1. Significance © HarperCollins Publishers 2010 Why was the Civil War significant?

2. Significance © HarperCollins Publishers 2010 Objectives In this activity you will: Discuss how the significance of events may be based on judgments that people disagree about. Learn how significance often differs both over time and depending on the criteria you use.

3. Significance © HarperCollins Publishers 2010 Significance: Consider the significance of an event both at the time it happened and in the present day. Statements about significance are interpretations that may be based on differing judgements about events. These are often related to the values and beliefs from the period in which the interpretation was produced.

4. Significance © HarperCollins Publishers 2010 In other words: The significance of the Civil War might be very different in 1645 to 1660. Why? It might be very different in Victorian times. Why? It might be very different in 2010. Why? It might be very different in 1650 if you were a Royalist than if you were a Parliamentarian. Why?

5. Significance © HarperCollins Publishers 2010 It depends on what criteria you use/decide are important. Using Ian Dawson’s model, a historical event would be considered significant if it: Changed events at the time. Improved lots of people’s lives, or made them worse. Changed people’s ideas. Had a long lasting impact on the country or the world. Had been a really good or really bad example to other people of how to live and behave.

6. Significance © HarperCollins Publishers 2010 Do you agree with Ian Dawson’s criteria? Are there any of Dawson’s criteria you would discard? Are there any criteria you would like to add? What criteria would you devise to assess the significance of the Civil War?

7. Significance © HarperCollins Publishers 2010 Thinking about what you now know about the Civil War: Why was it significant at the time? Why is it still significant today?