Skip to content

A NSW Government website

Welcome to the NSW Curriculum website

NSW Curriculum
NSW Education Standards Authority

11–12Modern History 11–12 Syllabus

Record of changes
Implementation from 2027
Expand for detailed implementation advice

Content

Year 11

The shaping of the modern world

Students investigate forces and ideas that shaped the modern world through a study of key events and developments and the meaning of modernity. The historical concepts and skills content is to be integrated as appropriate.

Students study at least ONE of the following options:

  • The Age of Enlightenment
  • The French Revolution
  • The Age of Imperialism
  • The Industrial Age
  • The First World War
  • The Age of Decolonisation
The Industrial Age
The historical context
  • Factors contributing to the Industrial Revolution in the second half of the 18th century

The nature and course of the Industrial Age
  • The impact of new processes, technologies and ideas on economic life

  • The experiences of factory owners, workers, women and children in the Industrial Revolution

  • The emergence of key ideas and ideologies that supported or challenged the Industrial Revolution

  • Political responses to the Industrial Revolution, including the 1833 Factory Act

  • Problems of public health in urban regions and the growth of industrial areas

The significance of the Industrial Age
  • Long-term social and economic impacts of the Industrial Age

  • The impact of the Industrial Age on political reform, including the Reform Act 1832 and Reform Act 1867

Related files