History SL2

Class Work 5; term 4

2010-04-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

1. Briefly describe a couple of political, economic and social conditions that led to Stalin's rise a dictator of Russia. (Chapter 1 of "Stalin" Book)

-Political Cause: The death of Lenin. Stalin sort of portrayed himself as being Lenin's disciple in a sense, like he was going to be the savior after Lenin died. Thus, when Lenin did die, everyone wanted Stalin to rule.

-Economic: The USSR was isolated from the western democracies economically, and thus they had to industrialize themselves on their own. (They needed a leader who was stable for support and help in doing this.)

-Social: There were bread riots which ultimately led to the fall of the Romanov government. Also, people hated the Tsar government.

2. What were four of Stalin's Aims as leader of the USSR?

-His main aim was to gain and maintain power.

-He also wanted to "collectivize agriculture." By doing this he hoped to make enough profit to buy equipment for industrialization.

-He aimed at destroying the Kulaks, who opposed his efforts of collectivisation.

-He wanted to industrialize the Soviet Union to be prepared for the inevitable invasion from the Western Capitalists.

3. Where did Stalin get support from during his rise to power? (Chapters 2 and 3)

-Stalin had to work to build up his support over the years. He did this by taking jobs from the communist party, such as the head of the Central Committee and eventaully he became the secretary of the communist party.

4. To what extent was totalitarianism achieved during his rule?

-A totalitarianism state was achieved to a very large extent because there was almost no recognition of "authority limits," and Stalin aimed at regulating every aspect of the public that he could.

5. Describe at least two "legal" methods Stalin used to achieve his aims during his rule.

-Stalin created trials against "anti-communist" people, who in reality were simply people which he didn't like.

-He sent kulaks to gulags.

6. Describe at least two examples of "force" Stalin used to achieve his aims.

-He increased the amount of power which military agencies had, so that he could use their power to his advantage as a way of killing people who he saw as a threat.

-He ordered the assassination of Kirov, because he thought he was a threat to his power.

7. Briefly describe Stalin's ideology as a ruler.

-He wanted to increase the economy of Russia, while aiming at keeping power by killing whoever "got in his way."

8. What was the nature of Stalin's opposition during his rise and rule? Give specific examples of groups/people that opposed him. (Chapters 2-4, 7)

-The general people opposed Stalin because their lifestyle worsened as he came to power.

-Trotsky opposed him and created a small group of people that also opposed him as well.

-Kirov attempted to win a vote against Stalin, which can be seen as a slight opposition because they were competing against each other in a sense.

9. How was the Soviet Government Structured and administered?

-Stalin controlled everything in Russia. In doing this, he killed everyone who could be a threat to him. All of the laws which were created were administered by Stalin- he had to approve of a law for it to be passed.

10. Give two examples of Stalin's political policies.

-The government began to control the military officials and police.

-He wanted to destroy the Kulaks (I don't know if this is really a policy, it is more an aim, and I'm not sure if it is political.. but I don't know another one.)

11. Give two examples of Stalin's social policies.

-Girls started to receive the same education as boys; Women had equal rights when it came to working as well.

-Health care improved greatly.

12. Give one examples of Stalin's religious policies.

-Stalin closed the churches when he rose to power however once WWII began, he re-opened them.

13. Give an example of how Stalin used education to achieve his aims. (Chapter 9)

-His ideology was taught in school to young children (this is similar to what Hitler did!)

14. Give an example of how Stalin used the arts to achieve his aims.

-Writers were made to write about the achievements of the government, to make the government look better.

15. Give an example of how Stalin used media or propaganda to achieve his aims. (Chapters 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 14)

-Pamphlets were given to worked during the 5 year plan as a way of boosting their morale. In these pamphlets, things were said about "other workers," and how much more these people worked in comparison to the normal person. This motivated people to want to work more, because others were doing it.

16. What was the status of women under Stalin's rule? (handouts from mid year review)

-The treatment of women improved, they began to be treated equally in the workplace. Girls also received the same education as boys did, which was also an improvement.

17. Give an example of how Stalin treated religious groups or minorities in the USSR during his rule. (Chapter 9)

Class Work 4; term 4

2010-04-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

World War 1: 1914-1918, Total War, Guerilla

Russian Civil War/Russian Revolution: 1918-1922, Civil War, Total War

Chinese Civil War: 1927-1937, Civil War, Guerilla, Total

World War II: 1931-1945, Total War, Guerilla

Iran-Iraq War: 1980-1988, Total War

Gulf War: 1990-1991, Limited War

Class Work 3; term 4

2010-04-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

Review Aims of Major Powers at Paris Peace Conferences

Aims of Japan included control of German ports in China.

Italy demanded control of the Fiume Territory, a Port City.

Maintaining the balance of power was the aim of the British; they intervened only when this was threatened.

Some aims of the French were to get compensation for all of their suffering in the war.

Only Germany was to blame for the war, according to the Allied powers.

Fourteen Points were created by Woodrow Wilson as a way of expressing America's goals.

Vague guarantees were offered by the League of Nations.

Italy aims to achieve the territorial gains that had been promised in the Treaty of London.

China was a place where Japan had an opportunity to increase its power.

The British policy pointed towards a peace of reconciliation, rather than revenge.

One of the way which the French tried to weaken Germany involved territorial reduction and extensive disarmament.

Reparations were paid by Germany.

Support from the UK was not needed for France.

Class Work 2; term 4

2010-04-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

1. Compare and contrast the two accounts of being attacked by gas. How might you account for the differences?

-One reason for the differences in these two accounts is that the first account is from an Iraqi's perspective, whereas the second account is from an American perspective. The Iraqi source talks about the pain that was felt, and how badly she suffered. The decriptions that are given are very intense, and it seems so shocking to read about. While this person is talking about hwo she was a victim of the gas attacks, the other source is talking about being one of the soldiers who were starting the gas attacks. In the first source, the main deaths were with friends and family members, and this person mourned greatly over the loss. However, the main loss in the other source appeared to be animals, and they don't seem as mournful. This source says that there in no disctinction between a friend or an enemy when it comes to death, both burials are treated the same. Thus, death is a huge contrast between these two sources.

2. What can you surmise about the goals of the Iraqi forces? What were the goals of the German army?

-It seems as though the Iraqi forces were there, unwillingly, because they were ordered to be there by their leaders. At the end of the first source, the person says that she hopes her leaders are blinded by god. However, it appears as though the German soldiers are there willingly- they aren't saddened by the death of a fellow soldier, and they seem like they really want to be there to fight and destroy the enemy.

3. Gas was not used extensively in the 20th-century wars after 1918. Why might this be?

-Well, it seems as though the person using the gas put themselves in danger as well, instead of only the enemy. They had to take extensive measures, such as wearing gas masks and changing them every five hours, so that they could stay safe from the gas. This seems as though it may have been a waste of supplies, when they could just use guns or bombs instead, without needing this expensive and extensive protection. Also, with gas, innocent people are effected, such as children. The death with gas is much more slow, and ina sesne more painful, because they can see eachother dying, and it is not immediate.

4. Construct a chart comparing the advantages and disadvantages of gas as a weapon. Is gas any more or less "humane" than other weapons? Explain your answer.

-Advantages: Ability to kill a large amount of people in a short amount of time.

-Disadvantages: The people who are distributing the gas have to wear special masks so that they aren't affected, these masks only last for 5 hours, and thus they could get a little bit pricey.

In a sense, gas is a bit less humane than other methods, because the people are suffering, as it takes a long time for it to actually work. However, it could be argued that bombing people is just as inhumane because people get body parts blown off. Most forms of killing are inhumane, depending upon the argument that you are approaching it from.

Class Work 1; term 4

2010-04-13T05:26:00.000-07:00

Task 1: Read charts 1-6. "With reference to origin and purpose discuss the values and limitations of the charts for historians studying the causes of WWI"

The origin of this source is from the book Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic and Military Conflict, which was written by Paul Kennedy and published in 1988 in London. The purpose of this source is to provide different statistics regarding the industry and power before, during, and after WWI. Because the origin of this source is a chart, it it a strength because there are solid numbers, and thus it can't really be opinionated. However, a limitation of this source may be that in chart 3, it doesn't explain what "per capita" means, and this is not a common term known to all people. Thus, there should be an explanation of this term so that the audience can better interpret the chart.

Task 2: Answer question 1 of "What caused the first World War?"

It seems that John Stoessinger's thesis is the most convincing, simply because it is different than all of the others. Some of the other thesis have very general ideas as to what caused the war, but in this case, he is actually explaining why his opinion is better than the others. However, just because his thesis is the most convincing doesn't mean that it is necessarily correct. It is just a convincing argument.

1- John Stoessinger

2- Eric Hobsbawm

3- Sydney Fay

4- Fritz Fishcer

5- Niall Ferguson

Homework 10; term 3

2010-03-26T06:51:00.001-07:00

Compare/contrast the practices of the Iran Iraq War with the practices of WWI.

Iran/Iraq War:

-Religion was used to motivate soldiers.

-Iraq used poison gas.

-Aerial Bombing

-Naval Warfare (similarity)

-Develops into a stalemate/war of attrition! Similar to WWI

WWI:

-Also has Naval Warfare (similarity)

-Stalemate (similarity)

-Total War

-Use of civilians as shields

-Tear Gas

Thus, the naval warfare was a similarity between the two wars. Another similarity is that both wars developed into a stalemate or a war of attrition. Something that isn't completely the same, but the same idea is with the tear gas and poision gas which was used in both wars. Both of these were poisions/chemicals which affected the enemies, so it can be seen as somewhat of a similarity. However, a difference is that WWI was seen as a total war and the Iran Iraq war was not. Also, there was really no religious motivation for the soldiers in WWI like there was in the Iran Iraq War. In WWI, the soldiers used civilians as shields, but this never occured in the Iran Iraq war, and nothing this harsh seemed to be present in the Iran Iraq war either.

Homework 9; term 3

2010-03-22T06:45:00.000-07:00

Create a compare/contrast graphic organizer comparing and contrasting the causes of WWI with the causes of the Iran/Iraq war.

Iran/Iraq War

Hussein was afraid of militant Islam spreading across the border into Iraq.
Iran was in a state of chaos for a while after their Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Border dispute.
The Ottoman Empire disintegrated after WWI , and the Allies divided up the former Empire, and formed Iraq. (related to WWI, but its not a cause of both.)

Miscalculation of Saddam Hussein

WWI

The Moroccan Crisis

The British agreement with Russia

The Bosnia Crisis

The Agadir Crisis

The First & Second Balkan War

Assasination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Economic Rivalry

Alliance System

Naval Race between GB and Germany

Thus, a huge contrast between the two wars is that the Iran/Iraq War was religiously motivated, whereas WWI was not. A similar idea is involved with the leaders, Saddam Hussein has a miscalcuation, and Franz Ferdinand was assasinated. However, these could be differences as well, because with the Iran Iraq war it was an error of the leader, whereas it wasn't Franz Ferdinand's fault that he was assasinated.

Paper 1 Test; term 3

2010-03-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

1a. What, according to Source A, were the successes of the first Five Year Plan?

-They were ready to move from private property to socialist ownership as the basis of economy.

-Peasant farms were grouped into collective farms.

-Capitalist businesses were either taken over outright, or converted to state-private joint enterprises.

1b. How, according to Source A, did China's economic policies follow the pattern of Soviet economic plan?

-The farms for the peasants were equivalent to the kolkhoz that were in the Soviet Union.

-The chief goal was to develop heavy industry as quickly as possible, and light industry and agriculture was the second most important thing, except in Russia they were neglected more.

2. Compare and contrast the views on people's communes as expressed in Sources B and C.

-One very big comparison between these two sources are that Source C focuses on the negative aspects of the communes, whereas Source B focuses on the positive aspects of the communes. This is because the time of source B was written only in the very first part of the communes, in 1958, whereas source C was written in 1996 by a survivor of the famine. However, Source C does state that during the first year of the commune, things were good, which is a similarity, because Source B only talks about the year of 1958. Thus, it can be said that both of these sources agree that the communes were effective in 1958. Another contrast between these two sources is that Source B talks about everything being built up, whereas Source C is talking about everything being gone (food, linens, etc.)

3. With reference to their origin and purpose, assess the value and limitations of Source D and Source E for historians studying Mao's economic reconstruction.

- The origin of source D is an extract from Mao: The Unknown Story, written by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday, published in London in 2005. The purpose of this excerpt is to inform people of China's relations with Russia, and more importantly what happened with the technology that China received from Russia. The origin of this source provides a value, because it was written by a Chinese person, it may be more accurate, because this person may have lived in China while this was occurring. Also, because it wasn't published until 2005, it is a value, because the author had time to gather details, and look back on the past, rather than just writing this out of anger because he was in he heat of the moment. A limitation comes with the purpose of this source however, because it is trying to give alternate interpretations to Mao's life that were never heard before. Thus, some of this source may be exaggerated a bit to make it look significantly different from the other stories that were already told about Mao.

-The origin of Source E is a table of China's Agricultural Record in 1954-1962, which was entitled "The People's Republic of China Since 1949," and published in 1998. The purpose of the table is to compare the difference in grain and meat production from 1954 to 1962, (before and after The Great Leap Forward.) A value of this source is because it is a table with solid number values, the values are probably correct, because it is not opinion based. However, a limitation may be that it is only showing the grain and meat production- maybe it would be more valuable if it also showed the production of other things before and after the Great Leap Forward so that they could be compared and see if any positives came out of the Great leap Forward.

In Class Paper 1

2010-03-16T11:44:00.001-07:00

1a. What evidence is there in Source C of the limitations of the Great Leap Forward 1958-59?

-The people in this picture don't appear to look very happy, thus they might not be motivated to work.

-There is no food shown anywhere in the picture- there is a lot of dirt.

-It looks as though it is a very hot day, which can be seen by the sun shining in, which maybe be a limitation cause the men are dressed in pants, and they might be really hot and not able to work to their maximum capacity.

1b. Why, according to Source A, was there a fall in the grain output after 1957?

-There were floods in some areas.

-Other areas suffered from droughts.

2. Compare and contrast the views expressed in Sources D and E about the Great Leap Forward in China in 1958-59.

-Source D and E both mostly agree that the Great Leap Forward was a failure, however Source E focuses specifically on the problems with agriculture, whereas Source D mentions the agriculture as well as talking about the lives of the people effected. Source E talks about the effect of the industry on the women and children, whereas Source D focuses on the life of the peasants. Also, Source D views the Great Leap Forward as two leaps, separated from 1958 and 1959-1960, and Source E only focuses on the year of 1958.

3. With reference to their origin and purpose, assess the value and limitations of Source A and Source B for historians studying the Great Leap Forward in China 1958-1961.

The origin of source A is an excerpt from a talk, "Restore Agricultural Production," by Deng Xiaoping who was the General Secretary of the Communist Party. The purpose of this talk was to encourage the people that they need to find a way of restoring the grain production, so that they can get their good back from the droughts and floods. Because the origin of this source is a speech, there may be a limitation in that he is making things seem a bit different than they actually are (either not as bad, or better), and therefore the people may not be receiving the entire truth. However, the purpose of this talk provides a value because it is trying to get the people of China to improve their lives and come out of the terrible famine that they were experiencing.

The origin of source B is an excerpt from a book, entitle "The Complete History of China," which was published in 2003 in the United Kingdom. the purpose of this book is to give an alternative view as to why the Great Leap Forward failed. The origin of the book provides a limitation because it is not written by a Chinese person, but rather it is published in a text book, so it is not a first hand account, and some of the interpretations may have varied throughout different countries. However, the purpose of the source provides a strength because it is stating that it is looking for alternative viewpoints in the very first sentence.

4. Using these sources and your own knowledge, to what extent do you agree with the statement in Source D that the Great Leap Forward "proved an unmitigated (total) disaster for the Chinese economy and people"?

All of these sources seem to back up the quote from source D that the Great Leap Forward proved an unmitigated disaster for the Chinese economy and people.

Although Source A does not directly state that the Great Leap Forward was a disaster, it talks about the terrible conditions and famine as a result of it. This supports that the Great Leap Forward hurt the economy, because grain production decreased a tremendous amount, as well as hurting the people, because people were without food and money.

Source B does directly state that the Great Leap Forward was a failure, and it gives insight as to the different reasons that it failed. Thus, source B gives the same opinion as Source D does.

Homework 8; term 3

2010-03-10T06:36:00.000-08:00

Please explain two causes, two practices and two effects of the Cultural Revolution

The conditions for the "Cultural Revolution" were set when Mao let Liu and Deng help to try and stop the famine. He started to let private farmers to work again, and he finally admitted that the commune system was a failure. So, this can kind of be seen as a cause of the Cultural Revolution, because Mao was finally able to admit the failures from his idea for a "Great Leap Foward."

Another condition for the Cultural Revolution was from 1962 to 1966, the Communist leaders were arguing about which "road" to take for China to go down... basically how their future should be. This kind of goes with the above cause, but I can't really find any other causes besides the failures of the Great Leap Foward.

One practice of the Cultural Revloution was that schools were closed for six months so that the curiculum could be rewritten for school children. The purpose of doing this was to focus the curriculum more on the ideas of communism, so that the young people would be aware of this, and that communism wouldn't die out.

Another practice of the Cultural Revolution is with the Red Guards, who used violence in acheiving their aims. They shaved off the hair of women who had "Western-style" haircuts, and they ripped off their "Western-style" clothes. They also smashed the windows of anything that sold "borgeuois products," such as fur coats, records, cosmetics, etc.

An effect of the cultural revolution is that Liu and Deng were hated by everyone. They were expelled from the government, and Liu was held in prison, where he died in captivity. However, everyone loved Mao.

Another effect of the cultural revolution was that order was finally restored in China. Schools and colleges were reopened, and people were allowed to return to their studies. In the places where the Red Guards were using violence, the PLA got involved and diarmed them. The PLA set up Revolutionary commitees of peasants, Red Guards, and soldiers.

Homework 7; term 3

2010-03-09T06:38:00.000-08:00

1. Identify and explain four of Mao's main aims as ruler of China (from notes also).

-Mao's first aim was to make China a single party state. He wanted to unite China under one signle government and maintain control of it. This was a success; it is still a saignle party state today.

-He wanted to rebuild a "Shattered" China and improve the living conditions for the Chinese people. By doing this he hoped to maintain the support of peasants, which was mostly a success.

-He wanted to turn the PRC into an industrialized state, so that the industrial output could be increased.

- He also wanted to improve the agriculture so that China could feed its people without famine. This also would enable China to build up their economy and catch up to larger nations.

2. Identify and explain four major methods he used to try to achieve those aims.

-One method that Mao used to acheive his aims was gaining support of the peasants. He decided to focus on gaining the support of all of the peasants, rather than focussing on the more industrialized towns.

-Hundred Flowers Campaign was used so that open discussions between different classes of people could be held. A new class of people (technological people) developed as a result of this campaign. However, Mao decided to end the hundred flowers campaign as he felt that it was not working. This is still an example of a domestic policy though.

-The Great Leap Foward was another example of Mao's domestic policy. He used this to help making the PRC into an industrialized state. However, it seems as though this plan wasn't very well planned at all, which is somewhat of a downfall to his method.

-Changes in industry were also part of his method. A 5 year plan was created, and the government ended up nationalizing most businesses. The main concentration of this was on heavy industry.

3. Give examples of two legal methods and two examples of force Mao used to achieve his aims.

-Force: "Swat the Fly Campaign", also there was the other campaign where they banged pans to make the pigeons die, which was an example of force.

-Legal: Wouldn't the legal methods be things such as the hundred flowers campaign, or the speak biterness campaign, and the Great Leap Foward? (This is basically the same as question 2...?) There was also the Land Law..

4. Explain the cause-and-effect relationship between the "Great Leap Forward" and the "Three Bitter Years"

-The Great Leap Foward was something that was planned by Mao, hoping to improve the lives of the Chinese people. It consisted of creating communes for people to live in, and its main focus was to try and increase the industry, so that China could be seen as an industrialized state. However, Mao was not the best planner, and the "Great Leap Forward" didn't turn out to go as well as he had hoped. It wasn't very well planned... people weren't happy living in these communes, and ultimately there was a famine. So, right after the "Great Leap Forward" came the "Three Bitter Years," which were the three years after this attempt at a great leap, because everyone was so unhappy with the conditions in China (especially the lack of food due to famine.) Thus, the Three Bitter Years was caused by the Great Leap Foward, and that is the cause-effect relationship between the two.

5. Please give three examples from the reading of Mao using propaganda to achieve his aims.
-Well, at one point Mao would go out into the field to work with the peasants for a very short amount of time to make it look as though he was doing work, which would encourage the peasants to work harder.
-There were propaganda photos of children playing on crops that were so thick that they actually held the children up.
-Tibet ended up having a famine, and Mao issued propaganda photos which showed Tibet having large amounts of crops and harvests.

Homework 6; term 3

2010-03-04T06:45:00.001-08:00

1. Explain three tactics/methods Mao used to conquer China and secure power acording to this source.

-Pitilessness was considered to be one of Mao's tactics, and it says in this source that it was was on the most powerful of his weapons.

-People were banned from leaving the city, as they wanted to turn Chanchun into a "city of death."

-There were massive civilian deaths.

-"Veto by silence."

2. What are three major differences between the way this source portrays the Communists' treatment of the common people with other sources we've read?

-This source seems to portray the treatment of the common people as much worse and more harsh than the other sources we have read. This source talks a lot about the use of terror to win the war, where I think that the other sources focus more on him winning the support of the peasants. I think that this source talks about him winning the support of the peasants, however I think it is not as signifcant as with the other sources. For instance, the other sources don't talk specifically about the cruel treatment towards children (like how they were pulled apart at the limbs, and other things similar to that.)

3. Explain at least two practices of the Chinese Civil War you learned from this source.

-Soldiers beat up, abused, and tied up refugees, and someimtes they even set them on fire so that they would die.

-There were rallies, which all of the people had to attend. There were people who were designated to be targets, and they had to stand and face the crowds, so that all of the people in the crowd could yell at them with their grievances. They were even allowed to hit them, or use other farm tools against the people.

4. The Communists fought a "total war." Cite two pieces of evidence from this passage that support that view.

-"The entire population was made to live and work flat out, night and day, for the war, and very often in the thick of it."

"Civilians in the communist-held territories were also ruthlessly exploited."

5. According to this source, what part of land reform really mattered to Mao?

-He liked that they worked for a long time without getting tired, even though they only did this because of the terror which Mao put on them.

6. Mao's main aim was to secure power, not to improve the lives of the peasants. To what extent do you agree with that claim?

-I agree with the claim significantly. He treated the people so badly, so that had to be his aim. If he only wanted to improve the lives of peasants, a lot less harsh things could be done. Instead of punishing everyone and making everyone suffer, he could have done things that only aimed at improving the lives of the peasants, instead of destroying everyone else's life as well. Therefore, it is pretty obvious that his main aim was to secure power, because he used terror, which is how people in the past have worked at securing their power as well.

Causes, Practices, and Effects of the Chinese Civil War (test)

2010-03-03T07:08:00.000-08:00

The opium wars are a long term cause of the Chinese Civil War. They began when the Chinese started growing opium and selling it to the Chinese so that the British could profit. The Chinese ended up being angry that the British were profiting and that the Chinese were using opium, so as a result they outlawed opium. They also burned the "storage" areas where the British kept their opium, which made the British angry. Then, as a result, the British attacked the Chinese. (The British were much stronger than the Chinese, and they defeated China very easily. As a result of this, "unequal treaties" were formed, which was humiliating to the Chinese people. The people of China became very angry, and some even hated the Manchu Dynasty, for signing these unequal treaties. Thus, the Manchu Dynasty became weak, and people were rebelling against it, but the Manchu Dynasty worked with the Europeans to end the rebellion, and as a result killed millions of people. This showed the instability of the Chinese government, which led to a lot of tension between the Chinese people. Therefore, this can be seen as a long term cause to the Chinese Civil War.

The Communist/Guomindang split is an immediate cause of the Chinese Civil War.

The nature of civil wars tend to be more personal and violent than other wars. In the Chinese Civil War, one example of this is with the way children and mothers were treated. For example, one mother had her clothes ripped from her, so that her milk was dripping on the floor and the baby, who was hungry, was licking the milk up off the ground to drink. Babies were also ripped apart at the limbs, which is extremely harsh to do to anyone (especially a baby.) Torture seems to be very common in civil wars, especially in the Chinese Civil War. One more example of torture was that oil was poured on peoples heads, so that they would die.

Another practice of the Chinese Civil War that makes it seem very personal and violent was class warfare. This was when different social statuses would fight against each other basically. One specific example is with peasants and landlords. The peasants actually killed the landlords, so that they could find food to eat, and to give to the others who had nothing to eat. This appears to be very personal because it is like they are killing their master in a sense- the person who had given them a house- even though the treatment wasn't the best, it is still very extreme.

One social effect of the Chinese Civil War was the improvement in the treatment of women. A specific example of this was with the "Marriage Law of 1950." This ended arranged marriages, which was a huge downfall of the life of Chinese women. Along with this, the minimum age for men to marry was 18, and the minimum age for women to marry was 20. This prevented older men from marrying really young women, which also is improvement in the treatment of women. Husbands and wives now owned property together, and divorce had to be a mutual agreement. Also, it was illegal to kill unwanted babies. Overall, all of these things resulted in much better treatment of women, which was a social effect of the Chinese Civil War.

Another social effect of the Chinese Civil War was the "Land/Agrarian Reform Law" of 1950. This enabled peasants to work with other people on one huge farm, to learn better farming methods, and collaboration. Also, there were "speak bitterness campaigns" in which peasants were allowed to gather in groups and have rallies where they would speak "bitterly" about their previous landlords, and basically denounce them for having treated them badly. This was a social effect because it improved the lives of peasants, much like the life of women were improved. (It could also be argued that it was political... but I won't talk about that, because the question is about social effects.)

One political effect of the Chinese Civil War was the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. This was basically the point in which the people began to form a "people's democratic dictatorship". As a result of this, four social classes were formed... the peasants, the workers, the bourgeoise, and the nationalist-capitalists. The PRC enabled the people to have a say in how they felt about certain situations which were occuring in China, and a lot of peace was formed. As a result of this political change, a lot of social effects came to be, because now people were concerned for the individual people. Thus, the establishment of the PRC was a very important effect of the Chinese Civil War.

Another political effect of the Chinese Civil War was the Agrarian Reform Law, which could be considered a social effect as well. This is when peasants began to learn how to work in the same social class as other people of their society. Also, poor people were encouraged to meet and talk about life as a poor person, and basically to denounce their previous landlords who had treated them badly.

