Yr 10 History: The Modern World and Australia -

Historical Concepts & Skills

Causes and Effects of World War Two Development of People’s Rights and Freedoms
 • Our understanding of the past based on
available evidence.
• Historians are interested in all aspects
of the past and seek to piece together
accurate pictures of what life was like in
days gone by.
• Historians ask questions, form opinions
and theories, locate and analyse
sources, and use evidence from these
sources to develop an informed
explanation about the past.
• Historians make sense of the past so we
can understand the present.
• It allows us to acknowledge what has
happened before today, both positive
and negative, and inform our decisions
in the future.
• Studying history allows the
development of valuable skills such as
gathering evidence, critical thinking, the
inquiry process and communication
skills.

What is history?
Historical Concepts: (1) • Information gathered
EVIDENCE from historical sources
and can be used to
establish a fact or
support an argument.
• In History, evidence is
the information
obtained from sources
that is valuable for a
particular inquiry.
• Evidence can also be
used to help construct a
historical narrative.
 Types of Historical Evidence: Primary
• In History, primary sources are objects and
documents created or written during the time
being investigated, for example during an event or
very soon after it.
• Examples of primary sources include official
documents, such as laws and treaties; personal
documents, such as diaries and letters;
photographs; film; and documentaries.
• These original, first-hand accounts are analysed by
the historian to answer questions about the past.
• A primary source can also be unprocessed, original
materials collected by the students, for example,
field notes from observations, measurements taken
from experiments, or responses received from a
survey or questionnaire.

1939: Poster: ‘One people, one Country,

one Leader!’
Types of Historical Evidence:
Secondary
• Secondary sources are materials that have been collected,
processed, interpreted and published by others, for
example, census data, documentaries, newspaper articles,
textbooks and images; or information in a published
report, or from a website.
• In History, secondary sources are accounts about the past
that were created after the time being investigated and
which often use or refer to primary sources and present a
particular interpretation.
 Evidence is obtained from historical sources
• Can be used to establish a fact or
to support an argument
• evidence needs to be assessed in
terms of:
– relevance
– reliability
– bias
– consistency (within and between
other sources)

Entrance to the Auschwitz-Birkenau, Poland, the best-

known of the concentration and extermination camps
operated by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust.
(2) CONTINUITY & CHANGE
• Over time some things stay the same, while others
change.
• Aspects of the past that have remained the same over
time – continuity.
• Aspects of the past that do not stay the same – change.
• Change can occur within a certain civilisation or specific
time period, but also across different civilisations and time
periods.

WW2 Australian propaganda poster

 (3) CAUSE & EFFECT
• Aims to identify, examine and
analyse the reasons why events
have occurred and the resulting
consequences or outcomes (short
term/long term; negative/positive;
minimal/major).
• Sometimes the link between cause
and effect is very clear however
often this link is not so obvious.

Top: Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour, Hawaii

Bottom: Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
 (4) PERSPECTIVES
• Perspectives is a point of view – the
position from which people see and
understand events going on in the
world around them.
• People will have different points of
view about a particular event, person,
civilisation or artefact depending on
their age, gender, social position,
beliefs and values.
• This can influence their interpretation
Scene from the 2002 movie Rabbit-Proof Fence depicting of the past and the way in which they
the removal of Aboriginal children from their families. write about it.
The movie was inspired by real events and testimonies.
 (5) EMPATHY
• Helps us understand the impact
of past events on particular
individuals or groups.
• The ability to ‘walk in someone
else’s shoes’.
Anne Frank, a German-Dutch girl of Jewish origin who,
together with her family, were hidden in a secret room in
Amsterdam from 1942 to 1944, during the German
occupation of the Netherlands . She documented her
experiences in a diary, which has become one of the world's
best known books. Her family was betrayed and she died in a
concentration camp at the age of 15.
(6) SIGNIFICANCE
• The importance assigned to aspects of the
past.
• Includes people, events, developments,
discoveries, movements and historical sites.
• History is full of many important events,
significant people and interesting places and
historians need to make a judgement about
what is worthy of study.
• Can be examined from the time an event took
place, or from today looking back. Eg Gallipoli
landing in 1915 and ANZAC Day this year.
• Uses both primary and secondary historical
evidence

Australian War Memorial, opened 1941, looking toward the Hall of Memory,
containing the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier, with an eternal flame in
the foreground.
(7) CONTESTABILITY
• Relates to explanations or interpretations of past events
that are open to debate.
• Historians have access to different sources of historical
evidence which can lead historians to draw different
conclusions.
• History is open to debate - there is often no right answer.
• Historians are always seeking a more complete
understanding of the past.
• Historical evidence can be challenged for its accuracy and
the way it has been interpreted.
 HISTORICAL SKILLS: Analysis and Use of Historical Evidence

Topics You Need to Know This Term: Punch, 12 April 1939

(1) Origin
(2) Purpose
(3) Message
(4) Usefulness
(5) Perspectives
(6) Contestability
(7) Analytical historical paragraphs
 (1) Origin
• What type of source is it?
– primary/secondary
• Who wrote, produced or made
the source?
• When was the source written,
produced or made?
• Where does the source come
from?

