World History

Black and white photo of people in traditional attire standing in a rural Southeast Asia village with thatched roofs; one person is being carried on a stretcher. Old Indo-China postage stamp in upper left corner hints at colonialism.

Colonialism in South & Southeast Asia | Students of History

This educational page by Students of History provides an overview of colonialism in South and Southeast Asia, which spanned from 16th to mid-20th centuries. This explains the effects of colonialism on various aspects of life including geography, people, and the different countries within South and Southeast Asia. Designed for middle and high school classrooms, the site offers a clear introduction to colonialism prior to and during WWII, helping teachers set the stage for the topic.

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Two stone statues stand amid rubble and debris in a devastated landscape with mountains in the background, evoking images from the Atomic Archive or scenes recreated through AJ Software’s multimedia tools.

Atomic Archive | AJ Software & Multimedia

A website that provides an overview of the history and science of the nuclear age, as well as a resource library filled with historical documents and a media gallery with photos and videos. This resource can be used as a reference to different atomic events (e.g. Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Cold War) and provide a background for class discussions.

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A large cloud of smoke and debris rises over a harbor in East Asia as a ship is seen nearby, following a massive explosion that would later be analyzed in school textbooks about history wars.

School Textbooks and East Asia’s History Wars” | Education About Asia

This resource features excerpts from textbooks produced in Japan, China, South Korea, and the United States to highlight differing coverage of sensitive issues such as the Nanjing Massacre and the Atomic Bombings of Japan. Not only is this a useful tool for better understanding the violence of the Japanese occupation of Nanjing, but also illustrates collective memory in action. It provides examples from textbooks as well as pictures that can be used in class discussions regarding historical events and how different perspectives change the way they are recounted.

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A group of adults and children walk down a road carrying belongings, with baskets and bags balanced on their heads and backs, in a rural setting—an image often studied in Genocide Studies, such as during the Cambodian Genocide.

The Cambodian Genocide | Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies

The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Minnesota has a great list of digital resources for educators and learners. Included in this list are short introductions to the Khmer Rouge, its leader Pol Pot, and the legacy of the Cambodian Genocide. Each section includes relevant student and teacher resources, such as primary source photos and videos and links to further reading.

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A group of people, including men in military uniforms and women, sit on the floor examining documents outdoors, engaging in education about Asia and discussing the history of Comfort Women during World War II.

Teaching about the Comfort Women during World War II and the Use of Personal Stories of the Victims | Education about Asia

“Using personal stories of the comfort women as teaching materials can help educators emphasize the importance of protecting human rights by providing students a vivid picture of the impact that human rights violations have on people’s lives. Comfort women stories may be graphic, but are necessary to fully understand the human rights violations that those women endured. For students who hear about today’s wars and atrocities from the media, an open and forthright discussion would be helpful to teach how to critically understand such events in both the past and the present.” 

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Bronze statue of a seated girl holding flowers beside an empty chair, surrounded by potted plants on a raised platform with caution tape—a poignant tribute to Comfort Women history and its unresolved legacy.

“Comfort Women”: The Unresolved History

This site, sponsored by the “Comfort Women” Justice Coalition, the comfort system as a source of ongoing pain with insufficient reparations having been made by the governments responsible. It introduces prevalent comfort system survivors, summarizes the history of the system, and provides a list of resources for further information. 

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A group of women, possibly comfort women, kneels on the ground outside a wooden building while several uniformed men stand or crouch nearby, observing or writing about the implementation of certain procedures.

The Origins and Implementation of the Comfort Women System

The term “comfort woman” (“慰安婦” pronounced ianfu in Japanese, wianbu in Korean and Wèi’ān fù in Mandarin), literally means “comforting, consoling woman” and is a euphemistic way of referring to those women conscripted by Japan during WWII to provide sexual services for the Japanese military. This page is a great starting point for understanding the how the ianfu system functioned, the reasons for its creation, and its lasting repercussions. 

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Historical painting of several Chinese and Dutch ships sailing at sea, with flags and sails visible, and part of a coastline in the upper left corner.

Maritime Asia: War and Trade

This digital world history project explores the fierce rivalry between the Dutch East India Company and the Zheng maritime network as they fought for control over key trades and sea routes in Northeast and Southeast Asia. The project includes digital exhibits, a timeline, biographies of key actors, an archive with primary sources, and an annotated bibliography for further exploration. It also features a classroom simulation exercise, “Pirates, States, and Diplomacy in a Multipolar Maritime Asia” for advanced high school and college students. 

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White text on a dark blue background reads: The Amboyna Conspiracy Trial, referencing the historic Amboyna conspiracy.

The Amboyna Conspiracy Trial

This website provides an in-depth look at the 1623 Amboyna Conspiracy Trial, which took place on the island Ambon (or Amboyna), part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. This was the site of a colonial struggle between Dutch and English merchants involved in the spice trade. The website includes videos of expert opinion, primary sources, and a teaching guide.

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