World History Studies

Identify major causes and describe the major effects of the following events from 8000 BC to 500 BC: the development of agriculture and the development of the river valley civilizations.

Identify major causes and describe the major effects of the following events from 500 BC to AD 600: the development of the classical civilizations of Greece, Rome, Persia, India (Maurya and Gupta), China (Zhou, Qin, and Han), and the development of major world religions.

Identify major causes and describe the major effects of the following important turning points in world history from 600 to 1450: the spread of major world religions and their impact on Asia, Africa, and Europe and the Mongol invasions and their impact on Europe, China, India, and Southwest Asia.

Identify major causes and describe the major effects of the following important turning points in world history from 1450 to 1750: the rise of the Ottoman Empire, the influence of the Ming dynasty on world trade, European exploration and the Columbian Exchange, European expansion, and the Renaissance and the Reformation.

Identify major causes and describe the major effects of the following important turning points in world history from 1750 to 1914: the Scientific Revolution, the Industrial Revolution and its impact on the development of modern economic systems, European imperialism, and the Enlightenment's impact on political revolutions.

Identify major causes and describe the major effects of the following important turning points in world history from 1914 to the present: the world wars and their impact on political, economic, and social systems; communist revolutions and their impact on the Cold War; independence movements; and globalization.

Summarize the impact of the development of farming (Neolithic Revolution) on the creation of river valley civilizations.

Identify the characteristics of civilization.

Explain how major river valley civilizations influenced the development of the classical civilizations.

Describe the major political, religious/philosophical, and cultural influences of Persia, India, China, Israel, Greece, and Rome.

Explain the impact of the fall of Rome on Western Europe.

Compare the factors that led to the collapse of Rome and Han China.

Explain the development of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy as social and political factors in medieval Europe and the Byzantine Empire.

Describe the major characteristics of and the factors contributing to the development of the political/social system of feudalism and the economic system of manorialism.

Explain the political, economic, and social impact of Islam on Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Describe the interactions among Muslim, Christian, and Jewish societies in Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

Describe the interactions between Muslim and Hindu societies in South Asia.

Explain how the Crusades, the Black Death, and the Hundred Years' War contributed to the end of medieval Europe.

Summarize the major political, economic, and cultural developments in Tang and Song China and their impact on Eastern Asia.

Explain the evolution and expansion of the slave trade.

Analyze how the Silk Road and the African gold-salt trade facilitated the spread of ideas and trade.

Summarize the changes resulting from the Mongol invasions of Russia, China, and the Islamic world.

Explain the political, intellectual, artistic, economic, and religious impact of the Renaissance.

Explain the political, intellectual, artistic, economic, and religious impact of the Reformation.

Compare the major political, economic, social, and cultural developments of the Maya, Inca, and Aztec civilizations and explain how prior civilizations influenced their development.

Explain how the Inca and Aztec empires were impacted by European exploration/colonization.

Analyze the causes of European expansion from 1450 to 1750.

Explain the impact of the Columbian Exchange.

Explain the impact of the Atlantic slave trade on West Africa and the Americas.

Explain the impact of the Ottoman Empire on Eastern Europe and global trade.

Explain Ming China's impact on global trade.

Explain new economic factors and principles of Europe's Commercial Revolution.

Explain how the Industrial Revolution led to political, economic, and social changes.

Identify the major political, economic, and social motivations that influenced European imperialism.

Explain the major characteristics and impact of European imperialism.

Explain the effects of free enterprise in the Industrial Revolution.

Compare the causes, characteristics, and consequences of the American and French revolutions, emphasizing the role of the Enlightenment.

Explain the impact of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Napoleonic Wars on Europe and Latin America.

Trace the influence of the American and French revolutions on Latin America, including the role of Simón Bolivar.

Identify the influence of ideas such as separation of powers, checks and balances, liberty, equality, democracy, popular sovereignty, human rights, constitutionalism, and nationalism on political revolutions.

Identify the importance of imperialism, nationalism, militarism, and the alliance system in causing World War I.

Identify major characteristics of World War I, including total war, trench warfare, modern military technology, and high casualty rates.

Explain the political and economic impact of the Treaty of Versailles, including changes in boundaries and the mandate system.

Identify the causes of the February (March) and October (November) revolutions of 1917 in Russia, their effects on the outcome of World War I, and the Bolshevik establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Summarize the international, political, and economic causes of the global depression.

Explain the responses of governments to the global depression such as in the United States, Germany, Great Britain, and France.

Describe the emergence and characteristics of totalitarianism.

Explain the roles of various world leaders, including Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, Hideki Tojo, Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill, prior to and during World War II.

Explain the major causes and events of World War II, including the German invasions of Poland and the Soviet Union, the Holocaust, the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Normandy landings, and the dropping of the atomic bombs.

Summarize how the outcome of World War II contributed to the development of the Cold War.

Summarize the factors that contributed to communism in China, including Mao Zedong's role in its rise.

Identify major events of the Cold War, including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the arms race.

Explain the roles of modern world leaders, including Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, Lech Walesa, and Pope John Paul II, in the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

Summarize the rise of independence movements in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia and reasons for ongoing conflicts.

Discuss factors contributing to the Arab-Israeli conflict, including the rejection of the existence of the state of Israel by the Arab League and a majority of Arab nations.

Explain the impact of geopolitical influences on the development of radical Islamic terrorism.

Explain the impact of radical Islamic terrorism on global events.

Explain the U.S. response to the events surrounding September 11, 2001, and other acts of radical Islamic terrorism.

Locate places and regions of historical significance directly related to major eras and turning points in world history.

