Social Studies - World History

Goal 1 Political Systems | Goal 2 Peoples of the Nation and World |Goal 3 Geography |Goal 4 Economics | Learning Objects

GOAL 1

Political Systems

Western Civilizations – The Online textbook by W. W. Norton. This Web site features a top section, reviews, summaries, outlines, quizzes, crossword puzzles. Multimedia resources are indexed with each chapter. Students can control a moveable timeline across the top of each page for further exploration.

Political Systems: An Introduction - This site is designed to aid students in reviewing political systems and the concept of citizenship throughout history.

Country Studies: Library of Congress - The Country Studies Series presents a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world.

The Middle Ages: Feudal Life - What was it really like to live in the Middle Ages?

Feudal Institutions

End of Europe's Middle Ages - This Web site is designed to assist those students studying the Renaissance and Reformation eras. This interactive tutorial is presented in a series of chapters that summarize the economic, political, religious and intellectual environment of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.

The Age of Enlightenment - This Web site highlights the important personalities and the main currents of thought associated with the Age of Enlightenment.

The European Enlightenment - is designed as a learning module in the form of a "research textbook." From a historical perspective, the module is written from a world systems standpoint. The module is designed to highlight the similarities and differences between Enlightenment Europe and other cultures during the historical period and after.

Industrial Revolution - The prosperity of the Victorian age was built on a period of rapid economic growth that had its roots in the Industrial Revolution. Christine MacLeod traces its development and shows that the process owes as much to evolution as revolution. This site has quizzes and an interactive Flash Game. (Interactive)

BBC Industrial Revolution - On this site you'll find in-depth articles, multimedia (like games, virtual tours and animations) as well as bite-size material like timelines and short biographies of historic figures. All is designed for you to get more out of your interest in History.

The Russian Revolution - This Web site offers a series of 15 minute Audio/visual lectures about the history of Russia. After each lecture students may take an interactive quiz. (Real Player)

The History Guide: Lectures on Twentieth Century Europe - The Russian Revolution - Welcome to The History Guide's Lectures on Twentieth Century Europe. The lectures presented here are between five and ten pages in length and are meant to be downloaded and printed.

Library of Congress - A Country Study: Russia - The Country Studies Series presents a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world.

History of China - Part of the e-museum at Minnesota State University, this Web site is well-organized into easy-to-navigate tables of Chinese History. Students can choose from Ancient China, Early Imperial China, Classical Imperial China, or Later Imperial China. A map and timeline are included.

Legacy of Ancient China Research Model -

Searching for China WebQuest - This site allows students to join a team and take on a role (foreign investor, human rights worker, museum curator, state senator, or religious leader). Students work together to create a special report that makes sense of this complex country. Teacher's Guide is included.

Apartheid Museum - The Apartheid Museum opened in 2001 and is acknowledged as the pre-eminent museum in the world dealing with 20 th century South Africa , at the heart of which is the apartheid story.

South Africa: A Country Study - The Country Studies Area Handbook Series offers a comprehensive look at South Africa, its history, society, education, culture, economy, politics, foreign relations, national defense, and criminal justice.

The Story of Africa - See the rise and fall of empires and kingdoms, experience the power of religion, the injustices of slavery, and chart the expansion of trade between Africa and other continents. (Interactive/Auditory)

African Voices - African Voices is a permanent exhibition that examines the diversity, dynamism, and global influence of Africa’s peoples and cultures over time in the realms of family, work, community, and the natural environment.

Africa - If you have ever wondered what it's like to live on the vast Serengeti plains, or experience the intense beauty of a Sahara night, AFRICA will take you there.

African Timelines - This excellent resource from Central Oregon Community College features five different timelines: Ancient Africa, African Empires, African Slave Trade & European Imperialism, Anti-Colonialism & Reconstruction, and Post-Independence Africa and Contemporary Trends.

Wonders of the African World - Join Henry Louis Gates, Jr. as he takes you on a journey to discover a wealth of African history and culture in Wonders of the African World."

Mr. Dowling's African History Page - Mr. Dowling's Electronic Passport is a journey through time and space. Educators can download lessons and homework assignments.

French Revolution - History Channel - Timeline of the Revolution and an interactive game.

History Wiz: French Revolution - The mission of this site is to promote an interest in history, to help us understand where we have been so we can know where we are going, and to provide high-quality history materials to everyone.

