A Complete Playlist for Story of the World Volume 4 - supplement your homeschool modern history lessons!

My kids LOVE watching videos to enrich our history lessons. But in all honesty, I’m always a little nervous while searching YouTube for content for our homeschool — you just never know what a search is going to pull up! And even when you find great content and appropriate videos, there is always the possibility of nasty comments, questionable videos that autoplay after your selection is done, etc.


I created this video playlist with elementary and middle school-aged kids in mind. Most of the videos are short – about 10 minutes or less. I avoided content I thought was inappropriate for these ages, but this is history and there has been a lot of violence in modern history. A few of the videos listed do mention rape, but only in a general and passing sort of way. Please use your own discernment to determine what is appropriate for your children and family.

YouTube Videos for Story of the World Volume 4:

I’ve embedded the videos here for your convenience, so bookmark this page or Pin It for later to view safely with your children.

Chapter 1- Britain’s England

Victoria’s England

An Illustrated Tour of the Great Exhibition of 1851

 

The Sepoy Mutiny

Chapter 2 – West Against East

Japan Re-Opens

Samurai, Daimyo, Matthew Perry, and Nationalism: Crash Course World History #34

The Crimean War

Crimean War:| Animated History

 

Chapter 3 – British Invasions

THE GREAT ADVENTURERS – DR DAVID LIVINGSTONE & STANLEY

 

Chapter 4 – Resurrection and Rebellion

Italy’s “Resurrection”

Italian Unification | 3 Minute History

How Did Italy Become a Country?| Animated History

The Taiping Rebellion

Asian Responses to Imperialism: Crash Course World History

Chapter 5 – The American Civil War

The Civil War, Part I: Crash Course US History

The Civil War, Part 2: Crash Course US History

 

Chapter 6 – Two Tries for Freedom

Paraguay and the Triple Alliance

Paraguayan War – 3 Minute History

War and Nation Building in Latin America: Crash Course World History

The Dominion of Canada

Canada: A People’s History Episode 7 – Rebellion and Reform

The Creation of the Dominion of Canada | Grade 8 History Lesson

Chapter 7 – Two Empires, Three Republics, and One Kingdom

The Other Napoleon – The Life and Times of Napoleon III

 

Otto von Bismarck (1815–1898) / German Unification | Simple History

Chapter 8- Becoming Modern

Rails, Zones and Bulbs

The Railroad Journey and the Industrial Revolution | Crash Course History

Japan’s Meiji Restoration

Samurai, Daimyo, Matthew Perry, and Nationalism | Crash Course History

Chapter 9- Two More Empires, Two Rebellions

The Dutch East Indies

Capitalism and the Dutch East India Company | Crash Course History

 

The Sick Man of Europe

Ottomans Versus Christians: Battle For Europe | Discovery Channel

Chapter 10- A Canal to the East and a Very Dry Desert

The War of the Pacific

Why Do Peru and Chile Hate Each Other?

The Suez Canal

Suez Canal | Studies Weekly


Chapter 11- The Far Parts of the World

The Iron Outlaw

Ned Kelly – I: Becoming a Bushranger – Extra History
(There are 4 videos in this series)

Carving Up Africa

Congo and Africa’s World War | Crash Course History

Chapter 12- Unhappy Unions

Ireland’s Troubles

Irish Potato Famine

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The Boers and the British

Boer Wars in 3 Minutes | 3 Minute History

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Chapter 13- The Old-Fashioned Emperor and the Red Sultan

Brazil’s Republic

Emperor Pedro II of Brazil

Abdulhamid the Red

The Armenian Massacre Still Haunts Its Last Survivors | National Geographic

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Chapter 14- Two Czars and Two Emperors

The Next-to-last Czar of Russia

History of Russia Part 4 | Epic History TV

Ethiopia and Italy

First Italo-Ethiopian War | 3 Minute History

Chapter 15- Small Countries With Large Invaders

The Korean Battleground

The Life & Death of Queen Myeongseong | Mrs Q American History

The Spanish-American War

Spanish-American War | 3 Minute History

Chapter 16- The Expanding United States

Moving West

Westward Expansion | Crash Course History

The Battle at Little Bighorn | History

Stocks, Philanthropists, and Outlaws

The Industrial Economy | CrashCourse History

Chapter 17- China’s Troubles

The Boxer Rebellion

The Boxer Rebellion | It’s History

The Czar and the Admiral

Port Arthur: The Fall of Western Supremacy and the Rise of the Japanese Empire

Chapter 18- Europe and Countries Just East

Persia, Its Enemies, and Its “Friends”

William Knox D’Arcy’s Oil exploration team from Great Britain

The Balkan Mess

The Balkan Wars | History Abridged

Chapter 19- China, Vietnam- And France

The Last Emperor

Pu Yi- The Last Emperor of China

The Vietnamese Restoration Society

French Colonisation – The Vietnam War | Discovery UK

Chapter 20- Revolution In the Americas… War in the World

The Mexican Revolution

Mexico in WW1 – The Mexican Revolution | The Great War

World War I

World War I Overview
Archdukes, Cynicism, and World War I: Crash Course World History | Crash Course

HOW World War I Started: Crash Course World History | Crash Course

Who Started World War I: Crash Course World History | Crash Course

Chapter 21- A Revolution Begins, and the Great War Ends

The Russian Revolution

Mystery of the Romanovs | National Geographic

The Russian Revolution of 1917 | Epic History TV

Chapter 22- National Uprisings

The Easter Uprising

Easter Rising in 8 Minutes | John D. Ruddy

Indian Nationalism

Story of The A Mahatma Called Gandhi | StoriesForKids

(Increase the speed to 1.5 to watch this one!)

