Notes: These are the 20th Century History plans updated in 2024. To see the old lesson plans, please click here.
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 selected texts for the West, the East, World War I, and World War II. These texts are scheduled for lessons three days a week. An optional fourth day can be added to address special topics: the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Iraq War, and apartheid in South Africa. A family may choose to cover all or none of these optional topics.
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. 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. 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. One additional lesson weekly is optional.
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!
Stream 1 – The West
REQUIRED:
Note: The page numbers in the lesson plan below are for the 2011 edition of We the People. We plan to update the page numbers in the near future.
Witness to History: World War I by Sean Connolly
Witness to History: World War II by Sean Connolly
Stream 2 – The East
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
Witness to History: The War in Vietnam by Michael Burgan
Witness to History: Afghanistan by David Downing
Twentieth Century Perspectives: Rise of Modern China by Tony Allan
Twentieth Century Perspectives: The Cold War by David Taylor
Witness to History: The Collapse of Communism by Stewart Ross
Joseph Stalin: Dictator of the Soviet Union by Brenda Haugen – Note: This book is out of print and may be hard to find. Feel free to substitute any short biography of Stalin from your local library or to omit.
The Russian Revolution by Tony Allen
Stream 3 – Optional
Witness to History: The Arab-Israeli Conflict by Stewart Ross
Witness to History: The War in Iraq by David Downing
Witness to History: Apartheid in South Africa by David Downing
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.
20th Century History
Students should complete all the lessons for stream 1 and stream 2. Stream 3 is optional.
Stream 1 – The West | Stream 2 – The East | Stream 3, optional | |||||
Term 1 | |||||||
Wk 1 | |||||||
1 | China 1 | Boxer Rebellion 1
Read: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – The Opium Wars 1830-1864 (background) Read: Rise of Modern China “The End of the Emperors” |
4 | South Africa 1* | Boer War
Read: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – Scramble for Africa 1880-1912 |
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2 | National 1 | Seeds of Change 1
Read: The Century Ch.1 – Seeds of Change 1901-1914 (pp. 3-11) Read: We the People — “Gains at Ellis Island” (pp. 100-101); “Miss Delia Torrey Consents to Come” (pp. 108-109); “The Cat Took the Kosher Meat” pp. 120-121 |
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3 | National 2 | Seeds of Change 2
Read: The Century Ch.1 – Seeds of Change 1901-1914 (pp. 11-21) Read: The Roosevelts Move into the White House, 1901 Read: We the People — “Letters to His Children” (pp. 105-107) Watch: Building the Panama Canal (Youtube) – ABC World News, August 20, 1999 Watch: Demolition, disease, and death: Building the Panama Canal (TEDEd) Narrate Resource: The Land Divided, The World United: Building the Panama Canal (website) Notebook: Draw a map of Panama and the Canal. |
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Wk 2 | |||||||
5 | China 2 | Boxer Rebellion 2
Read: A Prisoner of the Boxer Rebellion, 1900 (eyewitnesshistory.com) |
8 | Asia 1* | India 1
Read: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – Southeast Asia 1800-1913 |
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6 | WWI 1 | The Beginning: Background
Read: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – The Balkan Wars 1921-1913; The World at a Glance 1914-1949 Read: The Century – Ch.2 Shell Shock, 1914-1919 (pp. 23-26) Map work: Look at a map of Europe in 1914. Add to notebook World War I – Introduction; How do we know? |
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7 | WWI 2 | The Beginning: Causes
Read: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – The Start of World War I 1914 Read: Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, 1914 Read: The Causes of World War I (firstworldwar.com) Notebook: Write a brief note on the causes of the First World War World War I – Alliances and crises; Shots at Sarajevo |
