National 5 History SQA

This subject offers 84 topics in 21 modules:

  1. Appeasement and the Road to War, 1918-1939 4 topics
  2. Changing Britain, 1760-1914 4 topics
  3. Free at Last? Civil Rights in the USA, 1918-1968 4 topics
  4. Hitler and Nazi Germany, 1919-39 4 topics
  5. Mary Queen of Scots, and the Reformation, 1542-1587 4 topics
  6. Migration and Empire, 1830-1939 4 topics
  7. Mussolini and Fascist Italy, 1919-1939 4 topics
  8. Red Flag: Lenin and the Russian Revolution, 1894-1921 4 topics
  9. Tea and Freedom', the American Revolution, 1774-83 4 topics
  10. Tea and Freedom’, the American Revolution, 1774-83 4 topics
  11. The Atlantic Slave Trade, 1770-1807 4 topics
  12. The Cold War 1945-89 4 topics
  13. The Creation of the Medieval Kingdoms, 1066-1406 4 topics
  14. The Cross and the Crescent, the Crusades 1071-1192 4 topics
  15. The Era of the Great War, 1900-1928 4 topics
  16. The Making of Modern Britain, 1880-1951 4 topics
  17. The Treaty of Union, 1689-1715 4 topics
  18. The Wars of Independence, 1286-1328 4 topics
  19. USA 1850-80 4 topics
  20. War of the Three Kingdoms, 1603-1651 4 topics
  21. World War II, 1939-45 4 topics
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  • 21
    modules
  • 84
    topics
  • 30,477
    words of revision content
  • 3+
    hours of audio lessons

This page was last modified on 28 September 2024.

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History

Appeasement and the Road to War, 1918-1939

Paris Peace Treaties and the League of Nations, to 1933

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Paris Peace Treaties and the League of Nations, to 1933

Paris Peace Treaties

  • The peace treaties stemmed from the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 that followed World War I, involving representatives from 32 nations.
  • The main treaty was the Treaty of Versailles with Germany, generally seen as harsh and vindictive.
  • Germany was disarmed, its territory was reduced, and they had to accept blame for the war (the War Guilt Clause).

League of Nations

  • The League of Nations was a key provision of the Treaty of Versailles; it was an international organisation created for the maintenance of world peace.
  • The organization was based on collective security, meaning the peace was to be maintained collectively by the member states who would stand against any aggressor.
  • Main organs of the League were the Assembly, the Council, and the Permanent Secretariat.
  • It failed due to several factors, such as the fact it did not have a standing army, its reliance on unanimous decisions, and the initial non-participation of some major powers.

Germany and the League of Nations

  • Germany as a defeated power was not initially invited to join the League; it only joined in 1926 after proving itself a peaceful nation.
  • The future chancellors who signed the Treaty of Versailles (also known as the "November Criminals" in Germany) faced a significant amount of backlash from German citizens.

Locarno Treaties

  • The Locarno Treaties, signed in 1925, were intended to normalize relations with Germany and guarantee its new borders.
  • The Locarno Pact was seen as a symbol of reconciliation between Germany and France, and optimism about lasting peace.

Diplomatic Developments to 1933

  • The Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928) aimed to outlaw war but lacked measures of enforcement.
  • The Great Depression (1929–1933) shifted focus to economic issues and, due to political changes, distorted international relations.
  • The Manchurian Crisis (1931–1933) saw the world powers’ inability to resist Japanese aggression in China, undermining the League of Nations.
  • Hitler’s rise to power in Germany (1933) and his foreign policy based on territorial expansion signified a serious threat to international peace.

Course material for History, module Appeasement and the Road to War, 1918-1939, topic Paris Peace Treaties and the League of Nations, to 1933

History

The Atlantic Slave Trade, 1770-1807

The captive's experience and slave resistance

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The captive's experience and slave resistance

The Captive's Experience

  • Captives were usually taken from their homes in West Africa and sold to slave merchants. They were overwhelmingly from societies with varying cultures and languages which added to the isolation they experienced during their ordeal.
  • The journey across the Atlantic, known as the Middle Passage, was an extremely horrific experience. Captives were packed tightly into the cargo decks of slave ships and forced to endure unsanitary conditions.
  • Diseases such as dysentery and smallpox were widespread on the slave ships, contributing to a high death rate among captives during the Middle Passage.
  • Once in the Americas, enslaved Africans were sold at auctions where families were often forcibly separated and individuals were sold to the highest bidder.
  • The treatment of the enslaved on the plantations was brutal and dehumanising. Captives endured long working hours, harsh physical punishment, inadequate food, and poor living conditions.

Slave Resistance

  • Despite the harsh conditions, captives resisted their captivity in a variety of ways. Passive resistance included work slow-downs, sabotage of equipment, and feigned illness.
  • Enslaved Africans demonstrated active resistance as well. This included running away, violent rebellions, and protesting against their inhumane treatment.
  • One of the most significant slave revolts was the Haitian Revolution in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which began in 1791. The revolt was led by enslaved Africans and resulted in the first independent nation in Latin America.
  • In the British colonies, uprisings such as the Jamaican Maroon War, showed the spirit of rebellion and the desire for freedom among the enslaved.
  • Resistance often led to brutal punishments from the slave owners. However, these acts of rebellion played a critical role in gaining attention and sympathy for the abolitionist cause in Europe and the Americas.

Course material for History, module The Atlantic Slave Trade, 1770-1807, topic The captive's experience and slave resistance

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