History: 96 interactive topics
Ancient civilisations, empires, revolutions, world wars and the making of the modern world.
About History at secondary level
History on LearnViz SecondaryEdu has 96 interactive topics. History topics connect events, people and ideas across time, so each one here gives a clear summary and a way to test your understanding.
Every topic has a clear definition, key points written for secondary school, an animation you can control, and a three-question quiz. Topics are independent, so you can start anywhere.
How to study History with LearnViz
- Start with a topic you already know a little about, then move to one that is new to you.
- Use the animation before you read the key points. Predicting the result first makes the explanation easier to remember.
- Finish each quiz, then review the questions you got wrong. Mark a topic complete once you can explain it in your own words.
- Write a one-line timeline entry for each topic, then link it to the event before and after.
96 topics
1What Is History?History is the study of the past using evidence, helping us…2Sources and EvidenceHistorians use primary sources from the time and secondary sources…3Chronology and TimelinesChronology is the arrangement of events in the order they happened,…4Prehistory: The Stone AgeThe Stone Age is the long prehistoric period when people made tools…5The Agricultural RevolutionThe Neolithic Revolution was the shift from hunting and gathering…6The Bronze and Iron AgesThe Bronze and Iron Ages were periods when metal tools and weapons…7Ancient MesopotamiaMesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, was home to…8Ancient EgyptAncient Egypt was a civilisation along the Nile known for pharaohs,…9Pharaohs and PyramidsPharaohs were god-kings of Egypt who ruled through priests and…10The Indus Valley CivilisationThe Indus Valley civilisation was an early urban culture in South…11Ancient ChinaAncient China developed under dynasties such as the Shang, Zhou and…12Ancient GreeceAncient Greece was a collection of city-states whose ideas about…13Athens and SpartaAthens and Sparta were rival Greek city-states with very different…14The Persian WarsThe Persian Wars were conflicts between Greek city-states and the…15Alexander the GreatAlexander the Great was a Macedonian king who conquered an empire…16The Roman RepublicThe Roman Republic was a government in which elected officials and…17The Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire began when Augustus became emperor, and it grew to…18Roman Daily Life and EngineeringRomans built roads, aqueducts, baths and amphitheatres, and daily…19The Fall of the Western Roman EmpireThe Western Roman Empire fell in 476 AD due to invasions, economic…20The Byzantine EmpireThe Byzantine Empire was the eastern continuation of Rome, centred…21The Rise of IslamIslam began in Arabia in the seventh century with the Prophet…22The Islamic Golden AgeThe Islamic Golden Age was a period of great advance in science,…23Early Medieval EuropeAfter Rome fell, Europe was divided into small kingdoms, and the…24VikingsThe Vikings were Scandinavian seafarers who raided, traded and…25The Norman ConquestThe Norman Conquest began in 1066 when William of Normandy defeated…26The Feudal SystemThe feudal system was the medieval structure in which the king gave…27Castles and KnightsCastles were fortified homes and defences built by lords, and…28The Medieval ChurchThe Church dominated medieval life, running schools and hospitals,…29Magna CartaMagna Carta was a charter signed by King John in 1215 that limited…30The CrusadesThe Crusades were a series of religious wars from 1095 in which…31The Black DeathThe Black Death was a plague pandemic that killed roughly a third…32The Peasants' RevoltThe Peasants' Revolt of 1381 was a rebellion in England against…33The Hundred Years' WarThe Hundred Years' War was a long conflict between England and…34Medieval Africa: Mali and SonghaiThe empires of Mali and Songhai grew rich in West Africa through…35The AztecsThe Aztecs built a powerful empire in Mexico with a capital city,…36The IncasThe Inca Empire stretched along the Andes mountains and was linked…37The RenaissanceThe Renaissance was a revival of art, learning and ideas in Europe…38The Printing RevolutionGutenberg's printing press, introduced around 1450, allowed books…39The ReformationThe Reformation was a sixteenth-century movement to reform the…40The TudorsThe Tudors ruled England from 1485 to 1603, a period of religious…41The Age of ExplorationFrom the fifteenth century European sailors explored the world by…42The Columbian ExchangeThe Columbian Exchange was the movement of plants, animals, people…43The Atlantic Slave TradeThe Atlantic slave trade forcibly transported millions of Africans…44The Abolition of SlaveryAbolition was the movement that ended slavery, through campaigns,…45The English Civil WarThe English Civil War from 1642 to 1651 was fought between King…46The Scientific RevolutionThe Scientific Revolution was a period from the sixteenth century…47The EnlightenmentThe Enlightenment was an eighteenth-century movement that valued…48The American RevolutionThe American