Homework 5; term 3

2010-02-23T10:39:00.000-08:00

Identify at least one political, social, and economic effect of the Chinese Civil War

Social: The 1950 Marriage Law. This ended some of the worst features of the women's life. For instance, arranged marriages were ended, and it was no longer legal to kill unwanted babies. Both husbands and wives owned the property, and divorce had to be a mutual agreement. The marriage age for women was 20, and the age for men was 18. Overall, this resulted in much better treatment of women.

Political: The 1950 Agrarian Reform Law. This is when peasants began to learn how to work in the same social class as other people of their society. Also, poor people were encouraged to meet and talk about life as a poor person, and basically to denounce their previous landlords who had treated them badly.

Economic: Formation of the People's Bank. This enabled the government to have control over all transactions, and the issue of money. A result of this was the elimination of inflation.

Source-Based Questions

2010-02-12T07:23:00.000-08:00

1. What is the message being conveyed by the woodcut on page 22?

-This is showing how the tax collectors basically took everything from the peasants, and left them to starve. It also conveys how the Guomindang people did nothing to help the peasants, but instead only made their lives worse.

2. What is the message being conveyed by the Chinese Communist Party Poster on page 23?

-This poster is showing how the Peasants were helping the Red Army in the war against Japan. This shows that the Red Army had gained the support of the peasants also, which is something that the Guomindang could not do.

3. With reference to origin and purpose, assess the value and limitations of Sourc-0e A on page 25 and the excerpt from Mao: The Unknown Story for historians studying why the Communists won the Chinese Civil War.

Source A:

The origin of this source is a journal entry from Chiang Kaishek written in 1947, with the purpose of revealing his true feelings regarding how upset he was that nobody cared for anyone else anymore. The origin of this provides us with a value, because it is personal from a journal entry. Therefore, it actually gives us the true feelings of Chiang Kaishek, because he has nobody to please in his journal. However, a limitation may be with the purpose. Because he is annoyed with the situation, he is writing for himself, and not for anyone else to read. Therefore, the things written may have been blown out of proportion to an extent, because he wasn't expecting anybody to read it.

Excerpt From Mao:

The origin of this source is written by Jung Chang, who was born in China in 1952. The purpose of this excerpt is to inform people of another viewpoint regarding the Chinese Civil War, which hasn't been seen in other sources. The origin of this source can be a strength and a limitation as well. It is a strength because it is written by a Chinese person, rather than a person of another nationality. This is a strength because it is not someone of a different culture trying to understand what was going on. However. the origin is a weakness because she wasn't born until 20 years after what was being written about happened. Therefore, it is not a firsthand account, and she may have based this off of other information that she had heard, rather than what was witnessed. The purpose of this also provides a strength and a weakness. It is a strength because it is trying to find new ideas about the practices of the Chinese Civil War, however this is also a limitation because the practices which are talked about may be exaggerated from the truth a bit , because it is trying to be a "new outlook on the practices."

Homework 4; term 3

2010-02-09T10:06:00.000-08:00

1. According to this book, what were three reasons why the Communists were able to effectively resist nationalist attempts to destroy them?

-The Nationalists were not familiar with the terrain.

-Nationalist troops had to rely on local supplies... The Reds controlled the population, so they could deprive the enemy of food and water.

-Spies.

2. According to this source, what was the most important strategy that "tipped the scale" in helping the Reds defeat the Nationalists?

-Russian assistance.

3. Compare/ contrast the views from this source with other views we've read on why the Communists were able to effectively resist Nationalist attempts to destroy them. Give at least one compare and one contrast.

4.Identify the following terms for comprehension: GRU, CCP, HQ.

-GRU: Soviet military intelligence.

-HQ: tried stealing Nationalist codes

-CCP: had agents working in the heart of Nationalist intelligence.

5. Mao's leadership was not decisive in the Reds victory over the Nationalists in the Chinese Civil War. What evidence from this passage could be used to support this view?

-"Yet it was not Mao's brutal strategy that clinched the Reds' victory..."

6. According to this interpretation, which side was more patriotic in fighting the Japanese, the CCP or the Nationalists?

-This source says the world has come to believe that the CCP were more patriotic in their fighting against Japan than the Nationalists were. However the source says that this claim is untrue, meaning that he believes the Nationalists were.

7. Based on other sources you've read, how far do you agree with this claim?

-Well, I guess I am part of the world who thought the Nationalists were more patriotic in their fighting than the CCP. However, I have mixed emotions with it. There are points so that both viewpoints can be justified.

8. According to this source, how did the Japanese invasion help in Mao's rise to power?

-Moscow appointed Mao the head of the state and the title of chairman of the Central Executive Committee. Therefore, the Japanese invasion helped a significant amount in Mao's rise to power.

Homework 3; term 3

2010-02-07T06:50:00.000-08:00

Based on all that you've studied, please explain three main reasons why you think the Communists, and not the Nationalists, won the Chinese Civil War.

In my opinion, I think one of the reasons that the Communists won the Chinese Civil War was due to the fact that the treatment of women had improved. For instance, a lot of unpleasant practices were abolished. Foot binding, a thing to make the feet of women remain small, was made illegal. Also, the killing of "unwanted" babies was also banished. Child slavery and prostitution was made illegal as well. As a result of these improved treatments to women, it is possible that the Communists won the support of many women, which is a reason that they could have won the Chinese Civil War.

Another reason that the Communists won the Chinese Civil War may be a result of them gaining the support of peasants. Big areas of land which were owned by rich landlords were taken and spread out among the poorer peasants. New farming tools were created by the Red Army, and an agricultural school was also developed. "Saturday Brigades" were created for children, soldiers, and party officials to help the peasants with their farming. Thus, the Communists were able to gain the support of peasants, enabling them to win the Chinese Civil War.

Propaganda also played a role in the Communists winning the Chinese Civil War. Pictures of the cruel treatment that the Nationalists provided were shown, so that people would think better of the Communists. I don't know how significant propaganda was however, because propaganda can be present with almost any situation. I think that the better treatment aof women and peasants were more significant reasons, simply because they are unique to the Communists. In every war, with every situation there is propaganda, so I don't know how noteworthy it is.

Classwork; term 3

2010-02-02T07:07:00.001-08:00

A. Study the map above, then answer these questions:

1. Describe in your own words the Red Army's movements in between Jiangxi and Zunyi.

-The First Front Army were sent from the Communist base areas to Xiang, and then from there they split into two groups, both of which went to Zunyi. The second Front Army was sent from another communist base in Hunan, and went right past Zunyi.

2. Describe how the Red Army's movements changed after leaving Zunyi.

-After leaving Zunyi it looks like the First Front Army just traveled in circles for a while before they began to go in a straight line. Also, after Zunyi the second and fourth front army became present.

3. Judging by what you have read in this chapter, why do you think the Army changed its movements in this way?

-Because Mao took leadership.

4. What might have been the result if the Red Army had not changed direction at Zunyi.

-Maybe more of them would have survived because maybe their other route may have had less obstacles.

B. Read these comments on the Long March, then answer the questions which follow.

1. Using the information in this chapter, provide evidence to agree and disagree with each of the views expressed in sources A and B.

-Source A:

Agreement: "The arrival of the Second and Fourth Front armies which had undertaken their own long marched had restored the Army's strength to 80,000 men, making it once again a viable fighting force."

Disagreement: " Fewer than 10,000 of those who had set out marched into Yanan."

-Source B:

Agreement: "The Long March of the Red Army took it over the Snowy Mountains, amoung the highest in the world, and through the treacherous Grasslands."

Disagreement: "... hundreds of men drowned in deep marshes..."

2. In the light of the evidence you have found, which of the two views do you think is more accurate? Explain your answer.

-I think that the first quote is more accurate, because the only thing that really appears to be off about their quote is the number who had died, which isn't as significant as the other things mentioned in the book.

Chinese Civil War Quiz

2010-01-29T09:38:00.001-08:00

Source Based Questions:

1. What is the message being conveyed by the poster on page 9 of your China book?

-This poster is showing honor to Sun Yatsen after he died. His goal while living was to eliminate Manchus and open the road to socialism. These images on the poster of him leading his troops show that he was a good man and tried to do what was right.

2. What is the message being conveyed in the photo on page 4 of your China book?

-This photograph is showing the dead bodies of the supporters of Manchus laying in street. Nobody is caring for these bodies, or doing anything to try to help them which shows that nobody was affected by their death. It appears as though everyone else in the picture is going on living their normal life, while these bodies are scattered on the street-completely ignored.

Terms/Events:

Explain how three of the following helped contribute to the start of the Chinese Civil War.

Opium Wars: The opium wars began when British was growing opium and selling it to the Chinese; the opium sales resulted in a way that the British could make profits. However, the Chinese were angry with these sales, and they started to outlaw Opium. They even burned areas where the British were keeping their opium. In response, the British attacked the Chinese, and they were easily able to defeat China. Because of this defect, the weakness of the Manchu Dynasty was illustrated. Their weakness was something that led to the start of the Chinese Civil War.

Unequal Treaties: The unequal treaties originated as a result of the Opium Wars. These were treaties which China was forced to sign, which were completely unfair towards China. They were an embarrassment. Because of this, the Chinese people became angry at the Manchu Dynasty for signing the treaties. This is something that also showed the instability of the Chinese Government, which can further be seen as a cause of the Chinese Civil War. (long term)

Revolution of 1911: The goal of this revolution was to establish a democracy and bring back national power. In this revolution, the nationalists and the Wuchang worked together to end the Manchu Dynasty. However, this "revolution" was a failed attempt which only led to chaos and foreign problems. A result of this failed attempt was the Rise of Mao, which can be seen as another cause of the Chinese Civil War.

People:

Sun Yatsen: He was the founder of secret societies, whose aim was to overthrow Manchus and the monarchy. He also was a leader of the revolution of 1911. He found the "Sworn Chinese Brotherhood," and another group to help revive Chinese Society. All of these attempts at other throwing the government had failed, and ultimately it made the Chinese weaker, leading to the Chinese Civil War.

Yun Shikai: He was able to get rid of the National assembly, and also made it so that he would remain president for the next ten years. When doing this, he was able to the support of Europeans, who wanted a government in China to protect their trading. He ended up ruling as a dictator more than a democrat, which caused weakness in China, and further led to the Chinese Civil War.

Homework 2; term 3

2010-01-28T06:48:00.000-08:00

Identify three major sea, land, or air practices of the Chinese Civil War.

Land:

Extermination Campaign: in 1936, Chiang Kaishek ignored the Communists demand for a unite front of all the Chinese against Japan. So, in 1936 he created another extermination campaign against the Communists and he sent his Army to attack their bases. He told his army to destroy the Yanan Soviet. In order to do this, bomber aircraft, tanks, armored cars and poison gas were all made available for use.

United Front: This agreement was made, yet the Japanese decided to fight against China before they became too strong. Without even declaring war, they began an invasion of Chinese territory, where they aimed to conquer their entire country.

Occupation of Railroads: Japan didn't make any more advances on China after this, because they didn't have enough manpower to occupy all of China due to the fact that they were so small. Even in the areas that Japan did occupy, they were never able to have total control, because when they started to move away from Manchuria, they had to leave some areas unguarded, which allowed the Chinese to move back into the areas and take control again. However, from 1938 to 1944, the Japanese occupied the large cities, important railways, airfields, ports and roads... and the Chinese occupied the countryside. The Japanese focussed on destroying Chiang Kaishck's wartime government, and they bombed it to an extreme amount.

Air:

In April 1944, the Japanese aimed at destroying the American airfields in south-east China. However, this ended quickly, and the entire war actually came to an end in 1945, when the Americans used an atomic bomb to destroy Hiroshima (one of the Japanese cities that hadn't yet been destroyed by the bombs.)

Sea:

America's involvement: In 1941, Japan had around two million men in China. However, In December of that same year, something happened which improved China's problems. The US declared war on Japan after Japan attacked the American naval base (Pearl Harbor.) Then, American airfields built in south-east China allowed American bombers to destroy Japan's sea trade and cut off almost all of her imports.

Homework 1; term 3

2010-01-26T11:23:00.000-08:00

Explain at least three major long term and short term causes of the Chinese Civil War. Please categorize the causes as economic, political, social, religious, or ideological.

Long Term

Opium Wars: Between 1839 and 1842, the British fought "Opium Wars" against China to force the Chinese to continue buying opium from India (which was ruled by the British.) Then in 1860, an Anglo-French army attacked Bejing (the capital of China) and burned down government buildings. Then, the Japanese attacked China, taking away Korea, Taiwan, and Lushun. I think that this is an economic cause, because it was effecting the economy. Also, I am not sure as to whether it is long term or short term. The reason I said it was long term, is because there were two of them... so the problems obviously existed for awhile. Also, the opium wars led to unequal treaties, which I suppose is long term, because it once again lasted for awhile.

Revolution: The Chinese revolution took place in 1911. It was the revival of national power, and the establishment of a democratic form of government. However, as a result of this, a lot of chaos was created, as well as foreign problems. These problems weren't resolved until 1949. People involved in this revolution were Sun Yatsen, and Yuan Shikaki. I think that this would be an economic and political cause of the Chinese Civil War.

Short Term

Reforms: In 1898, the Emperor Guangxu, tried to strengthen China by modernizing the way the empire was run. The Hundred Days of Reform lasted for three months, where Guangxu introduced new schools and colleges. He improved the government's budget and dismissed corrupt officials from the court. However, his aunt, opposed these changes, and the Empress Cixi had Guangxu imprisoned, forcing him to grant her the power to rule China. This is a political cause.

