History

Course summary

Three Units are taught during Year 12. One unit is only taught in Year 12 and the other two are taught across Years 12 and 13. The following unit is only taught in Year 12: The Crusades and the Crusader States 1095-1192 (Option Y203 worth 15% of the full qualification). Students will investigate the causes, events and consequences of the first crusade and the establishment of the crusader states. The causes and events of the second and third crusades. Additionally, they will assess the political, economic, social and religious issues facing the Middle East. The following two units are taught across Year 12 and Year 13: Russia and its Rulers 1855-1964 (Option Y318 worth 40% of the full qualification) This is a thematic study which focuses on the nature of Russian government and its impact on the Russian people and society. By the end, students should understand the similarities and differences between the autocratic rule of the tsars to 1917 and the subsequent Communist dictatorship. The themes investigated are the nature of government, the impact of dictatorships upon the economy and society of the Russian Empire and the USSR, the impact of war and revolution on the development of the Russian Empire and the USSR and Russia: empire, nationalities and satellite states. Students will also engage with the depth studies of Alexander II’s domestic reforms, The Provisional Government and Khrushchev in power 1956-1964. Britain 1930 - 1997 (Option Y113 worth 25% of the full qualification) Students will investigate the political history of Britain from 1930-1997. They will explore the workings of parliament, the key battles between the Conservative and Labour Parties and the development of the modern British political landscape. There is also a particular focus on the career of Churchill from 1930-1951, which is explored through primary sources from the period. Here they will investigate the opinions and decisions of Churchill and separate the man from the myth.