Closing Note for This Unit

Unit 10.5 covers the densest and most consequential thirty years of modern history. The volume of content is intimidating, but the narrative is unified. Two world wars are one long unresolved conflict. The Russian Revolution produces communism. The Treaty of Versailles guarantees the second war. The Great Depression destroys faith in liberalism. Totalitarian regimes seize power and commit atrocities on an unprecedented scale. The Holocaust forces the world to redefine what civilization owes its members. The atomic bombs end the war and begin the nuclear age.

Three things Maria should prioritize. First, master MAIN cold; she will see questions on it on almost any practice exam. Second, hold the chain from Versailles to WWII clearly in mind, because it is the central causal narrative of the unit and shows up constantly in CRQs. Third, internalize the Holocaust as both a historical event and as the foundational case for postwar human rights law; she will see it in many forms throughout the rest of the course.

If she can complete the Need-to-Know checklist without notes and score 16 out of 20 on the multiple choice practice, she is ready for Unit 10.6: the Cold War and Decolonization. That unit covers the immediate consequences of WWII (UN, Cold War, communist victory in China, Korean and Vietnam wars, end of European empires) and depends heavily on what she has built here.