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History at key stage 3 (Year 9)
Unit 18: Hot war, cold war why did the major twentieth-century conflicts affect so many people?
Section 2: Do the causes of twentieth-century wars have anything in common?
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Objectives |
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- that the major conflicts of the twentieth century had long-term and short-term causes
- that different nations had differing attitudes to the prospect of conflict
- to identify similar factors leading to the outbreak of major world conflicts
- to research and summarise information for use in group discussion
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Activities |
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Outcomes |
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Children: |
- Divide the class into small groups and give each group a different twentieth- century conflict to work on.
- Provide each group with 'cause cards' relating to a particular conflict,
eg the First World War. These will include long-term causes,
eg rivalry over arms, and short-term causes,
eg the role of a particular person.
- Ask the groups to research their 'cause cards', making brief notes to use in the group discussion.
- In groups, pupils discuss reasons and decide why 'their' conflict started. This could be done by asking pupils to place their cause card on the desk in relation to a card with the question
Why did X start? They then justify it to the rest of the group.
- Ask the group to produce a diagram to show their analysis of the causes and the links between them to present to the class.
- Draw class findings together and, as a whole-class activity, explore with pupils whether the causes of the conflicts are similar in any way. Use the information to create a spidergram to show similarities and differences.
Optional school-developed in-depth study
- Teachers could include an in-depth study on one or more of the conflicts, and/or examine the role of an individual,
eg Winston Churchill, Hitler or Stalin. This could link back to the common threads identified in the first activity,
eg the impact of technology or the effect on civilians. This is an opportunity to carry out a more detailed examination of the effect of civilians or the contribution of soldiers from the Indian subcontinent, Africa and the Caribbean to the Allied cause in both world wars. Teachers should also help pupils to understand how the in-depth study relates to the main enquiry question for this unit.
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- describe and make links between relevant reasons for, and results of, events and changes
- explain the reasons why attitudes to events differ
- use knowledge and understanding to analyse and interpret information
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Points to note |
- A wide range of existing resources can be utilised to create the cause cards. It may help if they are colour coded or marked with 'national flag' symbols.
- This activity is designed to build up pupils' knowledge of the cause of particular conflicts and to develop their understanding of the relationships between different causes. Through discussion, and using the cards as a tool, pupils can develop their ideas of the relative importance of events and the relationship between them.
- While the focus will be on the two world wars, teachers can include other conflicts,
eg Vietnam or Afghanistan. Choices will need to complement examples used later in the unit. The range of conflicts chosen can be used to extend the activity for more able pupils.
- The classroom timeline should be used to reinforce the chronology of the main conflicts as part of a summary activity.
- In selecting an in-depth study, teachers could build on existing departmental plans,
eg of a study of the Western Front in the First World War, or major turning points in the Second World War. Consider key stage 4 history work when choosing topics. Unit 22 'The role of the individual' provides a framework for a study of an individual.
- Language for learning: identify what information is needed, and draw together information from different sources.
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This unit is divided into sections. Each section contains a sequence of
activities with related objectives and outcomes. You can view this unit by
moving through the sections or print/download the whole unit.
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