Grade 12 History Summary

Overview

This lecture provides a comprehensive summary of key Grade 12 history topics, including exam guidelines, study strategies, major historical events, and essential concepts such as the Cold War, Vietnam War, Civil Rights Movement, Black Power Movement, and African independence.

Exam Preparation & Structure

• The exam includes source-based questions and essay questions for each key topic.
• You must answer three questions: either two source-based and one essay, or two essays and one source-based.
• Questions are set at three cognitive levels: extraction (recall), interpretation, and evaluation.
• Mark allocation indicates the depth/breadth of the required response.

Study & Answering Techniques

• Prepare using mind maps, timelines, and key concept lists for each topic.
• Understand background content, key terms, and historical context before answering source-based questions.
• When interpreting sources, consider reliability, usefulness, bias, and limitations.
• For essays, follow a structured format: introduction (take a stance), body (evidence in chronological order), conclusion (summarize argument).
• Avoid personal pronouns, informal comments, and bullet points in essays.

The Cold War: Origins & Key Events

• The Cold War was an ideological conflict between the USA (capitalism) and USSR (communism), mainly indirect but risked turning into direct war.
• Key moments: Yalta and Potsdam conferences, Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, Berlin Blockade, Berlin Wall, NATO and Warsaw Pact formation.
• The USA's containment policy aimed to stop the spread of communism in Europe; the USSR responded by consolidating control in Eastern Europe.

The Vietnam War

• Vietnam was divided into communist North and capitalist South after the Geneva Accords (1954).
• The USA intervened to prevent the spread of communism (domino theory, containment).
• Conflict escalated with the Vietcong's guerrilla warfare and events like the Tet Offensive and My Lai massacre.
• US withdrawal and the victory of the Vietcong in 1975 marked communism's success in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

US Civil Rights Movement

• Rooted in resistance to segregation laws (Jim Crow) and discrimination in the South.
• Key organizations: NAACP, CORE, SCLC, SNCC.
• Major protests: Montgomery Bus Boycott, Little Rock Nine, sit-ins, Freedom Rides, Birmingham Campaign, March on Washington, Freedom Summer, Selma-Montgomery marches.
• Media coverage and mass demonstrations pressured the government to pass the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts.

The Black Power Movement

• Emerged due to slow progress and continued poverty/discrimination in the North.
• Advocated pride, self-reliance, black nationalism, and sometimes militancy (Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, Black Panther Party).
• Promoted African heritage, economic empowerment, and community programs (e.g., free breakfasts).
• Led to increased black political participation and pride, but economic inequality persisted.

Independence in Africa: The Congo Case Study

• The Congo, a mineral-rich Belgian colony, gained independence in 1960.
• Political instability followed, with coups and external interventions.
• Mobutu seized power, promoting Africanisation but creating a corrupt, nepotistic regime.
• Social, economic, and educational reforms were attempted, but corruption and dependency on foreign aid remained challenges.

Key Terms & Definitions

• Communism — Classless society with community-owned production.
• Capitalism — Private ownership, profit-driven free market system.
• Cold War — Ideological conflict between USA and USSR post-WWII.
• Containment — US policy to prevent spread of communism.
• Domino Theory — Belief that one country's fall to communism would lead others to follow.
• Guerrilla War — Irregular, surprise attacks by small groups.
• Civil Rights — Equal treatment and legal rights for all citizens.
• Black Nationalism — Movement for black unity and self-government.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Review mind maps, timelines, and key concepts for each topic.
• Practice writing essays using the suggested PEEL structure.
• Complete all source-based practice activities and review marked answers.
• Study definitions and be able to apply them in context.