11–12Modern History 11–12 Syllabus
The new Modern History 11–12 Syllabus (2024) is to be implemented from 2027.
2025 and 2026
- Plan and prepare to teach the new syllabus
2027, Term 1
- Start teaching new syllabuses for Year 11
- Start implementing new Year 11 school-based assessment requirements
- Continue to teach the Modern History Stage 6 Syllabus (2017) for Year 12
2027, Term 4
- Start teaching new syllabuses for Year 12
- Start implementing new Year 12 school-based assessment requirements
2028
- First HSC examination for new syllabus
Content
Year 12
Students investigate key features of the history of ONE of the following options, focusing on political and social change, and the role of individuals and groups.
The historical concepts and skills content is to be integrated as appropriate.
- The Nuclear Age 1945–2021
- Civil rights in the United States 1945–1972
- The Anti-Apartheid Movement in South Africa 1948–1994
- The struggle for democracy in Burma 1948–2021
- From the Cultural Revolution to Tiananmen Square 1966–1989
- The changing world order 1989–2016
The impact of the Great Leap Forward
Tensions between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Mao Zedong
The aims and methods of Mao Zedong
The role of the Gang of Four and the Red Guards
The impact of the Cultural Revolution on society, culture, education and the economy
The impact of the Cultural Revolution on politics and the CCP
Responses to the death of Zhou Enlai
The death of Mao Zedong and the end of the Cultural Revolution
The demise of the Gang of Four
The changing political standing of Deng Xiaoping
The nature and impact of the modernisation of the economy, including the Four Modernisations and the Special Economic Zones (SEZs)
The demand for political, economic and social reform in the 1980s and the response of the CCP
Reasons for the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests
Political and military responses to the protests, including the 1989 June Fourth Incident
The impact of the events at Tiananmen Square in 1989 on China and its standing in the world