The Boxer Rebellion: This occurred at the same time as the hundred days of reform. It was when the Yi-Ho Tuan blamed foreigners and Christians for the problems of China. Empress Cixi supported them and encouraged them to attack foreigners. In 1900, the rebellion reached its climax. The boxers killed the captured Europeans and Christians, and as a result, the European governments sent an armed force to Beijing to protect their people. Then, they captured and looted Beijing, forcing Manchus to pay 67 million (in Chinese or European money.) However, the Europeans only made the Chinese people hate them even more, while ultimately showing how weak Manchus was. This is an social and political cause and economical cause.

Sun Yatsen: He found several secret societies, with the aim of overthrowing Manchus. He led a "revive China Society," and he founded the "Sworn Chinese Brotherhood." His aims were to eliminate Manchus, eliminate the monarchy, and open the road to socialism. All of his attempts to overthrow the revolution had failed. This is a political cause.

Class Work; term 3

2010-01-25T05:41:00.000-08:00

A. Test your understanding of this chapter by explaining what these words adn terms mean:

-Dynasty: periods of time when the country is ruled by one royal family.

-Manchus: ruler of an area of China

-Unequal Treaties: invaders force Manchus to sign these treaties, giving them control of China's sea-ports and allowing them special trading privileges.

-Spheres of influence: What European powers had divided China into. For example, in the British sphere, the British people had the biggest share of business, missionary work, transport, etc.

-Boxers: members of the Yi-Ho Tuan, who practiced Martial Arts (including boxing). They blamed foreigners and Christians for the problems of China.

B. Study the photograph above. Then, using the information in this chapter as well as your own imagination, answer the following questions.

1. Name the organisation to which the condemned man belonged.

-The Yi-Ho Tuan (Righteous and Harmonious Militia)

2. What were the aims of this organization?

-They aimed to kill Christians and foreigners because they believed that they were the people responsible for the problems of China.

3. Suggest why this man was executed. Why do you think the execution was done in public?

-Maybe the people of China were against these boxers, because the Chinese people who were Christians were getting killed as a result of this. It may have been done in public so that the other boxers would know that this may happen to them if they continue acting this way.

4. Suggest what thoughts were going through the minds of the onlookers at the moment when the photograph was taken.

-They look as though they are very happy. Maybe they feel relieved that something is finally being done against these men who had been killing everyone else.

5. For what purposes do you think the photograph was taken? Explain your answer.

-The photograph was probably taken as a means of propaganda. This way people could be warned what would happen if they continue with these behaviors.

Homework 19; term 2

2010-01-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

Using modern world history text pages 30-31, part D "effects of WWII" and other notes and materials, create a 3-way diagram comparing and contrasting political, economic, and social effects of WWII.

Economic Effects:

-Helped America; they could make and sell weapons.

-All countries in Europe were in debt because the war caused their economy to be bad. America helps them out with the Truman Doctrine/Marshall plan.

Social Effects:

-10 million Germans were forced to leave their country.

-In the USSR and Germany, extensive urban redevelopment took place so that urban cities could be rebuilt.

Political Effects:

-Production of nuclear weapons.

-Europe's domination of the rest of the world had ended

Similarities:

-The production of nuclear weapons is both political and economic.

-The end of Europe's domination of the rest of the world was both political and economic.

Homework 18; term 2

2010-01-04T09:50:00.000-08:00

1. What were the WWII death tolls for the following countries?
-Russia over 20m
-Poland 6m
-Germany 4.2m
-Great Britain 388k
-China 2.2m
-Japan 2m
-France 600k
-USA 406k

2. Name two economic effects of the war.
-It helped America after the great depression because they were able to make weapons and sell them.
-All countires in Europe were in debt because the war went through Europe and their economy was doing badly. America gave them a lot of money; this was called the Truman Doctrine/Marshall plan.

3. Name two social effects of the war
-10 million Germans were forced to leave and make their way to West Germany so that no future German government would be able to claim those territories.
-In the USSR and Germany, extensive urban redevelopment took place as ruined cities had to be rebuilt.

4. Name two political effects of the war.
-The war causes the production of nuclear weapons.
-Europe's domination of the rest of the world ended.

Homework 17; term 2

2009-12-17T06:44:00.000-08:00

Read Chapter 12 and pages 108-111 and discuss three important reasons why Japan was defeated in WWII.

-Americans dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
-The Soviet Union launched a suprise invasion on the Japanese colony in Manchuria.
-Ultimately, Japan surrendered because there were thousands of casulaties.

Homework 16; term 2

2009-12-17T06:41:00.000-08:00

Read Chapter 11 and pages 104-108 and discuss three important reasons why Germany was defeated in WWII.

-Germany originally had a plan of attacking Poland and then invading Western Europe and conquering Britain. They planned to bomb Britain and make them surrender so that they could make peace. However, they had a change in strategy. Hitler decided to invade Russia, which left Great Britain open to stage an invasion of Nazi controlled Europe. Also, the strategy of the United States was to fight two total wars, one being with Germany. Therefore, because it was a total war, and civilians were involved, this could be a reason why Germany was defeated.

Homework 15; term 2

2009-12-15T14:41:00.000-08:00

Worksheet 10: "Total War"

A. Check your understanding of the words and terms in this chapter by explaining what each of the following mean

-Total war: When a war involved not just countries, but civilians as well.

-Forced labor: When 5 million people were taken to Germany and forced to work for long hours in bad conditions.

-Concentration camps:held "prisoners," mostly Jews... they were forced to work with very little food or water. They could be killed for doing the wrong thing, or even just for no reason at all.

-The Final Solution: this was the way of solving the problems with Jews in Europe... it meant extermination of all Jews by murdering them.

-Ghettos: walled off areas of town which Polish Jews were put in, and were restricted from leaving.

-Extermination camps: gas chambers where Jews were brought to be killed.

-Partisans: armed bands formed by civilians to resist the invaders.

B. Use source A to E in this chapter to explain how each of the following might have been affected by the war.

1. A Chinese family in Sunkiang in 1938- they probably would have been killed by aerial bombing.

2. A French family in North-Eastern France in 1940- they would probably be feelings from the Germans.

3. A Soviet aircraft factory worker in 1941- well, they were out of reach of the Germans, so they may have been feeling safe.

4. A Jewish person anywhere in Germany in 1942- they would probably be taken to a concentration camp where they would be worked to death, or put into a gas chamber.

5. The son of a captured Yugoslav partisan in 1943- They would be sent to a children's camp, deprived of food and water.

Homework 13; term 2

2009-12-14T14:32:00.000-08:00

How important was the allied air power in helping to defeat Germany in WWII?

-I think that the allied air power was pretty significant in helping to defeat Germany in WWII. For instance, the allied air power played a pretty huge role in the Pacific War for several reasons. The US air force and navy worked together to achieve success in bombing several areas... although I suppose that it wasn't directly Germany that they were bombing. It could be said instead that the allied air power was successful in general, but maybe not specifically towards defeating Germany. This is because there is no question as to whether or not the allied air power caused damage to the areas they were bombing- the certainty did, which impacted several things... one being Germany's loss. However, I think that Germany may have lost regardless of the allied air power, although that is a hard claim to make

Homework 12; term 2

2009-12-12T14:18:00.000-08:00

1. Explain the importance/ significance of each event.

-Pearl Harbor 1941: This is what brought the US to war, Hitler declared war on the US. It also gave Japan control of the Pacific.

-Midway 1942: A crucial turning point in the battle for the Pacific.

-El Alamein 1942: It lead to the complete expulsion of the axis forces from North Africa.

-Stalingrad 1942: German was no longer invincible... Russian morale went up.

-Battle of the Atlantic: forced Britain to leave the war.

-Allied Bombing of Germany: One of the decisive reasons for the axis defeat.

2. Worksheet 8 "1942- The Year of Uncertainty"

A. Check that you have understood the following terms used in this chpater by explaining in your own words what they mean:

-second front: This was Stalin's idea that the Western Allies should open another front in Europe in 1942 against the Germans to take pressure off of Russians.

-area bombing: bombing an enemy's city for the purpose of destroying their way of surviving basically.

-allies: these were the countries that were opposed to the axis powers. the main allies were the UK, Russia, and USA.

-operation touch: This was the British invasion of North Africa during the North African campaign.

B. Study the photograph above. Judging by what you have read in this chapter, describe how the condition in which these soldiers fought were: a. similar to, and b. different from each other.

Similar: They were fighting in unfamiliar territory, which made the battle very difficult because it was unfamiliar grounds.

Different: The territory in El Amein was more dry, and therefore they could use more machines that on the wet island.

Homework 11; term 2

2009-12-06T10:52:00.001-08:00

Worksheet 7: War at Sea

A. Study the cartoon above, then answer the following questions:

1. What do each of the following represent?

a. the White cliffs in the background

-Britain?

b. the sinking boat

- America

c. the lion holding the boat

-Britain

d. the captain of the boat

-Winston Churchhill

e. the sharks

-Germans

2. What are the sharks doing to the lion? What does this represent?

-They are tearing the lion apart, and eating him. This shows that the Germans are attacking , destroying, and conquering Britain.

3. Explain the point you think the German cartoonist was trying to make.

-He was trying to explain that Germany was conquering and taking over Britain.

4. Judging by what you have read in this chapter, do you think the cartoonist was accurate in his assessment of the situation? Explain your answer.

- I think he was accurate for the most part, although he may have been a little bit biased considering he was a German cartoonist.

B. Check your understanding of the words and terms used in Part Two of this book...

-Nazi Soviet Pact: signed by Russia and Germany, also known as the non-aggression pact.

-Operation Barbarossa: code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during WWII

-scorched earth policy: a military policy which involved destroying anything that was useful to the enemy.

-neutrality: the state of being neutral... not choosing sides

-Lend Lease Act: the US supplied the Soviet Union, France, and China with vast amounts of war materials

-Tripartite Axis Pact: pact signed by Germany, Italy, and Japan which created the axis powers of WWII.

-United Nations:formed at the end of WWII to help maintain international peace and security.

-global war: when multiple countries from all different continents take place in a war.

-U boats: German submarines

-convoys: a group of vehicles traveling together for military support

-Battle of the Atlantic: the longest continuous military campaign of WWII.

Homework 10; term 2

2009-12-03T16:47:00.000-08:00

War at Sea Last Word Exercise

Warships of Germany concentrated their attacks on the British merchant shipping.

Atlantic Ocean is where the fighting between the British and German navies took place.

River Plate was in South America, where the German battleship Graf Spee was trapped.

A single submarine sank the Royal Oak while it was at anchor in 1939.

The most dangerous things were the German U-boats.

Ships were sunk.

Enigma was a coding machine that was on a captured U-boat.

Allies destroyed 41 u-boats.

Homework 9; term 2

2009-12-03T13:50:00.000-08:00

Worksheet 6 "War Spreads to the Far East"

A. Study the poster above, then answer these questions.

1. What connections did the three chain countries represented by the letters A, B and D, which the soldier is breaking from the chain, have with Asia?

-Because along with Asia suffering the attack of Japan, the Americans, British, and Dutch also suffered.

2. Why do you think the artist portrayed the countries' connections with Asia as a heavy chain?

-Maybe is showed that these connections were unbreakable, much like a heavy chain in unbreakable... or at least very hard to break because it is so strong.

3. Suggest what the breaking of the chain by the soldier is meant to represent.

-It is showing that Asia is growing to power, and that they are starting to break the bond between the Americans, British, and Dutch.

4. Why do you think the Japanese published the poster with English rather than Japanese lettering?

-Maybe it was meant to appeal to people who spoke English, like America and Britain, rather than the Japanese people.

Paper 1 Practice; term 2

2009-12-02T11:28:00.000-08:00

1. With reference to origin and purpose, discuss the values and limitations of the two sources for historians studying Operation Barbarossa. You do an OPVL on both sources.

The origin of Why Nations Go To War was written by John G. Stoessinger, who is a former student that has always been interested in finding "new" explanations for war. The purpose of this book is to take a new look at "the age old scourge" of war, while giving people a deeper understanding of the causes of war. In the case of the chapter regarding Operation Barbarossa, the purpose is to give people his opinion of the causes of Operation Barbarossa, which poses a limitation to this source. Because the purpose is to give one person's opinion, it can not include every single possible explanation for why the war happened, and therefore important details could be left out. Also, because the purpose was to provide new explanations for why Operation Barbarossa began, some of the older explanations, which could have been important, are left out, which is a weakness. However, a strength of this source comes with the origin of it. John Stoessinger, the author of the book, lived through the twentieth century, when Operation Barbarossa was going on. However, the origin also poses a limitation because it is a second hand source, and even though he was alive during Operation Barbarossa, he was not actually in Germany and Russia when the event was taking place.

The origin of this Chapter 5 worksheet is from the Longman 20th Century History Textbook. It is written by Josh Brooman, and it is a book from a British perspective. The purpose of this chapter was to inform people of the reasons behind why Germany attacked the USSR, and how the USSR was saved, and not defeated by the Germans. Because of the origin of the book being a textbook, it is meant to inform people- which can create a limitation. For the most part, there should be no biases, because it is simply meant to show people what happened at this time. Also, because it was written from a British perspective, and British was not involved in this war, the book is valuable because there are no other biases of that nature. However, because the purpose of the chapter is basically to focus on how the USSR was saved, there are limitations, because it doesn't talk much about what life was like in Germany. Therefore, it leaves the readers a bit clueless as to the conditions in Germany, and it makes them look like the bad guy, even though this may not have been the case.