The Salacious Historian: 17th Century France and England - The Baroque Living History Society aims to recreate, as authentically as possible, the richness and diversity of the Baroque age in the period 1660-1715. Delve into the rich culture and history of France and the United Kingdom during the 17th century. Images of rulers, coins and paintings from the Baroque era accompany the text.

Reformation: Protestant England - World Cultures is the culmination of over two years of web-based teaching and learning. The site combines the reading and course materials of two World Cultures courses taught using web-based materials. The texts, glossary, and learning modules are intended to be accessible and usable for high school level students and advanced undergraduates.

A Mighty Fortress is Our God: Martin Luther - This Web site, maintained by the Luther Memorial Foundation of Saxony-Anhalt, presents a well-balanced view of Martin Luther and his influence in the world. Topics include: Legends of Luther, World in 1500, Timeline of Luther's life, and the important people in his life.

European Voyages of Exploration - During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries Portugal and Spain pioneered the European discovery of sea routes that were the first channels of interaction between all of the world's continents, thus beginning the process of globalization in which we all live today. This Online tutorial examines the geographical, technological, economic, political, and cultural patterns of that era. Animated maps show trade/exploration routes.

The Mariners' Museum: Age of Exploration - An Online Curriculum Guide that addresses maritime discovery from ancient times through Captain Cooks 1768 voyage to the South Pacific. The curriculum weaves together visual images, video, and text, as well as materials that can be downloaded or printed for transparencies, presentations, or reports. It includes lesson plans, vocabulary, and links to other related Web sites.

Exploring Africa: An Exhibit of Maps and Travel Narratives - This site features early and late maps of the African coasts and interior, with special attention to the work of the European explorers--including Stanley and Livingstone. It also presents travel narratives from Leo Africanus to Chinua Achebe.

Nationalism and the Nation State - This site is designed to aid students in reviewing the impact of nationalism throughout human history. 

The History of the European Union - This resource provides information on the history of the European Union. Students can access a year by year chronology that displays key events, interactive maps, anthems, flags, and more. There are also booklets, posters, postcards, and more for students to download and explore.

Nazi Fascism and the Modern Totalitarian State - Taken from The Holocaust: A Guide for Teachers by Gary Grobman.

Digital History: - An interactive, multimedia history of the United States from the Revolution to the present. The site contains resources for teachers - lesson plans, resource guides, classroom handouts, learning modules and interactive explorations.

• America at War: World War I

• America at War: World War II

• Post War America - The Cold War

BBC Wars and Conflicts:

• World War I
• World War II
• The Cold War

The Cold War International History Project - The Cold War International History Project disseminates new information and perspectives on the history of the Cold War, in particular new findings from previously inaccessible sources on "the other side" -- the former Communist world.

CNN Interactive: The Cold War Experience - To complement CNN's COLD WAR documentary series, CNN Interactive, renowned for its popular news and information Web sites, has created CNN.com/ColdWar -- the most comprehensive online site ever produced for a television documentary.

The Cold War Museum - This Online Museum exhibits artifacts and memorabilia associated with various Cold War related events and activities such as Winston Churchill’s Fulton, Missouri speech; the Marshall Plan; the Berlin Air Lift; the building of the Berlin Wall; the Korean War; the U-2 Incident; the Bay of Pigs; the Cuban Missile Crisis; the Vietnam War; President Gorbachev’s “Perestroika” and “Glasnost”; Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars); the fall of the Berlin Wall; and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Books, Printers, and the Information Revolution in Early Modern Europe 1450-1600 - The invention of the printing press revolutionized western society. On one level, printing made books (information) more readily available to the common reader than ever before. On an even deeper level, printing altered the intellectual, political and religious climate of Europe.

Hi-Tech War: PBS - Hi-Tech War investigates how a new generation of weapons is forever altering the political and technical reality of combat.

National Inventors Hall of Fame - The National Inventors Hall of Fame honors the women and men responsible for the great technological advances that make human, social and economic progress possible.

Inventor Profile - From the date of the first printing press to the current explosion of the Web, the greatest moments in the history of innovation are chronicled on these inventor profiles, complemented by photographs, quotations, and additional resources for those that want to learn more.

Invention Facts and Myths - When we study the great inventions of the world, we find that they are either very simple, basic things like the wheel or very complex things like the computer. Some inventions were silly, some deadly serious. Each invention shed some light on the good intentions of the inventor and their quest to improve the quality of life. Here are some invention facts and myths meant to amaze, inspire and amuse you.

