Homework 19; term 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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"

A.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.