Classroom Resource

The Rise of the West and Historical Methodology/Crash Course World History

Subject Area

Social Studies

Grade(s)

9, 11, 12

Overview

Join host John Green to learn about the methods of writing history by looking at some of the ways that the rise of the West has been recorded. In the episode, we'll cover what the West is, the Rise of the West, and the different ways that historians and other academics have explained how the West became dominant in the world. Also discussed are explanations from Acemoglu and Robinson's Why Nations Fail, Francis Fukuyama's The Origins of Political Order, and Ian Morris's Why the West Rules, for Now.

Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 9 - World History

SS10.WH.5

Describe the rise of absolutism and constitutionalism and their impact on European nations.

Unpacked Content

UP:SS10.WH.5

Vocabulary

  • absolutism
  • constitutionalism
  • Petition of Rights
  • English Bill of Rights

Knowledge

Students know:
  • The definitions of absolutism and constitutionalism and the impact these philosophies had on European nations.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Use primary resources, evaluate influential philosophies.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • The philosophies of absolutism and constitutionalism had a lasting impact on European nations.
Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 9 - World History

SS10.WH.14

Describe causes and consequences of World War II.

Unpacked Content

UP:SS10.WH.14

Vocabulary

  • Axis Powers
  • Allied Powers
  • Holocaust
  • Atomic Age
  • Nuremburg Trials
  • militarist
  • totalitarian
  • European Theater
  • Pacific Theater

Knowledge

Students know:
  • How to describe the causes and consequences of WWII.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Investigate and explain causal factors for historical events, using a variety of primary resources.
  • Develop and defend a position related to a historical event, citing specific textual evidence to support the student's position.
  • Relate historical consequences to resulting social and political changes.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • There were many causes and consequences of World War II.
Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 11 - United States History II

SS10.US2.8

Summarize events leading to World War II, including the militarization of the Rhineland, Germany’s seizure of Austria and Czechoslovakia, Japan’s invasion of China, and the Rape of Nanjing. [A.1.b., A.1.c., A.1.d., A.1.e., A.1.g., A.1.i., A.1.k.]

Unpacked Content

UP:SS10.US2.8

Vocabulary

  • Fascism
  • Nazism
  • Communism
  • Isolationism
  • Holocaust
  • appeasement
  • invasion

Knowledge

Students know:
  • The events that lead to World War II.
  • The impact of political movements such as fascism, Nazism, and communism on conflicts in Europe.
  • The effects of isolationism, including the debate about United States isolationism and changes in attitudes after Pearl Harbor.
  • Roles of significant World War II leaders, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, George S. Patton, Sir Winston Churchill, Bernard Montgomery, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, Emperor Hirohito, Hedeki Tōjō, Erwin Rommel, Adolf Hitler.
  • The impact of the Munich Pact and the failed British policy of appeasement resulting in the invasion of Poland.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media.
  • Evaluate an author's premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information related to historical events.
  • Read and comprehend historical texts independently and proficiently on various topics related to events that led to WWII and the effect of those events on American foreign policy today.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • There were many events and policies leading up to WWII.
Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 12 - United States Government

SS10.USG.1

Explain historical and philosophical origins that shaped the government of the United States, including the Magna Carta, the Petition of Rights, the English Bill of Rights, the Mayflower Compact, the Virginia Declaration of Rights, and the influence of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Charles de Montesquieu, Jean-Jaques Rousseau, and the Great Awakening.

Unpacked Content

UP:SS10.USG.1

Vocabulary

  • state of nature
  • social contract theory
  • constitutional
  • authoritarian
  • totalitarian
  • compact
  • government
  • democracy
  • right
  • Enlightenment
  • rule of law

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Key political philosophers and events that influenced the creation of the American government.
  • Key political documents that influenced the creation of the American government.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Interpret primary documents distinguishing the impact of the document's central idea on formation of American government.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Significant key philosophers, events, and documents shaped the concepts of American government and how these concepts differ from other forms of government.
Link to Resource
https://aptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/8fe2c7e9-8d1e-4f70-9fbd-946eb8082910…

CR Resource Type

Audio/Video

Resource Provider

PBS
Accessibility

Accessibility

Video resources: includes closed captioning or subtitles
License

License Type

CUSTOM

Custom License Type (URL)

https://aptv.pbslearningmedia.org/help/terms-of-use/#.YGKPdlVKjIX

Comments or Notes

PBSLearningMedia is free for teachers. No account is needed to access available resources. 

Approved Date

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