2. Students will compare and contrast the views of why Hitler's Invasion of Russia failed as expressed in the sources.

The book, "The Global War," written by Josh Brooman, and the book "Why Nations Goto War." written by John Stoessinger have similar as well as different views of why Hitler's Invasion of Russia failed.

In the book, "Why Nations Goto War," the main focus of Hitler's failure were results of his irrationality. In this book, it says that he acted extremely loving to all people, but the reality of it was that he hated them. Therefore, this was seen as a reason as to why Hitler's invasion of Russia failed. However, "The Global War" doesn't even mention this idea at all. Instead, the worksheet focuses more on the help that the United States and Britain gave to Russia, which enabled them to be strengthened. This was the main focus of the worksheet, instead of directly blaming it on the failure of Hitler. Also, "Why Nations Goto War" talks about winter affecting the German military, so that they were unable to achieve what they wanted, because of the conditions. For example, tanks froze and sometimes even took 12 hours to start up... this was a big impact on Germany. However, the other worksheet, chapter 5, only focuses on winter being a problem- rather than actually talking about how this affected the Germans into loosing.

However, along with the differences between the two sources, there were several agreements as well. Both sources seemed to agree that all the mistakes Stalin had first made, enabled him to realize what to do better so that he could rise to power and ultimately win. As mentioned earlier in the previous paragraph, both sources also mention how winter affected the people... although the extent to which this was talked about varies, it was still mentioned in both sources, which shows a strong similarity. Also, both of the sources seemed to mention how terrible the Nazis treated the Russians, which ultimately discusses a similarity for how the Russians were able to come to power through learning to resist their cruelty.

In conclusion, although both sources have differences, it appears as though their similar views are very strong. This therefore allows the reader to be certain of some things that happened during this time period, and get a better understanding of why the Russians gained power instead of Hitler.

Homework 8; term 2

2009-12-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

1. How successful was Hitler's blitzkreig on Russia during the first five days? (38-39)

-It was very successful

2. What do you understand by the term "Great Purge"? (39-40)

-This was when all of the Soviety societ was crippled by the terror unleaded by Stalin. The officer corps of the Red Army was virtually destoryed. Then, General Shmushkevich, who was chief of the air force and sneior military officer before the Nazi invasion, was killed two weekeds before the German assault.

3. What affect did the Great Purge have on the USSR's ability to resist Hitler's blitzkrieg? (40-42)

-The book says that there was no way that Stalin could have avoided the Nazi attack. However, the Great Purge killed many senior officers, which basically destroyed the USSR. Also, it produced a lot of fear, which sort of destroyed everyone's morale, also lowering their ability to resist the blitzkrieg.

4. According to the article, what was the most important for Stalin to maintain as the the leader of the USSR? (42)

-The security of his power.

5. Why did Stalin disregard repeated warnings from the US and Great Britain of the imminent Nazi Attack on the USSR? (42-46)

-He trusted the Nazis more than the Capitalists (Great Britain and the United States)

6. Why did Stalin decide to ally with Hitler in 1939? (44-45)

-Because it would secure peace with Russia, and give them time to strengthen their army as well.

7. In what ways did Stalin try to appease Hitler, and try to prevent him from having a reason to attack the USSR? (48)

-When German air force members were going to shoot at Soviet Russia, they told them to "release at once."

8. What major mistakes did Stalin make?

-He couldn't seem to understand Hitler's deep hatred towards Russia. Also, he was so wrapped up in his own ideologies that he didn't want to accept the Anglo-American truth.

9. What major mistakes did Hitler make?

-He made the mistake of telling everyone that he loved them, such as the German people, when in reality he hated them, ]and therefore lost the war.

10. According to the author, why did Stalin emerge victorious over Hitler in the War? (51-52)

-Because the Nazi's policy of treating Russians as "subhumans" to be shipped as slaves to the German Reich sort of backfired and didn't work. Then, the Nazis found themselves fighting for their survivor, as the soviets began to succeed.

Homework 7; term 2

2009-12-02T10:28:00.000-08:00

1. Read the introduction on page xvii and briefly discuss the origin and purpose of this book.
-The purpose of this book is to take a new look at the "age-old scourge" of war. The origin of this book is written by John G. Stoessinger, who has always been interested in the explanations of war ever since he was a student. The purpose of writing this book was also to give people a deeper understanding of the causes of wars, from his opinion. Specifically, the book talks about ten case studies of the major international wars fought in the twentieth century.

2. According to the book, who were Hitler's two main enemies? (28)
-the Communists and the Jews

3. What was contained in the "secret protocol" of the 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact? (29-30)
-It would divide up Poland between two dictators.

4. According to the author, why did Hitler ally with Stalin? (30)
-Because he was going to invade Poland, and the only way that he could do this without risk was by allying with Stalin.

5. What territorial gains did Stalin make in 1939 and 40 that concerned Hitler? (31)
-Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

6. What two events accounted for a "crucial delay" of Hitler's attack on the USSR? (35-36)
-In October 1940, Mussolini decided to invade Greece in a surprise attack. Hitler ended up sending twelve divisions of German troops into Greece to help out Mussolini. The second event was called a "coup d'etat" which took place in Yugoslavia in March 1941. During this night, Prince Paul, who was becoming close to being "a puppet" of Hitler was overthrown. The Serbs made it clear that Yugoslavia's subservience to Germany had ended.

7. Please give a couple of examples of how Hitler and Goering intended to treat Russian Civilians and soldiers during the attack on Russia (36-38)
-He was going to make a fake lake, which would provide energy for an elecric power station. He planned on destroying the Russian culture so that it would no longer exist. He would banish books from being published, and kids would only be taught about obeying the German masters in their school.

Worksheet 5 "The Great Fatherland War"

2009-11-30T05:59:00.000-08:00

1. How far does the photograph on page 11 prove that some Soviet citizens welcomed the German invasion of their country?

-It shows that they were pretty welcoming. They are all smiling as the greet them, and doing the Nazi solute. Some were even reaching out their hands.

2. For what reasons might some Soviet citizens have welcomed the invaders?

-Maybe they thought that if they were nice, and showed that they wouldn't peace, the Germans wouldn't hurt them.

3. Using sources A, C and D as evidence, say why such people were unlikely to still welcome the Germans a year later.

-The sources prove how awful home life was in a sense. There were scarcities of food and weapons, and they were not willing to share any of it with the Germans, because they were not Soviets.

B. Study source A, then answer these questions:

1. Summarize in your own words what Stalin was telling people to do.

-He was telling them to blow up or destroy any area where the enemy, the Germans, were.

2. What do you think he hoped would be achieved by this?

-Maybe he hoped that the German would be scared and that they would leave.

3. Describe how the lives of a. Soviet citizens, and b. German soldiers would be affected in areas where people followed Stalin's Instructions.

-Well the Soviet citizens would be ordered to destroy all the areas where the Germans were occupying, therefore killing many of the Germans. however the regular Soviet citizens may be affected as well and killed if they happened to be in an area where the Germas=ns also were.

Homework 6; term 2

2009-11-22T14:46:00.000-08:00

1. Discuss a practice, tactic or strategy of air warfare from the reading

-The Luftwaffe was the German air force. America dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which led to Germany surrendering. Hitler bombed Britain.

2. Discuss a practice, tactic or strategy of land warfare from the reading

- France had as many tanks and armored vehicles as Germany, but instead of being concentrated in completely mechanized armored divisions, allowing greater speed, they split so that each infantry division had a few.

3. Discuss a practice, tactic or strategy of sea warfare from the reading

-Hitler's fleets occupied the main Norwegian ports in 1940, which destroyed the idea of the phoney war.

Class Work

2009-11-20T09:37:00.001-08:00

Worksheet 3 "The Battle Over Britain"

A: Study the photograph opposite, then answer these questions:

1. Suggest what the Luftwaffe was hoping to destroy in this air-raid.

- Residential areas.

2. Why was this air-raid likely to result in many civilian casualities?

-Because it was targeting the residential areas where a lot of civilians were living.

3. What kind of people do you think were most likely to be casualties in this air-raid? Explain your answer.

-I'm really not sure. I'd assume just the common people, because they weren't specifically targeting one group of people. Maybe the ones with less money though, because they couldn't hide in shelters like the others.

B: Study the photograph above, then answer these questions:

1. Explain in as much detail as you can what caused the situation in the photograph.

-Well, this looks like the effects of a black out. The power was shut off, and therefore nobody could see where they were driving, and crashes occurred which caused many other problems as well.

2. Suggest what the consequences of this raid were for the people living in the surrounding area.

-Well, the sub-surface gas, electricity, and water mains were destroyed. The destroyed water mains caused the underground railway station to become flooded, and 63 people who were using it for shelter died.

Worksheet 4: "The Mediterranean War"

A: Study the photograph above, then answer these questions:

1. List the difficulties the Italians were likely to face in their invasion of Greece.

-Well, the Greeks had a path so that they could easily leave and come as they needed, which probably posed problems for the Italians. It is a bit hard to tell from this picture, because it is really dark. Also, the mountain probably provided good shelter for the Greek soldiers.

2. What advantages do you think the Greeks had over the Italians in a country like this?

-They were on a mountain, which was good for shelter because there are lots of areas they can hide in. Also, they could see the Italians down below them, which is an advantage.

B: Check your understanding of the terms used so far in this book by explaining what each of the following mean:

-War: This is when countries fight each other for various reasons, including money, land, and supplies.

-Blitzkrieg: This is the German word for Lightning War.

-"Phoney War:" This was between France, Germany and Poland. It was the beginning part of WWII.

-Luftwaffe: This is the term for air force.

-Battle of Britain: When the Luftwaffe began an all out attack on Britain, trying to smash the RAF.

-Blitz: The attacks in which bombs were dropped on London and many other British cities.

-ARP: Air Raid Precautions. All citizens, including children, were issued gas masks, because it was thought that the Germans would use gas masks as well as explosives.

-Axis:Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria.

Homework 4; term 2

2009-11-17T15:08:00.001-08:00

Worksheet 1 "From Lightning to Phoney War"

A:
1. Using sources A to D, describe how Polish civilians were affected by the invasion of their country.
-In source A, the people are affected because they are hearing that on the first day of were, 112 people were killed; they learn that of these people killed, 80 were women or children. In source B, this person is finding out that the town where their family had lived had been burnt down, and once again- people are fearing the Germans. In source C, the person makes references to piles of corpses of people and animals that are just laying in the streets. All of these sources are illustrating fear, and the loss of many humans.

2a. Why do you think source A to C are anonymous? Does this affect their value as evidence?
-These sources are anonymous because the people were obviously terrified of being killed, like everyone else who they were mentioning in their journals. I don't think it really effects their value, because even if we knew a name, it wouldn't change the message that was being conveyed.

2b. How does source D help you to use sources A to C?
-Source D is sort of a picture of everything that is going on, which people are talking about in all of the sources. It creates a mental image, at least for me, of how bad things really were, and what was actually happening.

2c. Suggest why the Polish Black Book, sources A to C, was published in Britain in 1940.
- I think it was to warn people more of what the Germans were doing, and give them a bit of awareness of how bad things could actually get.

2d. How valuable do you consider the Polish Black Book as evidence of the effects of Germany's invasion of Poland? Explain your answer.
- This is definitely an extremely valuable source as evidence, because it gives first hand accounts of what was actually going on. It is real people saying what they were witnessing- they weren't changing stories to make it seem more intense than it was, because the accounts were taken when things were actually happening.

B:
1. In sources A to D, what methods of warfare might be called humane?
-I don't really see any of these methods as humane. The first two sources are a bit less cruel than source C, but I don't think burning people's houses is very humane. I guess that as a method of warfare, the bombing and burning of houses would be the most humane in this situation though.

2. How do sources A to D suggest that the Germans did not use humane methods of warfare.
-Well, it is a bit unjust to just go around burning down people's houses. Also, there were masses of people and animals lying in the streets, which shows that maybe they killed an excessive amount of people that wasn't necessarily called for. By killing children, this was a bit inhumane as well, because the children were completely innocent.

3. Do source A to D prove that the Germans acted inhumanely? Explain your answer.
- I guess that these sources can't necessarily prove that they acted inhumanely, although it definitely suggests that they did. It's hard to say, because these are just personal encounters of people. It is also hard to say what is inhumane, it is almost like calling someone a monster.

C:
1. In Source E, how did the lives of people in the big house seem to have been affected by the start of war with Germany? How did their lives seem unchanged?
-Well, it just says that they were "air raid arrangements" which shows how it was affected by the war. However, everything was so custom to them- the different ways the floors were layed out, so their lives were basically the same as always. (I really don't know how to answer this question...)

2. Judging by Source F, how did the start of the war affect daily life in London?
-Well, the two business men, who previously would talk normally, now had to converse using gas masks.

3. Using E and F, suggest why British people in 1939 called the war the "phoney war."
-Well, it appears to these people as though nothing really changed in their lives. They lived in air-raid shelters, which were the exact same as what they were previously accustomed to.

4. For what other purposes could a historian use sources E and F as evidence?
-Well, it expresses what happened in the war according to the British people, and their views of the war, which is pretty significant and could be important.

Worksheet 2: "The Fall of Western Europe"

A:
1. What was Churchill offering the British in source A? What would have been the alternative?
-He is offering blood, toil, tears, and sweat. The alternative of this would be that they loose, because along with the blood, toil, tears, and sweat would come victory.

2.This speech was very popular among the British. Suggest why this is so.
-Well, I guess it is sort of motivational, and it shows that their leader, Churchill, is actually showing concern, and that he is trying his best to create a victory.

