History

Course summary

Studying history at Woodhouse will provide you with access to a fascinating and dynamic subject that deals with hard facts but varied and ever-changing perspectives. You’ll develop skills in written and oral communication, research, critical thinking, and evaluating both primary and secondary sources. You’ll work collaboratively with your peers inside and outside the classroom but also become an independent learner, equipped to cope with the rigorous demands of university study. Many students go on to study history or a closely related degree course at Oxbridge and Russell Group universities. A good degree in history will allow you to pursue a high-powered career in various fields, such as the law, the media, the civil service and business. We provide many opportunities to listen to distinguished speakers, and various study trips are organised, including one to Berlin. Course content: Britain in the 17th century was transformed by intense political and religious conflict that led to civil war, the execution of King Charles I, the abolition of the monarchy and the imposition of a military dictatorship under Oliver Cromwell. The years after World War Two were defined by the Cold War, a prolonged ideological and diplomatic struggle between the USA and USSR which, in an age of nuclear weapons, at times threatened humanity’s very existence. Before 1917, Russian emperors (or tsars) claimed to possess God-given authority. World War One created the revolutionary conditions that, in 1917, resulted in the overthrow of tsarism and the establishment of the world’s first Communist dictatorship under Lenin and his successor Stalin.