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Wk 3 | |||||||
9 | China 3 | Boxer Rebellion 3
Read: Pierre Loti: |
12 | South Africa 2* | Boer War | ||
10 | WWI 3 | The Beginning: The Early Stages
Read: The Christmas Truce of 1914 (website) Notebook: Write a narration about the Christmas Truce or research and report on Lord Kitchener Optional: Online Exhibit Dedicated to Christmas Truce World War I – Europe at War; ‘Over by Christmas’ |
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11 | WWI 4 | Trench Warfare 1
Read: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – Battles of World War I, 1914-1917 Read: Life in the Trenches (firstworldwar.com) Read: The Planning of the War (firstworldwar.com) Read: The First Battle of the Marne, 1914 (firstworldwar.com) Notebook: Copy the map of the Battle of the Marne and summarise the Schlieffen Plan World War I – The German Advance; Trench Warfare |
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Wk 4 | |||||||
13 | WWI 5 | Trench Warfare 2
Read: Selections from Journal of Private Donald Fraser of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1915 Read: History.com video Life in a Trench* |
16 | South Africa 3* | Boer War | ||
14 | WWI 6 | Trench Warfare 3
Read: Weapons of War: Poison Gas (firstworldwar.com) Read: Poison Gas Warfare in WWI (YouTube) Notebook: Write a report on trench warfare or a newspaper account or a first-person diary entry World War I – Gas attacks (pp.36-37) |
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15 | Russia 1 | Russian Revolution 1
Read: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia p 394-395 (Russia 1917-1924) Read: Russian Revolution (History.com–you may want to print to avoid ads) Narrate The Russian Revolution p 4-9 (What Was the Russian Revolution?, Russia under the Czars, The Revolutionaries) |
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Wk 5 | |||||||
17 | WWI 7 | Eastern and Southern Fronts
Read: The Gallipoli Front, an Overview (firstworldwar.com) 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 World War I – The Eastern Front; Gallipoli; The Wider Conflict (pp.40-41) |
20 | South Africa 4* | Boer War | ||
18 | WWI 8 | Air War
Read: Summary of the Air War (firstworldwar.com) Read: Lafayette Escadrille (Library of Congress) Read: Air Aces of World War I (firstworldwar.com) Read: An account of the Red Baron (fordham) Read: Memoirs of Harold F.Taylor, pilot of the Royal Flying Corps (firstworldwar.com) Notebook: Research and report on the Red Baron or Zeppelins World War I – Battles in the air; Total war |
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19 | Russia 2 | Russian Revolution 2 Read: Bloody Sunday Massacre in Russia (History.com–you may want to print to avoid ads)Read: Vladimir Lenin (History.com–you may want to print to avoid ads)Read: The October Manifesto (website)Watch: A video of Lenin’s “Middle Peasants” speech in 1919Notebook: Written narration on Lenin.The Russian Revolution p 10-17 (Lenin, The Gathering Storm, Bloody Sunday, The October Manifesto) |
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Wk 6 | |||||||
21 | WWI 9 | Sea War
Read: U-Boats in WWI (Smithsonian) Read: The Battle of Jutland (firstworldwar.com) Read: British newspaper report on the Battle of Jutland Notebook: Research and report on the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915 World War I – U-boats; The Battle of Jutland (pp.30-31) |
24 | Asia 2* | India 2 | ||
22 | WWI 10 | The Later Stages: Uprising and Revolution
Read: The Century – Ch.2 Shell Shock, 1914-1919 (pp. 27-31 end of blue box) Read: Kingfisher “Ireland: Civil Unrest 1916-1923“ Read: 1916 Easter Uprising (theirishwar.com) World War I – The Irish Uprising; Turmoil in Russia |
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23 | Russia 3 | Russian Revolution 3 Read: The Bolsheviks Storm the Winter Palace, 1917 (eyewitnesstohistory)Read: Grigory Rasputin (firstworldwar.com)NarrateNotebook: 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.The Russian Revolution p 18-25 (The Coming of World War I, The Shadow of Rasputin, 1917: The First Revolution, The Democratic Experiment) |
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Wk 7 | |||||||
25 | WWI 11 | The Later Stages: America and the War
