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The following instructional plan is part of a GaDOE collection of Unit Frameworks, Performance Tasks, examples of
Student Work, and Teacher Commentary for the World History Course.
World History Unit 8 – “The World at War”
Elaborated Unit Focus
This unit is designed to examine the causes and results of the great conflicts of the first half of the
20th century, World War I and World War II. Students will examine the causes of each conflict,
the nature of the technology, and strategic actions of the war and the resulting accommodations
made by victors and the defeated. Students will analyze the changing world alignment as world
powers dictated the peace from each conflict and the emerging nationalism among colonized
groups who were impacted by the agreements. The inter-war years will be examined for evidence
of cultural change and reaction to post war agreements. Students will examine the movement of
Russia, Germany and Italy toward authoritarian governments and the steps of aggression that led
to World War II. Finally, students will investigate the agreements and those who made them at
the conclusion of World War II. Students will explain the impact of these agreements on Eastern
Europe. Students will examine the attempts to establish mechanisms for peaceful conflict
resolution through the United Nations and recovery programs such as the Marshall Plan and
McArthur’s plan for Japan.
Standards/Elements
SSWH16 The student will demonstrate an understanding of long-term causes of
World War I and its global impact.
a. Identify the causes of the war; include Balkan nationalism, entangling alliances, and
militarism.
b. Describe conditions on the war front for soldiers; include the Battle of Verdun.
c. Explain the major decisions made in the Versailles Treaty; include German reparations
and the mandate system that replaced Ottoman control.
d. Analyze the destabilization of Europe in the collapse of the great empires; include the
Romanov and Hapsburg dynasties.
SSWH17 The student will be able to identify the major political and economic factors that
shaped world societies between World War I and World War II.
a. Examine the impact of the war on science, art, and social thinking by identifying the
cultural significance of Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, and Picasso.
b. Determine the causes and results of the Russian Revolution from the rise of the
Bolsheviks under Lenin to Stalin’s first Five Year Plan.
c. Describe the rise of fascism in Europe and Asia by comparing the policies of Benito
Mussolini in Italy, Adolf Hitler in Germany, and Hirohito in Japan.
d. Analyze the rise of nationalism as seen in the ideas of Sun Yat Sen, Mustafa Kemal
Attaturk, and Mohandas Ghandi.
e. Describe the nature of totalitarianism and the police state that existed in Russia,
Germany, and Italy and how they differ from authoritarian governments.
f. Explain the aggression and conflict leading to World War II in Europe and Asia; include
the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, the Spanish Civil War, the rape of Nanjing in China, and
the German annexation of the Sudetenland.
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
World History Unit 8: The World at War
Revised 12/03/08  Page 1 of 7
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
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SSWH18 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the global political, economic,
and social impact of World War II.
a. Describe the major conflicts and outcomes; include Pearl Harbor, El-Alamein, Stalingrad,
D-Day, Guadalcanal, the Philippines, and the end of the war in Europe and Asia.
b. Identify Nazi ideology, policies, and consequences that led to the Holocaust.
c. Explain the military and diplomatic negotiations between the leaders of Great Britain
(Churchill), the Soviet Union (Stalin), and the United States (Roosevelt/Truman) from
Teheran to Yalta and Potsdam and the impact on the nations of Eastern Europe.
d. Explain allied Post-World War II policies; include formation of the United Nations, the
Marshall Plan for Europe, and MacArthur’s plan for Japan.
Enduring Understandings/Essential Questions
The student will understand that when there is conflict between or within societies,
change is the result.
1. What were the long term causes that brought about military conflict in
1914?
2. How was World War I a war built on the new industrial technology?
3. In what ways did the Treaty of Versailles blame and punish Germany and
what decisions were made in regard to Germany’s colonies?
4. How did steps of aggression lead to the outbreak of World War II?
5. What was the significance of the attack on Pearl Harbor, El-Alamein,
Stalingrad, D-Day, Guadalcanal, the Philippines, and the end of the war in
Europe and Asia?
