The primary legacy of the twentieth century is war. The rich industrial nations developed destructive technology and used it in ways that came close to destroying the world. The century included two global conflicts, World War I, and World War II. It climaxed with the invention of a weapon that killed hundreds of thousands of people and eventually had the potential to destroy humanity.
We have come to accept the recklessness of World War. Today there are organizations such as the United Nations to help keep peace, and instantaneous communication allows people to understand what is happening worldwide. We are unlikely to experience a global conflict in our time, but it is essential to understand how close the world came to ruin and how the forces of the past century influenced our lives.
It is impossible to describe a topic as vast as the World Wars in a few short pages. The villains are more monstrous, the heroes more courageous, and the victims more tormented than most imaginations allow. Steven Spielberg’s films, Schindler’s List, and Saving Private Ryan are graphic and inappropriate for younger students, but they help demonstrate the evil, the daring, and the grief of global warfare.
Resources
Download this lesson as Microsoft Word file or as an Adobe Acrobat file.
Listen as Mr. Dowling reads this lesson.
Mr. Donn has an excellent website that includes
a section on World War I and World War II.