Analyze the influence of human and physical geographic factors on major events in world history such as the development of river valley civilizations, trade in the Indian Ocean, and the opening of the Panama and Suez canals.

Interpret maps, charts, and graphs to explain how geography has influenced people and events in the past.

Identify important changes in human life caused by the Neolithic Revolution.

Summarize the role of economics in driving political changes as related to the Industrial Revolution.

Describe the economic impact of globalization.

Identify the historical origins and characteristics of the free enterprise system, including the influence of Adam Smith.

Identify the historical origins and characteristics of communism, including the influence of Karl Marx.

Identify the historical origins and characteristics of socialism.

Identify the historical origins and characteristics of fascism.

Explain why communist command economies collapsed in competition with free market economies at the end of the 20th century.

Identify the characteristics of monarchies and theocracies as forms of government in early civilizations.

Identify the characteristics of the following political systems: theocracy, absolute monarchy, democracy, republic, oligarchy, limited monarchy, and totalitarianism.

Explain the development of democratic-republican government from its beginnings in Judeo-Christian legal tradition and classical Greece and Rome through the French Revolution.

Identify the impact of political and legal ideas contained in the following documents: Hammurabi's Code, the Jewish Ten Commandments, Justinian's Code of Laws, Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

Explain the political philosophies of individuals such as John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Voltaire, Charles de Montesquieu, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, and William Blackstone.

Explain the significance of the League of Nations and the United Nations.

Describe how people have participated in supporting or changing their governments.

Describe the rights and responsibilities of citizens and noncitizens in civic participation throughout history.

Identify examples of key persons who were successful in shifting political thought, including William Wilberforce.

Summarize the development of the rule of law from ancient to modern times.

Identify the origins of ideas regarding the right to a "trial by a jury of your peers" and the concepts of "innocent until proven guilty" and "equality before the law" from sources including the Judeo-Christian legal tradition and in Greece and Rome.

Identify examples of politically motivated mass murders such as in Cambodia, China, Latin America, and the Soviet Union.

Identify examples of genocide, including the Holocaust and genocide in Armenia, the Balkans, Rwanda, and Darfur.

Identify examples of individuals who led resistance to political oppression such as Nelson Mandela, Mohandas Gandhi, Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, and Chinese student protestors in Tiananmen Square.

Identify examples of American ideals that have advanced human rights and democratic ideas throughout the world.

Describe the historical origins and central ideas in the development of monotheism.

Describe the historical origins, central ideas, and spread of major religious and philosophical traditions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Sikhism.

Identify examples of religious influence on various events referenced in the major eras of world history.

Describe the changing roles of women, children, and families during major eras of world history.

Describe the major influences of women during major eras of world history such as Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria, Mother Teresa, Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, and Golda Meir.

Summarize the fundamental ideas and institutions of Eastern civilizations that originated in China and India.

Summarize the fundamental ideas and institutions of Western civilizations that originated in Greece and Rome.

Explain how the relationship between Christianity and Humanism that began with the Renaissance influenced subsequent political developments.

Explain how geopolitical and religious influences have impacted law and government in the Muslim world.

Analyze examples of how art, architecture, literature, music, and drama reflect the history of the cultures in which they are produced.

Describe examples of art, music, and literature that transcend the cultures in which they were created and convey universal themes.

Identify the origin and diffusion of major ideas in mathematics, science, and technology that occurred in river valley civilizations, classical Greece and Rome, classical India, the Islamic caliphates between 700 and 1200, and China from the Tang to Ming dynasties.

Summarize the major ideas in astronomy, mathematics, and architectural engineering that developed in the Maya, Inca, and Aztec civilizations.

Explain the impact of the printing press on the Renaissance and the Reformation in Europe.

Describe the origins of the Scientific Revolution in 16th century Europe and explain its impact on scientific thinking worldwide.

Identify the contributions of significant scientists such as Archimedes, Copernicus, Eratosthenes, Galileo, Pythagoras, Isaac Newton, and Robert Boyle.

Explain the role of textile manufacturing, steam technology, development of the factory system, and transportation technology in the Industrial Revolution.

Explain the roles of military technology, transportation technology, communication technology, and medical advancements in initiating and advancing 19th century imperialism.

Explain the effects of major new military technologies on World War I, World War II, and the Cold War.

Explain the role of telecommunication technology, computer technology, transportation technology, and medical advancements in developing the modern global economy and society.

Identify the contributions of significant scientists and inventors such as Marie Curie, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Louis Pasteur, and James Watt.

Identify methods used by archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, and geographers to analyze evidence.

Explain how historians analyze sources for frame of reference, historical context, and point of view to interpret historical events.

Analyze primary and secondary sources to determine frame of reference, historical context, and point of view.

Evaluate a variety of historical and contemporary sources for validity, credibility, bias, and accuracy.

Analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, drawing inferences and conclusions, and developing connections between historical events over time.

Formulate and communicate visually, orally, or in writing a claim supported by evidence and reasoning for an intended audience and purpose.

Create and interpret thematic maps, graphs, and charts to demonstrate the relationship between geography and the historical development of a region or nation.

Analyze and compare geographic distributions and patterns in world history shown on maps, graphs, charts, and models.

Use social studies terminology correctly.

Use effective written communication skills, including proper citations and avoiding plagiarism.

Interpret and create written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information.

Apply foundational language skills to engage in civil discourse about social studies topics, including those with multiple perspectives.

Explain governmental and democratic processes such as voting, due process, and caucuses using simulations and models.

Use problem-solving and decision-making processes to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution.