June 11-25, 2015 Current Events Lesson Plan
Current Event: Waterloo Turns 200
June 18, 2015, marks the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, one of history’s most important and bloody battles. The 1815 battle, fought in Belgium, changed Europe and ended the career of Napoleon I. British, Dutch, and Prussian troops defeated Napoleon and his Grande Armée (Great Army) at Waterloo, and all sides sent representatives to a commemorative ceremony this week. To mark the anniversary, Prince Charles of the United Kingdom dedicated a new memorial at the scene of a bloody British stand against French forces during the battle. And, despite strident French objections (France did lose the battle and their empire), Belgium issued a 2.50-euro commemorative coin. Why €2.50? Well, because Belgium—which caved to French demands earlier in 2015 not to issue a €2 anniversary coin—found a European Union loophole allowing “odd denomination” coins to be minted despite other EU members’ objections.
Objective:
Napoleon I, also known as Napoleon Bonaparte, was one of the greatest military geniuses in history. He was born on the island of Corsica in 1769. At the age of 16, he entered the French Army as a second lieutenant. During the French Revolution, Napoleon was promoted to major general after he defended the royal palace in Paris from angry mobs. After a string of military victories, Napoleon seized control of the French government in 1799. However, Napoleon was not content simply to govern France. His thoughts soon turned to conquest.In 1804, he crowned himself emperor of France. Beginning the following year, he repeatedly and soundly thrashed the Austrian, Prussian, and Russian armies thrust against him. France gradually overextended its own armies, however, and, after a disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812, the European powers found the Grande Armée suddenly vulnerable. A terrible defeat at Leipzig, Germany, in 1813 led to Napoleon’s downfall and abdication in the spring of 1814. He returned, and—having scraped together one last army—narrowly missed victory at Waterloo in 1815. Napoleon then went into exile on the island of St. Helena, where he died of stomach cancer in 1821. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore Napoleon I and other historical figures.
Words to know:
- Battle of Waterloo
- Belgium
- Duke of Wellington
- Euro
- European Union
- France
- French Revolution
- Napoleon I
Discussion Topics:
1. Ask your students what they know about France. (Students might say France is one of the largest countries in Europe; Paris is the country’s capital and largest city; France is the home of the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and other famous landmarks; Bastille Day is the French national holiday.)
2. The Battle of Waterloo was fought in 1815. Ask your students to name some people who were alive when Waterloo was fought. (Students might say Jane Austen, Ludwig van Beethoven, Charles Darwin, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Victor Hugo, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Samuel Morse, and William Wilberforce.)
3. Have your students debate the topic, “When is war justified?”
4. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to view or add to the Napoleon Bonaparte timeline. (Students may wish to use World Book’s “Napoleon I” article for help.)