We'll cover a variety of topics today and focus on the Great Depression
from a worldwide perspective tomorrow. After that, most of our
attention for the rest of the unit will be focused on the causes
leading up to World War II and the war itself. I'll let you know by Monday when we are looking at taking
the test for Unit #7. (It will be sometime the week of April 27th.)
At the start, let's take a couple minutes to look at those examples of 20th (and 21st) century genocides. We'll do brief summaries of those, as we'll take closer looks at many of these events as the quarter progresses.
Nationalism in India and Southwest Asia - You read about these events for the previous quiz. Basically, the section centered around nationalist and independence movements that led to the creation of four modern nations: India, Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Let's touch base on the India story, which won't actually be finished for a couple chapters...
Next, we'll look at the cases of Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia. You'll be asked to choose one of these three "stories." Take a couple minutes and review the information from your textbook. (I'll list specifics below that you should be sure to cover.) Then, think about answers to the questions below.
Questions:
The Mandate System in the Middle East - Next, we'll take a look at a specific agreement that affected the development of the map of the Middle East - the Sykes-Picot Agreement. This was an example of the "mandate" system, where Britain and France were given the authority to "oversee" the development of lands in the former Ottoman Empire after the war.
You'll get a copy of several documents, and they'll help you consider the following questions:
Here's a map of the Sykes-Picot Agreement.
Between the Wars - As you can probably imagine, there was a good deal of uncertainty and confusion in Europe, and much of the rest of the world, at the completion of World War I. Nations lay in ruins, an entire generation had been "lost," and very little of it made sense. The "Enlightenment Project," which is a term used to describe the European view that reason, liberalism and objective truth would guide the world under their leadership, was in shambles. This uneasiness was expressed in a variety or literary and artistic forms. Let's take a quick look at some of them.
HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Thursday, April 16th
Please continue your reading in Chapter 31 with Section 2, "A Worldwide Depression." (pp. 904 - 909) This is another of those topics that you will spend much more time with next year in Modern US History.
Your "Between the Wars" activity is due on Monday, April 20th.
At the start, let's take a couple minutes to look at those examples of 20th (and 21st) century genocides. We'll do brief summaries of those, as we'll take closer looks at many of these events as the quarter progresses.
Nationalism in India and Southwest Asia - You read about these events for the previous quiz. Basically, the section centered around nationalist and independence movements that led to the creation of four modern nations: India, Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Let's touch base on the India story, which won't actually be finished for a couple chapters...
- Indian National Congress (Congress Party)
- Rowlatt Acts
- Amritsar Massacre (1919)
- Mohandas Gandhi
- civil disobedience
- satyagraha
- Salt March (1930)
- Government of India Act (1935)
Next, we'll look at the cases of Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia. You'll be asked to choose one of these three "stories." Take a couple minutes and review the information from your textbook. (I'll list specifics below that you should be sure to cover.) Then, think about answers to the questions below.
- Turkey - Mustafa Kemal, Ataturk
- Iran - Persia, Riza Shah Pahlavi
- Saudi Arabia - Abd al-Aziz Ibn Saud
- In your opinion, was this an example of successful nationalism? Why or why not?
- How important did an individual personality seem in your situation?
- What role did religion play in either the old or new society?
- Looking back, was this a positive transition for the nation? Why or why not?
- From the United States perspective of today, how should we view these events?
The Mandate System in the Middle East - Next, we'll take a look at a specific agreement that affected the development of the map of the Middle East - the Sykes-Picot Agreement. This was an example of the "mandate" system, where Britain and France were given the authority to "oversee" the development of lands in the former Ottoman Empire after the war.
You'll get a copy of several documents, and they'll help you consider the following questions:
Here's a map of the Sykes-Picot Agreement.
- Who wrote each document?
- What was the purpose of each document?
- Which documents were not meant to be public? Why?
- Why was the release of the Sykes-Picot Agreement to the public by the Bolsheviks an embarrassment to Britain and France?
- Was the agreement consistent with the Fourteen Points? Why or why not?
- What would President Wilson have thought of the Sykes-Picot Agreement? What would he have thought of the Mandate System in Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations?
- How would the agreement have been viewed by those living in the "zones" shown on the map?
Between the Wars - As you can probably imagine, there was a good deal of uncertainty and confusion in Europe, and much of the rest of the world, at the completion of World War I. Nations lay in ruins, an entire generation had been "lost," and very little of it made sense. The "Enlightenment Project," which is a term used to describe the European view that reason, liberalism and objective truth would guide the world under their leadership, was in shambles. This uneasiness was expressed in a variety or literary and artistic forms. Let's take a quick look at some of them.
First, take a second and remember what you
read about the contributions of people like Sigmund Freud and Friedrich
Nietzsche, each of whom had challenged that pre-war view of man's
rationality and reason.
The poem, "The Second Coming," by William Butler Yeats (1919)
is an effective summary of much of this uncertainty and fear. We'll
have you take a look at the poem and see what you think of it.
Here
are some representative examples of emerging art forms during this
period. Look at the examples and consider how they represent the
feelings of the inter-war period.
- expressionism -
- Wassily Kandinsky - In Grey
- Wassily Kandinsky - On White
- Franz Marc - Fighting Forms
- dadaism -
- Marcel Duchamp - L.H.O.O.Q.
- Hannah Hoch - Cut with the Dada Kitchen Knife through the Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch in Germany
- cubism -
- Pablo Picasso - Le Guitariste
- Georges Braque - Violin and Candlestick
- surrealism -
- Max Ernst - The Elephant Celebes
- Max Ernst - L'Ange du Foyeur
- Salvador Dali - The Persistence of Memory
"Between the Wars" Assignment - You
get some choices here. Whatever you choose, I should get this from you
by Monday. Basically, I want you to take a crack at expressing some of
these feelings that you think were being felt between the wars.
Clearly, rising nationalism, the coming of fascism and totalitarianism,
the spread of communism and economic troubles made for an unsettling
time.
You can choose from among these options:
- In the spirit of Yeats' "The Second Coming," compose a poem that you feel is representative of the times. (There should be a minimum of twelve lines.) You should post your poem here.
- Draw (or sketch or paint or whatever) a picture that you feel is representative of the time and one of the schools of art we looked at.
- Assume that it is ten years after the end of World War I. You need to "create" a person and write a "letter" (400 or more words) from their perspective. It should look back both at their role in the World War I years (as a soldier, peasant, wife, child, whatever) and some major events since then. You can be from wherever you'd like: Europe, Russia, China, India, the United States or another location. You'd post the letter here as a comment.
HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Thursday, April 16th
Please continue your reading in Chapter 31 with Section 2, "A Worldwide Depression." (pp. 904 - 909) This is another of those topics that you will spend much more time with next year in Modern US History.
Your "Between the Wars" activity is due on Monday, April 20th.
Desmond Mckeown.
Questions
Questions arise everyday, as the sun rises and sets.
Everyday something new to ponder and somewhere for us to wonder
I spend all my hours questioning why people do squander, and choose to go to the the land down under.
War is hell and hell is war, is there any difference.
I've done my time, my duties done, for everyone to see.
And yet, I feel so all alone, and absolutely witless.
What is new? What is old? Can anyone declare it?
For what is this time, this age and who is meant to bear it?
Questions still, they fill my brain with doubt and more confusion.
What is to do? What should I make? Does anyone know?
Questions, Questions, who am I? and who are you?
The dust has cleared
What’s left returned
“The End” has been declared.
They reunite
They celebrate
There’s much to be repaired.
They sense the fear
The bitter taste
Of the “Sweet Victory”.
Dance in the sun
Soon in the dark
Of valedictory.
DOUBT
-Dom-
Blood like the crimson sun,
Everywhere.
Cowering soldiers crawling through mud and dead bodies
Screaming harsh tones, calling out for help.
God has abandoned us,
The angels have fled.
Satan and his evil are the new leaders
Of this hopeless world.
Loneliness has engulfed the people,
We no longer know where our allegiances lie.
Past ideas have let us down,
And I feel the armageddon is nearly here.
Our decision makers lie
While dead soldiers lie
When asked why
They know no more than you and I
When asked when it will end
They give an excuse not a date
Wont it be too late?
History repeats itself until the end of time
Lives are lost for reasons lost to History
Will anyone speak out against such a crime?
There is hope
Hope that the people of tomorrow
Will scoff at the wars of yesterday
They will realize there is never an answer for why
May 3rd, 1919
Dear Mother,
As you may know, we the Chinese people have been robbed. Although we didn’t directly enter World War 1 we sided with the Allies in order to try to get back the territories that Germany once controlled in China. However, the Allied Powers based in Europe decided it would be best to give this land to another power, our archrival: Japan. They decided this in the Treaty of Versailles, which we were not invited to. This is truly ridiculous for us the Chinese people. Don’t the Allies know what will happen now? It’s clear that Japan will continue to try to expand their empire farther and farther into China, which will clearly cause more problems in the long term.
Now, you may be wondering why I’m telling you all this. The reason is simple: I’m not happy with what the Allies did. I personally am very much outraged and some of my friends and I are planning to act on this. In fact, tomorrow on May 4th we plan to gather in Beijing and show the Chinese government that we, the Chinese people are outraged with what this World War has done. But anyway, I wanted to let you know that we will be gathering in Tiananmen Square and although I know you are not feeling well right now, I think it would be really great if you could join us in our protest.
Another reason I am writing this letter to you is because of the fact that I am very disappointed and outraged with the Chinese government. Although we may be weak compared to the European powers, the Chinese government should still try to defend and stick up for its people. This is something that they are not doing and therefore I am afraid to say it but I have lost faith in Sun Yixian and his believe of democracy. If this is what democracy means, then there is no way that I can stick up for it.
However, there is an interested librarian at my Beijing University that seems to know what he is talking about. He is not a supporter of the western democracy that we have under Sun Yixian, rather he believes that the principles of communism would do China a great deal of good. By the way, his name is Mao Zedong, and I really think that he is going to be able to change China, for the good.
It has been nice talking to you mother, I miss you dearly and look forward to returning home after my schooling is done.
Excuse me? Hello?
I'm just a woman who wants to vote.
Does it bother you that I smoke?
Well, let me tell you a little something:
During the war, we didn't just sit;
We worked in the factories and didn't quit.
Now don't you think it's time you'd just commit
To let women in on the voting?
I mean, most of us have good careers.
We certainly won't disappear,
All of us will persevere,
So why can't we speak our minds?
It's time we women got new roles;
Time to speak out in the polls,
Time we received a little control,
We should stop being so confined!
So just this once, please hear us out,
We'll take to the streets, protest and shout
If you continue to go on without
Women getting to vote.
Between the Wars
Dylan Saul
The smog hangs heavy over the field
Bullets fly, soldiers scream, and nothing can penetrate
This inky sea
It rises, eclipses, begins to whirl, it takes form
It breathes
The smoke spreads east, and leaves its trace
Tainting all it touches
Choking under this dark fog, we fall
And rise again
Only to turn on each other once more
For one peaceful moment, the weak sun breaks through
But this time, there is no enlightenment
Books burn, war rages on
And the smoke blots out the sun
confusion comes up all around
the confusion in most people is the same
the same question is asked
and the same answer is given
the answer is uncertain
the war may have ended
but it feels like the start of a new beginning
what has to come is unknown
but fear of what has already come has grown
will the next years be full of uncertainty as well?
will these questions ever be answered,
one can only hope
Never Known:
Never knowing, always wishing
Never hoping but always wanting
Never seeing but always hearing the
Never heard screams but always reading the
Never read newspapers but always he
knew that the war was coming,
He never hoped of the pain and suffering to come,
He never saw the second war coming so soon after the first,
He never heard the airplanes starting their raids,
He now reads the bulletin boards,
looking after the dead.
Never known, so never wished.