Skill 7 · ages 12-18
Cause and effect
Why did something happen, and what followed from it? You learn that events usually have several causes, short-term and long-term.
DraftNot yet reviewed by a historian or history teacher.Why
History is more than a row of dates. Only when you see connections do you understand why the world looks the way it does.
Understand it
A trigger is the spark, a cause is the dry wood. The invasion of 1914 triggered Britain's declaration of war; tensions between the great powers were older causes.
Effects can be intended or unintended, short-term or long-term. After the fall of Antwerp many people moved north; in the long run that helped Amsterdam grow.
What comes after something is not automatically its effect. You look for a real link in the sources.
Ask: what was the trigger, what were the deeper causes, and what effects followed in the short and long term?
See it on a source
In our own words: after a long siege the city surrendered. Protestants were given the choice to become Catholic or leave after a set time.
What was a direct cause of the fall?Show
The siege: Farnese blocked the Scheldt, so no help or food could get in.
What was a short-term effect?Show
Many Protestants, merchants and craftsmen left the city.
And in the long term?Show
Their skills and money helped Amsterdam and other northern cities grow, while Antwerp declined as a trading city.
Pitfalls
Not like this: Every event has one cause.
Like this: Usually several causes work together: economic, political, religious, and sometimes chance.
Not like this: What came after is the effect of it.
Like this: Order alone is no proof. Look in sources for how one thing influenced the other.
Do it
Choose a level. Five right in a row and you can do this.
With Kaft PlusWant every topic? Open them with Kaft Plus
Make a worksheet of itAt the table
Which invention of the last fifty years do you think has had the most unintended effects?