B:
1. What is an "armada" (lines 2 and 15)? Suggest why the Daily Express used this word to describe boats which rescued soldiers from Dunkirk.
-I'm not really sure what an armada is, maybe it means like, a large amount. They use this word to make is seem more intense and amazing I guess.

2. Which parts of this newspaper story might a French reporter, and a German reporter have written differently? Explain your answer.
-Well, they would have written it different so that it would appeal more to their own country. It reminds me of TOK class in a sense, because in the book Grendel, there is a shaper, who goes from village to village, telling stories about the war, but the story always appeals more to the person whom he is telling it to.

Causes of WWII paper 2

2009-11-16T06:28:00.000-08:00

The failure of the League of Nation’s attempt at collective security was a significant cause of WWII, although it is hard to claim that it is the main cause. This is because there were so many other contributing factors which may have led up to WWII ultimately happening. In addition to the Failure of the League of Nations, I think it is important to recognize the problems in the peace conferences, especially the Treaty of Versailles, which contributed significantly to the outbreak of WWII.

The purpose of the League of Nations was to promote collective security. Collective security was a pact that many countries belonged to, where they agreed to basically hold up each other’s back in a time of crisis. It was a way of maintaining allies and security during times of crisis. However, the League of Nations failed at this idea of collective security for several reasons. The first problem was that the main world powers were never in the League of Nations at the same time. For instance, the United States never joined because they were reluctant to goto war. If they had joined, because of their wealth, the other countries that were part of the League of Nations would have had a better sense of security. Then, the other main powers sort of rotated the time frame of when they were members of the League, which posed problems because once again no one who could give the other countries a sense of security was a part of the League at the same time. Germany was in the League from 1926-1933, and then USSR didn’t join the League until 1934. Once USSR joins the League, Italy left a year later in 1935. It appears as though the League had huge problems at cooperation, which is concerning considering they were trying to obtain collective security. Considering the League of Nations couldn’t even keep peace within them, there is no question that these problems helped contribute to WWII.

Something else that should be looked at when examining the causes of WWII is the mistakes that were made in the peace conferences, especially when developing the Treaty of Versailles. These mistakes that were made can help to argue that WWI never ended, which is what could have led to WWII. The Treaty of Versailles was extremely harsh to Germany, which angered the German people. They felt as though they were excluded from the treaty, which was true in a sense. The Treaty focused on them having to pay extreme reparations, and it was as if they were the only ones targeted. Also, the Germans were forced to sign a War Guilt Clause, where they basically said that everything was their fault. This obviously enraged the German people into wanting to seek revenge, which could be argued that it contributed to WWII. The interpretation of the Treaty of Versailles in resulting in WWII could also be viewed in a different way. Because of the harshness of the Treaty of Versailles, it is said that WWI never actually ended. Usually in order for a war to end, peace is needed to be made between the countries fighting. However, because Germany was extremely excluded from the Treaty, historians say that WWI never ended because peace was never actually made. Therefore, this ongoing tension between countries, which resulted from the Treaty of Versailles, could have also resulted in World War Two. Also, because the Treaty of Versailles was so harsh, Germany refused to pay the reparations. This resulted in France becoming angry and invading the German Ruhr in 1923, which could have contributed significantly to WWII.

In conclusion, the failure of the League of Nations attempt at collective security was a contributing factor to the outbreak of World War Two. However, in addition to this, the harshness of the Treaty of Versailles created many negative things to happen, which all contributed to the outbreak of World War Two as well.

Homework 3; term 2

2009-11-10T17:34:00.000-08:00

1. Discuss a political cause of WWII that could be related to the reading.

-Japan, who was a leading member of the League of Nations, invaded Manchuria. Manchuria was part of the territory of China, which was a fellow member in the League of Nations. This was the first series of attacks that eventually brought most of South-East Asia under Japanese control.

2. Discuss an economic cause of WWII that could be related to the reading.

- Although this is not related to the reading, I think that some of the effects of the Great Depression are an economic cause of WWII.

3. Discuss an ideological cause of WWII that could be related to the reading.

- I think that there were many ideological causes of WWII, which included fascism, and anti communism.

4. Answer question A from chapter 8 worksheet.

1. Japan

2. This could be China or Manchuria.

3. I think that the cartoonist was trying to make the point that Japan was beginning to invade Manchuria (as represented by the sun,) and the clouds (Manchuria) are being pushed away by the bright sun.

5. Answer question B from chapter 8 worksheet.

1. I'm assuming that this was a somewhat wealthy family, considering the man is dressed in pretty decent clothes. Also, it looks like they are carrying a rocking horse, and I'm assuming if it was a poor family they would not have the money to buy these extra toys for their children.

2. They were probably fleeing so that they wouldn't be affected when the Japanese arrived at their home trying to kill them and steal their goods. They took so many possessions with them so that the Japanese wouldn't be able to take these goods.

Homework 2; term 2

2009-11-09T15:22:00.000-08:00

To what extent was appeasement to blame for the outbreak of WWII?

I don't think that it can be said that appeasement had no effect on the outbreak of WWII, because it definitely had some impact, no matter how small this was. I think that if France and Britain didn't recognize how strong and powerful Hitler was when they made an appeasement with him, and they didn't expect that it would result in him trying to take over so much land. Because he took so much land, people were furious, and started fighting. Therefore, this contributed to WWII. However, I don't think that it could be said that if this did not happen, WWII would not have happened. This just sort of combined together with other things to create the outbreak of WWII.

Homework 1; term 2

2009-11-08T10:16:00.000-08:00

1. What attempts were made at improving international relations in the 1920s and 30s, and how successful were they?

- The League of Nations was an attempt made at improving international relations, specifically by promoting collective security. However, they had many problems and were unable to attain this aim. For example, the main world powers were never in it at the same time. The US never joined because they were reluctant to go to war. Germany was in from 1926 until 1933, and then after that USSR joined in 1934, and Italy left in 1935. Also, there was a perception that it was run by Great Britain and France, which were victors of WWI. This was because France and Great Britain made "mandates" out of the middle east, and took colonies away from Germany in Africa and Pacific. Also, there was the Worldwide economic crisis of 1929, when the US stock market collapsed, and the US cut off their loans to Germany. The crisis then spread to Europe and Asia, and the countries begin focusing on the domestic issues more than the foreign policy issues. There was a lack of will to enforce the collective security after this point.

2. Knowing what you know now, what could the international community have done differently to make collective security more effective in the 1920s and 30s?

-Well, based upon the League of Nations, I think it would have been important that everyone actually was together in it at the same time. If they all joined and stayed apart of it, and worked together as a group, I think that this idea of collective security would have been much more effective than it actually was. Obviously it didn't work at this point in time, because everyone was so scattered around- there wasn't much security in the league of nations due to the fact that nobody joined at the same time.

The Rule of Hitler; Paper 2

2009-11-02T08:43:00.001-08:00

Adolf Hitler created many policies during his rule in 1933-1945, which enabled him to be successful as a leader as he achieved his aims. He was able to create methods which enabled him to achieve his aims in several different ways; the aims included regaining military power, creating a pure Aryan race, and making alliances with other countries.

The most important event that aided to Hitler’s success as a rule was creating, and allowing the Enabling Law to pass. The Enabling Law would allow the government to introduce laws without the approval of the Reichstag for the next four years. Therefore, they were allowed to ignore the constitution and sign agreements with foreign countries without having to go through a long process. The only thing that needed to be done was have the Chancellor sign the paper approving it. In order to get the Enabling Law to pass, Hitler had to use intimidation, in a sense. He ordered troops to surround the Kroll Opera house, which is the location where the people were voting on the bill. The troops chanted things that persuaded the people to vote in favor of the enabling law, as they said “we want the bill, or fire and murder.” In the end, the only people who didn’t vote in favor of the Enabling Bill were the Social Democrats. All together, the total number of votes was 441 that were in favor of the Enabling Law, and 94 votes which were against the Enabling Law (which were all social democrats.) Now that the Enabling Law was passed, Hitler was able to be the complete dictator for the next four years, and he no longer needed the support of anyone else. Although at first the ideas of the Nazis were completely abandoned, now everyone had to listen to their laws because they were in total power. Hitler was now able to make alliances with other countries, and sign certain agreements. The agreements he signed which proved successful to his rule were the non-aggression pact with Poland, the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact, the Munich agreement, and the Rome-Berlin axis treaty. All of these pacts were made possible by the Enabling Law, which was one huge success for Hitler’s rule in power.

Another one of Hitler’s aims which he was successful in achieving was to regain military power. He was successful in achieving this aim by using mainly propaganda. He developed the Hitler Youth in 1934, which was a form of propaganda to ensure Hitler’s uprising. There were 8 million young Germans that belonged to the Hitler Youth Movement, which created an indoctrination of the youth. These youth followed Hitler, and wanted to be just like him when they grew up. Adolf Hitler schools were also developed in 1937, which encouraged the boys to be strong and fight. The boys who did best in their “performance books” were sent to the Adolf Hitler schools, and they moved up in the next level to the castle schools. By doing this, the boys are rewarded in a sense, because everyone was brainwashed to want to be strong and go off and fight. The end result of this is that the future of Germany would all be extremely strong and courageous, which enabled them to have a strong military because these boys had been trained that way for their entire life. Therefore, this use of propaganda was a strength of Hitler’s rule, because it enabled the army to be strengthened. Also, with consideration to this aim of developing a stronger military power, the air force was established. This obviously caused the army to grow, while it also increased the amount of jobs available to people, because unemployment rates decreased. This made people happy, which can be interpreted as yet another success of Hitler.

The most common aim of Hitler was to achieve a pure Aryan race. He made several attempts at doing this, and in many ways he was successful. One method of his to achieve this aim was that women were only allowed to have children. He had the government set up homes for unmarried mothers, which were like brothels. Pure Aryan men would goto these brothels, and help the women to create pure Aryan babies. This was successful, because the population of pure Aryans was increasing rapidly as a result of these brothel-like homes. Also, another method that Hitler used which was successful was creating concentration camps and killing anyone who wasn’t considered to be purely Aryan. Although this can be seen as an evil and horrible thing to do, it still caused Hitler to be successful, because he was able to achieve his aim of a pure Aryan race even further.

For the most part, every ruler has a failure which leads to their downfall. In the case of Hitler, this failure was when Hitler decided to wage war on America. This was probably the stupidest thing that he could have done, because America was so wealthy. Therefore, because of their wealth, they were able to send extreme military forces to attack Germany, while also helping their own allies, Britain and France, to continue waging war against Germany. Because of this, Germany completely lost WWII.

By evaluating the successes and failures of Hitler’s rule, it becomes obvious that Hitler was a pretty successful ruler. Although he did have some downfalls, this does not rule out the fact that he was so successful in achieving many aims. Therefore, the end result is that Hitler was a very successful ruler, as proven by the aims he achieved.

Hitler Foreign Policy Paper 1

2009-10-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

1. You would expect Britain (and France) to be the most likely to take action to stop Hitler. Referring to Sources 20,28-33, explain what they show about why Britain did not intervene to stop Hitler until September 1939.

-According to source 20.32, Britain believed that there was nothing that either they nor France could do to stop the Germans from taking over Czechoslovakia. They thought this because Russia was 100 miles away, and they thought that Czechoslovakia would "simply be a pretext for going to war with Germany."

2. How does Source 20.34 help explain why the British government changed its approach?

-They believe that the Nazi regime basically has nothing left to their policy. The British people think that they have made mistakes in the past, but all their mistakes were justified. However, now it is like they have nothing left to justify their actions, and they have already ruined so many things. The British people don't want to deal with this anymore, so they are finally going to take some action to fix it.

3. What do Sources 20.35-38 illustrate about the Italian government's changing reaction to Hitler?

-In Source 20.35, Hitler appears to be curled up a bit, as though he is afraid and timid. He is also below a king of somewhat, which shows he has no power and he is looking for help. However in source 20.36, Hitler is beginning to venture off, and a man is saying hello to him. He doesn't seem so afraid, and he is not looked down upon as he was in the first picture. In source 20.37, Hitler's power begins to rise, as the audience is telling him to kill the other person in the picture.

4a. Explain the point of each of the cartoons in Sources 20.39-41.

20.39: This is displaying that Hitler is a bit of an evil pig, who is trying to gain power. He is seen as evil and powerful, as well as intimidating (as depicted by the claw on his arm)

20.40: Hitler is seen as the baby, and he is being overtaken by all of the Western powers.

20.41: Hitler is leading all of these men to attack the two men who are seemingly innocent.

4b. What does Source 20.42 show about the Soviet Union's changing reaction to Nazi Germany.

-Well, in this picture they are trying to make peace with each other as they sign the Nazi-Soviet pact. Everyone appears to be happy also, which shows that they were viewing these changes positively.

Homework 25; term 1

2009-10-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

Worksheet 14: "The End of Hitler's Europe"

A. In this book "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich," William Shirer wrote that Hitler's decision to go to war with the USA was "one of his monumental miscalculations."

1. For what reasons can Hitler's declaration of war on America be described as a great mistake?

- America was strong and rich. Therefore America was able to send huge armies to fight bother Germany and Japan, and America could also send money to Britain and Russia (the only two European countries still fighting Germany.)

2. If Hitler had not declared war on America, do you think the outcome of the Second World War might have been different? Explain your answer.

-I think the outcome would be a bit different, because America provided money to Britain and Russia to help them in the war, which helped destroy Germany even more, ultimately causing them to loose. If America hadn't gotten involved, Germany probably would have had a better chance at winning because Russia and Britain wouldn't have had sufficient money to destroy Germany..

