HOW WORLD WAR II AFFECTED

NEW ZEALAND SOCIETY

A new history achievement standard that is externally assessed is “Describe how a significant historical event affected New Zealand society”.

It is important for historians to understand why a particular event might be considered “significant”. The significance of an event could be determined by:

  • the importance of the event to people alive at the time
  • how deeply people’s lives were affected at the time
  • how many lives were affected
  • the length of time people’s lives were affected
  • the extent to which the event continues to affect New Zealand society

TASK

Complete the table on the separate A3 sheet to understand how the experience of World War II affected New Zealand society. For each of the ways in which an event could be considered “significant”:

  1. explain how this point is relevant to the experience of New Zealanders in World War II, both within New Zealand and beyond it.
  2. from what you have learned, provide some examples or ways in which New Zealand society was affected by the experience of war

The first one is done for you as an example, though you may think of other ideas or examples.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EXPERIENCE OF WORLD WAR II FOR NEW ZEALAND SOCIETY

Significance / Relevance to NZ in World War II / Evidence supporting relevance
Importance to people alive at the time. / Most New Zealanders accepted the need for New Zealand to fight in this war and changed their lives as a result. / Thousands of men volunteered to fight. There were few conscientious objectors.
Depth of effect on people’s lives
Number of lives affected
Length of time lives were affected
Continuing impact of war on NZ society

In this new standard, you will have the opportunity to choose which historical event you think had a significant effect on New Zealand society. You may learn of other events, but we will use the experience of World War II to practise how to respond to this standard.

Here is a possible topic that might be used to assess this standard.

How did a significant event in the 20th century have a major impact on New Zealand society?

You should aim to write at least 300 words in response to this topic. Writing accurately in greater depth will give you a greater chance of achieving a higher grade in this standard.

Remember the four important stages in writing effective history:

  • Understand what you are required to write about
  • Plan your response
  • Structure your writing (introduction, structured and sequenced paragraphs, conclusion)
  • Check your writing.

1. Understanding the topic

Choose World War II as your significant event. Your task will be to describe how the war had a major impact on New Zealand society.

You could consider writing about different aspects of New Zealand society, such as

  • How the government responded to the demands of war (what war-related measures were introduced to cope with the demands of war)
  • The impact of the war on men’s lives (military service, or war-related work or duties)
  • The impact of the war on women’s lives (mothers, young women, “manpowering”, new opportunities)
  • Ways in which the demands of war affected everyone’s lives (e.g. rationing, manpowering, preparation of emergencies)

2. Planning your response

Use the planning grid on the separate page to note down some factual evidence to support your description of the different ways in which the war affected New Zealand society.

3. Writing your response

Introduction: begin with a short paragraph (2-3 sentences) that identifies the historical event you will examine and states some of the ways in which the event affected people’s lives

Body: A series of structured paragraphs that describe ways in which World War II affected New Zealand society, using accurate factual evidence to support your descriptions. Paragraphs should be arranged in a logical order to ensure a proper coverage of the question.

Conclusion: A short paragraph (2-3 sentences) that summarises the main ideas and makes a general comment about the significance of the experience of World War II to New Zealand society at that time and up to the present.

How did a significant event in the 20th century have a major impact on New Zealand society?

Significant event: World War II
Government responses
Impact on men’s lives
Impact on women’s lives
General impacts on people’s lives