1940 (YouTube). Transcript (website)
Eyewitness account of British Battle of Britain pilot John Beard (website)
Lesson 3: The Blitz
World War II – The Blitz
Journalist’s account of a night raid on London in 1940 (website)
Further Reading
Dolphin Crossing by Jill Paton Walsh – two boys join the effort to rescue British soldiers stranded at Dunkirk
Fireweed by Jill Paton Walsh – two teenagers try to survive alone during the Blitz (slight element of romance)
Enemy Brothers: a Story of World War II by Constance Savery [Bethlehem Books] – a British airman discovers a captured German boy is his long lost brother.
Useful Links
Week 3: World War
Lesson 1: Pearl Harbor
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – War in the Pacific 1941-1945
World War II – Pearl Harbor (pp.14-15)
Accounts of Pearl Harbor from both American and Japanese sources
US declaration of war with Germany: FDR’s speech to Congress on December 8th (YouTube) and transcript (website)
Lesson 2: Africa
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – War in the West 1939-1945
World War II – Fighting in Africa (pp.16-17)
Lesson 3: Russia
World War II – The Soviet defence (pp.20-21)
Article on the Battle of Stalingrad, 1942
The Siege of Leningrad, 1941-1944 (website)
Further Reading
Air Raid: Pearl Harbor by Theodore Taylor
Stories of Karol: the Unknown Life of John Paul II by Gian Franco Svidercoschi – puts the early life of Pope John Paul into the context of Poland during and after the Second World War
The Winged Watchman (Hilda van Stockum) – life in Holland during WW2 [Bethlehem Books]
The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig – a Jewish family are sent to a Siberian labour camp during World War II
The Borrowed House by Hilda van Stockum – a 13 year old German girl has been indoctrinated with Nazi propaganda. Living in occupied Holland, she learns to see through the lies.
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry – Danish Jews are helped to escape to Sweden by boat
Week 4: The War Continues
Lesson 1: War in Asia
World War II – The fall of Singapore (pp.18-19); Fighting in the Philippines (pp.22-23);
“A call for sacrifice” speech by Franklin D.Roosevelt, 28 April 1942 (video)
Lesson 2: War at Sea
World War II – The enemy below (pp.24-25); War in the Pacific (pp.28-29); Defending Australia (pp.30-31)
The USS Franklin’s Hero Priest by Katie O’Brien (PDF)
Lesson 3: War-Time Life
World War II – Women at War (pp.26-27)
Further Reading
Victory in the Pacific by Albert Marrin
Up Periscope by Robb White – life aboard a submarine in the Pacific
Week 5: The Holocaust, the Church, and D-Day
Lesson 1: The Holocaust
World War II – The Holocaust
Description of a Nazi Death Camp after liberation in 1944 (website)
Elie Weisel, “Listen to the silent screams” – speech to mark the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz (website). – Note: The Hebrew words quoted in the text (“Yitgadal veyitkadash, Shmay Rabba”) are the opening words of the Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead.
Note: The Hebrew words quoted in the text (“Yitgadal veyitkadash, Shmay Rabba”) are the opening words of Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead.
Lesson 2: The Church, the War and the Jews
Mit Brennender Sorge: Encyclical of Pope Pius XI on the Church and the German Reich (website)
The Dutch Church speaks out on behalf of the Jews
Pope John Paul II, “Holocaust Speech” – given at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial in Israel, in 2000 (YouTube) and Transcript (website).
Lesson 3: D-Day and the War in Europe
World War II – Advancing through Italy; D-Day; Air raids on Germany; The Battle of the Bulge
Background Reading (for teacher!)
Pius XII and the Second World War (Pierre Blet) – substantial book written for adults.
Further Reading
Anne Frank: the Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
A Place to Hide: True Stories of Holocaust Rescues by Jayne Pettit
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom – a Dutch Christian family risk their lives hiding Jews from the Nazis
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr – a German Jewish family travel through Europe in search of safety
One Small Suitcase by Barry Turner – story of the kindertransporte, Jewish children sent as refugees to Britain without their parents.
Week 6: The End of the War and the Aftermath
Lesson 1: The Final Stages
World War II – Through Burma; Yalta; V-E Day;
Listen to victory speech of Winston Churchill on V-E day (website).