Read: The Century – Ch.2 Shell Shock, 1914-1919 (pp. 31-41) Read: We the People “Save and Serve” p. 115 “Sergeant York and His People” pp. 117-19 Read: 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. World War I – The USA enters the war |
28 | Middle East 1* | Introduction
Read: 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. |
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26 | WWI 12 | The Later Stages: War Poets Read: Prose and Poetry (firstworldwar.com)Listen: Poetry for All podcast, episode 22: Two Poems of World War I (25 minutes) Read: How Poppies Became a Symbol of Remembrance After World War I (time)Notebook: Copywork – any World War I poemWorld War I – War poetry |
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27 | Russia 4 | Communist Russia and the Church 1
Read: Bolshevik Persecution of the Catholic Church by Donia Byrnes (Loyola University Student Historical Journal) (website) Read: Eyewitness account of execution of Tsar Nicholas II, 1918 (website) Notebook: Written narration on the Bolshevik Revolution. The Russian Revolution p 26-31 (The Bolshevik Takeover, Building Socialism, The Fate of the Romanovs) |
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Wk 8 | |||||||
29 | WWI 13 | The Church: Pope Benedict XV
Read: 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 |
32 | Middle East 2* | The British Mandate in Palestine
Read: The Arab-Israeli Conflict – A holy land; Conflicting interests; Mandate – A holy land; Conflicting interests; Mandate Notebook: Write a short report on Zionism |
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30 | WWI 14 | The Church: An Emperor and a Chaplain
Read: Emperor Charles I who was beatified in 2004 Read: To my faithful Austrian people! Proclamation by Emperor Karl on 16 October 1918 (BritishLibrary) Read: A brief biography of Fr. Francis Duffy, an American army chaplain (third section of article) Notebook: Report on Blessed Charles of Austria |
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31 | WWI 15 | The Church: Fatima
Read any account of the Fatima apparitions of you choice or explore EWTN’s Fatima website. |
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Wk 9 | |||||||
33 | WWI 16 | The End of the War: The Armistice
Read: The Armistice Read: British newspaper report of the Armistice World War I – Turning the tide; The armistice |
36 | China 4* | Chinese Republic 1
Read: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – China 1911-1935 (KHE, p.402-3) |
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34 | WWI 17 | Treaty of Versailles
Read: Dutch Newspaper Editorial Against the Terms of the Paris Peace Conference, May 1919 (firstworldwar) Read: 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. World War I – A lasting peace? |
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35 | WWI 18 | The Aftermath
Read: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – World War I: the Aftermath 1918-1923 (KHE, p.396-97) Notebook: Essay: What have you learnt from studying World War I? World War I – What have we learnt from World War I? |
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Wk 10 | |||||||
37 | National 3 | Boom to Bust 1
Read: The Century Ch.3 – Boom to Bust, 1920-29 (pp. 43-49 end of blue box) Read: We the People “The Only Automobile in Detroit” p. 128; “Made in America” pp. 126-27; “Don’ts for Tourists” pp. 154-155; “The Beauties of the State of Washington” p. 138 |
40 | China 5* | Chinese Republic 2
Read: Rise of Modern China – “A Time of Troubles” |
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38 | National 4 | Boom to Bust 2
Read: The Century Ch.3 – Boom to Bust, 1920-29 (pp. 49-55) Read: We the People “The Subject of Flying” (p. 110); “Casey at the Bat” pp. 156-157; “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” p. 158 |
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39 | National 5 | Boom to Bust 3
Read: The Century Ch.3 – Boom to Bust, 1920-29 (pp. 56-63) Read: We the People “Steadfast as These Ancient Hills” pp. 129-30; “Marveling at the Ministries” pp. 131-32 |
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Wk 11 | |||||||
41 | National 6 | Stormy Weather
Read: The Century Ch.4 – Stormy Weather, 1929-1936 (pp. 65-73) |
44 | China 6* | Chinese Republic 3
Read: Rise of Modern China – “Nationalists and Communists” |
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42 | WWII 1 | Fascism
