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Social Studies Curriculum Social Studies - World History
Lesson Plans

WH Strand 6: GLOBAL CONFLICTS

(Ca. 1914 C.E.-1989 C.E.)

Conditions introduced in earlier centuries led to total and industrialized war on a global scale in the 20th century. A global economic depression demonstrated the interconnectedness of nations and their colonies. Extremism led to genocides on an unprecedented scale. Intellectuals and artists attempted to make sense of the changing world. European colonies in Africa and Many African and Latin American nations struggled to free themselves from the legacies of imperialism within the context of the Cold War. The postwar era saw early shifts in power to two superpowers.

(Possible Guiding Questions to Consider:

  • What economic forces contributed to 20th century global conflicts?
  • How were independence movements of different eras similar or different?
  • How can case studies or microhistories of specific genocides, epidemics, technological developments, population movements, or reform efforts help us understand global patterns?
  • How are genocides justified and carried out?
  • How did art and literary movements reflect reactions to global events and ideas?
  • What struggles were experienced by nations that were late to industrialize?
  • What factors determined how nations aligned themselves during the Cold War?

WH Standard 6.1:

Students will identify cause and effect relationships between World War I, the global Great Depression, and World War II.
  • African-American Soldiers in World War I: The 92nd and 93rd Divisions
    Late in 1917, the War Department created two all-black infantry divisions. The 93rd Infantry Division received unanimous praise for its performance in combat, fighting as part of France's 4th Army. In this lesson, students combine their research in a variety of sources, including firsthand accounts, to develop a hypothesis evaluating contradictory statements about the performance of the 92nd Infantry Division in World War I.
  • American Diplomacy in World War II
    This four-lesson curriculum unit will examine the nature of what Winston Churchill called the "Grand Alliance" between the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union in opposition to the aggression of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.


UEN logo http://www.uen.org - in partnership with Utah State Board of Education (USBE) and Utah System of Higher Education (USHE).  Send questions or comments to USBE Specialist - Robert  Austin and see the Social Studies website. For general questions about Utah's Core Standards contact the Director - Jennifer  Throndsen.

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