6. What were the results of the military and diplomatic negotiations between
the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union in the post World War II
era?
The student will understand that the culture of a society is the product of the
religion, beliefs, customs, traditions, and government of that society.
1. What was the impact of the war on science, art and social thinking?
2. How were the forces of nationalism increased by the outcomes of
World War I and World War II?
3. What were the beliefs and policies of Nazi ideology, and how did these ideas
lead to the Holocaust?
4. What were the beliefs and policies of Japanese ideology that led to
the rape of Nanjing?
The student will understand that as a society increases in complexity and interacts
with other societies, the complexity of the government also increases.
1. In what way was the Battle of Verdun an example of the new type of
warfare and what was its significance?
2. What were the conditions under which totalitarian governments and the police
state emerged in Russia, Germany, Italy and Russia?
3. What were the steps of aggression that led to the outbreak of World War II?
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
World History Unit 8: The World at War
Revised 12/03/08  Page 2 of 7
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
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The student will understand that the actions of individuals, groups, and/or
institutions affect society through intended and unintended consequences.
1.What were the results of the destabilization and collapse of the controlling
dynasties of Russia and Austria?
2.What role did Lenin and Stalin play in the conversion of Russia to the
communist Soviet Union?
3. How did Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler and Hirohito contribute to the rise
of fascism in Europe and Japan?
4. In what ways was nationalism fostered in their regions by Sun Yat Sen,
Mustafa Kemal Attaturk, and Mohandas Ghandi?
*NOTE: The balanced assessment plan included in this unit is presented as a series of suggested activities.
It is not expected that the teacher complete all assessments for a successful unit.
Balanced Assessment Plan
Description of Assessment
Students will create a cause and effect diagram to examine the long term causes
of World War I. Items on the diagram should include Balkan nationalism,
entangling alliances and militarism.
Students will examine primary sources of eyewitness accounts of life as a soldier
during World War I. They will write a “postcard” style response to a soldier
fighting the war reflecting an understanding of the conditions faced by the
soldier.
Students will complete an outline map of World War I with the location of the
Western Front and the battle of Verdun. Students should construct an annotation
or dialogue box on the map that lists the types of new technology the battle
would have used and stating the significance of the battle.
Students will participate in a simulation of the conference that led to the Treaty
of Versailles. As representatives from the victorious “Big Four” they should
determine the war guilt for Germany and its consequences. They should also
determine what the outcome for another of the defeated Central Powers, the
Ottoman Empire, should be. After the discussion, a review of the actual
agreements should be compared to the students’ conclusions.
Students should role play the characters of investigative reporters as they
examine the results of World War I and its treaty in changing political and
cultural ideas in Europe. They should in particular investigate the collapse of the
Romanov and Hapsburg dynasties and the impact of the war on science, art and
social thinking by identifying the cultural significance of Sigmund Freud, Albert
Einstein and Picasso. After each student gathers information on one of these, a
newspaper column should be created. The findings of all students should be
placed in newspaper format and then shared with the class.
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
World History Unit 8: The World at War
Revised 12/03/08  Page 3 of 7
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
Standard/ Type of Assessment
Element
16a
Structured response,
dialogue and
discussion
16b
Constructed response
16b
Structured response,
Constructed response
16c
Dialogue and
discussion
16d, 17a
Constructed response,
Dialogue and
discussion
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Cornell note-taking activity: Students will create a Cornell note-taking format
which will be constructed from written or oral information about the causes and
results of the Russian Revolution. Students will compare their notes with a
partner to determine accuracy, and then they will dialogue as to the elements
within Russian society they can observe that contributed to the establishment of
Stalin’s police state. These responses should be discussed with the broader class.
Students will create a chart with the characteristics of fascism as an ideology and
the characteristics of fascism found in Italy, Germany and Japan as they align
with the ideology. Students should analyze the elements for each nation which
may not fit with the ideology and respond to the question of “how might fascism
be discovered in modern times?”