Lesson 2: Hiroshima and Nagasaki
World War II – The atomic bomb
Hiroshima and Nagasaki [Note: Includes graphic description]
Lesson 3: After the War
World War II – What have we learnt from World War II?
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – The United Nations 1945-1948
– Italy and the Balkans 1943-1949
– Peace in the Pacific 1945-1948
Further Reading
Witness to History: The D-Day Landings by Sean Connolly
Witness to History: Hiroshima by Nick Harris
The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier [US Title: Escape from Warsaw] – four children struggle to survive in the ruins of Warsaw.
World History – Middle East (6 weeks)
Key Resources
Witness to History: The Arab-Israeli Conflict by Stewart Ross
Witness to History: The War in Iraq by David Downing
Any reference work from the suggested list
Additional Reading
Any book of your choice (see further reading list for suggestions)
Useful Websites
Latin (Catholic) Patriarchate of Jerusalem – information about the Vatican and the Middle East, and about Arab Christians. Includes a number of links on Pope John Paul II’s visits to the Middle East.
Conflict in the Persian Gulf (Holt, Rinehart and Winston) – resources for 1991 and 2003 wars
Week 1: Israel – Birth of a Nation
Lesson 1: Introduction
The Arab-Israeli Conflict – Introduction; How do we know?
Mapwork: Study map of Israel and surrounding area; add map of Israel to notebook; add outline map of the middle east to
folder and label countries
Lesson 2: The British Mandate in Palestine
The Arab-Israeli Conflict – A holy land; Conflicting interests; Mandate – A holy land; Conflicting interests; Mandate
Notebook: Write a short report on Zionism
Lesson 3: The Birth of Israel
The Arab-Israeli Conflict – Holocaust; Exit Britain, enter the UN; Israel, 1948-49
Israeli Declaration of Independence, 1948
Week 2: Israel – Wars of Survival
Lesson 1: Early Years
The Arab-Israeli Conflict – Digging in, 1948-55; Suez; The Palestinians organize
Lesson 2: The Six-Day War
The Arab-Israeli Conflict – The Six-Day War, 1967; Resolution 242; Arab versus Arab
The Palestinian National Charter, 1968 (Palestinian Liberation Organisation Covenant)
Lesson 3: Yom Kippur War
The Arab-Israeli Conflict – Yom Kippur; The conflict spreads; Camp David
Week 3: Israel – Intifada and Terror
Lesson 1: The Intifada
The Arab-Israeli Conflict – Mounting violence; Intifada; PLO recognition and isolation
Lesson 2: Terror and Counter-Terror
The Arab-Israeli Conflict – Signs of hope, 1991-96; Terror and counter-terror
Lesson 3: Conclusion
The Arab-Israeli Conflict – The road map; What have we learnt?
Pope John Paul II talks about Jerusalem (from Redemptionis Anno)
Week 4: Iraq – Saddam Hussein and the Gulf War
Lesson 1: Introduction
The War in Iraq – Introduction; How do we know?; Iraq; Saddam and Iraq
Mapwork: Add map of Iraq to folder.
Lesson 2: Saddam’s Wars
The War in Iraq – Saddam and his neighbours; War and containment
Interview with the Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Baghdad
Notebook: Research and report on either the Iran-Iraq War or the Gulf War or the effects of economic sanctions on Iraq
Note: Useful resources for both wars can be found here
Lesson 3: The Case for War
The War in Iraq – The rise of the US neo-conservatives; After September 11; The case for military action
Notebook: What reasons were there for war against Iraq?
Week 5: Iraq – War
Lesson 1: The Case Against War
The War in Iraq – The case against military action; The decision is taken
Statement of Cardinal Pio Laghi, Special Envoy of John Paul II to President George Bush (5 March 2003)
Notebook: What arguments were there against war?
Lesson 2: Fighting the War
The War in Iraq – The opposing forces; War from the air; Advances on the ground
Stories of heroes of the war (including Dominican nun Sister Marianne Pierre and Catholic chaplain Lt. Col. Philip Briganti)
Lesson 3: Effects of the War
The War in Iraq – Civilian casualties; The media and the war; Iraq’s neighbours
Notebook: Write a newpaper report on any aspect of the war from the perspective of an embedded journalist.