Innovation Timeline - From the creation of the first printing press to the current explosion of the Web, the greatest moments in the history of innovation are chronicled on a vivid time chart, complemented by photographs, quotations, and additional resources for those that want to learn more. Pick any Century in this chronology and you will find an array of interesting and revealing information.

Gunpowder Weapons - This Web site is maintained by an association of military historians who are interested in researching and presenting knowledge on the progress of warfare.

Factory Work in Victorian Lancashire- The cotton factories of Lancashire are a key symbol of the world's first Industrial Revolution. Here, within about a 30-mile radius of Manchester, is where the modern world began.

The Workhouse - Explore the 17th and 18th century history of the British Isles on this highly informative and easy-to-navigate site. Read about the English poor laws; view workhouses in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland and discover various styles of architecture; read a variety of literature written about social conditions of the day; review the timeline and take a workhouse quiz.

The Nuclear Weapon Archive: A Guide to Nuclear Weapons - The Nuclear Weapon Archive provides current information, technical data, and informative write-ups. The Trinity Site focuses on historical information, especially reproductions of public domain documents.

GOAL 2

Peoples of the Nation and World

The student will demonstrate an understanding of the history, diversity, and commonality of the peoples of the nation and world, the reality of human interdependence, and the need for global cooperation, through a perspective that is both historical and multicultural.

Ch'ing China: The Opium Wars - World Cultures, a Web site designed by the history department of Washing State University is an interactive reading environment that rewards independence, interest, self-direction, and intellectual interaction with the authors of the material. The entire design is oriented to teach independence, interactivity, recursive reading, learning skills, and constructed knowledge. The texts, glossary, and learning modules are intended to be accessible and usable for high school level students as well as college freshman.

Mr. Dowling's World History: The Opium Wars - Mr. Dowling's Electronic Passport is a journey through time and space. Educators can download lessons and homework assignments.

Country Studies: The Opium War (1839-1842) - This Web site contains the on-line versions of books previously published in hard copy by the Library of Congress as part of the Country Studies/Area. Each study offers a comprehensive description and analysis of the country or region's historical setting, geography, society, economy, political system, and foreign policy.

Country Studies: China and The Self-Strengthening Movement (European Control)

ThinkQuest: Discovering China - This site explores 20th Century China to try and understand this enormous country. There is interactive insight into major influences on twentieth century Chinese history, from Colonialism to Marxism, from monarchy to democracy and communism, with a particular eye on the Cultural Revolution. The role of China in international affairs is examined, and important Chinese historical figures are profiled.

Hong Kong - from the ThinkQuest Web site above.

Pieces of History: Hong Kong - The Global Gazette is an international newspaper focusing on culture.    Within the cultural newspaper you will find information about traditions, sports, governments, special symbols, arts & music, norms and everyday life in the United States, Norway, and China. 

China Resumes Control of Hong Kong, Ending 156 Years of British Rule - A 1997 article from the New York Times.

Jewish Virtual Museum: A Few Humble Coins and the Making of Israel - The Jewish Virtual Library is the most comprehensive online Jewish encyclopedia in the world, covering everything from anti-Semitism to Zionism. So far, more than 10,000 articles and 5,000 photographs and maps have been integrated into the site.

The Recognition of the State of Israel - An Exhibit of the Truman Presidential Library. This Web site features primary documents, photographs, oral histories, lesson plans, chronology timeline, and background information.

Welcome to South Africa - This Web site features categories like: geography, economy, history, people and culture, faith and values, flora and fauna, and Apartheid. Maps, lesson plans, and external links are also available.

The Jewish Diaspora and Israel - From the Web site: Beyond the Pale: The History of Jews in Russia. This exhibition depicts the history of anti-Jewish attitudes -- and of anti-Semitism today, a form of intolerance that in our century caused the death of millions of people. The exhibition also portrays the history of Jews in Europe and in Russia to help understand their life, religion and culture.

Holocaust Education Resources: Diaspora Experience - The Centre for German-Jewish Studies Web site, has developed into a major institution for the study of the history, culture and thought of Jews in Central Europe and for the training of a new generation of teachers and researchers in this field.

The Partition of India - This Post-Colonial Studies Web site at Emory University features a timeline, the reasons, and the impact and aftermath of the partition.

