Year 12 Modern - The End of World War Two

Hi Modern folks. Welcome back after the trials, and welcome to the end of the war. We are going to polish off the Conflict in Europe topic by the end of next week, and then it's on to some good old-fashioned revision.

First: a few of the online resources we used in class yesterday, inlcuding some rather cool Nazi newsreel footage. I'll put the PowerPoint up soon as well.

You can access an animated map with an overview of WW2 here.

Here is the Youtube clip showing the rescue of Mussolini in 1943:



And here is the clip showing the Battle of Kursk:



And finally, the last film footage of Hitler, awarding medals to some alarmingly young Hitlerjugend members:

Year 12 Modern - Civilians in WW2

Hi folks. the trial is rapidly descending upon us, and so we move on to our last topic that could be in the exam: civilians in WW2. We will be looking at the social and economic effects of the conflict on civilians in BRITAIN and GERMANY, as well as the HOLOCAUST and NAZI RACIAL POLICIES.

For a good summary of the Home Front in Britain, check out this BBC History page - WW2 People's War. It covers topics such as the Blitz, rationing, and internment of enemy aliens, with a focus on the stories of survivors.

You could also try this other BBC page, with a more political focus.

Also useful is this government site with a focus on school activities, based on the collection of the British National Archives.

For Germany, you could try watching the World at War episode 'Inside the Reich', on youtube. here is the first instalment:

Year 12 Modern - D-Day Landing in Saving Private Ryan

Here is the youtube clip showing the first 20 minutes or so of the D-Day landings in Saving Private Ryan. The action is very realistic, shows the Omaha beach landings in real time, and displays the confusion and horror of warfare during the Normandy landings of 1944.

Year 12 Ancient - Athens Documentary

If you get bored in the holidays...here is the History Channel docco on Ancient Athens. It is in three parts, so link through to the next instalments.

Have a great holiday!

Year 12 Modern - The World At War

The World At War was an incredible documentary series made in the 70s, covering the whole of WW2 in 26 one-hour episodes. You can access pretty much all of it on youtube, though in 10-minute segments. I am embedding the first sections of some of the most relevant episodes below. Just click on them to start watching, and then you can link through to the next instalments via youtube.

Episode 2: A Distant War (Poland - 1939)



Episode 3: France Falls (1940)



Episode 5: Barbarossa (1941)



Episode 8: Desert (North Africa, 1940-43)

Year 12 Modern - Battle of Britain

Hi guys. Sorry there hasn't been much Modern stuff recently, the Ancient classes had their assessment this week, so the focus has been on their material. I will hopefully be putting some exam advice up for you tonight, ready for Tuesday. For the moment, though, here is the very detailed and well-produced documentary on the Battle of Britain. I reckon this whole series (Battlefield Britain) is worth watching just for fun!

Year 12 Modern - Triumph of the Will

Triumph of the Will was the documentary/propaganda film made by Leni Riefenstahl, as a record and celebration of the Nazi Party Conference held in Nuremburg in September 1934.

As a record of a truly historical event, it is quite amazing. When you recall that the Nazis had only been in power for just over 18 months, the scale of the celebrations and the rallies are quite stupendous.

One viewing of this film will stand you in good stead when it comes to discussing how the Nazis used propaganda and symbolism, and how Hitler could manipulate the masses.

Year 12 Ancient - Apollo and Hyakinth

I have been searching around on youtube for some decent Sparta videos, and unfortunately, tere are few of much educational value. however, there seem to be a few decent ones on the religion and mythology of Ancient Greece in general. Below is a 4-minute clip made by the youtube user Pathiarakos, on the entire Apollo/Hyakinth myth. It explains the story rather well:

Year 12 Modern - From Democracy to Dictatorship

Hitler was a very canny operator. He became Chancellor in January 1933, supposedly the puppet of Hindenburg and von Papen...but by April, he was able to pass any law he liked, and by mid-1934, he was the total ruler of Nazi Germany. How did this transformation occur?

Here is today's presentation, listing the 8 steps (Rigged German Election Leads To Psychopath Nazi Fuhrer):


Uploaded on authorSTREAM by tomgriffith

And here is the Youtube video, posted by mrjportman, on the 4 steps that took Hitler from Chancellor to dictator: