Contextualization

The study of the formation of modern States is a fundamental component to understand the political, social, and cultural organization of today's society. In the early Modern Age, between the 15th and 18th centuries, there was a gradual movement of decentralization of political power, which shifted from feudal government configurations to centralized structures known as modern States.

Thus, there was the consolidation of sovereign political entities, with well-defined borders where the monarch or the government had power and control over the entire population and territory. In the first major movement towards the formation of a modern state, we see the establishment of geographical borders, legal standardization, fiscal centralization, and the formation of permanent armies. This period was marked by constant power conflicts, wars, revolutions, and territorial expansion processes.

The formation of modern States is something that still reverberates in our daily lives. Every country we know today, in one way or another, has gone through a process of modernizing the state. This has deep political, socio-economic, and cultural ramifications that shape how nations operate and interact with each other.

In the History discipline, we will study the details of these processes and how they differ from country to country. We will work with comparative analyses of different countries to understand how the formation of modern States occurred in different contexts and what were its consequences for the political and social structures we see today.

In this sense, it will be interesting to consult books like "Leviathan" by Thomas Hobbes, which discusses theoretical aspects of the modern State, as well as reliable websites with historical content like World History, for a deeper understanding of the events of the period. Documentaries available online on platforms like Curta!On and Netflix can also be rich sources of information to complement learning.

Practical Activity

Activity Title

"Modeling Modern States: The Journey of Political Formation"

Project Objective

The objective of the project is for students to analyze the formation of three Modern States of their choice, identifying the factors that contributed to their formation and the consequences of this process on their political and social organization. This should be done through the creation of a digital presentation, combining academic research, primary sources, and artistic expressions.

Detailed Project Description

In this project, groups of 3 to 5 students will research, analyze, and present the formation of three Modern States selected by them. Each group will create a digital presentation using tools such as Prezi, Google Slides, or PowerPoint, illustrating the path taken by each state from its inception to its modern formation.

Required Materials

1. Internet access for research and use of digital presentation tools.
2. Reliable primary and/or secondary sources on the formation of Modern States.

Detailed Step-by-Step

1. Group Formation: Each group should consist of 3 to 5 students. The group then chooses three Modern States to research and present.

2. Research: Each group will conduct a detailed research on the formation of the three chosen States. The research should include information about the historical context, the political and cultural battles that occurred during their formation, and the impacts of these processes today.

3. Creation of the digital presentation: After the research, students will create a digital presentation illustrating the formation journey of the selected States. The presentation should include: the main points of their research, relevant images and/or multimedia, and a section dedicated to comparing and contrasting the three States.

4. Presentation practice: The groups will then practice the presentation, ensuring an equal distribution of speeches among members and that each state is represented fairly.

5. Final presentation to the teacher and class: Each group will present their work to the teacher and the class.

6. Report elaboration: Finally, each group will prepare a written report of the project, documenting their findings, reflecting on the teamwork process, and their learnings.

Project Deliverables and its Connection to the Activity

• Digital Presentation: The presentation will be used as a means to demonstrate the knowledge obtained through research and group discussions. It should be structured in such a way that clearly communicates and illustrates the formation of the three Modern States chosen by the group. The presentation should be made to the teacher and classmates.

• Written Report: Each group must provide a complete document containing the sections of Introduction, Development, Conclusions, and Bibliography. In the Introduction, students should contextualize the relevance of the topic. In the Development, they should detail the formation process of the three chosen Modern States, explain the activity in detail, indicate the methodology used, and finally present and discuss the results obtained. In the Conclusion, they should summarize the main points, the learnings obtained, and the conclusions drawn from the project. In the Bibliography, they should indicate all sources of information used.

Through the report, students will be connecting practice (research and presentation) with theory (historical concepts), allowing a complete view of the process of formation of Modern States. In addition, this report will allow students to reflect on the teamwork process, the skills acquired, and the challenges faced.