Read: Kingfisher History Encylopedia – The Rise of Fascism 1922-1939; Weimar and Hitler 1919-1939 Read: The Century Ch.4 – Stormy Weather, 1929-1936 (pp. 74-77) |
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43 | WWII 2 | Hitler and Life in Germany
Read: Brief biography of Adolf Hitler (website) Watch: Short video “Adolf Hitler: Leader of the Third Reich” Listen: Listen to extracts from speeches by Hitler made in 1933 and 1939 (overview and translation) “A speech at the Siemens Dynamo Works in Berlin, 10 November 1933″ and “Hitler’s ‘prophecy’ speech to the Reichstag, 30 January 1939“ Read: Cardinal Recollections: Pope Benedict XVI’s childhood in Nazi Germany |
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Wk 12 | |||||||
45 | EXAM | ||||||
Term 2 | |||||||
Wk 13 | |||||||
46 | Russia 5 | Communist Russia and the Church 2
Read: The Century Ch.4 – Stormy Weather, 1929-1936 (pp. 78-81) Read: The Russian Revolution p 32-37 (Civil War: Reds Versus Whites, Victory for the Revolution, The Last of Lenin) Read: 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 |
49 | China 7* | China at War 1
Read: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – China and Japan at War 1931-1945 Read: Rise of Modern China “Japan Invades” |
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47 | WWII 3 | Beginning of the War
Read: The Century Ch.5 – Over the Edge, 1936-1941 (pp. 83-91) World War II – Introduction; How do we Know?; Blitzkrieg! |
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48 | WWII 4 | Britain and the Blitz: Dunkirk
Read: The Century Ch.5 – Over the Edge, 1936-1941 (pp. 92-99 end of blue box) Read: Brief description of evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk, May / June 1940 Read: Five eyewitness accounts of Dunkirk Read: Two eyewitness accounts of Dunkirk, including that of Albert Barnes, a fourteen year old rescuer. (website) Watch: Speeches by British prime minister Winston Churchill: |
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Wk 14 | |||||||
50 | Russia 6 | Communist Russia and the Church 3
Read: The Russian Revolution p 38-43 (Russia and the Outside World, The Soviet Collapse, The Legacy of the Russian Revolution) Read: 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. |
53 | China 8* | China at War 2
Read: Rise of Modern China “The Long March” and “The Japanese Push South” |
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51 | WWII 5 | Britain and the Blitz: The Battle of Britain
Read: The Century Ch.5 – Over the Edge, 1936-1941 (pp. 99-102) Watch: Another speech by Churchill: “Never in the field of human conflict…” – 20 August 1940 (YouTube). Transcript (website) World War II – The Battle of Britain |
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52 | WWII 6 | Britain and the Blitz: The Blitz
Read: London: The Blitz, September 1940–June 1941 (historichengland.org) Read: Journalist’s account of a night raid on London in 1940 (eyewitnesstohistory.com) World War II – The Blitz |
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Wk 15 | |||||||
54 | WWII 7 | World War: Pearl Harbor
Read: The Century Ch.5 – Over the Edge, 1936-1941 (p. 103); Ch.6 – Global Nightmare, 1941-1945 (pp. 105-108) Read: We the People “Fireside Chat on the Declaration of War with Japan” pp. 140-142 Read: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – War in the Pacific 1941-1945 Watch: Footage of the attack on Pearl Harbor Read: Accounts of Pearl Harbor from both American and Japanese sources Watch: US declaration of war with Germany: FDR’s speech to Congress on December 8th (YouTube) and transcript (website) World War II – Pearl Harbor (pp.14-15) |
57 | China 9* | China at War 2
Read: Rise of Modern China “Waiting Out the War” Read: Gladys Aylward biography (missionsbox) |
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55 | WWII 8 | The War Continues: War in Asia
Read: The Century Ch.6 – Global Nightmare, 1941-1945 (pp. 109-110) Watch: “A call for sacrifice” speech by Franklin D.Roosevelt, 28 April 1942 (video) World War II – The fall of Singapore (pp.18-19); Fighting in the Philippines (pp.22-23) |
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56 | WWII 9 | World War: Russia