B. Do you think that General von Stauffenberg was right to try to kill Hitler on 20 July 1944? If the plot had succeeded do you think the course of events in history since 1944 would have been different? Explain your answer.

-I think his idea was contradictory. He killed Hitler to try to make peace, it doesn't work that way, because they are complete opposites. I think that if he had succeeded the course of events wouldn't have changed that much, because instead of Hitler being seen as evil, this general would be seen as evil. Nothing would have changed except that Hitler would no longer be looked up to, but another dictator would be.

Homework 24; term 1

2009-10-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

Worksheet 13: "The Final Solution"

A. Rudolf Hoss, the commander of Auschwitz, said at his trial in 1946...

1. Judging by the evidence you have studied in this chapter, explain in detail why Rudolf Hoss can be considered evil.

-I don't think that a person can be considered evil, because nobody can be totally pure evil. Maybe he could be considered a bad person however, for killing so many people, and seeing it as completely okay.

2. Suggest why he thought he was not evil, despite the things he did at Auschwitz.

-In his frame of mind, he has justified reasons for doing what he was doing. He wanted to create a pure race, and he saw this as a way of doing it. I think that in his logic, he was not evil, because its not like he just wanted to kill people for the fun of it. He had reasons which seemed to fit his actions, and I think that matters a tremendous amount.

Homework 23; term 1

2009-10-24T18:50:00.000-07:00

Worksheet 12: The Nazi Conquest of Europe

A. Study source B. What sort of life could German colonists look forward to in the "great German Reich?"

-They were going to be gaining more land, so the Germans could live on nice farms. All of the services would be in nice buildings, and everyone would have better roads.

B.Study source C and D.

1. Write down all the things that foreign workers were made to do by the Germans.

-They were forced to have labour fro as long as demanded by the employer. There were no working limits.

2. Write down all the things that foreign workers were not allowed to do by the Germans.

-They were not allowed to complain. They weren't allowed to go to church, theaters, or other cultural entertainments. They couldn't have sex.

3. Suggest as many reasons as you can why the Germans treated foreign workers so badly.

-Well, the quote says that every educated person is a future enemy, so therefore they might fear that the foreign people may come into greater power than they are in. However, they feel that if they treat the people badly then they will not have to worry about this.

C. Read source E carefully.

1. Explain in your own words what Hitler intended to do in the city of Leningrad.

-He wants to invade it and take it over, because he has no interest in helping to keep these people alive.

2. Judging by what you have read of Hitler's ideas, why do you think Hitler gave this order?

-He probably saw these people as a threat, and therefore he wanted to get rid of them before they rose to power.

Homework 22; term 1

2009-10-21T16:58:00.000-07:00

Worksheet 11: "From Czechoslovakia to Poland."

A. Study the expressions on the faces of the Czechs in the photograph above. Notice the clenched fists. Imagine you are one of these people, and write a letter to a friend in another country explaining what has happened. In your letter, try to explain your feelings about the French and British as well as about the Germans.

Hello friend. I really don't like what Hitler is doing here in Germany. He is making us invade Czechoslovakia, because he wanted it to belong to Germany. He even got the French to agree with him. If Hitler doesn't get what he wants, a big war will occur, and France and Britain will be involved. I am so scared. He wants to plan for an invasion, and forget about the French. He keeps threatening the Czechs with war. I don't know what to do, but I know Hitler wants complete control, and we are all very afraid. I must go now, but I will write soon.

B1. What was the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939?

-This meant that Hitler could invade the Polish Corridor without worrying about Russia.

B2. Why do you think people were suprised by it?

-Because this caused the second World War to begin more or less.

Homework 21; term 1

2009-10-20T13:26:00.000-07:00

Worksheet 10: Undoing the Treaty of Versailles

A. Test your understanding of what you have read by explaining what these words mean...

-Rearmament: the process of replacing the Treaty of Versailles

-Remilitarisation: the act or militarizing again

-Anschluss: a union

B. Explain how Hitler broken the Treaty of Versailles in each of the following years:

-1934: Hitler gave top secret orders for the armed forces to expand.

-1935: Hitler cast off the cloak of secrecy and announced in public that there would be compulsory military service and that the army would be built up.

-1936: Hitler ordered his army to march into the Rhineland.

-1938: Hitler felt strong enough to plan a union with Austria

In Class Work

2009-10-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

Nazi Policy	Year	Impact
Hitler Youth	1934	Indoctrination of youth 8 million young Germans belonged to the Hitler Youth movement Propaganda to ensure Hitler's uprising. Physical and psychological damage
Adolf Hitler Schools	1937	The boys who did best in their performance books were sent to the Adolf Hitler Schools It encourages them to fight at a young age Worked like a caste system
Children, Church, and Women		The only thing woman were actively allowed to do was have children. Government set up homes for unmarried mothers but they were brothels and would be introduced to a pure Aryan man. Woman were encouraged to be plump because it helped with child birth. Church should not be part of a woman's life however the church did not prosper under Nazi rule. Protestants and Catholics were treated bad by Nazi's. Hitler set up the national Reich church that was the national Nazi church. Worshipped Hitler.
Compulsory Military Service	1935	Air force is established Army grew Unemployment got smaller/ there was more work
German Labor Front	1933	Replaced worker unions Longer hours Less money More government control Strikes were illegal Bettered workers lives

Homework 20; term 1

2009-10-19T14:16:00.000-07:00

Worksheet 8: Leisure in Nazi Germany

A: Look at the photograph of the Strength Through Joy liner, then answer these questions.

1. Where might this liner have been going?

-Somewhere away from Germany

2. What do you think the people in this photograph all had in common?

-They were all happy because they were enjoying their leisurely time.

3. Roughly how much did it cost to go on trips like this?

-28 marks for a week.

4. This photograph was taken in 1943; Germany had been at war since 1939. Why do you think the Nazis were building liners like this rather than more warships?

-Well, if I was in this position I would much rather peace than war. By spending money to build these ships, they are preventing contributing more to the war, because they are focusing their money on relaxing and peace.

5. For what purpose do you think this photograph was taken? Explain your answer.

-This photograph was probably taken to attract people towards the Strength through Joy trips. This is because all f these people look so happy and cheerful, and when people see the happy people they will want to be just like them.

B. Read this joke which went around German in 1939...

1. Using the information you have read in this chapter, explain what this joke means.

-This is saying that once the war started, the Volkswagen shops were taken over by machine gun factories, because nobody had money to pay for cars anymore.

2. What does this joke tell you abuot the attitude of German people towards the government?

-It is showing that they have somewhat of a negative attitude toward the government.

Worksheet 9: Winning People Over, Propaganda and Censorship

A. Test your understanding of this chapter by explaining what these words mean...

-Propaganda: a form of advertising to persuade large numbers of people to think what you want them to think and to believe what you want them to believe.

-Rally: Goebbel's most spectacular form of propaganda.

-Censorship: to ban information or entertainment which the government thinks is harmful.

B. Here are three jokes which were popular in Germany in the late 1930's. One could be told without getting into trouble but the others could not. Which joke do you think was permitted? Explain why the others would not have been allowed.

-I am not sure, but I think that the third one would be permitted because it wasn't directly offending Hitler like the others were.

Homework 19; term 1

2009-10-18T12:39:00.000-07:00

Worksheet 7: "Workers and Work in Nazi Germany."

B. Study the unemployment figures for 1933-9, then answer these questions.

1. Which year shows the greatest fall in unemployment? How do you explain this fall?

-January 1933. Because this is right when Hitler came to power.

2. Which year shows the smallest fall in unemployment? Why do you think this was such a small drop compared to other years?

-January 1939. Because the people in Germany were beginning to find work in new industries.

C. "History will judge us according to whether we have succeeded in providing work." What is your judgement? Complete these statements for an against the argument that Hitler succeeded in providing work.

Successful:

Before Hitler came to power in 1933, six million Germans were unemployed. By 1939 only three hundred thousand were out of work. This means that Hitler created millions of jobs in seven years.

Not successful:

Many of the jobs that Hitler provided were taken away from Jews and from women, so he wasn't actually creating new jobs. There were disadvantages in many of the jobs that Hitler created. men in the RAD were not paid wages. (then the page gets cut off so I can't see.)

Other Questions:

1. How did the Nazis use the education and indoctrination system to help establish an authoritarian state and acheive some of their aims?

-Well, in the education system they were teaching ids about Hitler and how amazing of a ruler he was. They told them they they should obey him, and they basically brainwashed the kids into believing that Hitler was the perfect leader. This helped them to acheive their aims because little kids were learning about Hitler, and therefore Hitler was able to rise to power much more easily. Indoctrination was used because kids were put into the Hitler Youth program.

2. Discuss at least three social and religous policies that help establish and authroitarian state and acheive some of their other aims.

- Women were forced to stay at home and take care of their children and families. This added to the aim of developing a perfect Aryian race.

-"Brothels" were created for unmarried women. In these homes, pure Aryan men were put with pure Aryan women so that they coudl create pure Aryan babies. This once again helped to acheie the goal of having a pure Aryan race.

-Mein Kampf was a bible that was created which was devoted completely to Hitler, and Hitler was viewed as the God. This was the only faith of the Nazis, and everyone was forced to follow this religion.

Alternative Assesment

2009-10-15T06:12:00.000-07:00

A number left to dwindle.

That's all I am now

It is over; I will die.

The smell of burning bodies.

People suffering

The life of Jews is over

Homework 17; term 1

2009-10-12T14:14:00.000-07:00

Worksheet 2: "The Road to Dictatorship."

A. Test your understanding of this chapter by explaining each of the following terms.

-Chancellor: prime minister

-Reichstag: the parliament

-Enabling Law: this let Hitler make laws without asking the Reichstag for its consent.

-one party state: the Nazi party was the only party allowed to exist in Germany.

-Gauleiters: district leaders

-block leaders: They were each in charge of one block of flats or group of houses.

B. Explain how Hitler increased his power on each of the following dates:

-April 7, 1933: Hitler put Nazi officials in charge of the local governments which ran Germany's provinces.

-May 2, 1933: Hitler closed down trade unions, took away their funds and put their leaders in prison.

-July 14, 1933: Hitler made a law against the formation of new Nazi parties. This said that the Nazi party was the only party allowed to exist in Germany.

-June 30, 1934: Roehm and the other SA leaders were arrested on Hitler's orders, taken to prison, and shot.

-August 2, 1934: President Hindenburg died, and Hitler immediately took of the presidency and gave himself the title "Fuehrer and Reich Chancellor."

C. Examine the photograph on the opposite page.

1. What allowed the Storm Troopers to do this to opponents of the Nazi Party?

-The Law for the Protection of the People and State

2. Why would you call this situation unfair, even though it was allowed by law?

Well, the law wasn't really fair because it banned the Communist and Socialists from taking part in the election campaign. That makes the election unfair because it makes it so that Hitler will win. The measures that the Storm Troopers took were also completely unjust, and inhumane, because it is not right to put someone in prison just because of the political party that the associate with.

Worksheet 3: The Nazi Police State

A. Test your understanding of this chapter by explaining what each of the following means:
-Gestapo - The German secret police under Nazi rule. It ruthlessly suppressed opposition to the Nazi's in Germany and occupied Europe and sent Jews and others to concentration camps. From 1936 it was headed by Heinrich Himmler.
-Protective Custody - The detention of a person for their own protection.
-Concentration Camps - A place where large numbers of people, especially political prisoners or members of persecuted minorities, are deliberately imprisoned in a relatively small area with inadequate facilities, sometimes to provide forced labor or to await mass execution. The term is most strongly associated with the several hundred camps established in Germany and occupied in Europe in 1933-45, among the most infamous being Dachau, Belsen, and Auschwitz.
-Death Head Units - Totenkopfverbande.

B. Study document A on the opposite page. Make a detailed list of the kinds of people who were likely to be arrested as 'Enemies of the State' in Nazi Germany.
- Jews
- Communist members of Reichstag
- People who speak badly of the Fuhrer
- People who apply for unemployment and are deemed "work-shy"
- People who are part of the Bibelforscher
- Homosexuals
- Professional criminals

C1. Judging by the evidence of document B, above, what do you think were the purposes of concentration camps?
- Workcamps (killing prisoners by feeding them insufficiently and working them to death)

C2. Suggest why the prisoners were treated so badly.
- Well they really wanted to kill them but they indirectly killed most of them or had "reasons" for killing htem

D. Study the photograph above, noting the date when it was taken.

D1. For what reason might the people have been imprisoned in the concentration camp?
- Being Jewish or gay
- Being a criminal
- Disrespecting or disobeying the Fuhrer
- Not fitting to the ideals of Nazi Germany

D2. How long do you think they have been in this camp?
- The people in this picture? Probably just arrived. Their clothes are still clean and they look healthy

D3. What sort of experiences do you think they have had since being arrested?
- Being kept in small quarters on the train on their way to the camp but they just got there so not much else

The Rise of Hitler; Paper 2

2009-10-09T10:16:00.001-07:00

Although Hitler used some pretty intense methods which enabled him to rise to power, the social and economic conditions in Germany were the ultimate reason that Hitler became so powerful in 1919. The problems in the existing government caused the Germans to be fearful, therefore they looked for someone to fix all of their problems-someone new. Hitler happened to be around at this time, and he was able to use the downfall of Germany to his advantage as swept the people of Germany off their feet, being their savior.

