WORLD HISTORY THEMES

Sister Mary Elayne, SND

2006-2007

HISTORY

1. Explain how Enlightenment ideas produced enduring effects on political, economic and cultural institutions, including challenges to religious authority, monarchy and absolutism.

2. Explain connections among Enlightenment ideas, the American Revolution, the French Revolution and Latin American wars for independence.

3. Explain the causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution with emphasis on:

1. How scientific and technological changes promoted industrialization in the textile industry in England;
2. The impact of the growth of population, rural-to-urban migrations, growth of industrial cities, and emigration out of Europe;
3. The changing role of labor and the rise of the union movement;
4. Changes in living and working conditions for the early industrial working class, especially women and children;
5. The growth of industrialization around the world.

Imperialism

4. Describe the political, economic and social roots of imperialism.

5. Analyze the perspectives of the colonizers and the colonized concerning:

1. Indigenous language;
2. Natural resources;
3. Labor;
4. Political systems;
5. Religion.

6. Explain the global impact of imperialism including:

1. Modernization of Japan;
2. Political and social reform in China
3. Exploitation of African resources.

20^th Century Conflict

7. Analyze the causes and effects of World War I with emphasis on:

1. Militarism, imperialism, nationalism and alliances;
2. The global scope, outcomes and human costs of the war;
3. The role of new technologies and practices including the use of poison gas, trench warfare, machine guns, airplanes, submarines and tanks;
4. The Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations.

8. Analyze the causes and consequences of the Russian Revolution including:

1. The lack of economic, political and social reforms under the tsars;
2. The impact of World War I;
3. The emergence of Lenin, Stalin and the Bolsheviks;
4. The rise of communism in Russia.

9. Assess the global impact of post-World War I economic, social and political turmoil including:

1. Disarmament;
2. Worldwide depression;
3. Colonial rebellion;
4. Rise of militarist and totalitarian states in Europe and Asia.

10. Analyze the causes of World War II including:

1. Appeasement;
2. Axis expansion;
3. The role of the Allies.

11. Analyze the consequences of World War II including:

1. Atomic weapons;
2. Civilian and military losses;
3. The Holocaust and its impact;
4. Refugees and poverty;
5. The United Nations;
6. The establishment of the state of Israel.

12. Analyze the impact of conflicting political and economic ideologies after World War II that resulted in the Cold War including:

a. Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe;

b. The division of Germany;

c. The emergence of NATO and the Warsaw Pact;

d. The Chinese Communist Revolution.

12. Examine social, economic and political struggles resulting from colonialism and imperialism including:

a. Independence movements in India, Indochina and Africa.

b. Rise of dictatorships in former colonies.

13. Examine regional and ethnic conflict in the post-Cold War era including:

a. Persistent conflict in the Middle East;

b. Ethnic strife in Europe, Africa and Asia.

PEOPLE IN SOCIETIES

Cultures

1. Analyze examples of how people in different cultures view events from different perspectives including:

1. Creation of the state of Israel;
2. Partition of India and Pakistan;
3. Reunification of Germany;
4. End of apartheid in South Africa.

Interaction

2. Analyze the results of political, economic, and social oppression and the violation of human rights including:

1. The exploitation of indigenous peoples;
2. The Holocaust and other acts of genocide, including those that have occurred in Armenia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Iraq.

Diffusion

3. Explain how advances in communication and transportation have impacted:

1. Globalization;
2. Cooperation and conflict;
3. The environment;
4. Collective security;
5. Popular culture;
6. Political systems;
7. Religion.

GEOGRAPHY

Places and Regions

1. Interpret data to make comparisons between and among countries and regions including:

1. Birth rates;
2. Death rates;
3. Infant mortality rates;
4. Education levels;
5. Per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

2. Explain how differing points of view play a role in conflicts over territory and resources.

3. Explain how political and economic conditions, resources, geographic locations and cultures have contributed to cooperation and conflict.

4. Explain the causes and consequences of urbanization including economic development, population growth and environmental change.

5. Analyze the social, political, economic and environmental factors that have contributed to human migration now and in the past.

ECONOMICS

Markets

1. Describe costs and benefits of trade with regard to:

1. Standard of living;
2. Productive capacity;
3. Usage of productive resource
4. Infrastructure.

2. Explain how changing methods of production and a country's productive resources affect how it answers the fundamental economic questions of what to produce, how to produce, and for whom to produce.

3. Analyze characteristics of traditional, market, command and mixed economies with regard to:

1. Private property;
2. Freedom of enterprise;
3. Competition and consumer choice;
4. The role of government.

Government and the Economy

4. Analyze the economic costs and benefits of protectionism, tariffs, quotas and blockades on international trade.

GOVERNMENT

Systems of Government

1. Explain how various systems of governments acquire, use and justify their power.

2. Analyze the purposes, structures and functions of various systems of government including:

1. Absolute monarchies;
2. Constitutional monarchies;
3. Parliamentary democracies;
4. Presidential democracies;
5. Dictatorships;
6. Theocracies.

CITIZENSHIP RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Participation

1. Analyze and evaluate the influence of various forms of citizen action on public policy including:

1. The French Revolution;
2. The international movement to abolish the slave trade and slavery;
3. The Russian Revolution;
4. The independence movement in India;
5. The fall of communism in Europe
6. The end of apartheid.

2. Describe and compare opportunities for citizen participation under different systems of government including:

1. Absolute monarchies;
2. Constitutional monarchies;
3. Parliamentary democracies;
4. Presidential democracies;
5. Dictatorships;
6. Theocracies.

3. Analyze how governments and other groups have used propaganda to influence public opinion and behavior.

SOCIAL STUDIES SKILLS AND METHODS

Thinking and Organizing

1. Detect bias and propaganda in primary and secondary sources of information.

2. Evaluate the credibility of sources for:

1. Logical fallacies;
2. Consistency of arguments;
3. Unstated assumptions;
4. Bias.

3. Analyze the reliability of sources for:

1. Accurate use of facts;
2. Adequate support of statements;
3. Date of publication.

Communicating Information

4. Develop and present a research project including:

1. Collection of data;
2. Narrowing and refining the topic;
3. Construction and support of the thesis.