Week 6: Iraq – After the War
Lesson 1: End of the War
The War in Iraq – Advance to Baghdad; The regime collapses; Short-term priorities
President Bush on the capture of Saddam Hussein
Lesson 2: After the War
The War in Iraq – New international tensions; New tensions inside Iraq
Lesson 3: Outlook
The War in Iraq – Prospects; What have we learnt from the war in Iraq
Notebook: Summarise your conclusions about the Iraq War
Further Reading
Lawrence of Arabia by Alistair Maclean – World Landmarks Series (out of print)
After the War by Carol Matas – 15 year old Ruth survives the Holocaust and makes her way to Palestine as a refugee
Ben Gurion and the Birth of Israel by Joan Comay – World Landmarks series
One More River by Lynne Reid Banks – a Canadian teenager is a reluctant emigré when her family move to Israel to live on a Kibbutz. Story about how she adjusts to her new life, finds herself caught up in the Six Day War and begins to think of herself as an Israeli
Broken Bridge by Lynne Reid Banks – a Jewish teenager sees her cousin murdered by Palestinians. Sequel to One More River
World History – Russia and the Fall of Communism (6 weeks)
RESOURCE LIST
** Key Resources
** Twentieth Century Perspectives: The Russian Revolution by Tony Allan
Twentieth Century Perspectives: The Cold War by David Taylor
Witness to History: The Collapse of Communism by Stewart Ross
** Bolshevik Persecution of the Catholic Church by Donia Byrnes (website)
** Divini Redemptoris (On Atheistic Communism) (Vatican website)
Optional Resources:
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
Joseph Stalin: Dictator of the Soviet Union by Brenda Haugen
Week One: Russian Revolution
Lesson 1
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia p 394-395 (Russia 1917-1924)
The Russian Revolution p 4-9 (What Was the Russian Revolution?, Russia under the Czars, The Revolutionaries)
Narrate
Lesson 2
The Russian Revolution p 10-17 (Lenin, The Gathering Storm, Bloody Sunday, The October Manifesto)
Notebook: Written narration on Lenin.
Lesson 3
The Russian Revolution p 18-25 (The Coming of World War I, The Shadow of Rasputin, 1917: The First Revolution, The Democratic Experiment)
Narrate
Notebook: Sketch a map of Russia at the time of the 1917 revolution.
Add one event from this week’s studies to your Book of Centuries.
Further Reading
1917: Red Banners, White Mantle by Warren Carroll [Christendom Press] – Catholic perspective on the events of 1917.
One Day in Russia 1917 by Philip Bolsover
Note: Out of print but used copies cheaply and easily available. You may need to search under the title One Day in Russia Nineteen-Seventeen
Angel on the Square by Gloria Whelan – Fiction. Katya’s mother becomes a lady-in-waiting to the Empress of Russia in 1913; World War I and the Russian Revolution bring great changes to her life. Well told “inside story”.
Anastasia, the Last Grand Duchess: Russia 1914 by Carolyn Meyer – Royal Diaries Series
The White Nights of St. Petersburg by Geoffrey Trease – another “inside story”, from the perspective of a young Englishman visiting St.Petersburg at the time of the Revolution. Well told by a good author. Out of print.
Week Two: Communist Russia and the Church
Lesson 1
The Russian Revolution p 26-31 (The Bolshevik Takeover, Building Socialism, The Fate of the Romanovs)
Bolshevik Persecution of the Catholic Church by Donia Byrnes (Loyola University Student Historical Journal) (website)
Eyewitness account of execution of Tsar Nicholas II, 1918 (website)
Notebook: Written narration on the Bolshevik Revolution.
Lesson 2
The Russian Revolution p 32-37 (Civil War: Reds Versus Whites, Victory for the Revolution, The Last of Lenin)
Joseph Stalin: Dictator of the Soviet Union by Brenda Haugen, chapters 5-7 and chapter 10 (Seizing Power, The Peasant Purges, The Show Trials, and Stalin’s Final Years)
Narrate
Lesson 3
The Russian Revolution p 38-43 (Russia and the Outside World, The Soviet Collapse, The Legacy of the Russian Revolution)
Divini Redemptoris (On Atheistic Communism), encyclical of Pope Pius XI promulgated on 19 March 1937
Narrate.
Add one event from this week’s studies to your Book of Centuries.
Week Three: Stalinist Russia
Lesson 1
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia p 436-437 (The Cold War 1945-1989)
The Cold War p 4-9 (What Was the Cold War?, How Did the Cold War Start?, The Iron Curtain Descends)
The Collapse of Communism p 4-11 (Communism: Theory and Practice, How Do We Know?, Communism Victorious, An Iron Curtain)
Narrate
Notebook: Sketch the map on p 8 of The Cold War.
