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VICModern History← Modern History syllabus

Unit 1: Change and conflict (1918 to 1939)

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

What challenges did democratic states face in the 1920s, and why did some succeed while others struggled?

The challenges facing democratic states in the 1920s, including the Weimar Republic in Germany, post-war Britain and France, the United States in the 'Roaring Twenties', and the changing role of women

VCE Modern History Unit 1 key knowledge point on democratic states in the 1920s. The Weimar Republic in Germany (hyperinflation 1923, Dawes Plan, Stresemann era), post-war Britain and France, the United States in the Roaring Twenties (Prohibition, mass culture, consumer boom), and women's enfranchisement and changing social roles.

8 min read →

Why did collective security fail and how did Europe slide into WWII between 1931 and 1939?

the collapse of collective security and the events that led to WWII, including Manchuria (1931), Abyssinia (1935), the Rhineland (1936), the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939), Anschluss (1938), Munich (1938), and the invasion of Poland (1939)

Collapse of collective security 1931 to 1939. Manchuria, Abyssinia, the Rhineland, the Spanish Civil War, Anschluss, the Munich Agreement, the Nazi-Soviet Pact, the invasion of Poland, and the verdicts of A.J.P. Taylor and Richard Overy.

11 min read →

How did WWI and the Treaty of Versailles reshape Europe between 1918 and the early 1920s?

the consequences of WWI, including the collapse of empires, the Treaty of Versailles (June 1919), the League of Nations, and the political and economic instability of the immediate post-war period

Consequences of WWI. The collapse of the German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman empires, the Treaty of Versailles, the territorial settlement, reparations, the League of Nations, and the verdicts of Margaret MacMillan and Ruth Henig.

9 min read →

How did World War I and its peace settlement reshape Europe between 1918 and the early 1920s?

The impact of WWI on Europe, the collapse of empires, the Treaty of Versailles (June 1919) and the post-war territorial and political settlement

VCE Modern History Unit 1 key knowledge point on the impact of WWI. The collapse of the German, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires, the Treaty of Versailles, key terms (war guilt, reparations, territorial losses, disarmament), the League of Nations, and the political and economic instability of the post-war period.

8 min read →

How did authoritarian regimes consolidate power in the 1930s, and how did this lead to the collapse of collective security?

The rise and consolidation of authoritarian regimes in the 1930s (Nazi Germany from 1933, Stalinist USSR, militarist Japan), aggressive foreign policy, the failure of collective security, and the path to WWII

VCE Modern History Unit 1 key knowledge point on the 1930s. Nazi consolidation in Germany (1933-1934), the Great Terror in the USSR (1936-1938), militarist Japan in Manchuria (1931) and China (1937), the collapse of collective security (Abyssinia 1935, Rhineland 1936, Anschluss 1938, Czechoslovakia 1938-1939, Munich Agreement, invasion of Poland 1 September 1939).

9 min read →

Why did fascism, Nazism and communism rise as competing ideologies in interwar Europe?

the rise of ideologies in the interwar period, including fascism, Nazism, communism, and the appeal of authoritarianism over liberal democracy after WWI

Rise of ideologies between 1918 and 1939. Liberal democracy in retreat, the core ideas and texts of fascism, Nazism and communism, the social bases of each movement, and the verdicts of Robert Paxton and Ian Kershaw.

8 min read →

What ideologies emerged or grew in the interwar period, and why did they appeal?

The rise of communism (Bolshevik Revolution 1917, Soviet Russia), fascism (Mussolini's March on Rome 1922), and Nazism (Hitler and the NSDAP), and the appeal of authoritarian and totalitarian ideologies in the interwar period

VCE Modern History Unit 1 key knowledge point on the rise of ideologies. The Bolshevik Revolution (1917) and the foundation of communism; Mussolini's fascism in Italy (March on Rome 1922); Hitler's Nazism in Germany; the common features of totalitarianism; and why authoritarianism appealed in the interwar context.