PBS: Soul of India - A comprehensive Web site dealing with many aspects of India's development and culture. Topics include: Kingdoms & Empires; Muslim Conquest; British India; India & Pakistan; and Violent Legacy. The site features a photo gallery, a debate section, and external links for continued research.

The End of the British Empire - Discusses the independence of Nigeria and Ghana.

The British Empire: West Africa - Some good background information about West Africa under British rule.

The Mariners' Museum - Captive Passage: West Africa - Social and historical information about West Africa.

History of the United Nations - A short history about the UN by the UN.

A Pictorial History of the United Nations - Take a photographic journey from the UN's beginning through each decade up to the present.

BBC History: League of Nations and the United Nations - The imposition of a peaceful world order was a key objective for the League of Nations, established in the aftermath of World War One. How can its successor, the United Nations, react to the challenges of the 21st century?

The American Immigration Home Page - The American Immigration Home Page was started as a part of a school project for a 10th grade American History Class. The project was meant to give information as to how immigrants not only were treated, but also why they decided to come to America.

Library of Congress: Immigration - This outstanding Web resource links educators to primary sources from the Library of Congress' online collections. These Web resources can make history come alive for students! Sections include: introduction, vocabulary, potluck, interviews, external resources.

A Treasure in the Attic: Pre-Civil War Immigration - This BCPS Online Research Model examines the question: How did European and Asian immigration between 1800 and 1860 contribute to regional diversity in the United States of America?

Nationmaster: Encyclopedia of Human Migration - This Web site concentrates on the issues of human migration. Contents include:

• 1 Overview of historical migrations
• 2 Earliest migrations
• 3 Spread of Agriculture
• 4 Indo-European migration into Europe
• 5 The Great Migrations
• 6 Other Old World migrations
• 7 Polynesian migration
• 8 Migrations to the New World
• 9 Migrations and climate cycles

Farmers' Alliance - From the Reader's Companion to American History by Houghton Mifflin.

New Georgia Encyclopedia: Farmers' Alliance - Discusses the origins, growth, and politics of the alliances as well as their demise.

Digital History: Political Crisis of the 1890s: The Farmers' Plight - Farmers' Alliances.

GOAL 3

Geography

The student will demonstrate an understanding of geographic concepts and processes to examine the role of culture, technology, and the environment in the location and distribution of human activities throughout history.

World in the Balance - NOVA examines recent trends in population worldwide and explores the environmental implications of countries undergoing industrialization.

World Geography: Maps that Teach - By using interactive map games, students will learn about the continents and where they are in relation to each other; the countries of the world, their capitals and major cultural landmarks, and physical features. For the United States, students will learn the states, their capitals, which states are adjacent or distant, major physical features, and important historic routes that established connections between parts of the country.

GeoSense - An Online interactive game where students can test their knowledge of world geography alone or against another online player.

Urbanisation - A Web site of the United Nations Environmental Program. A perfect introduction for young people to the environmental challenges that await us in the 21st century.

Internet Geography: Urbanisation - The mission of this Web site, developed by a Geography Teacher, is to share knowledge and resources in order to promote the enjoyment and understanding of geography. Internet Geography strives to be a center for shared geographical resources and knowledge.

USGS: Land Use History of North America - This Web site strives to convey the importance of a historical context for understanding ongoing changes in land cover and land use.

USGS: Status and Trends of the Nation's Biological Resources - To be effective stewards of our nation's complex life forms and systems, it is critical to advance our scientific understanding of our biological resources. This report provides a much-needed summary view of the nation's biodiversity and is an important contribution to our understanding of our biological resources on a national scale.

World Land: Use Types - From the Department of Geography, Okanagan University College

Land Use Controls: Environmental land use controls (LUCs) are legal and administrative measures to protect human health and environment from risk based cleanups in which residual contamination is contained on site. LUCs limit human exposure by restricting activity, use, and access to properties with residual contamination.

United States Bureau of Reclamation Web Site - Established in 1902, the Bureau of Reclamation is best known for the dams, power plants, and canals it constructed in the 17 western states. These water projects led to homesteading and promoted the economic development of the West.

USBR History - Reclamation History

USBR: Dams and Reservoirs

The Hoover Dam - From PBS: American Experience

Actual Text of the Reclamation Act of 1992 (PDF format / Adobe Reader)

University of Alberta Department of Renewable Resources: Land Reclamation, Remediation, and Restoration - The University of Alberta’s Department of Renewable Resources is focused on understanding and managing landscapes and the associated resources.

