Unit 4: The World at War

Students will understand how political tensions, nationalism, economic competition, and alliances contributed to global conflict in the twentieth century. They will analyze how war reshaped governments, societies, and global power structures. Students will examine how economic instability and political crises created conditions that allowed authoritarian regimes to rise. They will also evaluate how World War II and the Holocaust transformed international norms related to human rights and global cooperation.

Students will analyze primary sources, political speeches, maps, propaganda, and historical interpretations to evaluate the causes and consequences of global conflict. They will examine how governments mobilize societies during wartime and how propaganda shapes public opinion. Students will compare political systems and evaluate how economic crises influence political change. They will write analytical responses explaining how war reshaped global political systems.

Students will complete a global conflict analysis project. Students will investigate a major event or turning point from the world wars and evaluate how it influenced global political systems, societies, and international relationships. Students will present an argument explaining how twentieth-century wars reshaped the modern world.