Age of Global War: Legacies to the Present — Skinny¶

Standard: WH.6_12.6 — Explain how past events connect to the present Era/Unit (if SS): Era 4 — Age of Global War and Globalization (~1900–present) ELA Crosswalk: 9-10.W.4 — Argument writing; 9-10.IR.1–5 — Research and source evaluation NDSBL Target: 3.0 score Estimated Time: 60–90 minutes Subject: World History + ELA crosswalk

Official proficiency scale — the source of truth for scoring

Scoring follows the official NDSBL World History Proficiency Scales — not the examples on this page. Proficient (3.0) for Era 4: Age of Global War and Globalization means:

Analyze the causes and global effects of the world wars.
Explain how political or social ideologies shaped the 20th century.
Explain the social, cultural, or economic changes influenced by globalization.

What You Need to Know (Score 2.0)¶

Era 4 is not past — it is the immediate origin of the world we live in. The political borders, international institutions, economic systems, social movements, and unresolved conflicts of today were almost all shaped by events of the 20th century. Understanding this era means understanding the present.

UN and International Law Legacy: The United Nations (1945), Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), and international humanitarian law (Geneva Conventions) were all created in response to WWII. They define the international legal framework within which nations operate today — imperfectly, but persistently.
Nuclear Legacy: The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki created the world of nuclear deterrence that still exists. Today, nine nations possess nuclear weapons. The Non-Proliferation Treaty (1968) and ongoing arms control debates are direct descendants of the decisions made in 1945.
Cold War Borders and Conflicts: Many current conflicts trace directly to Cold War interventions: U.S. support for the mujahideen in Afghanistan (1980s) → Taliban → 9/11 → 20-year U.S. war in Afghanistan. The Cold War's proxy wars left behind armed factions, damaged institutions, and unresolved grievances that still produce violence.
Decolonization's Unfinished Business: The borders drawn by colonial powers — often arbitrary, cutting across ethnic and cultural groups — became the borders of independent nations. These borders are still a primary cause of conflict in Africa and the Middle East.
The Holocaust and Genocide Prevention: The Holocaust produced the 1948 Genocide Convention (the first international law making genocide a crime) and the concept of "never again." But genocide has occurred since 1948: Cambodia (1975–79), Bosnia (1995), Rwanda (1994), Darfur (2003–). The gap between "never again" and what actually happens is a live political and moral problem.
Civil Rights Movement Legacy: The U.S. civil rights movement (1954–1968) produced the Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965). These legal changes were significant — but racial wealth gaps, mass incarceration, and ongoing debates about voting rights show that the movement's legal achievements have not produced full social and economic equality.
Climate Change Legacy: Greenhouse gas emissions began their rapid rise during Era 3's Industrial Revolution and accelerated throughout Era 4. The atmospheric CO₂ causing contemporary climate change was accumulated over 200 years of fossil fuel burning. Contemporary climate negotiations are, in part, an argument about who is responsible for this inherited problem.

Basic Processes: - [ ] Identify at least three contemporary realities with direct roots in Era 4 events. - [ ] Explain how Cold War proxy war decisions still shape contemporary conflicts. - [ ] Connect the Genocide Convention to specific post-Holocaust genocides — and evaluate why "never again" has not been enforced. - [ ] Identify the specific civil rights legislation of the 1960s and explain what it achieved and what it left undone. - [ ] Explain the climate change legacy of Era 4 industrialization.

A student who can score a 2.0: A student who can state that WWII created the United Nations and that the Holocaust produced "never again" — without yet analyzing why genocides have continued after 1948, or tracing the specific path from Cold War decisions to contemporary conflicts.

The Standard (Score 3.0)¶

WH.6_12.6 — Explain how past events connect to the present (Era 4)

To meet this standard, you must trace the specific mechanism by which an Era 4 event shaped contemporary reality — not just assert that they are connected. You need to explain how the connection works: who made what decision, how it was transmitted, and what it means for the present.

3.0 Example: A student achieves a 3.0 by tracing the path from U.S. Cold War policy in the Middle East to 9/11 and the subsequent War on Terror. The specific chain: the U.S. backed the Shah of Iran (an authoritarian ruler who suppressed opposition) → the Iranian Revolution (1979) installed an anti-American Islamic government → the U.S. backed Iraq's Saddam Hussein against Iran in the 1980s → the U.S. deployed troops in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War (1990–91) → Osama bin Laden cited U.S. troops on Muslim holy land as a primary grievance → 9/11 → the U.S. invaded Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003) → 20 years of war → the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. The student traces each step, explains the causal mechanism, and argues that understanding 9/11 requires understanding the Cold War decisions made decades earlier.

The Difference: A 2.0 student knows 9/11 happened because of terrorist attacks. A 3.0 student traces the specific Cold War decisions that created the conditions for 9/11 — and what this tells us about how past decisions constrain present options.

Going Further (Score 4.0)¶

To reach a 4.0, you must critically evaluate how Era 4 legacies are being addressed — or ignored — in contemporary policy and public discourse.

Transfer Tasks: 1. Genocide convention's limits: The Genocide Convention (1948) requires signatories to "prevent and punish" genocide. Evaluate: has it worked? Research the international response to Rwanda (1994) and Bosnia (1995). Why did nations that had pledged "never again" fail to intervene, or intervene too late? What does this reveal about the gap between international law and political will? 2. The nuclear question: Nine nations currently possess nuclear weapons; the Non-Proliferation Treaty is widely agreed to be failing. Evaluate: Is a world with nuclear weapons stable (MAD logic) or inherently unstable (accidents, terrorists, regional conflicts)? Use both historical precedents and current analysis. 3. Reparations and historical responsibility: Several nations have acknowledged historical wrongs from Era 4: Germany pays reparations to Holocaust survivors; Japan has (inadequately, many argue) addressed comfort women. The U.S. has not formally addressed slavery or Jim Crow. Evaluate: What principles should govern historical responsibility for past wrongs? Does time limit responsibility?