Lesson 2
The Cold War p 10-17 (The Truman Doctrine 1947, The Berlin Airlift, Superpower Rivalry 1945-1969, Cold War Spy Scandals)
Notebook: Written narration on the Truman Doctrine.
Lesson 3
The Cold War p 18-25 (The Korean War 1950-1953, Revolution in Hungary 1956, The Berlin Walls Goes Up, Escaping to the West)
The Collapse of Communism p 12-14 (Cold War, Two Germanys)
Notebook: Written narration on the building of the Berlin Wall. Sketch a copy of the map on p 22 of The Cold War.
Add one event from this week’s studies to your Book of Centuries.
Further Reading
** One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch by Alexander Solzhenitsyn – classic account of life in a Siberian labour camp under Stalin
Stalin: Russia’s Man of Steel by Albert Marrin – out of print
The Impossible Journey by Gloria Whelan – Siberia after the Russian Revolution. Sequel to Angel on the Square
Week Four: The Cold War
Lesson 1
The Cold War p 26-39 (The Cuban Missile Crisis 1962, The Prague Spring 1968)
The Collapse of Communism p16-19 (Hungary 1956, The Prague Spring)
Read John F. Kennedy’s speech to the nation about the Cuban Missile Crisis (PDF), printed in your binder
Listen to part of the Cuban Missile Crisis speech (forward to about minute 16).
Notebook: Written narration on the Cuban Missile Crisis or the Prague Spring.
Lesson 2
The Cold War p 30-33 (War in Vietnam, Americans Protest)
The Collapse of Communism p 20-21 (Fossilization in the USSR)
Narrate.
Lesson 3
The Cold War p 34-37 (Détente 1968-1979, Cold War Again)
The Collapse of Communism p 22-25 (Falling Behind, Two Ways of Life)
Narrate.
Add one event from this week’s studies to your Book of Centuries.
Optional Reading:
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – The Cold War 1945-1989
Week Five: Fall of Communism
Lesson 1
The Collapse of Communism p 26-27 (Poland’s Solidarity)
Pope John Paul II, “We do not want a Poland which costs us nothing” – speech given at Czestochowa, Poland, 18 June 1983 (website)
Watch a video of Pope John Paul II and Communism (YouTube)
Notebook: Written narration on Solidarity in Poland.
Lesson 2
The Cold War p 38-39 (Enter Mikhail Gorbachev)
The Collapse of Communism p 28-29 (Gorbachev)
Notebook: Written narration on Gorbachev.
Lesson 3
The Cold War p 40-43 (1989: Year of Revolutions, The End of the Cold War)
The Collapse of Communism p 30-35 (Economic Disaster, Things Fall Apart, Germany: The Wall Comes Down)
Watch ABC news coverage of the Berlin Wall (YouTube)
Narrate
Add one event from this week’s studies to your Book of Centuries.
** Witness to History: The Collapse of Communism by Stewart Ross
Week Six: The role of Pope John Paul II in the fall of communism
Lesson 1
The Collapse of Communism p 36-41 (Central Europe: Eager for Capitalist Democracy, Southeastern Europe: Bloody Transition, Russia: Yeltsin and the Coup)
Vaclav Havel, “A contaminated moral environment” – speech, 1 January 1990 (PDF)
Watch a news broadcast after Gorbachev resigns – 31 December 1991 (YouTube)
Narrate
Lesson 2
The Collapse of Communism p 42-49 (The USSR: Liberation, The USSR: New Tyranny, Change and Resistance Around the World, China’s Market Communism)
Narrate
Lesson 3
The Collapse of Communism p 50-51 (What Have We Learned from the Collapse of Communism?)
Notebook: What have you learned about communism during this study?
Add one event from this week’s studies to your Book of Centuries.