A scene from a Nazi propaganda film: ‘Triumph of the

Will’, 1934
(2) Purpose
• Why was the source written or created?
• Was it to inform (reliable), or persuade (unreliable)?
• What was the intended outcome from creating the
source?
• Who was the intended audience?
• Does the author have anything to gain from the source?

WW2 propaganda poster displayed in Australia, c. 1941

(3) Message

• What is the main idea conveyed in the

source that the author/creator wants
you to believe?
• What are the main elements in a
source such as date of publication;
origin; written and visual information.
 (4) Usefulness
• How useful is the source in providing
information about the topic being
studied?
• All sources (primary and secondary)
have strengths and weaknesses as
representations of the past.
• A source’s usefulness will be impacted
by the type of source it is; its origin;
purpose; the content it covers;
reliability; relevance; bias.
• Even propaganda is useful as it provides
an insight into the values of the period.
Is this 1942 poster useful to learn about the role of women during
in Australia during the WW2? Strengths/weaknesses?
(5) Perspectives (point of
view)

• What is the (point of view) from which the source sees

and understands events going on around them?
• People’s view of the past can be influenced by age,
gender, social position, beliefs and values.
• Can be analysed by examining the motive, bias, time,
place and purpose of a source/author.
• For example, commonly held Australian views regarding
immigration during the White Australia Policy period of
the early 1900s are very different to those views held day.
(6) Contestability
• Is a particular interpretation of the past open to debate
and can it be challenged?
• This may be due to a: (i) lack of evidence; or (ii)
different perspectives.
• Historians can interpret historical evidence differently
and can draw different conclusions.
• Often there is a popular narrative regarding an aspect
of the past, but another version of the past exists.
(7) Analytical historical
paragraphs
•Topic Sentence: The Main IDEA in the paragraph
•Explanation: 2-3 key points expanding on the Main
Idea
•Evidence: Information to support your Main
Idea/Explanation (facts; data; opinions)
•(NOTE: Explanation and evidence sentences may
alternate, and do not necessarily need to be separated
within the paragraph)
•Linking Sentence: Reference back to the Main Idea of
the paragraph
•Example on next slide:
 How did the T: On 7 December 1941 Japan launched a surprise attack on the United
States naval fleet stationed at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, resulting in the
Japanese American declaration of war the next day, plunging he world into a truly
world war.
bombing of Ex/Ev: Japan and the United States had been edging toward war for
decades. The United States was particularly unhappy with the Japanese
Pearl Harbour invasion of China in 1937 and in response had introduced economic and
trade sanctions limiting Japan’s capacity to fuel its expansionism in Asia.
contribute to Japan planned to eliminate the United States Pacific Fleet stationed at
Pearl Harbour to limit their capacity to obstruct Japan’s armed forces
the causes of spreading across Asia. The Japanese surprise attack crippled or
destroyed nearly 20 ships, more than 300 planes, with 2403 Americans
World War Two? killed and about 1000 wounded. After the attack, and for the first time
in many years, there was an American determination to go to war. On 8
December Congress approved President Roosevelt’s declaration of war
on Japan. Three days later, Japan’s allies Germany and Italy declared
war against the United States. The United States reciprocated, making it
now a world war spanning many continents, two years after Germany
had invaded Poland.
L: By bombing Pearl Harbour Japan forced the USA to declare war and
enter not only the Asian theatre of war, but also the European theatre
of war, ultimately contributing to the defeat of Japan and Germany.
 Assessments
• History Inquiry (distributed Week 1 and submitted Week 6)
– How can we give a ‘voice to the past’ and convey the significance of World War Two?
• Semester 1 Exam (Term 2):
– 10 Multiple Choice questions; Short Answer (10 marks); Extended Answer (10 marks)
Topics:
– The impact of World War II, with a particular emphasis on the Australian home front,
including the changing roles of women and use of wartime government controls (e.g.
conscription, manpower controls, rationing, censorship)
– The background to the struggle of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples for
rights and freedoms before 1965, including the 1938 Day of Mourning and the Stolen
Generations