VCE History

Area of Study 1: The rise of empires

• What were the foundations and features of the empire?

• What were the significant events and motivating forces that led to the rise of the empire?

• How did individuals, ideas and technologies contribute to the rise and expansion of the empire?

• How did the empire use and express its wealth and power?

In this area of study students focus on the features of empires and what contributed to their rise. They analyse how the social, political, economic, cultural, religious, environmental and technological features and conditions shaped an empire’s quest for expansion.

Rulers sought economic and political advantage, spreading their power and influence into newly explored parts of the world. They gained footholds into Africa, the Americas and Asia, establishing colonial outposts to realise their quest for empire. The vision to expand an empire was enabled by strong political leadership. Monarchs, rulers and religious leaders pursued imperial power in response to events and geopolitical contexts. The quest for power and the acquisition of new territories challenged traditional beliefs and views of the world. Explorers contested territorial boundaries and indigenous people were subjected to the authority of the new empire and its needs. Imperial, city and regional identities emerged as empires were built, shaping the intellectual and intercultural concepts of empire.

Economic structures were transformed as wealth and resources were pursued. Banking and finance, tributes and new commercial arrangements were organised between the growing empire and its newly acquired trade networks. Innovations in technology, navigation and military equipment were developed to enable successful acquisition of new territories and trading hubs. Ideas of the ‘known world’ were challenged by individuals who saw the predominant religious views of the world as irrational and unfounded. They advocated for ‘reason’, empirical observation and exploration of the world. However, God and religious thought remained a dominant feature of empires and imperial expansion.

Area of Study 2: Encounters, challenge and change 

• How did the empire manage and consolidate its power and influence?

• How did daily life change through exchanges between empire and its colonies?

• What were the consequences of encounters between empire and indigenous peoples?

• To what extent did the empire decline and/or collapse?

• What were the significant legacies of the empire?

In this area of study students focus on the challenges and changes facing the empire in the age of imperialism. Students explain how and why new colonies and new markets were established, and describe the empire’s global power and why their influence prospered. They analyse the empire’s social, political, economic and cultural structures of power and how it was used to maintain control. Students evaluate the consequences of empire expansion, especially for indigenous peoples.

New systems of trade emerged between the empire and its colonies such as the ‘Columbian Exchange’ and mercantilism. Technological advancements, and improvements in transportation and manufacturing industries accelerated economic growth and imperial expansion. Empires sought to extract the most value from their territories through the lucrative transatlantic exchange markets, regardless of the human and environmental cost.

The empire’s contact and interactions with indigenous peoples or other subject peoples varied from mutual trade to conflict. As imperial authorities established colonies and settlements, it often resulted in conflict, genocide and oppression of indigenous peoples, environmental damage and dispossession of native land. Such colonisation caused extensive social, cultural and environmental damage to indigenous life, culture and land.

Imperial powers faced mounting difficulties in maintaining control over their colonies and territories. Mercantile and colonial societies were also challenged by the new environments in which they settled. At times, imperial laws, structures and institutions negatively affected the daily life and livelihoods of colonisers, causing dissent and mistrust. Colonisers and settlers clashed with imperial authorities, who quashed dissent and enforced obedience and compliance. Sometimes indigenous and settler rebellions gave rise to revolutionary situations such as the rebellion in the American colonies. These challenges determined the success and/or failure of the empire.

Political and economic competition between empires caused global tensions and the first global war: The Seven Years’ War. Some empires struggled to maintain and supply their colonial outposts with provisions and military protection. In some circumstances, the impact of heavy taxation on settlers caused rebellion and the quest for an independent nation, as occurred in 1775 with the American War of Independence. Despite this challenge, the British Empire continued its imperial conquests in the Caribbean, Africa, the Great Southern Land and Asia, fuelling its industrial revolution in the 19th century.