History

“History is the self-consciousness of humanity.”

Droyson

History allows us to gain an insight into society – to know where we have come from helps us to gain an understanding of where we are going in the future. In History at Lynfield College, we study how forces and movements influence events and people and what impact these have upon us as New Zealanders. What We Learn in Level One History: Fight for Rights In this topic we look at the difficulties African-Americans had to face from being freed from slavery to laws that imposed segregation. We also look at the way in which these ‘separate but equal’ laws were unjust and the affect they had on African-Americans. We look into the use of Martin Luther King’s non-violent protest approach for African-American to gain equality and the more radical approaches of the Black Muslims, Black Power and Black Panthers.     Conflict and Protest In this topic we look at significant events that have shaped New Zealand’s Identity. These include the Bastion Point Land occupation, 1981 Springbok tour, the Maori Land March and the opposition to Nuclear Testing. We look at different people’s perspectives on some of the contentious issues in New Zealand during the later part of the 20th Century.

War of all Wars

This topic covers the Second World War and its impact. This war was a traumatic event for much of humanity and its impact is still felt today. We look at the Treaty of Versailles and how this was supposed to be the end of the greatest war of all time – the First World War and the significance that this treaty had on contributing to the beginning of the Second World War. We look at the rise of Hitler and the surrounding events that began what was just a European War. We also study the alliances that were made to understand why Japan’s attack on U.S Pearl Habour made a European War into a World War.

What We Learn in Level 2 History:

Revolution in Russia
In this topic we examine the consequences of the collapse of a 500 year old oppressive dynasty and the Communist government that replaced it. We study the impact the man who survived being poisoned, shot, hit over the head and finally drown - Rasputin made on the already unstable Tsarist monarchy. This topic also covers the formation of the first communist government in the world under the leadership of Lenin.

From Russia to Vietnam
This topic covers the Cold War period to give an understanding of why the USA became involved in Vietnam’s civil war. We look at the spread of communism to China and the fear that created for the USA and her allies. We also cover the foreign relations between the U.S and the U.S.S.R and the resulting tensions between the two super powers and take a look at the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Conflict in Vietnam
In this topic we look at how the Vietnamese fight for independence became a world stage for the United States of America’s fight against communism. We look at how Ho Chi Minh was able to fuel Vietnamese sense of nationalism to fight against the French Colonial rule to gain independence to then face American intervention. This course also looks at why communism was an appealing ideology to the Vietnamese and then why the USA was compelled to stop the spread of communism with devastating results for both nations.

What we learn in Level 3 History

19^th Century New Zealand:
The Level 3 History course takes an in depth look at 19^th Century New Zealand. The three themes we cover are Race Relations, Politics and the Economy and Society and Attitudes. Race Relations covers the early contact period, the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, the Land Wars and various ways in which Maori tried to assert their sovereignty over New Zealand. Politics and the Economy covers the various governorships of leaders such as George Grey, Julius Vogel and Richard Seddon. It also includes a look at the main industries in New Zealand in the 19^th century – pastoralism and gold mining. The Society and Attitudes theme covers immigration to New Zealand, the role of men and women in society and some of the contentious issues of the time such as prohibition and votes for women.