The purpose of this study is to explore how six history teachers in the later years of primary school teach about military conflicts. The aim is also to explore how the teachers are teaching to develop the students’ historical consciousness. The method used in this study is semi-structured interviews. The result of the study has been analyzed based on Jörn Rüsen´s typologies and principles for historical consciousness. The result has also been analyzed in relation to the previous research available. 

The results show that the teachers feel that teaching about military conflicts extract a particular interest from the students, where they also bring more of their own perceptions, thoughts and experiences to the classroom compared with teaching other content. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine this has become particularly noticeable. The teachers describe military conflicts as a content that makes connections between the past and the present especially visible. The methods that the teachers use vary, but notably causality is used to achieve the purpose. Time constraints pose as a challenge for teachers to succeed in teaching. 

The conclusions are that military conflicts can in many ways be seen as good content to develop students’ historical consciousness, but there are challenges like time limitations and that the future perspective is not dealt with to the same degree as past and present. However, events with high topicality which are close to the students in terms of time and place make the teaching feel more meaningful. Historical consciousness is a complex concept that would need to be clarified in the curriculum in order to provide a more equal education to the students.