Modern History
Historical Investigation
The beginning of your journey
The beginning of a learning
curve about history
The beginning of a learning
experience about yourself

HISTORICAL INVESTIGATION
The way forward
Hints on choosing a topic
Historical investigation
Any historical debate from any country in the 18th,
19th, 20th centuries
The investigation should not overlap with or
duplicate significantly any topic attempted for
the HSC Modern History or History Extension
courses.
Your topic must centre around an historical
debate relating to the topic, i.e. a topic where
there is not clear agreement about the causes,
the events or the aftermath.
It could be:

An aspect of your preliminary core
study – World at beginning of 20th
century.

A personality (but needs to be one of
significant importance to the history of a
period, and should reflect some
controversy in interpretation about their
lives).

International conflicts to the present day

A Preliminary case study.
Syllabus List A
Examples of Case Studies from Europe,
North America and Australia
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
The trans-Atlantic slave trade
The Reign of Terror in France 1792–95
The social consequences of industrialisation in Britain in the early nineteenth century
The decline and fall of the Romanov dynasty
Yankees and Confederates in the American states in the mid-nineteenth century
Bismarck and the unification of the German states
The Paris Commune 1871
Emmeline Pankhurst and the Suffragette Movement
The 1916 Easter Rebellion in Ireland and its consequences
Bodyline bowling and the 1932–1933 Anglo-Australian test series
The failure of the League of Nations
The Civil Rights Movement in the USA in the 1950s and 1960s
The struggle for Indigenous rights in Canada in the late twentieth century
Post-Communist Russia
Syllabus List B
Examples of Case Studies from Asia, the Pacific, Africa,
the Middle East and Central/South America
1
The Indian Mutiny 1857
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
The Meiji Restoration: nature and impact
The Boxer Rebellion in China
The making of modern South Africa 1890–1910
The Netherlands East Indies in the early twentieth century
The origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict 1880s–1947
Decolonisation in Indochina 1945–1954
Nuclear testing in the Pacific 1950s to 1960s
The Cuban Revolution and its impact in Latin America
Allende, Pinochet and the 1973 military coup in Chile
Ayatollah Khomeini and Muslim Fundamentalism
Aung San Suu Kyi and the pro-democracy movement in Burma
Tibet’s fight for survival in the modern world
The Chinese Government and Tiananmen Square
Some historical investigation topics
from previous years
To what extent was slavery a cover up by Abraham Lincoln to
finish an unpopular war?
Evaluate the way in which the German government handled the
events in 1972 in Munich.
Did we land on the moon?
Did Lee Harvey Oswald work alone to assassinate JFK?
Evaluate the verdict of the Warren commission.
Assess the extent to which McCarthy used the idea of
communism as a political scare tactic to control political and
cultural opponents?
Some historical investigation
topics from previous years
To what extent is it true that the world failed the
people of Rwanda?
How did the Tiananmen Square massacre affect
Chinese/American relationships?
Who was Jezebel, Cleopatra, great women of
History?
Assess Che Guevara’s political life and his
effectiveness as a leader.
How successful was the League of Nations in
fulfilling its goals?
Suggestions
Event: September 11, Sinking of the Lusitania, Turkish view
of Anzac Day, Vietnamese Australian’s view of the
American War
Issue: Execution of Breaker Morant, female suffrage,
American Civil War, Civil Rights Movement in the USA in
1950/60s
Personality: Qn Victoria, Che Guevara, Martin Luther King
Group: Ku Klux Klan
Suggestions:
Museums as History
Historical fiction – how valuable?
Construction of history in the media – the director’s role in creating
history
Critical analysis of a major historical work
Value of archaeologist/scientist to the historian
Thematic study
Historical debate
Value of art /oral history/ biographies to the historian
What to do from this point?
• Check the BOS Modern History syllabus at
www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au to avoid choosing topics that are not
alllowable. Check with me if you are unsure – we may be able to play with
the topic
• Choose an area in which you can maintain a long term interest, you
already have some background knowledge or interest
• Is this topic manageable? – you have 6 ½ weeks – this is not your life’s
work
• DO NOT delve into very detailed information.
• You are looking for an overview of your topic
• Try an encyclopaedia
• Consult the resource list on the wiki
•You should commit to an enquiry area in
week 2 of term 2
.....and, remember not to get too stressed –
enjoy the ride!!