Further Reading
Pope John Paul II, “We do not want a Poland which costs us nothing” – speech given at Czestochowa, Poland, 18 June 1983 (website)
Shadow Under the Sea by Geoffrey Trease – set in Russia during the Perestroika Period
Song for a Tattered Flag by Geoffrey Trease – fall of the Ceaucescu regime in Romania
World History – China (6 weeks)
RESOURCE LIST
** Key Resources
** Twentieth Century Perspectives: Rise of Modern China by Tony Allan
Boxer Rebellion
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – The Opium Wars 1830-1864 (background); The Boxer Rebellion
Pierre Loti, When the Allies Entered Peking, 1900
Further Reading
Rebels of the Heavenly Kingdom by Katherine Paterson
Chinese Republic
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – China 1911-1935 (KHE, p.402-3)
Further Reading
The Man Who Changed China by Pearl S. Buck – story of Sun Yat-Sen who set up a democratic republic in China in 1921 (World Landmarks series)
China at War
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – China and Japan at War 1931-1945
Further Reading
China’s Long March: 6000 Miles of Danger (Jean Fritz) – the long march to safety of the Communist Red Army in 1934-5
The Small Woman by Alan Burgess – biography of Gladys Aylward, Protestant missionary to pre-War China
The House of Sixty Fathers by Meindert de Jong – a Chinese boy separated from his family in Japanese-occupied China is rescued by some American airmen
Other Resources
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (video)
Post-War China and the Cultural Revolution
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – Communist China 1945-1949; China 1949-1997
** Red Scarf Girl by Ji Li Liang – story of a 12 year old girl who lived through Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution
The underground Catholic Church in China
Biography of Ignatius Cardinal Kung
Further Reading
Mao Tse-Tung and His China by Albert Marrin – out of print
Chu Ju’s House by Gloria Whelan – a 14 year old girl leaves home rather than see her baby sister put up for adoption. Set in modern rural China
World History – South East Asia (6 weeks)
RESOURCE LIST
** Key Resources
Week 1: India
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – Southeast Asia 1800-1913; Indian Independence 1945-1947;
British Commonwealth 1914-1949
Eyewitness account of the assassination of Gandhi, 1948 (website)
Listen to extracts from Prime Minister Nehru’s speech following the assassination of Gandhi, 30 January 1948 (website)
Further Reading
Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan – a 13 year old Indian girl undergoes an arranged marriage but is widowed, leaving her no place in her traditional Indian society.
Other Resources
Gandhi (Video / DVD)
Week 2: Korea
Korea
** Twentieth Century Perspectives: The Korean War by Michael Burgan
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – Wars in Asia 1950-1988
Further Reading
The War in Korea: 1950-53 by Robert Leckie – World Landmarks series
Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi – when Japanese occupation is succeeded by Russian domination of North Korea, Sookan’s family try to escape to the south
So Far From the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins – a Japanese family flee from North Korea at the end of World War II. Violent.
Weeks 3 and 4: Vietnam
** Witness to History: The War in Vietnam by Michael Burgan (Note: Not the “You Choose” edition.)
The Catholic Church in Vietnam
Our Lady of Lavang: a Marian shrine in Vietnam
Further Reading
America and Vietnam: the Elephant and the Tiger by Albert Marrin – out of print
Goodbye, Vietnam by Gloria Whelan – a 13 year old girl and her family escape from Vietnam by boat to start a new life.
Weeks 5 and 6: Afghanistan
** Witness to History: Afghanistan by David Downing
Further Reading
The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis – a family struggle to survive after their father is arrested by the Taliban
National History – South Africa (6 weeks)
RESOURCE LIST
** Key Resource
** Witness to History: Apartheid in South Africa by David Downing
Boer War
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – Scramble for Africa 1880-1912
Brief summary of the Boer War
Biography of Emily Hobhouse, who campaigned to bring an end to concentration camps in South Africa, and to help those who suffered in the war.
Account of Annie Rayne, a child at the Siege of Mafeking (and background information)
Additional Resource
Anglo Boer War Museum (website)
South Africa and Apartheid
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – Famine in Africa 1967-2000; South Africa 1990-2000
Further Reading
Out of Bounds: Seven Stories of Conflict and Hope by Beverley Naidoo – fifty years of South African history told through the eyes of seven fictional children (Beverley Naidoo) – fifty years of South African history told through the eyes of seven fictional children
Journey to Jo’burg by Beverley Naidoo – two children learn about the realities of life as a black person in South Africa when they go in search of their mother.
No More Strangers Now: Young Voices from a New South Africa edited by Tim McKee) – experiences of 12 South African teenagers under apartheid
The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo – a 12 year old Nigerian girl is forced to flee to Britain as a refugee after her mother is shot. Can she help her father, arrested as an illegal immigrant?