9 min read →

How did the experience of women change between 1918 and 1939 in Europe and the United States?

the experience of women between 1918 and 1939, including the expansion of suffrage, women's work and the New Woman, the reversal of gains under fascist and Nazi regimes, and women in Stalin's USSR and the United States

Women's experience between 1918 and 1939. Women's suffrage after WWI, the New Woman, women's work, fascist and Nazi reversal, Soviet women under Stalin, American women in the Depression and New Deal, and the verdicts of Susan Kingsley Kent and Mary Nolan.

8 min read →

How did authoritarian regimes consolidate power in Italy and Germany between 1922 and 1939?

the rise and consolidation of authoritarian regimes, including Mussolini's Italy (1922 to 1939) and Hitler's Germany (1933 to 1939), covering the seizure of power, the dismantling of constitutional government, and the construction of one-party rule

Rise and consolidation of authoritarian regimes. Mussolini's March on Rome (1922), the Matteotti crisis (1924), the Acerbo Law, the Lateran Treaties (1929), Hitler's appointment as Chancellor (1933), the Reichstag Fire Decree, the Enabling Act, the Night of the Long Knives, and the verdicts of Robert Paxton and Ian Kershaw.

10 min read →

How did Stalinism transform Soviet society and culture between 1928 and 1939?

social and cultural change in Stalin's USSR 1928 to 1939, including the First and Second Five-Year Plans, collectivisation, the Great Terror, socialist realism, the experience of women and workers, and the role of state propaganda

Stalinist social and cultural change. The First Five-Year Plan, collectivisation and dekulakisation, the Holodomor, urbanisation, the Stakhanovite movement, the 1936 Constitution, the Great Terror, socialist realism, women's lives, and the verdicts of Sheila Fitzpatrick and Robert Service.

9 min read →

How did culture in Germany change from Weimar pluralism to Nazi Gleichschaltung between 1919 and 1939?

continuity and change in social and cultural life in Germany 1919 to 1939, including Weimar culture (Bauhaus, cabaret, expressionism, cinema, the New Woman) and the Nazi Gleichschaltung of culture, education and the family after 1933

Cultural change in Germany 1919 to 1939. Weimar Berlin cabaret, the Bauhaus, expressionist cinema (Caligari, Metropolis, M), the New Woman, Nazi Gleichschaltung after 1933, the Reich Chamber of Culture, the Degenerate Art exhibition (1937), and the verdicts of Peter Gay and Peter Fritzsche.

9 min read →

How did art, modernism and mass culture change between 1918 and 1939?

continuity and change in art, design, literature, music, cinema, radio and popular culture between 1918 and 1939, including modernism, mass media, jazz, Hollywood, and the use of culture by ideological regimes

Art, modernism and mass culture between 1918 and 1939. The high modernism of the 1920s, the Bauhaus and surrealism, the rise of radio and Hollywood, jazz across the Atlantic, the Great Depression's cultural impact, and the verdicts of Modris Eksteins and Eric Hobsbawm.

8 min read →

How did the early stages of WWII reshape Europe?

Analyse the early stages of WWII in Europe (1939-1941), including the invasion of Poland, the fall of France (May-June 1940), the Battle of Britain (July-October 1940), and Operation Barbarossa (June 1941)

VCE Modern History Unit 1 key knowledge point on the early stages of WWII. Invasion of Poland (September 1939), the Phoney War, the German invasion of Scandinavia (April 1940), the fall of France (May-June 1940), Dunkirk evacuation, the Battle of Britain (July-October 1940), the Blitz, the Mediterranean and North African campaigns, and Operation Barbarossa (June 1941).

6 min read →

Why was the Spanish Civil War a defining ideological conflict of the 1930s?

Analyse the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) as an ideological proxy for the wider European conflict between fascism, communism and liberal democracy, including foreign intervention by Germany, Italy and the USSR, and the policy of non-intervention

VCE Modern History Unit 1 key knowledge point on the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Origins in the Second Republic (1931), the July 1936 uprising, German and Italian intervention, Soviet support and International Brigades, Anglo-French non-intervention, Guernica (April 1937), and Franco's victory (April 1939).

6 min read →

How did Japan's rise to militarism produce the Pacific War?

