Grade 12 History Topics 2024

Grade 12 History Topics 2024 In South Africa, the Grade 12 History curriculum, as per the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination, covers a range of topics related to the country’s history, as well as broader global historical events. Some of the key topics that are typically included in the curriculum are:

Topic 1: The Cold War

1. Unit 1: What were the origins of the Cold War?
2. The extension of the Cold War – Case study 1: China
3. The extension of the Cold War – Case study 2: Vietnam

Topic 2: Independent Africa

1. Unit 1: The ideas that influenced independent African states
2. Case study 1: Congo and Tanzania: A comparative case study
3. Unit 2: The impact of internal and external factors on Africa
4. Unit 3: Africa in the Cold War
5. Case study 2: Angola

Topic 3: Civil society protests: 1950s to 1970s

1. Unit 1: Overview of civil society protests
2. Case study 1: The US Civil Rights Movement
3. Case study 2: The Black Power Movement

Topic 4: Civil resistance in South Africa 1970s to 1980

1. Unit 1: South Africa in the 1970s and 1980s
2. Unit 2: Challenge of Black Consciousness to the apartheid state
3. Unit 3: The crisis of apartheid in the 1980s

Topic 5: Democracy in South Africa and remembering the past

1. Unit 1: Negotiated settlement and Government of National Unity
2. Unit 2: How has South Africa chosen to remember the past?

Topic 6: The end of the Cold War and a new world order

1. Unit 1: Events leading to the end of the Cold War
2. Unit 2: The End of the Cold War – The events of 1989
3. Unit 3: A new world order

Examination hints

1. The underpinning context of history in Grade 12 is the politics of the Cold War. This is reflected in the multiple perspectives on the same events that occurred throughout the Cold War (e.g. multiple perspectives on the Cuban Missile Crisis). Keep this in mind when interpreting sources.
2. Always refer to the attribution of every source and try to again as much information as you can about the origins of the source, its purpose, when it was made or written.
3. Look for clues in all sources and place it in its correct historical context. If there is a date, use it to assist you to place it in context.
4. Use the glossary and textboxes in the Learner’s Book to increase your understanding and vocabulary. Use historical terms and concepts confidently and in the correct context.
5. Try to identify leaders, symbols, clues, etc. and refer to these when you interpret sources. Ensure that you are able to link factions to the relevant leaders and their ideologies that shaped many Cold War conflicts (e.g. the Angolan Civil War).
6. Never assume the examiner, teacher or marker knows what you mean – state your point of view clearly.
7. Link sections to past knowledge. Your knowledge on the Cold War period and colonialism will be useful to interpret questions in this section.
8. Try to make the content knowledge your own and avoid merely memorising these summaries or sections from the Learner’s Book. Use your own words and make simple summaries to help you with your memorisation.
9. The Learner’s Book has many examples of types of questions to practise. By doing this regularly and consolidating daily, you will be successful.