Conflict and Peace7th Grade UBD - Unit 6 – Conflict and Peace

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Political Boundaries- Borders are used to form

a variety of political units, such as nations,

counties, and cities. Borders affect the

relationship between those places.

Causes of Conflict- Conflicts between and

within countries happen for many different

reasons.

Peacekeeping Efforts- Nations use various

methods to achieve peace between countries.

Reach Into Your Background

War has plagued humankind

for thousands of years. War

go back to the beginning of

recorded time and continue

into this century. Answer the

following questions. Why do

you think countries go to war?

How do you think wars could

be avoided? (5 minutes)

Partner Activity

Work with a neighbor and compare your answers with theirs. What things are the same and what things are different? (3 minutes)

Key Ideas- Political Boundaries

Borders are used to define the limits

of individual countries or regions.

There are three types of borders:

political, physical, and cultural.

There are generally three types of

border controls: open, controlled,

and closed.

Political MapsVideo- Political Maps

Political Boundaries

Most people count their

national identity as one of

the most important parts of

their identity, along with

religion, race, gender, and

language.

National identities often

depend on imaginary lines

between groups of people,

and these lines are often

changed, ignored, and fought

over.  

Political Boundaries

Political boundaries, or

borders, mark different

countries and global

regions.

Within a nation, states,

provinces, counties,

and cities are also

marked by borders.

These borders can be

physical or political. 

Key Term

Border-

The official

legal

boundary

of a

country or

state.

Different Types of Borders 

Physical boundaries include

rivers, mountain ranges, and

oceans.

Political borders are

imaginary lines drawn by the

people of different nations to

distinguish their lands.

Many nations use a

combination of physical and

political borders. 

Different Types of Borders 

Whether they are physical or political,

borders both unite and separate people. A

nation’s border unites within it people who

speak the same language(s) and share the

same cultural history and political identity.

At the same time, that national border also

separates its people from others who do

not share those things.

Different Types of Borders 

Most borders are

created for

political reasons,

the ideal that each

nation’s people

will have a shared

identity is not

always realized. 

Different Types of Borders 

Sometimes people of

different ethnic

groups, cultural

histories, religions,

and languages are

forced together into

one nation where they

live in uneasy tension.

Open Borders

Some nations guard

their borders lightly,

requiring travelers to

show only a photo ID

or a passport to

cross. These are

called open borders.

Most of these nations

are within the

European Union.

Key Term

Passport- A

legal document

issued to an

individual by his

or her national

government. It

certifies the

holder of the

passport is a

citizen of the

issuing country. 

Controlled Borders

Some nations have

controlled borders,

which means that

anyone who wants to

enter or leave the

country faces heavy

restrictions that make

it difficult to do so.

Closed Borders

Finally, some

nations have

closed borders: no

one may enter or

leave the country.

North Korea is an

example of a

closed-border

nation.

Key Ideas- Causes of Conflict

Wars are often fought over scarce resources such

as oil or water.

Some wars are fought over principles or religious

differences.

Some wars are fought by countries defending

against attack.

Most wars result from a combination of reasons.

An alliance is a formal agreement between two or

more countries.

Alliances

Borders can represent

alliances and political

ideas as well as

nations or peoples.

Economic and political

associations provide

an identity for the

nations that join them.

Alliances

In Europe, the

European Union and

North Atlantic

Treaty Organization

(NATO) are two such

political

organizations, each

with 27 member

nations. 

Alliances

These alliances can be drawn on a

map of Europe with a political border.

Some alliances are temporary;

during World War II, the map of

Europe could have shown a division

between Axis-controlled nations and

Allied-controlled nations.

Key Ideas- Peacekeeping Efforts

War is a constant problem in the world.

Therefore, it is important to know why

nations go to war to help prevent it from

happening. It is also important to know

how diplomacy and intergovernmental

organizations can help to achieve peaceful

solutions.

Peaceful Negotiations

Whether acting on their own or as part of

an organization or alliance, nations will

work to prevent or end conflict through

diplomacy, or communication and

negotiation between warring groups.

Sometimes different nations will have a

meeting, called a summit, to discuss

problems and try to find a diplomatic

solution to them.

Key Term

Summit- A

conference

of heads of

state or

other

prominent

government

officials.  

Intergovernmental Organizations

Sometimes these solutions involve changing

national borders or creating new nations. Whatever

the agreement may be, it is called a treaty.

When the nations involved in a conflict cannot

reach an agreement, international organizations

such as the United Nations (UN) or the African

Union (AU) will step in to hold a summit and reach

an agreement.  

History of War

Whether fought over

resources, land or

ideological differences,

wars have shaped and

reshaped the map of the

planet, creating or

destroying entire

nations.

Weapons of War

During World War I, machine guns,

tanks and chemical weapons were

unleashed on the battlefields of

Europe.

Three decades later, World War II

witnessed the birth of the atomic

bomb, which marked the

beginning of the nuclear age.

In recent years, keeping casualties

to a minimum through targeted

weapons and unmanned aircraft.

Women and War

Wars have indirectly

opened up opportunities

for marginalized groups,

including women.

Although many nations

still bar them from

participating in combat

duties, women have

served their countries

during numerous major

conflicts.

Women and War

Women such as Florence

Nightingale faced the horrors

of war to treat wounded

soldiers, and in doing so

established nursing as a

profession.

During World War II, 350,000

American women joined the

war effort at home and

abroad in more than 200

different non-combatant

positions.

Rosie The RiveterVideo- Rosie The Riveter by The Four Vagabonds

Women and War

Today there are more than

400,000 women in the

U.S. Armed Forces.

In 2008 Ann Elizabeth

Dunwoody became the

first woman to achieve

the U.S. Army rank of

four-star general.

Key Term

World War I-

A global war

centered in

Europe that

began on 28

July 1914 and

lasted until 11

November

1918.

Key Term

Alliance- An

agreement

among

people or

nations to

unite for a

common

cause.

Key Term

Adolf Hitler-

The founder and

leader of the

Nazi Party and

the most

influential voice

in the

organization,

implementation

and execution of

the Holocaust.

Key Term

Fascism- A

philosophy that

supports a

strong, central

government

controlled

by the military

and led by

a powerful

dictator.

Key Term

Holocaust-

The systematic

extermination

and ethnic

cleansing of six

million

European Jews

and millions of

other non-

aryans.

Key Term

World War

II- A global

war that

lasted from

1939 to

1945.

Key Term

NATO- An

international

organization

composed of the

US, Canada,

Britain, and a

number of

European

countries for

purposes of

collective

security.

Europe at WarReading Handout- Europe at War

Independent Activity

What has been the

“muddiest” point so

far in this lesson? That

is, what topic remains

the least clear to you?

(4 minutes)

Partner Activity

Work with a neighbor and compare your muddiest point with theirs. Compare what things are the same and what things are different? (3 minutes)