Students will examine the rise of nationalism in China, Turkey and India through
examining the ideas and leadership of the leaders of the movements. They will
begin by reading biographical sketches of Sun Yat Sen, Kemal Attaturk and
Mohandas Ghandi. After reading the sketches, students will create a Venn
diagram in order to compare similarities and differences in the leaders.
Students will explore through brainstorming the meaning of police state and
authoritarian governments through an examination of Hitler’s Germany,
Mussolini’s Italy and Stalin’s Russia. They will construct a list of characteristics
of police state and find examples from each of the countries to illustrate that
characteristic. They will also determine the characteristics of authoritarian
government. They will then find examples of authoritarian governments and
give examples of the characteristics from those countries. (Examples of
authoritarian governments would be modern Saudi Arabia, China and
Zimbabwe). At this point, a dialogue will take place which seeks comparison of
the two lists of examples. After the dialogue, students will write a statement as
to how police states and authoritarian governments have similarities and
differences.
Students will use a map to locate the places where early aggressions prior to
World War II took place (the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, the Spanish Civil War,
the rape of Nanjing in China and the German annexation of the Sudetenland).
Students will write a statement on the map that makes a link between territorial
expansion, military arms buildup and the potential for broader warfare.
Students will assess the results for the victors and losers of each of the following
events of World War II: Pearl Harbor, El-Alamein, Stalingrad, D-Day,
Guadalcanal, the Philippines and the end of the war in Europe and Asia. This
assessment should be in the form of a chart that names the event, describes the
location and action that occurred and states the outcome.
Students will read an account of the Tehran conference and list the agreements
from that meeting. They should then write a statement for each agreement that
reflects its impact on the outcome of World War II
Students will participate in a simulation of the negotiations between Stalin,
Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt at Yalta.
Some students will play the role of the leaders, while others will portray their
advisors, creating groups representing each of the three nations. They will be
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
World History Unit 8: The World at War
Revised 12/03/08  Page 4 of 7
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
17b, 17e
Structured response,
Dialogue and
discussion
17c
Structured response,
dialogue and
discussion
17d
Constructed response
17e, 18b
Constructed response,
Dialogue and
discussion
17d
Constructed response,
structured response
18a
Constructed response
18c
Constructed response
18d
Dialogue and
discussion
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given the task of determining the border and establishing a government for
Poland, establishing the General Assembly of the United Nations and how to
divide Germany into occupation zones. After participating in the discussions,
students should compare their conclusions with the agreements from the Yalta
conference. They should then read about the continuing difficulty of shaping the
post-war world at the Potsdam conference.
Additional Tasks Added (7/14/08)
Near the end of a unit on World War II and its results, each student will be
assigned one of the economic re-development plans, either Marshall’s or
Macarthur’s. They are to research and record the “who, what, when, where, why
and how” of the plan. Once their research is complete, the students are to
describe the information in a newspaper article form with the goal of informing
the public of what this plan entails. Once the articles are complete, they will
share their article with one other student who did the opposite plan, and they will
read their partner’s article also. Working as a pair, the students will create a Venn
diagram comparing and contrasting the two plans. The Venn diagram will
include the successes or failures associated with the plans that could not be
discussed in the newspaper articles that were to introduce the plans to the public
prior to implementation.
In comparing the totalitarian governments of Russia, Germany, and Italy,
students will determine the characteristics shared by totalitarian governments.
They will contrast these characteristics with traits shared by authoritarian
governments. Students will then create a road map that eventually leads to
Totalitaria and Authoritaria. Students will portray the traits of both governments
as road signs, road hazards, side streets, etc, explaining the path which leads to
these types of governments. Analysis of the road map should show the
similarities and differences between the two forms of government.
