World History

Learners will study major turning points that shaped the modern world from the late eighteenth century through the present, including the cause and course of the two World Wars. They trace the rise of democratic ideas and develop an understanding of the historical roots of current world issues, especially as they pertain to international relations. Students extrapolate from the American experience that democratic ideals are often achieved at a high price, remain vulnerable, and are not practiced everywhere in the world. Students develop an understanding of current world issues and relate them to their historical, geographic, political, economic, and cultural contexts. Students consider multiple accounts of events in order to understand international relations from a variety of perspectives.


Students relate the moral and ethical principles in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, in Judaism, and in Christianity to the development of Western political thought.

Learners will:

• compare and contrast the Glorious Revolution of England, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution and their enduring effects worldwide on the political expectations for self-government and individual liberty.
• analyze the effects of the Industrial Revolution in England, France, Germany, Japan and the United States.
• analyze the causes and course of the First World War.
• analyze the rise of totalitarian governments after the First World War.
• analyze the causes and consequences of World War II.
• analyze the international developments in the post-World War II world.
• analyze instances of nation-building in the contemporary world in two of the following regions or countries: the Middle East, Africa, Mexico and other parts of Latin America, and China.
• analyze the integration of countries into the world economy and the information, technological, and communications revolutions (e.g., television, satellites, computers).