Mohandas Gandi (Biography for Children) | Educational Videos for Children

Chapter 23- “Peace” and a Man of War

The Peace of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles Explained | Hip Hughes

The Rise of Joseph Stalin

Joseph Stalin, Leader of the Soviet Union | Simple History

Chapter 24- The King and Il Duce

Fascism in Italy

History Brief: Benito Mussolini Gains Power in Italy | Read through History


Ch. 25- Armies in China

Communists, Nationalists, and China’s Revolutions | Crash Course

Chapter 26- The Great Crash, and What Came of It

Black Tuesday and a New Deal

Charles Lindbergh and the Spirit of St. Louis | Reading Through History

The Great Depression: Crash Course US History | Crash Course

Hitler’s Rise to Power

Hitler’s Rise to Power )1930-1934) | Simple History

Chapter 27- Civil War and Invasion

Red Spain, Black Spain, a King, and a General

Spanish Civil War in 3 Minutes | 3 Minute History

Rebuilding the “Fatherland”

Germany after the War, 1945-49 is a 1 1/2 hour documentary that looks good. I haven’t previewed the whole thing for suitability yet, so as always, use your discretion.

Chapter 28- The Second World War

The Three-War War

How did Japan Invade China in WWII? | Animated History

(Note: this video mentions rape)

 

WWII In HD: America Enters World War II | History

The Holocaust

Who Was Anne Frank? | History

Chapter 29- The End of World War II

The War that Stretched Across the World

The Fallen of World War II

(This video provides an amazing visual representation of the casualties of the Second World War, breaking the numbers down by time, country and civilian vs military deaths. Your middle schoolers will love this (as will high schoolers & adults!)

CrashCourse World History also has quite a few videos about World War II.

The Atom Bomb

A Brief History of the Atomic Bomb | NBC News

Chapter 30- Partitioned Countries

Muslims and Hindus in India

Decolonization and Nationalism Triumphant | CrashCourse

(Discussion of partition in India begins at around 4:30)

The Partitioning of Palestine

Chapter 31- Western Bullies and American Money

The Suez Crisis

Suez Crisis Part 1 | Epic History TV

The Marshall Plan

The Marshall Plan Explained

The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall | TED-Ed

Chapter 32- Africa and China After World War II

One Country, Two Different Worlds

 

Apartheid Explained

Two Republics of China

What Was China’s Cultural Revolution and Why Was It So Violent? | NowThis World

Chapter 33- Communism in Asia

Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh & The Korean War

The Cold War in Asia | Crash Course

Chapter 34- Dictators in South America and Africa

Argentina’s President and His Wife

Eva Peron – Former First Lady of Argentina | Biography

Freedom in the Belgian Congo

Congo and Africa’s World War | CrashCourse

Chapter 35- The Cold War

The Space Race

The Space Race | KnowledgeHub

Thirteen Days in October

The History of the Cuban Missile Crisis | TED-Ed

Chapter 36- Struggles and Assassinations

The Death of John F. Kennedy

John F Kennedy Biography for Kids

Civil Rights

Civil Rights and the 1950s | CrashCourse

Rosa Parks – Civil Rights Activist | Biography

Chapter 37- Two Short Wars and One Long One

The Vietnam War

Vietnam War Simplified!

Trouble in the Middle East

Yom Kippur War | 3 Minute History

Chapter 38- Two Ways of Fighting

Soviet Invasions

What Was The KGB and Why Was it So Feared? | NowThis World

Terrorism

Munich Massacre – The Story of the 1972 Olympics | Flash Back

Chapter 39- The 1980s in the East and the Mideast

India After Partition

12 Things You Didn’t Know About Indira Gandhi

Iran and Iraq

What Happened in the Iran-Iraq War? | History

Chapter 40- The 1980s in the USSR

Chernobyl and Nuclear Power

What Caused the Catastrophic Nuclear Accident in Chernobyl | The Infographics Show

The End of the Cold War

The Nuclear Threat – The Shadow Peace

Chapter 41- Communism Crumbles- but Survives

Democracy in China?

What Happened in Tiananmen Square? | NowThis World

Communism Crumbles

The Collapse of the Soviet Union | Reading Through History

Chapter 42- The End of the Twentieth Century

The First Persian Gulf War

What Happened in the Persian Gulf War? | History

Africa, Independent

Neleson Mandela – Civil Rights Activist & President of South Africa | Biography

Other Great History Videos

There are many other great history videos that I didn’t include here, simply because they don’t correlate directly with the Story of the World Volume 4 chapters. There are lots of great Biographies your children will enjoy, as well as videos by Liberty Kids and Drive Through History.

 One of our favourite sources of history videos is Crash Course, and they have a lot of great ones that don’t fit neatly into the chronologic, Story of the World format. Check out their more topical videos on such subjects as decolonization and globalization.
Experience Modern History with your kids with these clean, age appropriate family movies

More Story of the World Resources:

Do you have any favourite YouTube channels or content creators that I haven’t included here? Share them in the comments!

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