Desertification: The Earth's Silent Scourge - An Online Publication by the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs and the Bureau of International Information Programs, attempts to define, explain, and offer suggestions about how to deal with the insidious process of land degradation in agricultural and forest areas worldwide that is known as desertification.

USGS: Desertification - This Web site rom the USGS "Deserts: Geology and Resources" covers a wide range of issues involving deserts.

Desertification - From the University of Western Cape in South Africa.

Life in the Sahara - This Web site presents an Online exhibition about the Sahara Desert.

Crossing the Sahara - Facts about the Sahara Desert with handouts.

Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations: Desertification - The Web site contains technical and scientific data and information, available at FAO, as well as links to a number of highly informative Web sites on desertification.

The Greenhouse Effect - A module of Project Learn: Cycles of the Earth and Atmosphere - Teachers are encouraged to use this module to encourage students to explore the cycles that make up their world. Teachers should challenge their students to look at the atmosphere and its influence on individuals, ecosystems, and the planetary biosphere as it moves, reacts, and changes under the influences of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. Cycles are the recurrent theme in the seven modules. Each unit has background information, concepts, goals, and relevant hands-on activities for classroom use.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Global Warming - The EPA Global Warming Site is provided as a public service by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It strives to present accurate information on the very broad issue of climate change and global warming in a way that is accessible and meaningful to all parts of society.

GOAL 4

Economics

The student will demonstrate an understanding of the historical development and current status of economic principles, institutions, and processes needed to be effective citizens, consumers, and workers.

The History Guide: Manorialism: European Agrarian Society: Manorialism - The History Guide has been created for the high school and undergraduate student who is either taking classes in history, or who intends to major in history in college. The purpose of The History Guide is to better prepare yourself for your history classes and to make your time in class more enjoyable and proficient.

EconomicExpert.com: Manorialism - This entry from EconomicExpert describes the organization of rural economy and society in medieval western and parts of central Europe.

Feudalism & Manorialism - by Professor Nicholas Pappas, the Associate Professor of History at Sam Houston State University.

Introduction to the Middle Ages: Part1 - This Web site, authored by the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, provides information on Feudalism and Manorialism.

The Middle Ages: From HistoryTeacher.net - Assignments that focus on Feudalism and Manorialism. Downloadable PDF resource packets and discussion questions.

The Victorian Web: Adam Smith - The Victorian Web is a project funded by the University Scholars Program. It features articles and documents that explore social customs, politics, gender issues, religion, science, and technology of the Victorian Era.

Adam Smith's Laissez-Faire Policies

Adam Smith and The Division of Labour

Encyclopedia of Marxism - students are able to search by subject or by alphabet. There is also a photographic gallery and an index of historical events.

Marxist Internet Archive - The Encyclopedia of Marxism aims to be the most complete reference guide to Marxism, the working class, and revolution in the world. This comprehensive site provides a wealth of primary and secondary documents relating to the philosophy of Marxism.

BBC History Page - Karl Marx

Karl Marx @ EconomicExpert.com

All Economies are Mixed - An Online Lesson Plan for 10th graders.

MixedEconomy@EconomicExpert.com

NRDC: Natural Resources Defense Council - NRDC is the nation's most effective environmental action organization. We use law, science and the support of more than 1 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things. Topics include:

• clean air and energy
• global warming
• clean water and oceans
• wildlife and fish
• parks, forests, and wild lands
• toxic chemicals and health
• nuclear weapons and waste
• cities and green living
• U.S. Law and policy
• international issues

Human Resources @ EconomicExpert.com

Capital Resources/Goods

EconEdLink - Searchable Online database of economic lessons for K12 students. Lesson plans are provided as well as links to external Web resources and interactive learning objects. Outstanding resource!

International Trade in Goods and Services (EconEdLink)

Capital Goods Learning Object

EconomicExpert.com - Economic Development

EconomicExpert.com - Quality of Life

The Tortoise and the Hare: A Tale of Two Countries in Their Pursuit of Economic Development - This PDF file takes an interesting look at China and India and compares their pursuit of economic development.

Economic Development Strategies - This Web site examines what's actually new about the so-called "New Economy" and offers policy makers a framework for economic development strategies aimed at promoting fast, and widely shared economic growth and prosperity.

Learning Objects

Learning objects are interactive, reusable units of instruction for e-learning.

Learning Objects :

• Are digitally delivered
• Are reusable
• Focus on a single objective