International School History - European Schools - S6 4 hour option
S6 4hr History Last update - 23 October 2011 Official European School History S6 Syllabus: English, French, German
Unit 1 - 1870-1914: The Age of Imperialism
Key Questions Lessons Additional materials and external links
What is imperialism? Timeline of essential events in Unit 1.
Imperialism: an introduction (PDF)

Short video extract from White King, Red Rubber, Black Death

 Outline of the 4 hour S6 option course.
Imperialism definitions.
What were the causes of imperialism? An introduction to essay writing. Student presentations based on Culpin and Henig 'Origins, motives and explanations of imperialism'  4 hr version

Student essay writing activity. Assess this essay
European Baccalaureate official essay marking grid

Full extract from Culpin and Henig.

Robert Pearce - Top 10 essay writing tips
Examples of good and not so good essays marked
How to plan PEE'd paragraphs

Mr Jones-Nerzic's top five tips for writing history essays.
What was the extent of European Imperialism? Lecture notes 'Outline of New Imperialism'

PowerPoint from the lesson.

 Videos shown in the lesson.
Extract from Zulu illustrating importance of new technology in warfare
Extract from Livingstone and Stanley - 1939 movie with Spencer Tracy

Further reading - 'Colonial conflicts and rivalries' - Woolfson and Laver
Further reading - 'Explanations of Imperialism' - John Lowe
What is historiography? An introduction to the historiography of imperialism Hobsbawm v Thomson: compare and contrast two interpretations of imperialism. What is historiography? from Wikipedia
Recommended further reading on historiography: John Warren - History and Historians and Keith Jenkins - Rethinking History.

Further reading - Thomson on imperialism (12 pages)
Further reading - Hobsbawm on imperialism (6 pages)
Further reading - Lowe on the historiography of imperialism. (3 pages)
What was the impact of New Imperialism? - case study the Congo
An introduction to source work.		 New Imperialism in the Congo - DIY examination

Activity instructions and sources

How to do European Baccalaureate source questions for the written exam

What makes a source useful?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of various types of sources?
Written exam sourcework self-assessment sheet
Video - White King, Red Rubber, Black Death.

More about the film on IMDB and the BBC Storyville website.

Adam Hochschild's outstanding history on Leopold and the Congo, King Leopold's Ghost.

Three part BBC documentary video on the history of racism. Episode 2 is particularly relevant to imperialism.

BBC documentary on colonialism in Namibia and the first genocide of the 20th century.

Alice Seeley Harris - Photograph
Mark Twain - King Leopold's Soliloquy
E D Morel and the Congo
Roger Casement - Wikipedia and extracts from his Congo report

Hobsbawm on the impact of imperialism

How can we reach judgements about the legacy of imperialism? Colonialism - towards a balance sheet activity. The Independent - Belgium confronts its heart of darkness
BBC - On the legacy in the Congo
L.A. Times - On the lessons of the Congo
Why did the Franco-Prussian War mark such a significant turning point in European History? Franco-Prussian War activity. John Lowe extract on the international situation after 1871.

Documentary film on the Franco-Prussian War
What was the international situation like after 1871? The Great Powers of Europe activity sheet and table to be completed.

Must see documentary video on the origins of WWI.

 Website made by my students in 2001 to show the situation in Europe before the First World War. 

Great War documentary video - Episode 1. The classic 1960s series gives an excellent country-by-country overview of Europe before 1914.
How can we organize the causes of WWI to show themes and connections? Causes of World War 1 mind mapping exercise (worksheet).

Walsh pp. 4-7 GCSE Modern World History

 

 The Corner website offers a very clear outline of major themed causes of the war. 
See Wikipedia on the complex causes of WWI, includes historiography.
A clever narrative at FirstWorldWar.com
Dr Gary Sheffield at the BBC wins my vote by starting with a quote from Baldrick.

The brilliant John D Clare provides an excellent GCSE perspective with recommended links for further research.
What was the July Crisis and why did it lead to war? Days that Shook the World video on the assassination of Franz Ferdinand.

The John D Clare work booklet on the causes of the war pages 7-10

 John D Clare explains that MANIA caused the war and that ARSE best explains the July crisis!

Blackadder and Horrible Histories explain the causes of the First World War - videos
How can we explain the origins of the First World War? - Plenary Lecture notes to be supplemented with notes from Walsh pp.2-11

Must see documentary video on the origins of WWI.

 Additional Video. Episode 1 History of Warfare in the 20th Century
Who was responsible for the outbreak of the First World War?

The question of blame.

Lawyers role-play activity. Extract from Origins of the First World War - Graham Darby.
Play an e-Help simulation on the causes of the First World war by taking on the role of the Kaiser. Available in English, Spanish, Dutch and German.
How have historians debated the origins of the First World War? The historiography of WWI Lecture notes on the historiography of the causes of WWI.

Bethmann Hollweg's September Memorandum, central to the Fischer Thesis

 John D Clare provides a typically clear summary of historian's views.

The historians and the origins of the First World War - McDonough (edited extract).

Causes of World War 1 quiz - beginners and advanced. Wikipedia provides a very detailed account of the July Crisis.
How can we learn the causes of the First World War? Timeline of essential events in Unit 1.
Quiz or try all 45 questions
John D Clare's quiz Mnemonics
Podcasts An interactive spider diagram
SchoolHistory lesson or quiz BBC Bitesize
Mark Steel's amusing quiz