Lesson Purpose

The first half of the twentieth century was tumultuous and resulted in global chaos. There were two world wars and a global depression. In this lesson, you will learn about the causes and consequences of both world wars and how they relate to the Great Depression. In the activities in this lesson, you will learn more about how to use different kinds of data to understand the past. You'll use primary source material such as propaganda, and data such as population and the gross domestic product to draw conclusions about the world during the first half of the twentieth century. You'll also evaluate whether or not these kinds of analysis provide enough information to draw reasonable and informed conclusions about the past.

The outcomes of this lesson are: 1.) To be able to explain the causes and consequences of World War I, World War II, and the Great Depression; 2.) To demonstrate the ability to use different kinds of data and information to draw informed conclusions about the past.

Activity 1 - "Crisis and Conflict on the Global Stage"

Activity Objectives
In this article, you'll read about the causes and consequences of both world wars, as well as the Great Depression. These catastrophic events explain a lot about the political and economic systems that exist today. Understanding them can help us see the reasons behind many of the political and economic moves we seeing being made by today’s governments.

Activity Tasks
  1. Read the article "Crisis and Conflict on the Global Stage" and try to answer these questions:​
    1. What are the three big themes that are being used in this article to make sense of the major events that took place during the first half of the twentieth century?
    2. What were the four main long-term causes of the First World War?
    3. What was the point of political and military alliances?
    4. What event launched the First World War?
    5. Why was the First World War considered particularly horrific?
    6. What was the Dawes Plan and why was it created?
    7. What caused the Great Depression?
    8. What was the main economic response to the Great Depression?
    9. What were some of the populist paths taken following the Great Depression?
    10. What are the multiple distinct conflicts that J. R. McNeill and William H. McNeill assert made up the Second World War?
    11. What country emerged from World War II as the greatest economic power and why?
    12. Discuss - One of the themes of this article was about technological advancements. How did these advancements contribute to the turbulence of this time and how did they help?
The instability of political and economic systems created the conditions for the two world wars and the Great Depression. Most of the world was impacted by the depression, which brought political unrest throughout the world and was an important catalyst for World War II. By the end of this era, colonialism and imperialism were disappearing and Europe was no longer the driver of world political and economic issues.

Activity 2 - Understanding the Causes of WW1

Activity Objectives
​You will critically evaluate some of the causes and consequences of World War I while also paying attention to the methods that historians use to draw conclusions. This helps you understand the war better and it also helps you develop your abilities to think like a historian.

Activity Tasks
You are going to critically examine part of the article “Crisis and Conflict on a Global Stage” (from Activity 1)  to determine whether or not you agree or disagree with the author’s assertions in the article. In that article, Straussman asserted that there are three things that contributed to the two world wars and the Great Depression. Those are global political order, economics, and technological advancements. However, do you agree with him? Do you think he interpreted his sources correctly?
  1. Get into three groups. Each group will research either: global political order; economics; or technological advancements as causes.
  2. Read "A Not So Great War," the first major section of the article "Crisis and Conflict on the Global Stage." Pick two assertions Saul Straussman makes in the article that relate to the theme you’ve been assigned and record them on this worksheet.
  3. For each assertion, do some research to find one external source that either corroborates or opposes what Straussman wrote. Note if you think he left out any important details. Then, write about whether you agree or disagree with Straussman based on the evidence you found. ​
  4. Discuss - Do you agree with Straussman’s assertions in the article? What do you think he’s missing? What do you think got right? Is his thinking consistent with what you saw from other historians? Do his methods of drawing conclusions about history make sense?

Activity 3 - Archdukes, Cynicism, and World War 1: Crash Course

Activity Objectives
In this video, you will get another perspective on World War I. This should provide you with more context about the war and also will allow you to see what another historian decided was most important to share about this event. This is just another example of how the same historical event can seem somewhat different when told by someone with another perspective.

Activity Tasks
  1. Watch the video and try to answer these questions:​
    1. 1:47 How did World War I start?
    2. 2:45 What were some of the possible ways this war could have been avoided and who is to blame?
    3. 3:54 World War I features combatants from around the world. What were some of these countries?
    4. 5:34 How destructive was WW I and what were the causes of this destruction?
    5. 7:36 What were the conditions like for the soldiers in World War I?
    6. 8:42 What was the Treaty of Versailles and what were some of its impacts?
    7. 9:15 What were the two phases of the Russian Revolution and what happened in each phase?
    8. 10:14 What did John Greene say was lost as part of this war?
    9. Discuss - About halfway through the video, John mentions the idea that people make history and are also made by history. What do you they think he means by this?
World War I, which was supposed to be the war that ended all wars, nearly did the opposite. World War I caused massive amounts of destruction and loss of life. Technology was more advanced than warfare, which contributed to the loss and destruction. It also changed people’s perspective on war – it was no longer glorious or noble. Finally, it created the conditions that allowed the Great Depression to occur.

Activity 4 - Understanding the Consequences of the Global Depression

Activity Objectives
In this activity, you will learn about the gross domestic product (GDP) and how it helps gauge the economic health of countries. You will use data to help you understand the impact of the Great Depression around the world. Understanding the usefulness of certain kinds of data to answer questions about the past is a very important skill for you to learn.