2008 marks the 60th anniversary of President Truman signing the Marshall Plan
into law. Students are to be assigned teams that will compete in creating a
monument or mural which depicts the significance of this legislation and its
impact on the present. Teams will share their proposals with the class including
the significance of the piece of art that they created.
Near the end of a unit on World War II and its results, each student will be
assigned one of the economic re-development plans, either Marshall’s or
Macarthur’s. They are to research and record the “who, what, when, where, why
and how” of the plan. Once their research is complete, the students are to
describe the information in a newspaper article form with the goal of informing
the public of what this plan entails. Once the articles are complete, they will
share their article with one other student who did the opposite plan, and they will
read their partner’s article also. Working as a pair, the students will create a Venn
diagram comparing and contrasting the two plans. The Venn diagram will
include the successes or failures associated with the plans that could not be
discussed in the newspaper articles that were to introduce the plans to the public
prior to implementation.
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
World History Unit 8: The World at War
Revised 12/03/08  Page 5 of 7
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
SSWH
18d
Constructed
Response, Dialogue /
Discussion,
Observation
17e
*Constructed
response,
*Dialogue/Discussion
18d
*Constructed
response,
*Dialogue/Discussion
SSWH
18d
Constructed
Response, Dialogue /
Discussion,
Observation
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Sample Test Items
How did the Marshall Plan, implemented after World War II,
affect Western Europe?
A. It bolstered the economy. *
B. It decreased tensions between political opponents.
C. It helped soldiers returning from war find housing.
D. It increased the sale of handguns to private citizens.
The totalitarian states of Russia, Germany, and Italy were alike
in that
A. they were all anti-communist.
B. They were anti-religion in nature.
C. They exploited mass communication.
D. Capitalism was rejected in favor of socialism.
SSWH
18d
A
17e
C
Allied post –World War II policies were different from postWorld War I policies because
A. the United States withdrew from global affairs after
World War II.
B. The United States rejected isolationism after World
War II where they had embraced it after World War I.
C. The issue of communism was not a major factor
influencing political decisions after World War II.
D. The issue of colonial empires was not a major factor
influencing political decisions after World War II.
18d
B
FOR SAMPLE PERFORMANCE TASKS FOR THIS
UNIT, PLEASE VISIT
http://www.georgiastandards.org/socialstudiesframework.aspx
Resources for Unit
http://www.worldwar1.com/
Russian Revolution:
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/archives/intro.html
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Russian-Revolution.htm
Stalin:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/stalin_joseph.shtml
Sun Yat Sen
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MODCHINA/SUN.HTM
http://www.time.com/time/asia/asia/magazine/1999/990823/sun_yat_sen1.html
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
World History Unit 8: The World at War
Revised 12/03/08  Page 6 of 7
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
One Stop Shop For Educators
Kamal Ataturk:
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+tr0020)
Mohandas Gandhi:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/gandhi_mohandas.shtml
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Gandhi/gandhi.html
fascism”
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/mussolini-fascism.html
http://www.britannia.com/history/euro/3/2_2.html
World War II:
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/worldwarII/
http://www.grolier.com/wwii/wwii_i.html
http://www.ushmm.org/holocaust/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WW.htm
End of the war:
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/wwii/yalta.htm
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/
Marshall Plan:
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/democrac/57.htm
http://www.marshallfoundation.org/chronology.html
http://www.oecd.org/document/10/0,3343,en_2649_201185_1876938_1_1_1_1,00.html
United Nations:
http://www.un.org/Overview/milesto4.htm
Picasso:
http://picasso.tamu.edu/picasso/
Freud:
http://www.time.com/time/time100/scientist/profile/freud.html
*UNIT CONTRIBUTORS: Martha Battle, Sonia Carlyle, Sean Costa, Deborah Heckwolf, Mary Ann King,
and Alphus Spears.
Additional input provided by the GaDOE Social Studies Staff and the Social Studies Advisory Council.
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
World History Unit 8: The World at War
Revised 12/03/08  Page 7 of 7
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved