Core Study: Power and Authority in the Modern World 1919-1946

11 dot points across 4 inquiry questions, in syllabus order. Each dot point has a focused answer, with exam-style questions and worked answers where available.

Focus Study 1: The peace and the rise of dictatorships, 1919-1939

The peace treaties that ended World War I, including the Treaty of Versailles, and the impact of these settlements on Germany and on the post-war international order

Treaty of Versailles. The terms (Article 231, reparations, territorial losses, military restrictions), the immediate political impact in Germany, and the verdict of historians such as Margaret MacMillan and A.J.P. Taylor.

9 min read →

The conditions that gave rise to dictatorship in Italy, including Mussolini's rise to power 1919 to 1925 and the establishment of the Fascist state

Mussolini's rise to power. The Biennio Rosso, the squadristi, the March on Rome (October 1922), the Matteotti crisis, the Leggi Fascistissime (1925-1926), and the verdict of historians including Duggan and Gentile.

8 min read →

The conditions that gave rise to dictatorship in Germany, including Hitler's rise to power 1919 to 30 January 1933, the failures of the Weimar Republic, and the collapse of parliamentary politics

Hitler's rise to power. The Weimar weaknesses, the 1923 Munich Putsch, the impact of the Depression, the 1932 elections, the appointment of Hitler as Chancellor on 30 January 1933, and the verdict of historians including Kershaw, Bullock, and Evans.

11 min read →

The conditions that gave rise to dictatorship in the USSR, including Stalin's rise to power after Lenin's death in 1924 and his consolidation through the late 1920s

Stalin's rise to power. The succession struggle after Lenin's death (1924), Lenin's Testament, Stalin's tactical alliances against Trotsky, Zinoviev, Kamenev, and Bukharin, and the verdict of historians including Figes and Service.

8 min read →

The search for peace and security after WWI, and the rise of dictatorships and militarism, including the breakdown of Taisho democracy and the rise of militarism and ultranationalism in Japan and Japanese expansion in the Asia-Pacific

HSC Modern History Core Study on the rise of militarism in Japan. The collapse of Taisho democracy, the Depression, ultranationalism and the army, the Mukden Incident (1931), the China War (1937), the Tripartite Pact (1940) and the road to Pearl Harbor, with the verdicts of Maruyama, Beasley and Bix.

9 min read →

Focus Study 2: The Nazi state 1933-1939

The nature of the Nazi state 1933 to 1939, including the role of terror and propaganda, the polycratic structure of government, economic policy, and the impact on women, youth, and churches

Nature of the Nazi state. The polycratic structure, the role of the SS and Gestapo, propaganda under Goebbels, economic recovery under Schacht and the Four-Year Plan, and the historiographical debate between intentionalists and structuralists.

10 min read →

The methods by which the Nazi regime consolidated power between January 1933 and August 1934, including the Reichstag Fire, the Enabling Act, Gleichschaltung, the Night of the Long Knives, and the death of Hindenburg

Nazi consolidation of power. The Reichstag Fire, the Enabling Act, Gleichschaltung, the Night of the Long Knives, and the death of Hindenburg, with the verdict of Kershaw and Bracher.

9 min read →

The development of Nazi racial policy 1933 to 1939, including the Nuremberg Laws (1935) and Kristallnacht (1938), and the historiographical debate over the path to the Holocaust

Nazi racial policy 1933 to 1939. The 1933 boycott, the Nuremberg Laws (1935), Kristallnacht (1938), the historiographical debate between Dawidowicz and Mommsen, and the path from persecution to the Final Solution.

10 min read →

Focus Study 3: The search for peace and security 1919-1946

The League of Nations and the system of collective security, including the major crises of the 1930s (Manchuria 1931, Abyssinia 1935, Rhineland 1936) and the reasons for the League's failure

League of Nations. The structure, the major crises (Manchuria, Abyssinia, Rhineland), the reasons for failure, and the verdict of historians including Northedge and Henig.

9 min read →

The policy of appeasement and the road to war, including the Anschluss (1938), Munich Agreement (1938), the Nazi-Soviet Pact (1939), and the invasion of Poland

Appeasement. The Anschluss, the Munich Agreement, the Nazi-Soviet Pact, the invasion of Poland, and the historiographical debate between A.J.P. Taylor and Richard Overy.

12 min read →

Focus Study 4: The conduct of WWII and the post-war settlement

The conduct of World War II and the post-war settlement, including the major turning points 1939 to 1945, the Holocaust, the use of the atomic bomb, and the Nuremberg Trials

Conduct of WWII and the post-war settlement. The turning points (Stalingrad, Midway, D-Day), the Holocaust, the atomic bomb debate (Alperovitz vs Frank), the Nuremberg Trials, and the formation of the United Nations.

11 min read →