Causes, Key Events, Important Technologies and Consequences of World War II (Europe and Pacific)

In this unit we will explore Second World War and connect its causes to the changing political realities of the 1930's, what were the factors that determined its outcome and its  role in to contributing to the beginning of the Cold War.  This unit will allow us to access both Topic 11 in Paper 2 and topic 15 in Paper 3.  We will use past papers from both of these assessments for our formative and summative assessments.  To help us in our mastery of this topic, we are going to focus our inquiry around the below key questions:

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1. What were the long term and short term causes (political, economic, ideological) of World War II?

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2. What were the defining technologies of each theater of war (land, sea, air) and how did they shape the conflict and determine its outcome?

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3. To what extent did the combatants of World War II mobilize their human, economic and diplomatic resources to defeat the opposition?

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4. What were the political, economic, social, and territorial consequences for the combatants in World War II?

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Resources:
We will be drawing from a variety of written and visual sources, including John Keegan's The Second World War and the Causes and Effects of 20th-Century Wars Course Companion by David Smith.  For content check in/review, we will be using the BBC's Second World War in Color (available on Youtube and linked below).

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World War II in Color Series

1. The Gathering Storm

2. Lightning War

3. Britain at Bay

4. Hitler Strikes East

5. Red Sun Rampant

6. The Mediterranean and North Africa

7. Turning the Tide

8. The Soviet Steamroller

9. Overlord

10. Closing the Ring

11. The Island War

12. Victory in Europe

13. Victory in the Pacific

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Assessments

1. Formative

   1. Class Discussions

   2. Short Answer Questions

   3. Essay Plans

   4. Source Analysis

   5. Homework Past Paper 2 Essays

2. Summative

   1. On Demand Essays of Past Paper 2 and 3 Questions

   2. Take Home Essay Plans of Past Paper 2 and 3 Questions

 

Unit Calendar

The Calendar outlines the plan for our day to day in class activities and the homework that will be assigned. The expectation is that students complete all homework assignments for the next lesson unless otherwise indicated on the calendar. While we would like this to be set in stone, unforeseen events and intriguing tangents might change the plan so if you are ever in doubt on what is due and when, please ask!

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