HISTORY PROJECT: INVASIONS (Early Times – 1066)
A. King Arthur: Is it history or just a story?
1) Who was King Arthur?
2) When did he live?
3) What was his family background?
4) Why was he so popular?
5) Who did he fight for? Why?
6) Explain the influence they had on the Britons in the following aspects: RELIGION,
CONSTRUCTION (roads and towns), and LIFESTYLE.
7) Who did he fight against? Why?
8) Mention two groups he fought against and their characteristics.
B. William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings
FAMILY FORTRESSES
1) What did a castle represent? Why were they so important? What kind of family did
castle owners come from?
INVADERS: THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS (1066)
1) Who was Britain invaded by before William?
2) Who was king of England in 1066?
3) Why was he in trouble?
4) Explain what happened in the battle of Hastings.
5) What did the Bayeux tapestry and Poitiers´writings give evidence about?
6) Why did William win the battle?
7) What happened when William was crowned king of England?
8) Was England peaceful? What happened?
9) What was the Harrying of the North?
10) Who was Hereward?
11) What did William’s armies do and why?
12) What did the Normans force the English to do? Where?
13) Which is the most famous of these?
14) What was the Feudal System?
CRUSADES
1) What was it like to be a knight?
2) Explain the motives of the Crusades.
C. Henry VIII
1) When did he live?
2) Describe the historical period in which he lived.
CHOPPING AND CHANGING
1) Who was Henry VIII?
2) How did he put an end to the Power of the Roman Catholic Church in England?
3) Why did he do it?
4) What were the consequences after the break with Rome?
5) What can you say about Henry’s six wives?
6) What happened to them?
D. ELIZABETH
QUEEN AND COUNTRY
1) Who was Elizabeth I and why was she so (un)popular?
2) What was the most powerful country at the time? Why?
3) Who was Francis Drake and what did he do for Elizabeth?
4) Why did quarrels with Spain begin?
5) Why was the Spanish Armada considered the most powerful? What terrified the
Spanish in Calais?
6) How did Elizabeth try to keep the peace at home?
7) Why were the Justices of the Peace (JP) important?
8) Why did the English and the Spanish finally go to war?
9) What happened to the Spanish Armada?
FORCING MINDS TO CHANGE
1) Who were the Protestant Reformers?
2) What were their ideas?
3) Why was Queen Mary called ¨Bloody Mary¨?
4) How was her half-sister different from her?
5) How did Catholics and Puritans differ?
E. VICTORIAN ENGLAND
1) Why was she called the Lonely Princess?
2) How long did she reign?
3) What made her one of the greatest English monarchs of all times?
4) Why was Victoria-s marriage to Albert so special? Describe her married life.
5) When and where did the Industrial Revolution begin?
6) Describe the characteristics of the Industrial Revolution.
7) What inventions and discoveries were made during her reign in England?
8) How and why did Britain become the richest commercial nation under her reign?
9) What wars took place during her time? Describe them.
10)Who was Florence Nightingale? What was her job?
11)How big did the British Empire become? Mention its colonies throughout the world.
12)What happened to Victoria and the monarchy after her husband died?
F. WORLD WAR I / IRELAND DIVIDED
THE FIRST WORLD WAR (1914-1918)
1) Why did Britain take part in the First World War?
2) Which countries were on Britain’s side?
3) Which countries were on the opposite side?
4) Who was Ivor Gurney? Make a brief summary of his life.
5) How long did the war last?
6) How did it end?
7) What happened at the Palace of Versailles in Paris?
8) What problems did politicians face when they met in Paris?
9) Which countries were known as ‘The Big Three’?
10)
Who represented them?
11)
What were their main ideas?
12)
What was the ‘League of Nations’?
13)
How was Germany punished?
IRELAND DIVIDED
1) Who was Michael Collins? Talk about his life, his political and religious ideas.
2) What is the difference between a Unionist and a Nationalist?
3) What was ‘Easter Rising’?
4) Explain the difference between Home Rule for Ireland and an Irish Republic.
5) What was the Sinn Fein party?
6) What was the IRA? Who organised it?
7) How was Ireland divided?
8) Was the treaty signed in 1921 a good solution to the conflict? Why?
9) What happened in 1949?
G.THE SECOND WORLD WAR (1939-1945)
1) Who was Adolf Hitler? What did he organise?
2) Why did his party gain so much power?
3) What were the causes of the Second World War?
4) What did Neville Chamberlain –Britain’s Prime Minister- do in 1938? Explain the ‘policy
of appeasement’.
5) Was the Munich Agreement successful? Why?
6) How did the USA help to cause the II World War?
7) What was the Nazi-Soviet Pact?
8) Which countries were the ‘Allies’ in this war?
9) Which countries (the Axis powers) did the Allies fight against?
10)
Where did fighting take place?
11)
Who was Winston Churchill? What was his position during the war?
12)
What was ‘the Blitz’?
13)
Why did the USA declare war on Japan (one of Germany’s ally)?
14)
What happened at ‘El Alamein’ in North Africa?
15)
What did Hitler do in April 1945? Why?
H. THE WELFARE STATE
1) What reforms were introduced in Britain after the II World War?
2) In what ways did young people begin to express themselves?
3) How did the monarchy become popular?
4) Mention Britain’s possessions all over the world (colonialism).
5) How did Britain lose control of its possessions?
6) Explain the problem of ethnic minorities in the second half of the 20th century.
(Black immigrants).
7) Who was Margaret Thatcher? What were her policies?
8) Why was she accused of creating a society of ‘two nations’?
9) What were the causes of the Falkland Islands? Explain its development.
10)Mention some consequences for both the countries involved.