Identify the Major Causes and Themes Surrounding the Start of WWII
60 Day Course Overview
Grades 11 & 12
Course
Description / 681 WORLD WAR II: IMPACT ON THE CENTURY A (2.0) Grades 11-12 60 days
This course is a survey of the evolution of modern warfare in the Twentieth Century studied through the example of World War II. The course will provide students with an overview of the political, economic, social and military causes, events, leaders and historical themes of this war as well as highlight the role played by important figures such as Franklin Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, and Joseph Stalin. Students will examine the war as an extension of the events surrounding World War I. The course will conclude with students considering the moral implications of “total warfare” by examining America’s decision to drop an atomic bomb on Japan in 1945. Various forms of assessment will be used to evaluate the students’ ability to think and write critically, analyze and solve problems in history, and apply and integrate their knowledge on a number of diverse historical subjects. Students will be required to complete a major project demonstrating their knowledge of the subject and explaining the importance of World War II to the history of the world. This course addresses Whitman-Hanson Student Expectations 1-6.
Major Course Objectives / When students have completed World War II: Impact on the Century, they will be able to:
- Identify and explain the concept of war through case study warfare examples, quotations on war, as well as how WWII compares with both WWI as well as modern examples.
- Identify the major causes and themes surrounding the start of WWII
- Compare and contrast the leadership of Hitler, Mussolini, Hirohito, FDR and Stalin
- Identify and Explain the major battles of the European Campaign including the Fall of Poland, Invasion of the Low Countries, Battle and Fall of France, Desert Campaigns including Tobruk, El Alamein and Operation Torch, Italian Campaigns including Monte Cassino and Anzio, Russian Campaigns Including Moscow, Leningrad, Stalingrad and Kursk, Battle of the Atlantic, Strategic Bombing, D-Day Invasion, Battle of the Bulge and the Reichstag.
- Explain how civilian were impacted by war on all sides.
- Explore the causes and consequences of the Holocaust-provide case studies from this experience
- Explain how Japan rose to power through the 1930’s under the leadership of Hirohito and Tojo.
- Identify and analyze the major pacific Theater Battles including Pearl Harbor, Midway, Philippines, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, and Dropping of the Atomic Bombs.
- Analyze the role of the US against the Japanese and the impact that the war had on the civilians and governments of both countries.
- Analyze documents and events surrounding the conclusion of the war.
Performance Objectives / 1.)Students can successfully read and comprehend the course textbook as indicated by correctly completing questions throughout the course.
2.)Students can respond to specific questions of recall and analysis after reading and discussion.
3.)Students are able to write grammatically correct and content accurate essays that address the specific rubrics and that progress from the lower level skills to the higher level critical thinking skills.
4.)Students can analyze general problems in history, whether in written or oral form.
5.)Students can answer correctly objective questions (multiple choice, short answer, etc.) that demand recall and recognition of specific concepts and topics.
6.)Students are able to participate in and/or present demonstrations and/or develop visual projects that show understanding of particular events in history.
7.)Students can develop, express, and defend opinions in classroom discussions that are founded in historical fact.
Massachusetts Framework / WHII.21 Describe the rise and goals of totalitarianism in Italy, Germany, and the Soviet Union, and analyze the policies and main ideas of Mussolini, Hitler, Lenin, and Stalin. (H)
WHII.22 Summarize the consequences of Soviet communism to 1945. (H, E)
A. the establishment of a one-party dictatorship under Lenin
B. the suffering in the Soviet Union caused by Stalin’s policies of collectivization of agriculture and breakneck industrialization
C. the destruction of individual rights and the use of mass terror against the population
D. the Soviet Union’s emergence as an industrial power
WHII.23 Describe the German, Italian, and Japanese drives for empire in the 1930s. (H)
A. Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia in 1935
B. the Japanese invasion of China and the Rape of Nanking
C. Germany’s militarization of the Rhineland, annexation of Austria, and aggression against Czechoslovakia, the Stalin-Hitler Pact of 1939, and the German attack on Poland
WHII.24 Summarize the key battles and events of World War II. (H)
A. The German conquest of continental Europe
B. The Battle of Britain
C. Pearl Harbor
D. The Bataan Death March
E. El Alamein
F. Midway
G. Stalingrad
H. D-Day
I. Battle of the Bulge
J. Iwo Jima
K. Okinawa
WHII.25 Identify the goals, leadership, and post-war plans of the allied leaders. (H)
A. Winston Churchill
B. Franklin D. Roosevelt
C. Joseph Stalin
WHII.26 Describe the background, course, and consequences of the Holocaust, including its roots in the long tradition of Christian anti-Semitism, 19th century ideas about race and nation, and Nazi dehumanization of the Jews. (H)
WHII.27 Explain the reasons for the dropping of atom bombs on Japan and its short and long-term effects. (H)
WHII.28 Explain the consequences of World War II. (H, E)
A. physical and economic destruction
B. the enormous loss of life, including millions of civilians through the bombing of population centers and the slaughter of political opponents and ethnic minorities
C. support in Europe for political reform and decolonization
D. the emergence of the U.S. and the Soviet Union as the world’s two superpowers
WHII.29 Describe reasons for the establishment of the United Nations in 1945 and summarize the main ideas of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (H)
Unit Outline / Unit I. The Beginnings to Declared War
- Define war-analyze quotes, examples and modern tactics
- End of WWI-Problems with the Treaty of Versailles-impact on Germany
- Rise of Dictators-Hitler and Mussolini-The New Germany and New Italy
- Axis Expansion-Europe, Africa and Asia
- German Soldier and the German Army-weapons and tactics
- Blitzkrieg and the Fall of Poland
- The blitz moves West-Fall of the Low Countries
- Battle and Fall of France
- Battle of Britain
- Africa/Desert Campaigns
- Italian Campaigns
- Russian Campaigns
- Battle of the Atlantic
- Propaganda
- Life on the Home front
- Rise of Japan-militarism and expansionism
- Pearl Harbor Attack
- Role of the US-from Neutrality to lend-lease to war declaration
- Battles-island hopping from Indonesia to Iwo Jima
- Dropping of the Atomic Bombs to VJ Day
- D-Day Invasion
- Bulge to VE Day
- Holocaust to Nuremburg Trials
- Going Home-making sense of what happened
Resources / The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness World War II. Jon Lewis. Phliadelphia: Running Press, 2002.
WWII: The Time Life Books Collection
Major battles of WWII-assorted text
Ken Burns The War-DVD
WWII in HD: History Channel
The World At War-DVD
Time Allotment / Roughly 2 weeks for each unit
WHRHS Student Expectations / 1.Read, write and communicate effectively.
2. Utilize technologies appropriately and effectively
3. Apply critical thinking skills
4. Explore and express ideas creatively
5. Participate in learning both individually and collaboratively
6. Demonstrate personal, social, and civic responsibility
Open Ended Questions