4.0 Example: A student argues that the current global refugee crisis (100+ million displaced people in 2026) is the most direct and least acknowledged legacy of Era 4 policy decisions. The student traces the specific origins of major contemporary refugee populations: Rohingya (Burma/Myanmar military violence rooted in colonial-era ethnic classification); Syrian refugees (Syrian civil war rooted in Cold War-era Ba'athist dictatorship backed by the USSR, and U.S. intervention in Iraq that destabilized the region); Afghan refugees (20 years of U.S. war). The student argues that wealthier nations' resistance to accepting refugees is a refusal to acknowledge their own causal responsibility for producing the conditions that created displacement.

CrashCourse Connection¶

Video: World War I — CrashCourse WH #38 · Episode in reading library Also: WWII Part 1 — CrashCourse WH #40 · Episode in reading library Also: WWII Part 2 — CrashCourse WH #41 · Episode in reading library Also: China's Revolutions — CrashCourse WH #39 · Episode in reading library Also: The Cold War — CrashCourse WH #42 · Episode in reading library Watch Prompt (general): For each Era 4 event, ask: Is this still happening? In what form? Who in 2026 is still living the consequences of this decision? Who in 2026 benefits from ignoring the connection?

Reading Library Connection¶

Night — Elie Wiesel — The Holocaust's legacy: Wiesel spent much of his life arguing that "never again" required active witness and intervention, not just rhetoric. Read his 1986 Nobel Prize speech (not in the library yet — coming soon) alongside Night to see how he connected personal experience to contemporary obligation.
1984 — George Orwell — Orwell's warning about surveillance, doublethink, and historical revisionism. How close is 2026 to Orwell's 1984? Read the "memory hole" section: how does erasure of the past shape the present? Is this a metaphor or a description?
MLK — Letter from Birmingham Jail — MLK's letter connects the civil rights movement to a larger arc of history. Read his references to history: what legacies does he invoke? What does he argue is still unfinished? Is his argument still unfinished today?

Demonstration of Learning — Choose One¶

How will you show you know this standard? Pick one mode.

#	Mode	What You Do for This Specific Standard
1	Written Assessment	Choose ONE Era 4 legacy still present today (Cold War foreign policy consequences, nuclear weapons, Holocaust/genocide prevention, civil rights movement's unfinished work, or climate change). Write a 3-paragraph analysis: (1) the Era 4 origin, (2) the specific transmission path to today, (3) a critical evaluation of how this legacy is being addressed or ignored.
2	Extended Writing	Write a 400–600 word essay: "The 20th Century Is Not Over." Identify three specific contemporary political realities that are direct consequences of Era 4 decisions. Argue which legacy has the most urgent unaddressed implications for today's world.
3	Verbal Conversation	Record a 3-minute explanation: (1) Name an Era 4 event and trace its specific path to a contemporary reality. (2) Evaluate: is this legacy being honestly acknowledged and addressed? (3) What would it take to genuinely reckon with this inheritance?
4	Visual/Creative	Create a "Living Legacy" visual connecting 4 Era 4 events to 4 contemporary realities. For each connection, annotate: the transmission mechanism, who is still affected, and whether the connection is widely acknowledged or under-recognized.
5	Multimedia/Performance	Create a 2–3 minute "Historical Accountability" video. Identify an Era 4 decision whose consequences are still being lived by people today — and argue what accountability for that decision would require. Be specific about who made the decision, who bears the consequences, and what accountability would look like.
6	Portfolio Annotation	Select a previous project about Era 4. Write a 200-word reflection: What legacy of the events you studied is still present today? Is it widely acknowledged? What would it mean for contemporary policy to fully reckon with this history?

Deliverable Ideas (Your Studio Product)¶

These are NOT the demonstration of learning. These are PBL artifact ideas.

"Never Again" Audit — Research the history of genocide since 1948. Create an annotated timeline showing each major genocide, the international response, and what "never again" actually meant in practice for each case. Write a 1-page argument: What would genuine enforcement of the Genocide Convention require, and why hasn't it happened?
Cold War → Present Day: A Conflict Genealogy — Choose one current conflict (Yemen, Syria, or Democratic Republic of Congo). Trace its origins back to Cold War decisions. Create a documented causal map from Cold War to present. Write a 1-page conclusion: What would peace require, given this history?
MLK's Unfinished Agenda: A 2026 Assessment — Research the specific goals MLK articulated in the Letter from Birmingham Jail and in his later writings (especially on economic justice). Create a report card: which goals have been achieved, which partially achieved, which have not been addressed? Write a 1-page argument about the most important unfinished item on MLK's agenda.

Scale Tasks¶

[ ] 2.0 task: List three contemporary realities with direct Era 4 roots. For each, name the origin event, the modern form, and how they are connected.
[ ] 3.0 task: Choose one of the above and trace the specific transmission path — what decisions were made, who made them, and how they produced the contemporary reality.
[ ] 4.0 task: Write a 200-word argument evaluating whether one Era 4 legacy is being honestly acknowledged and addressed in contemporary public discourse. Use specific evidence from both the historical record and the current context.