The first major problem in the existing government was that the Weimar Republic was beginning to fail. One main issue that led to this was that the Weimar Republic accepted the Treaty of Versailles, which was completely biased against Germany. Germany was left out of every single article, and they did not benefit at all. The articles which they were mentioned in involved them having to make reparations to other countries, which isn’t fair when they weren’t getting any reparations paid to them in return. This angered the German people, especially since the Weimar Republic had accepted the Treaty. It led to Germans rebelling, while trying to overthrow the republic. The communists and the SPD refused to work together, which resulted in members organizing their own parties, which also led to more violence, and the downfall of the Weimar Republic. Some of the violence that occurred happened in March 1920 when right-winged political parties tried to seize power. This happened as a result of the government’s attempt to disband the Freikorps, and the German army took no action against the Putsch. As a result, Kapp resigned, and the government regained control. However, former members of the right wing groups remained hostile to the republic, so they decided to join Hitler’s private armies. The economy was also struggling a tremendous amount as a result of the enormous expenses of the war. Although Germany attempted to pay reparations, it only made matters worse. In August 1921, Germans asked to suspend making payments to France but France refused. This lead to a major German crisis, and created inflation. It got so bad that people had to spend their money the day that they got it, or it would be worth nothing the next day. Middle classes and small capitalizes were affected the most by the inflation, as they lost all of their savings. They looked to the Nazis for help. As a result, the more unstable the economy became, the more seats the Nazis won in the Reichstag. They started out in 1924 only having 32 seats, however, in only eight years time, they had 230 seats. This was all a result of the economic crisis in Germany. These events all aided Hitler in his rise to power, despite the fact that Hitler didn’t really do anything to create this. Hitler just appeared to be an outlet and an escape from all of the bad that was happening in Germany, because the people were so weak. He was able to gain power by taking advantage of their weaknesses, while ultimately caused him to be so powerful as time went on.

The Nazis offered many things which were appealing to the German people, especially in their time of crisis. Hitler investigated what made the Germans feel uneasy and weak, and then created tactics so that he could appear as a savior to them. One major ideal of the Nazis was national unity, which enabled the Germans to feel like they weren’t being targeted. This idea attracted the Germans towards Hitler because they were so angry at their own government for accepting the horrid things that were talked about in the Treaty of Versailles. The Nazis theory on national unity was a way to increase the German’s pride. Hitler tried to rid Germany of the “real causes” that led to the German downfall, by making Jews be the scapegoats. The Germans liked this idea because it increased their self esteem, and they were no longer felt that it was their fault that their republic failed. Hitler also promised to overthrow the Versailles Treaty and bring Germany to great power. He promised that all Germans would get to be in the Reich, which made the Germans feel as though they were being treated equally- something that they hoped for. He created a private army, which attracted young people because it gave them wages as well as a uniform. This was especially appealing because of the poor economy in Germany; anyone would do anything for money. Although all of these methods helped in Hitler’s rise to power, the ultimate reason for his rise was still a direct result of the social and economic problems in Germany. If the people of Germany weren’t in such a crisis, they wouldn’t be so weak and need to look towards Hitler for help.

Ultimately, the Germans saw Hitler as a messiah. He flew all around Germany through the air and made claims that he would be able t save them. His outstanding public speaking skills, as well as the way he conveyed his ideas with an emotional force, were the reasons that he was able to save Germany at their lowest point. The real reason he came to power was because he got to everyone just as they had reached their lowest point, which is the best thing that a future leader could do

homework 16; term 1

2009-10-08T18:02:00.000-07:00

Outline for Paper 2:

Thesis: Although Hitler used some pretty intense methods which enabled him to rise to power, the social and economic conditions in Germany were the ultimate reason that Hitler became so powerful in 1919.

1. The problems in the existing government… (Everyone was so afraid, they looked for someone to recover all of their problems… someone new.)

a. Weimar Republic was starting to fail

i. It accepted the Treaty of Versailles, which left out Germany -> anger!

ii. Communists & SPD refused to work together, members organized own parties, more violence, attempts to overthrow republic

b. Violence

i. Kapp Putsch (March 1920)

1. Right wing groups tried to seize power; started when government tried to “disband” that Freikorps…German army took no action against the Putsch… Kapp resigned, government regained control; former members stayed hostile to republic -> joining Hitler’s private armies

c. Economic Issues

i. In 1919, Germany was almost bankrupt because of the enormous expense of the war…

1. Attempts to pay reparations were made, but made matters worse. August 1921, Germans ask to suspend making payments to France, but France refused = German crisis!

2. German inflation – people had to spend their money the day they got it, or it would be worth nothing the next day…

a. Middle classes and small capitalists were affected the worst- lost savings- looked to Nazis for help.

3. The more unstable the economy, the more seats Nazis won in the Reichstag

a. 1924- 32 seats… 1932, 230 seats

2. What Nazis offered

a. National unity… a way of making the Germans feel like they weren’t being targeted.

i. Rid Germany of the “real causes.” -> scapegoat on Jews…

ii. German pride…

b. Versailles treaty

i. Promised to overthrow, bring Germany to great power -> all germans would get to be in the Reich

c. Private army

i. Attracted young people… gave them money/ uniform

d. Hitler had good political abilities

i. The real reason he became into power, he got everyone when they were at their lowest point…

1. Public speaking, ideas with emotional force… parades, radio, film…

2. Traveled all over Germany through the air -> looked like a Messiah (savior to the Germans)

Homework 14; term 1

2009-09-28T13:58:00.000-07:00

Describe at least three examples of economic and/or political conditions that helped lead to the end of the Weimar Republic.

The Treaty of Versailles was an economic condition which lead to the end of the Weimar Republic. This is because of all of German's losses, such as land as well as coal and iron production areas. Because the Treaty of Versailles targeted Germany, the Germans became angry and they lost their faith in the Weimar Republic. Therefore, the Treaty of Versailles was an indirect economic impact that helped lead to the end of the Weimar Republic.

The inflation and depression after WWI were also economic conditions which helped lead to the fall of the Weimar Republic. Many people were unemployed, so the Germans made the decision to print more money, which led to inflation. Then, the only money which the Germans had, they spent on very small portions of food. Because of this many Germans decided they wanted change, which resulted in the end of the Weimar Republic.

The Weimar Constitution was a political effect that led to the end of the Weimar Republic. This was because the Weimar Constitution specifically targeted the German people, and they felt uneasy as a result of this. Therefore, the creators of the Weimar Constitution weren't liked by the Germans, and the Weimar Republic lost some of its support. Therefore, this was another indirect cause of the fall of the Weimar Republic.

Homework 13; term 1

2009-09-21T15:14:00.000-07:00

Worksheet: "The Troubled Infancy of the Weimar Republic."

1. Give two reasons why the Germans resented the Treaty of Versailles.

-They could not accept that they were the losers of World War I.

-They thought that is was unfair and humiliating.

2. Name the three Germany's political parties that were instrumental in setting up the Weimar Republic.

-The social democratic party, the catholic center, and the German democratic party.

3. Describe the results of the election of 1920.

-The democratic parties' share of the vote shrank to less than 50 percent. Never again would the founding political coalition of the Weimar Republic receive more than 50 percent of the vote.

4. On whom did some Germans start to lay the blame for losing the war and being threatened by communism?

-Paul von Hindenburg

5. What was the Freikorps?

-These were the "free corps," which were organized to combat the political forces of the far left in Germany.

6. What are some things that Hitler and the NSDAP stood for? List three.

-Racism

-Anti-Semitism

-Germans were the master race.

7. "Hyperinflation produced winners and losers in Germany." Who were the winners and the losers?

-Middle class Germans, especially those in retirement were the losers. The winners were Germans who had borrowed money, because they could pay off their debts with currency that was only worth a tiny fraction of what they had originally borrowed.

8. Why did some Germans dislike the cultural changes that occurred in the 1920s?

-Many conservatives believed that the new freedoms for women were a challenge to their traditional, family-centered values. The new realism in literature offended those who favored writers that glorified the German past.

9. Who were the major supporters of the Center Party? Of the SPD?

-Center Party: Catholics

-SPD: workers

10. How did the American stock market crash affect Germany?

-Much of the prosperity in Germany has been fueled by loans from American banks. Germans used these loans to meet reparation payments to the Allies and to finance German industrial expansion.

11. Why do you think many Germans resorted to violence as the economic situation worsened?

-Because they had to protect what they had left, no matter how little it was.

Homework 12; term 1

2009-09-20T09:46:00.000-07:00

Worksheet: "Germany's Proud Heritage."

1. List three accomplishments of Otto von Bismarck.

-created a united Germany.

-strengthen the power of the state and increase Germany's influence abroad.

-adopted reforms to improve conditions for workers that put many ordinary Germans ahead of their counterparts in Britan and France.

2, Germany was not very democratic at the beginning of the twentieth century. True or false? Explain your answer.

-False. Germany continued strengthening as the years went on, and I believe their democracy did as well, despite problems with Britain, Russia, and France.

3. Give three reasons why the Triple Entente feared Germany.

-The British saw the German build-up as a threat to their long-standing dominance at sea.

-The British also worried that Germany would challenge their country's position as the world's leading exporter.

-Russian officials feared that the growth of German military power was part of a plan to grab territory from the Russian Empire.

4. How did Germany deal with the fear of being encircled?

- They strengthened their alliance with the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the south-east. Ironically, this alliance brought Germany into the two-front war that many German leaders had long sought to avoid.

5. What event in 1914 set the forces in motion that resulted in war?

-A Serbian nationalist assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Austria- Hungary's heir to the throne, and his wife Sophie.

Homework 11; term 1

2009-09-17T15:13:00.000-07:00

With reference to origin and purpose, discuss the values and limitations of the movie "Downfall" in leaning about Nazi Germany.

The origin of this movie is based on first hand accounts of Nazis and Germans who were with Hitler in his final days. Because of this, the movie is seen as valuable because of the fact that it involved first hand accounts and recollections of what had happened. The stories are therefore portrayed pretty truthfully because these people actually lived through it. However, the film was produced in 2005, which was after all of this had gone on. Therefore, the accounts of the people may have involved a bit more emotion and feelings than how they had felt when they were living during this actualy time period. This can be seen as a value as well as a limitation. It is a value because it portrays emotion of the soldiers, rather than just depicting them as evil mosters, like every other movie does. However, it is limited because the soldiers probably didn't actually feel that way while this was going on. They probably bluffed about their stories a little bit, to make themselves seem less evil, now that everything has passed.This way they are seen as innocent people, rather than what they actually may have been years ago.

The purpose of this movie is to capture the entire Nazi experience in one film, while trying to make it as real and accurate as possible. This is also both a value and a limitation. it is valuable because they are trying to make it as real and accurate as possible, and capture the entire Nazi experience, however that is basically impossible to do. Therefore, it is a limitation, because no matter how hard they try to portray it all in one film they can not succeed. So it may be missing some important facts which is definitely a downfall of this movie.

Homework 10; term 1

2009-09-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

List three more specific details from the movie "Downfall" related to topic 3.

Totalitarianism:

->When Hitler's body was burning, the soldiers who burned it stood before him and did the "Hail Hitler" salute.

->The Nazi Minister of Propaganda committed suicide with his wife after Hitler had committed suicide, because everyone was so afraid of living a life without Hitler.

-> Frau Goebells killed her "perfect" Aryian family, which consisted of 6 or 7 children, after Hitler died, because she didn't want them to be brought up in a world without Nationalist Socialism. I think that this was pretty extreme, and by far the most significant thing that has happened.

Homework 9; term 1

2009-09-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

List 4 more examples from the film related to Topic 3.

Aims:

-> Acheieve natural greatness with a strong military

-> Develop a pure "Aryian" race; get rid of Jews, Blacks, Serbs

-> Ethnic cleansing

Methods:

-> Glorification of soldiers

Propaganda:

-> Hitler Youth is once again seen in this segment of the film

-> The guy blows up his family with two grenades during dinner

Homework 8; term 1

2009-09-13T12:58:00.000-07:00

List four more examples from the film related to Topic 3.

Aims

-> To create a racially "pure" Europe.

-> To conquer Europe.

-> He says that he conquered Europe by himself.

Methods

-> He ordered to have soldiers shot for doing something wrong

-> He rules through fear in a sense

-> Indoctrination

Homework 7; term 1

2009-09-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

List more examples from the film related to topic 3.

Ideology:

-> The Nazis believed in Social Darwinism; it was like the survival of the fittest.

-> He wanted an "ethinically pure" country.

-> He believed in extinction of religions; I believe this would be an ideology because he had a hatred especially towards Jews.

Propaganda:

-> The boys of Hitler Youth actually had to pledge allegance to Hitler. In the movie, Hitler was told that this one particular boy had blown up two machines; and Hitler said that he wished his military were as courageous as he was.

Homework 6; term 1

2009-09-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

List 4 examples from today's movie "the downfall" related to topic three.

totalitarianism: the aim and extent to which it was acheived

-> The officer's carried out all of Hitler's orders, no matter how hard "unreasonable" or "unjust" they may have seemed.

methods: force, legal

-> Hitler had Germans shot for disobeying orders!

-> Nazis used violence and force to rule Germany

role of propaganda

-> the young boy who was a member of "Hitler Youth"

Homework 5; term 1

2009-09-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

Discuss the origin and purpose of the documentary "Downfall."

Downfall is a documentary that was released in 2005, directed and produced by Germans. This documentary is based on first hand accounts of Nazis and Germans who were with Hitler in the final days. It contains transcripts from Nuremberg War crime trials, and a key source of the documentary is the diary of Traudl Jundge, who was the secretary to Hitler. The purpose of the documentary was to capture the entire Nazi experience in one film, while making it as real and accurate as possible.