Read: The Century Ch.6 – Global Nightmare, 1941-1945 (p. 111) Watch: BBC Broadcast Witness History: The Battle of Stalingrad Read: The Siege of Leningrad, 1941-1944 (website) Read: An excerpt from an interview with a Soviet soldier who survived the Battle of Stalingrad. World War II – The Soviet defence (pp.20-21) |
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Wk 16 | |||||||
58 | WWII 10 | World War: Africa
Read: How North Africa Became a Battleground in WWII (historynet) Read: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – War in the West 1939-1945 World War II – Fighting in Africa (pp.16-17) |
61 | South Africa 5* | Apartheid | ||
59 | WWII 11 | The War Continues: War at Sea
Read: Submarine Warfare Played Major Role in World War II Victory (defense.gov) Read: Pacific Island Hopping in World War II (thoughtco) Watch: Australia’s Involvement in WWII – Behind the News (youtube) World War II – The enemy below (pp.24-25); War in the Pacific (pp.28-29); Defending Australia (pp.30-31) |
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60 | WWII 12 | The War Continues: War-Time Life
Read: History at a Glance: Women in World War II (nationalww2museum) Read: World War II: Internment of Japanese Americans (The Atlantic) Read: Food Rationing and Canning in World War II (womenshistory) World War II – Women at War (pp.26-27) |
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Wk 17 | |||||||
62 | WWII 13 | The Holocaust
Read: The Century Ch.6 – Global Nightmare, 1941-1945 (pp. 112-113) Read: Description of a Nazi Death Camp after liberation in 1944 (website) Read: 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. World War II – The Holocaust |
65 | South Africa 6* | Apartheid | ||
63 | Middle East 3 | The Birth of Israel
Read: The Arab-Israeli Conflict – Holocaust; Exit Britain, enter the UN; Israel, 1948-49 OR Read: The Return of the Jews to the Promised Land and The Birth of Israel (BBC) |
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64 | WWII 14 | The Church, the War and the Jews
Read: Mit Brennender Sorge: Encyclical of Pope Pius XI on the Church and the German Reich (website) Read: The Dutch Church speaks out on behalf of the Jews Watch: Pope John Paul II, “Holocaust Speech” – given at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial in Israel, in 2000 (YouTube) and Transcript (website). |
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Wk 18 | |||||||
66 | Russia 7 | Stalinist Russia 1
Read: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia p 436-437 (The Cold War 1945-1989) Read: The Cold War p 4-9 (What Was the Cold War?, How Did the Cold War Start?, The Iron Curtain Descends) Read: The Collapse of Communism p 4-11 (Communism: Theory and Practice, How Do We Know?, Communism Victorious, An Iron Curtain) Watch: Excerpts of Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech by C-SPAN: Narrate Notebook: Sketch the map on p 8 of The Cold War. |
69 | Middle East 4* | Early Years
Read: The Arab-Israeli Conflict – Digging in, 1948-55; Suez; The Palestinians organize |
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67 | WWII 15 | D-Day and the War in Europe
Read: The Century Ch.6 – Global Nightmare, 1941-1945 (pp. 114-118) Read: Italian Campaign (history.com) Note-you may want to print to avoid ads. Watch: Nazi V-2 rocket launch Read: Business Insider Photos from D-Day Watch: Witness the deadly strategic bombing of Hamburg and Dresden by the Allies in World War II (Britannica) Read: The Battle of the Bulge (nationalww2museum) World War II – Advancing through Italy; D-Day; Air raids on Germany; The Battle of the Bulge |
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68 | WWII 16 | The End of the War and the Aftermath: The Final Stages
Read: Burma (worldwar2history) Read: Yalta Conference in World War II (thoughtco) Listen to victory speech of Winston Churchill on V-E day (website). World War II – Through Burma; Yalta; V-E Day |
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Wk 19 | |||||||
70 | Russia 8 | Stalinist Russia 2
Read: The Cold War p 10-17 (The Truman Doctrine 1947, The Berlin Airlift, Superpower Rivalry 1945-1969, Cold War Spy Scandals) Watch: Excerpts of President Truman’s speech in 1947 introducing the Truman Doctrine: Notebook: Written narration on the Truman Doctrine. |
73 | Middle East 5* | The Six-Day War