Revolution was the war from 1775 to 1783 in which…49The French RevolutionThe French Revolution began in 1789 when the people overthrew the…50Napoleon BonaparteNapoleon rose from army officer to Emperor of France, reformed laws…51The Industrial RevolutionThe Industrial Revolution was the change from hand-made goods to…52Factories and Working ConditionsFactory work in the nineteenth century was long, dangerous and…53Transport RevolutionCanals, steamships and railways transformed transport in the…54Victorian BritainVictorian Britain was the era of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901,…55Votes for WomenThe suffrage movement campaigned for women's right to vote, using…56The British EmpireThe British Empire was the largest empire in history, built through…57The Scramble for AfricaThe Scramble for Africa was the rapid colonisation of the continent…58Unification of Italy and GermanyIn the nineteenth century the separate states of Italy and Germany…59The American Civil WarThe American Civil War from 1861 to 1865 was fought between…60The Causes of World War OneWorld War One began in 1914 due to a mix of alliances, militarism,…61Trench WarfareOn the Western Front soldiers fought from trenches, in conditions…62World War One: Key EventsThe key events of World War One include the Western Front…63The Treaty of VersaillesThe Treaty of Versailles of 1919 officially ended World War One,…64The Russian RevolutionIn 1917 revolutions in Russia overthrew the Tsar and brought the…65The Roaring Twenties and the Great DepressionThe 1920s were a time of prosperity in the USA, followed by the…66The Rise of FascismFascism rose in Italy and Germany in the 1920s and 1930s, promising…67Nazi GermanyUnder Hitler, Nazi Germany became a dictatorship using propaganda,…68The Causes of World War TwoWorld War Two began in 1939 after Germany's aggressive expansion,…69World War Two: Key EventsWorld War Two was a global conflict from 1939 to 1945 that involved…70The HolocaustThe Holocaust was the systematic murder of six million Jewish…71The Home FrontOn the home front civilians supported the war effort through…72The Atomic Bomb and the End of the WarThe United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in…73The Cold WarThe Cold War was a long period of tension between the USA and the…74Division of Germany and the Berlin WallAfter the war Germany was divided into East and West, and in 1961…75The Cuban Missile CrisisIn 1962 the Cold War nearly became a nuclear war when the USSR…76The Space RaceThe Space Race was the rivalry between the USA and the USSR to…77The Korean and Vietnam WarsThe Korean and Vietnam Wars were conflicts in Asia during the Cold…78DecolonisationDecolonisation was the process by which colonies in Africa, Asia…79Indian Independence and GandhiIndia gained independence from Britain in 1947 after a long…80The Civil Rights MovementThe Civil Rights Movement in the USA was a campaign in the 1950s…81Apartheid in South AfricaApartheid was a system of racial segregation in South Africa from…82The Middle East Since 1945The Middle East has seen conflict and change since 1945, including…83The Fall of CommunismCommunism collapsed in Eastern Europe in 1989 and the Soviet Union…84The United NationsThe United Nations was founded in 1945 to keep international peace,…85The European UnionThe European Union is a political and economic union of European…86Human RightsHuman rights are basic freedoms that belong to every person, set…87Migration in HistoryPeople have always moved for safety, work and opportunity, and…88The History of MedicineMedicine has developed from belief in superstition and the four…89Public Health Through TimePublic health improved as governments built sewers, supplied clean…90Crime and Punishment Through TimeAttitudes to crime and punishment have changed over time, from…91Famous Explorers and InventorsExplorers and inventors such as Marco Polo, Marie Curie and the…92History of TechnologyTechnology has transformed society, from the wheel and printing…93Local History and HeritageLocal history studies the past of a community through buildings,…94Bias and InterpretationDifferent historians may interpret the same events differently…95History Skills: Cause and ConsequenceCause and consequence are the reasons events happen and their…96Change and ContinuityHistorians look at what changed and what stayed the same over a…
History: frequently asked questions
How many topics are in History?
History has 96 interactive topics on this site. Each one has its own page, so you can study them in any order.
Is History free to use?
Yes. Every topic, animation and quiz can be used in your browser without creating an account. Your progress is saved only on your own device.
Who is the History content for?
It is written for secondary school students studying History, and for teachers or parents who want a clear visual explanation. It supports your syllabus and your teacher rather than replacing them.
How do I move between topics?
Each topic page has Previous and Next links, a list of related topics, and a search box in the header. You can also filter the list on this page to find a topic by name.