Activity Tasks
  1. In this activity, you are going to evaluate the consequences of the Great Depression based on GDP data from around the world.
  2. To do this, you need to map this data onto this line graph. France has already been mapped out on the graph as an example of how to plot the data. When you have finished, answer these questions:​
    1. When did most countries hit bottom?
    2. Did any countries hit bottom at a different time?
    3. Which two countries experienced the steepest decline in living standards?
    4. One country actually experienced an increase in GDP during this time. Which one was it? Give a hypothesis about why this might have happened.
    5. Does it seem that most countries had recovered by the late 1930s? Are there any that didn’t? Give some examples and provide the relevant data.
  3. Discuss - How is using data like this to make sense of historical trends different from using artefacts such as writing, pictures, objects, and even timelines? Is one better than the other? Why or why not?

Activity 5 - World War II: Crash Course World History

Activity Objectives
In this video, you'll learn about World War II. You may have some knowledge of WW II from movies, TV, and the media, but this knowledge is often Eurocentric. Understanding the war outside of Europe (as well as in it) gives a broader perspective on why this was a world war. In addition, the conflicts that occurred during that time still impact relations between some countries today, and knowledge of them can help us understand the tenor of some political relationships around the world.

Activity Tasks
  1. Watch the video and try to answer these questions:​
    1. 1:33 What are the different events that could be considered the beginning of World War II?
    2. 1:52 What was the Rape of Nanking and why does it still matter today?
    3. 2:52 What was the blitzkrieg and what were some of its outcomes in World War II?
    4. 5:15 The year 1941 was an important one in the war. What were some of the things that happened?
    5. 6:24 What happened at the Battle of Stalingrad?
    6. 6:41 What was the “beginning of the end” for the Nazis in this war?
    7. 8:16 What was the official ending to World War II?
    8. 9:13 What was the “hunger plan” and who did it (or who was it intended to) impact?
    9. 9:21 What happened to the Jews during World War II?
    10. 9:35 What is the difference between a death camp and a concentration camp or labor camp?
    11. 10:48 What’s faulty with the assertion that World War II was about the Allies fighting for democratic ideals against the imperialism of the fascist powers?
    12. 11:25 Why does John Green think World War II is so important?
    13. 12:05 What are some of the reasons the Holocaust is so horrifying?
    14. Discuss - At the end of this video, John Green mentions that this war made people question whether Western dominance of this planet should or could be considered progress. What do you think? Was Western dominance progress at that time? How about today?
​World War II was a horrific war – over 50 million people died, most of them civilians. Although the Allies were eventually victorious over Germany and Japan, it was only after massive amounts of destruction. This war saw the first use of a nuclear weapon and it also saw a holocaust with targeted extermination of particular groups of people, most notably the Jews. This war still impacts global relations today

Activity 6 - Propaganda and World War II

Activity Objectives
In this activity, you will examine some World War II propaganda. You’ll learn how different governments viewed the war, and you will also have the opportunity to analyse primary source material, an important skill for an historian.

Activity Tasks
  1. In this activity, you’re going to examine and analyse propaganda posters from WW II. Specifically, you’re going to try to interpret the messages that different governments were trying to convey with the posters. Pick two posters from this worksheet and answer these questions:​
    1. What government released the poster?
    2. What do they think the poster is trying to convey and why?
    3. What about the poster makes them think this? (They can consider the images, words, and colours.)
    4. What does this poster tell them about that country at the time?
    5. How is this poster similar or different to the other poster that they analysed?
  2. Discuss - Do you think governments still use propaganda today. If so, what are some examples of that? What else in our world is like propaganda?

Activity 7 - "A Birds Eye View: Acceleration & Global Chaos"

Activity Objectives
At this point, you have learned a lot about the early twentieth century and many of the causes and consequences of the two world wars and the Great Depression. This article provides more information on the chaos that occurred during this time. It also provides you with a model of how to use different types of data to understand history.

Activity Tasks
  1. Read the article 'A Bird's Eye View: Acceleration and Global Chaos in the Early Twentieth Century" and try to answer these questions:​
    1. What is the population trend over time that can be seen when looking at the data table?
    2. What are some of the things that contributed to population growth?
    3. Why didn’t Europe’s population grow as quickly as populations in other parts of the world during this time?
    4. What does Straussman assert ultimately led to the two world wars?
    5. What do governments and economists use to gauge the health of an economy?
    6. What is the general trend of the GDP since 1870 for all of the countries listed in the table and what does this mean for those countries?
    7. Discuss - One of the themes of this article was about technological advancements. How did these advancements contribute to the turbulence of this time and how did they help?

Activity 8 - Mapping the World: 1914, 1945, 1985, Today

Activity Objectives
In this activity, you will gather data from gapminder.org as a way to have you practice using data to make sense of the past. This activity not only teaches you how to find data, but also how to use it, make sense of it, and draw conclusions based on that information.

Activity Tasks
  1. Use www.gapminder.org/data to fill out the data in each of the tables on this worksheet. 
  2. To find the data you need, make sure that you have the name of the category. On the gapminder.org/data page, you’ll see a table called "List of indicators in "Gapminder World." Beneath that title, on the right side of the table, find the Search box. Type the name of the category into that search area. Once you find the category, click on the magnifying glass on the right. That link will have the data you need to fill out each of the tables on the worksheet.
  3. After you fill out the tables, answer the questions on the second page about the countries based on the information you found.
  4. Next, write a paragraph explaining how the data you found might help you understand the past. ​
  5. Discuss - How does using each of these indicators tell us about the past? How they can also tell us about today?

Challenge Yourself! - Optional Activities
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