History 7-10 / Year 9 / Knowledge and understanding / World War I (1914-1918)

Curriculum content descriptions

the causes of World War I and the reasons why Australians enlisted to fight in the war (AC9HH9K08)

Elaborations
  • identifying and describing the long-term causes of World War I, such as militarism, the alliance system among European countries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, imperialism and nationalism
  • identifying and describing the short-term triggers of World War I, such as the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary, the “July Crisis” between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, and the invasion of Belgium by Germany
  • explaining the different perspectives towards war at the turn of the 20th century, such as notions of war as noble and heroic or as an adventure
  • examining the responses of Australia’s political leaders to the outbreak of war such as prime minister Andrew Fisher’s pledge to back Britain “to the last man and the last shilling”
  • listing the reasons why Australian men enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force; for example, the challenges of living on the land and a need for a regular pay; adventure; to do their duty for the British Empire; impact of persuasive propaganda posters, pamphlets and leaflets; peer and community pressure
  • examining the stories of First Nations Australian men who enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force
General capabilities
  • Ethical understanding Ethical understanding
  • Intercultural understanding Intercultural Understanding
ScOT terms

Socialism,  Modern history,  Economy,  Capitalism,  Chartism,  Imperialism,  Nationalism

Audio

Radio National: Peter Lalor's Bakery Hill speech

What events led to the attack on the Eureka Stockade (Eureka rebellion) on the Ballarat goldfield in 1854? This audio clip examines the famous Bakery Hill speech by activist Peter Lalor. Listen to Dr Anne Beggs-Sunter discuss the effect that the speech had on the assembled miners. Find out why this is considered a key event ...

Online

Sensory Experience

This is a website about how the treatment and mainstream understanding of deaf and blind people has changed overtime. The resource has three sections: Introductory information; Story Objects; and Story Education Resources. There are 16 Story Objects that tell the stories of individuals, events and artefacts of deaf and ...

Text

Sikh and Indian Australians: Year 9 Teaching Resource

This resource aims to challenge some traditional views of the Anzac legend and explore its changing nature. Evidence about ethnically diverse Anzacs such as Chinese, Indigenous and Sikh soldiers provides students with the opportunity to develop the “big picture” on the nature of the Anzac story. The five main activities ...

Text

Western Australia at War 1914 Year 9 Learning sequence

Students choose to research one of the following and its significance in the history of Western Australia: the training camp at Blackboy Hill, the 11th Battalion, the 8th Field Artillery Battery, the first convoy, the sinking of the SMS Emden, the Gallipoli Campaign or the story of an individual Western Australian soldier. ...

Text

The first modern humans in south-east Asia

This is a multilayered resource about the theories and evidence of the origins of the first modern humans in south-east Asia. It has four sections: Theories; The sout-heast Asian fossil record; The appearance of sout-heast Asian features; and The first modern Indonesians. The Related sections, Related items and Related ...

Text

Timeline of Chinese history and dynasties

This resource includes two types of timelines representing Chinese history. The first is a timeline of Chinese dynasties from 2100 BCE to the present with key events such as the deaths of important figures and the rise of Confucian thought. The second timeline is an outline of Chinese history tracing the different dynasties ...

Text

Vindolanda

This resource is about the Roman garrison established at Vindolanda. It includes extracts from the Vindolanda tablets dating from the period AD 97-103, which documented details of everyday life for a Roman soldier on the north-west frontier of Roman Britain. The resource describes the discovery of the tablets and their ...

Text

Gladiators: heroes of the Roman amphitheatre

This resource is about Roman gladiators and their role in Roman society. It covers the origins of the gladiatorial system as a funerary practice to honour the dead, which gradually became entertainment. Topic headings in the resource include: Conscripts and volunteers; Rules and regulations; Fighting-styles; Barrack life; ...

Text

Rural exodus

This resource is about the exodus of country people over the last two centuries from the villages and hamlets of Britain to the towns and cities and overseas. It is organised under the following topic headings; Introduction; a better life; Leaving the Highlands; Relative opportunities - pros and cons; and Find out more. ...

Interactive

The chariot of Wetwang

The interactive resource is about the discovery of an Iron Age chariot in a grave in the Yorkshire village of Wetwang in 2001. It has three parts: an account of the discovery of the burial site and the contents of the grave; a detailed explanation of the reconstruction of the chariot; and a quiz to test the knowledge gained ...

Text

Rome's pivotal emperors

This resource is about the Roman emperors who greatly influenced the empire's structure and direction. It introduces six of the most important emperors: Augustus, Vespasian, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, Septimus Severus and Constantine. Images of the emperors link to descriptive text about their lives and pivotal aspects of ...

Text

Roman religion: gallery

This resource is about Roman religion. It consists of nine images that link to text about the different practices and beliefs that existed in ancient Rome. It includes information on the state-recognised worship of traditional gods and about some of the diverse religions that were tolerated in ancient Rome as long as they ...

Interactive

Muck and brass

This interactive game is about town planning in Britain during the Industrial Revolution. It focuses on towns that have experienced rapid growth due to industrialisation but which have poor air quality and no efficient sewage disposal. Students assume the role of advisor to a town councillor who wants to improve the health ...

Text

Religion in late imperial China, 1644-1911

This online resource offers a comprehensive overview of the many forms of religion in late imperial China. It includes a detailed overview of religion under the following four headings: Religion in China: an overview; Popular religion and beliefs; Institutional religion: the three teachings; and Religion, the state and ...

Text

Roman women: following the clues

This resource is about Roman women. It examines sources of evidence about the lives of women in ancient Rome, given that there is little written material describing their lives. Sources include examples from literature, state inscriptions, tombstones and the bases of statues, Roman paintings and sculpture, all of which ...

Text

Agricultural revolution in England 1500-1850

The resource is about the agricultural revolution in England. It includes a discussion of the ongoing controversy over when and how the agricultural system changed from being one of peasant farmers working in a subsistence economy to a capitalist farming system, using new machinery and supporting millions of people in the ...

Text

Enslavement and industrialisation

This resource is about the slave-based trade with the Americas and its contribution to Britain in the 18th century and today. The resource is organised under the following topic headings: Consumers and slaves; the Atlantic boom; Slave-related trade; Profit margins; Inherited privilege; and Find out more. It includes text, ...

Video

Benalla Migrant Camp

While many postwar immigrants were sent to Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre when they arrived in Australia, others lived at the smaller Benalla Migrant Camp. Like Bonegilla, Benalla is in north-east Victoria. Unlike at Bonegilla, however, many immigrants remained at Benalla for over a decade. Listen as Sabine ...

Video

Chinese Anzacs in World War I

Among the 420,000 Australians who served in World War I, 300 people were of Chinese descent. This was in spite of the introduction of the Commonwealth Defence Act in 1909, which stated that soldiers had to be of "substantially European origin". George Lee Kim was one such soldier. He received the Military Medal for his ...

Text

Defining moments in Australian History

This extensive web-based resource examines events, people and places of profound significance to the Australian people and their personal, community and national histories. The resource includes a list of 100 'defining moments' identified by historians supported by background information, images, video and links to the ...