Read: The Arab-Israeli Conflict – The Six-Day War, 1967; Resolution 242; Arab versus Arab Read: The Palestinian National Charter, 1968 (Palestinian Liberation Organisation Covenant) |
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71 | WWII 17 | The End of the War and the Aftermath: Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Read: The Century Ch.6 – Global Nightmare, 1941-1945 (pp. 119-123) Read: Hiroshima and Nagasaki [Note: Includes graphic description] Watch: See Hiroshima in the only video footage of the city before the atomic bomb, filmed in 1935 and recently restored by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum World War II – The atomic bomb |
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72 | WWII 18 | The End of the War and the Aftermath: After the War
Read: The Century Ch.7 – An Uneasy Peace, 1946-1952 (pp. 125-35) Read: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – The United Nations 1945-1948; Italy and the Balkans 1943-1949; Peace in the Pacific 1945-1948 Read: We the People “Press Release” p. 145; “Time for Action” p. 151; “Letter to Bess” p. 152; “Letter to Elinor Roosevelt” p. 153 World War II – What have we learnt from World War II? |
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Wk 20 | |||||||
74 | Russia 9 | Stalinist Russia 3
Read: The Cold War p 18-25 (The Korean War 1950-1953, Revolution in Hungary 1956, The Berlin Walls Goes Up, Escaping to the West) Read: 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. |
77 | Middle East 6* | Yom Kippur War
Read: The Arab-Israeli Conflict – Yom Kippur; The conflict spreads; Camp David |
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75 | Asia 3 | India 3
Read: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – British Commonwealth 1914-1949; Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – Indian Independence 1945-1947; Read: 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) |
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76 | China 10* | Post-War China 1
Read: Kingfisher History Encyclopedia – Communist China 1945-1949; China 1949-1997 Read: The Century Ch.7 – An Uneasy Peace, 1946-1952 (pp. 136-137) Read: Biography of Ignatius Cardinal Kung (cardinalkungfoundation) Read: The Underground Catholic Church in China (cardinalkungfoundation) |
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Wk 21 | |||||||
78 | Asia 4 | Korea
Read: The Century Ch.7 – An Uneasy Peace, 1946-1952 (pp. 138-139) Read: “The Korean War: Everything You Need to Know” (military.com) Read: Statement by the President on the Situation in Korea (trumanlibrary) Read: Truman Addresses the Nation on the War in Korea (teachingamericanhistory) Read: Radio and Television Address on the Situation in Korea (teachingamericanhistory) |
81 | Middle East 7* | The Intifada
Read: The Arab-Israeli Conflict – Mounting violence; Intifada; PLO recognition and isolation |
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79 | Asia 5 | Korea
Watch: John Ford documentary This is Korea (1951) made during the war (youtube) |
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80 | Asia 6 | Korea
Read: “Korea” (EisenhowerLibrary) Includes a link to the full and original “I Shall Go to Korea” speech released to the press. |
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Wk 22 | |||||||
82 | Russia 9 | Stalinist Russia 3
Read: The Cold War p 18-25 (The Korean War 1950-1953, Revolution in Hungary 1956, The Berlin Walls Goes Up, Escaping to the West) Read: 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. |
85 | Middle East 8* | Terror and Counter-Terror
Read: The Arab-Israeli Conflict – Signs of hope, 1991-96; Terror and counter-terror |
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83 | National 7 | Mass Markets 1
Read: The Century Ch.8 – Mass Markets, 1953-1961 (pp. 141-151) Watch: Elvis Presley “Hound Dog” (October 28, 1956) on The Ed Sullivan Show (youtube) |
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84 | National 8 | Mass Markets 2
Read: The Century Ch.8 – Mass Markets, 1953-1961 (pp. 152-159) Read: We the People “Spirit of Freedom”; p. 159 “My Hope and My Deep Faith” p. 160; “Pledge of Allegiance” p. 161; “The Situation in Little Rock” pp. 162-64 civil rights; JFK elected |
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Wk 23 | |||||||
86 | National 9 | Into the Streets 1
Read: The Century Ch.9 – Into the Streets, 1961-1969 (pp. 161-73) Watch: Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a dream” speech (npr) Watch: A Taste of Beatlemania (youtube) Watch: CBS News report on the Beatles in 1964 (youtube) Read: We the People “The Exciting Adventure of Space” pp. 167-168 civil rights |
89 | Middle East 9* | Conclusion
The Arab-Israeli Conflict – The road map; What have we learnt? |
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87 | Russia 10 | The Cold War 1
Read: The Cold War p 26-39 (The Cuban Missile Crisis 1962, The Prague Spring 1968) Read: 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. |
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88 | National 10 | Into the Streets 2
Read: The Century Ch.9 – Into the Streets, 1961-1969 (pp. 178-185) Read: We the People “One Small Step” p. 175 Watch: Footage of the moon landing |
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Wk 24 | |||||||
90 | EXAM | ||||||
Term 3 | |||||||
Wk 25 | |||||||
91 | Asia 7 | Vietnam 1
Read: The Century Ch.9 – Into the Streets, 1961-1969 (pp. 174-177) Read: The War in Vietnam Chapter 1 “Independence and Division” |
94 | China 11* | Post-War China 2
Read: Rise of Modern China “The Nationalist Collapse” “Mao Takes Control” “The Fate of the 100 Flowers” |
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92 | Asia 8 | Vietnam 2
Read: The War in Vietnam Chapter 2 “A Growing Presence” and Chapter 3 “A Real War” |
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93 | Asia 9 | Vietnam 3
Read: The War in Vietnam Chapter 4 “The Home Front” links??? |
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Wk 26 | |||||||
95 | Asia 10 | Vietnam 4
Read: The War in Vietnam Chapter 5 “Fighting the War” links? |
98 | China 12* | Post-War China 3
Read: Rise of Modern China “The Great Leap Forward” “Cultural Revolution” and “China and the Cold War” |
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96 | Asia 11 | Vietnam 5
Read: The War in Vietnam Chapter 6 “Nixon’s Plans” and Chapter 7 “The Fall of the South” |
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97 | Asia 12 | Vietnam 6
Read: The War in Vietnam Chapter 8 “After the War” Read: The Catholic Church in Vietnam (wwrn.org) Read: Our Lady of Lavang: a Marian shrine in Vietnam Read: First La Vang Shrine in US Gathers Thousands of Vietnamese |
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Wk 27 | |||||||
99 | National 11 | Years of Doubt 1
Read: The Century Ch.10 – Years of Doubt, 1969-1981 (pp. 187-193) economy, oil, protest, watergate |
102 | China 13* | Post-War China 4
Read: Rise of Modern China “The End of Mao” “Deng the Survivor” |
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100 | National 12 | Years of Doubt 1
Read: The Century Ch.10 – Years of Doubt, 1969-1981 (pp. 194-203) Read: We the People “Unchanging Principles” p. 172 |
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101 | Russia 11 | The Cold War 2
Read: The Cold War p 30-33 (War in Vietnam, Americans Protest) Read: The Collapse of Communism p 20-21 (Fossilization in the USSR) Narrate. |
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Wk 28 | |||||||
103 | Russia 12 | The Cold War 3
Read: The Cold War p 34-37 (Détente 1968-1979, Cold War Again) Read: 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. |
106 | China 14* | Post-War China 5
Read: Rise of Modern China “The Half-Open Door” “Tiananmen Square” |
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104 | National 13 | New Morning 1
Read: The Century Ch.11 – New Morning, 1981-1989 (pp. 205-209) |
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105 | Russia 13 | Fall of Communism 1
Read: The Collapse of Communism p 26-27 (Poland’s Solidarity) Watch: 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. |
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Wk 29 | |||||||
107 | National 14 | New Morning 2
Read: The Century Ch.11 – New Morning, 1981-1989 (pp. 211-216) Read: We the People “A National Loss” pp. 180-81 culture, AIDS |
110 | China 15* | Post-War China 6
Read: Rise of Modern China “Boom Times on the Coast” “Twenty-First-Century China” |
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108 | Russia 14 | Fall of Communism 2
Read: The Cold War p 38-39 (Enter Mikhail Gorbachev) Read: The Collapse of Communism p 28-29 (Gorbachev) Notebook: Written narration on Gorbachev. |