Analyse the development of Japanese militarism between 1931 and 1941, including the invasion of Manchuria (1931), the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937), the Tripartite Pact (1940), and the attack on Pearl Harbor (December 1941)

VCE Modern History Unit 1 key knowledge point on Japan's path to war. The Mukden Incident and invasion of Manchuria (1931), the Manchukuo puppet state, the failure of the League of Nations, the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) including the Nanjing Massacre, the Tripartite Pact (1940), US oil embargo (1941), and the attack on Pearl Harbor (7 December 1941).

6 min read →

How did Hitler consolidate the Nazi regime, 1933-1939?

Analyse the consolidation of Nazi power in Germany 1933-1939, including the Reichstag Fire (February 1933), the Enabling Act (March 1933), the Night of the Long Knives (June 1934), the Nuremberg Laws (1935), the Four Year Plan (1936), and the path to war

VCE Modern History Unit 1 key knowledge point on Nazi Germany 1933-1939. Reichstag Fire (February 1933), Enabling Act, one-party state, Night of the Long Knives (June 1934), Nuremberg Laws (1935), Four Year Plan (1936), Anschluss (1938), Kristallnacht (1938), Munich and the invasion of Poland (1939).

7 min read →

How did the Great Depression reshape interwar politics?

Analyse the global impact of the Great Depression on democratic and authoritarian regimes, including its origins (Wall Street Crash 1929), its effects on Germany, the United States, Britain and Australia, and its role in producing the political polarisation of the 1930s

VCE Modern History Unit 1 key knowledge point on the Great Depression. Wall Street Crash (October 1929), spread to Europe via the collapse of US loans, mass unemployment ( $25$ % US, $30$ % Germany), responses (Hoover vs Roosevelt's New Deal, German austerity, British orthodoxy, Australian Premiers' Plan), and the political polarisation that fed authoritarianism.

6 min read →

Why did appeasement fail to prevent WWII?

Analyse the path to the Second World War, including German rearmament (1935), the remilitarisation of the Rhineland (1936), the Anschluss with Austria (March 1938), the Munich Agreement (September 1938), the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (August 1939), and the British and French policy of appeasement

VCE Modern History Unit 1 key knowledge point on the road to WWII. Hitler's foreign-policy revisionism, German rearmament (1935), Rhineland remilitarisation (1936), Anschluss (1938), Munich Agreement (1938), dismemberment of Czechoslovakia (1939), Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (1939), and the appeasement debate.

7 min read →

Why did the Weimar Republic collapse?

Analyse the political, economic and social challenges faced by the Weimar Republic between 1918 and 1933, including the impact of the Treaty of Versailles, hyperinflation (1923), the Great Depression, and the political fragility that enabled the Nazi rise to power

VCE Modern History Unit 1 key knowledge point on Weimar Germany. The November Revolution (1918), the Weimar Constitution (1919), Treaty of Versailles impact, hyperinflation (1923), Stresemann era (1924-1929), the Great Depression, and the political crisis that brought Hitler to power (January 1933).

7 min read →

How did Stalin consolidate power and transform the Soviet Union?

Analyse the consolidation of Stalin's power and the transformation of Soviet society and economy through the Five-Year Plans (from 1928), collectivisation, and the Great Terror (1936-1938)

VCE Modern History Unit 1 key knowledge point on Stalin's USSR. The succession struggle 1924-1928, the Five-Year Plans, collectivisation and the Ukrainian famine (Holodomor) 1932-1933, the Great Terror (1936-1938) including the Moscow show trials, and the social and cultural transformation of the USSR.

7 min read →

How did Mussolini consolidate fascism in Italy?

Analyse Mussolini's rise to power (March on Rome 1922) and the establishment of the Fascist state in Italy 1922-1939, including the use of violence, the corporate state, the Lateran Pacts (1929) and the invasion of Ethiopia (1935)

VCE Modern History Unit 1 key knowledge point on Italian fascism. Origins in the Biennio Rosso (1919-1920) and the Fasci di Combattimento (1919), the March on Rome (October 1922), the Matteotti murder (1924), the Acerbo Law, the corporate state, the Lateran Pacts (1929) and the Ethiopian invasion (1935-1936).

7 min read →