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109 | National 15 | New Morning 3
Read: The Century Ch.11 – New Morning, 1981-1989 (pp. 217-223) |
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Wk 30 | |||||||
111 | Russia 15 | Fall of Communism 3
Read: The Cold War p 40-43 (1989: Year of Revolutions, The End of the Cold War) Read: 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. |
114 | Asia 13* | Afghanistan
pp. 8-15 |
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112 | Russia 16 | John Paul II and the Fall of Communism 1
Read: The Collapse of Communism p 36-41 (Central Europe: Eager for Capitalist Democracy, Southeastern Europe: Bloody Transition, Russia: Yeltsin and the Coup) Read: Vaclav Havel, “A contaminated moral environment” – speech, 1 January 1990 (PDF) Watch a news broadcast after Gorbachev resigns – 31 December 1991 (YouTube) Narrate |
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113 | Russia 17 | John Paul II and the Fall of Communism 2
Read: The Collapse of Communism p 42-49 (The USSR: Liberation, The USSR: New Tyranny, Change and Resistance Around the World, China’s Market Communism) Watch: Short video on Pope John Paul II and Communism Narrate |
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Wk 31 | |||||||
115 | Russia 18 | John Paul II and the Fall of Communism 3
Read: 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. |
118 | Asia 14* | Afghanistan
pp. 16-23 |
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116 | National 16 | Machine Dreams 1
Read: The Century Ch.12 – Machine Dreams, 1989-1999 (pp. 225-228) |
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117 | National 17 | Machine Dreams 2
Read: The Century Ch.12 – Machine Dreams, 1989-1999 (pp. 229-233)) Read: We the People “Every Human Life is Precious” pp. 178-179 |
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Wk 32 | |||||||
119 | Middle East 10 | Introduction
Read: The War in Iraq – Introduction; How do we know?; Iraq; Saddam and Iraq |
122 | Asia 15* | Afghanistan
pp. 24-31 |
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120 | Middle East 11 | Saddam’s Wars
Read: The War in Iraq – Saddam and his neighbours; War and containment Notebook: Research and report on either the Iran-Iraq War or the Gulf War or the effects of economic sanctions on Iraq |
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121 | National 18 | Machine Dreams 3
Read: The Century Ch.12 – Machine Dreams, 1989-1999 (pp. 234-241) Read: We the People “A Time for Healing” pp. 186-187 |
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Wk 33 | |||||||
123 | Middle East 12 | The Case for War
Read: The War in Iraq – The rise of the US neo-conservatives; After September 11; The case for military action Read: We the People “Freedom and Fear at War” pp. 190-192 Notebook: What reasons were there for war against Iraq? |
126 | Asia 16* | Afghanistan
pp. 32-37 |
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124 | Middle East 13 | The Case Against War
Read: The War in Iraq – The case against military action; The decision is taken Read: 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? |
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125 | Middle East 14 | Fighting the War
Read: The War in Iraq – The opposing forces; War from the air; Advances on the ground |
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Wk 34 | |||||||
127 | Middle East 15 | Effects of the War
Read: The War in Iraq – Civilian casualties; The media and the war; Iraq’s neighbours |
129 | Asia 17* | Afghanistan
pp. 38-45 |
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128 | Middle East 16 | End of the War
Read: The War in Iraq – Advance to Baghdad; The regime collapses; Short-term priorities Read: President Bush on the capture of Saddam Hussein |
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128 | Middle East 17 | After the War
Read: The War in Iraq – New international tensions; New tensions inside Iraq |
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Wk 35 | |||||||
130 | Middle East 18 | Outlook
Read: The War in Iraq – Prospects; What have we learnt from the war in Iraq Notebook: Summarize your conclusions about the Iraq War |
132 | Asia 18* | Afghanistan
pp. 46-52 |
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131 | Catch-up / Review | ||||||
Wk 36 | Exam week | ||||||