February 2010 Archives

Lesson #24 - Fighting the Cold War

By
Mike Vergin
on February 26, 2010 2:00 AM |
I want to set aside a little time at the top today to finish up any questions or comments on China from yesterday.

Cnn: Cold War Reports: Today, I'd like to quickly hear from our first dozen "reporters" on their episodes from this series. Nothing fancy here, just give us a quick summary of what you saw. Let's try to do:

1. Comrades - http://tinyurl.com/54bnx5
2. Iron Curtain - http://tinyurl.com/3rmsyv
3. Marshall Plan - http://tinyurl.com/45ojyr
4. Berlin - http://tinyurl.com/4s5w47
5. Korea - http://tinyurl.com/6c4hre
6. Reds - http://tinyurl.com/5ae9qg
7. After Stalin - http://tinyurl.com/6hltrc
8. Sputnik - http://tinyurl.com/66byuq
9. The Wall - http://tinyurl.com/5acfkz
10. Cuba - http://tinyurl.com/6xnyzw
11. Vietnam - http://tinyurl.com/66t9o6
12. MAD - http://tinyurl.com/57rjbb

When you have finished summarizing, please post your blog entry on the CNN: Cold War Reports page. (2nd Hour "Reports") (4th Hour "Reports") It should contain the following.

  1. Provide the title of your episode, along with a several sentence summary of what it was about.
  2. Identify and key terms or people about which people should know.
  3. List the three main conclusions/points/ideas that people should take away from this episode. (We'll share these verbally in class as well.)
  4. Your reaction to the events you saw. Were there particular people or nations who acted in ways you found praiseworthy, dangerous, etc.?
  5. Your recommendation as to whether this is a worthwhile episode for others to watch.
We'll do the second batch of twelve episodes tomorrow.


The Doomsday Clock - Since 1947, the Board of Directors of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists have kept the "Doomsday Clock." Originally set to reflect the dangers of a thermonuclear way, it now also represents the danger of other forms of "catastrophic destruction" as well. It is an interesting way to look at the tensions of the Cold War.
(Click on the image to get to to enlarge and show the right edge in a new window...)
doomsday_clock.png


Cold Warriors - Pick One: Here's your chance to take on the persona of your favorite "Cold Warrior." Tuesday, we will celebrate the 19th Anniversary of the End of the Cold War at the Cold Warrior Retirement Home. (1991 is generally considered to mark the end of the Cold War.) You will select from the list of participants below. You'll be expected to look into "your" role in the Cold War. We don't need to know a bunch more about other aspects of your life. Keep it simple and straight-forward. We're talking introductions of about a minute or two. Following that, there will be some questions for the group to discuss.

Your roles were selected from the list at the Cold War International History Project's Cold War Files (a great site) page cleverly entitled, "People." I'd recommend starting your research there.

China

  • Mao Zedong
  • Zhou Enlai

Europe

  • Lech Walesa
  • Vaclav Havel
  • Margaret Thatcher
  • Erich Honecker
  • Willy Brandt
  • Konrad Adenauer

Korea

  • Syngman Rhee
  • Kim Il Sung

Soviet Union

  • Joseph Stalin
  • Nikita Khrushchev
  • Andrei Gromyko
  • Leonid Brezhnev
  • Mikhail Gorbachev

United States

  • Harry Truman
  • Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • John Kennedy
  • Lyndon Johnson
  • Richard Nixon
  • Henry Kissinger
  • Ronald Reagan

Vietnam

  • Ngo Dinh Diem
  • Ho Chi Minh
Cuba

  • Fidel Castro

I've also got a "The Beginning of the Cold War" DBQ activity that should help give you the "big picture" of the Cold War. It's got useful background information.

Wars in Korea and Vietnam - Your reading that was assigned for today is certainly territory that you will cover next year as well, but we can take a couple minutes to look at the "big picture" of these two conflicts if you have specific questions...


HOMEWORK for next session - Monday, March 1

Please continue reading in Chapter 33 with Section 4, "The Cold War Divides the World" (pp. 982-987). The quiz will be multiple choice.

"Your" Cold Warrior should be ready to present at Tuesday's Cold Warrior Retirement Home 19th Anniversary Celebration.
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Lesson #23 - China under Communism and Mao Zedong

By
Mike Vergin
on February 25, 2010 2:00 AM |
Today's main focus will be on the rise to power of the Communist Party in China under Mao Zedong's leadership. I've got some images from a book, The Chinese Century, that may also help you make sense of some of this.

Cnn: Cold War Assignment: Yesterday, you received "your" episode from this series. You should have the episode watched before class time tomorrow, and you should be ready to post your blog entry on the relevant page by the end of Monday.

Here's what you should have ready to post. (I'd suggest saving it as a Microsoft Word document.)

  1. Provide the title of your episode, along with a several sentence summary of what it was about.
  2. Identify and key terms or people about which people should know.
  3. List the three main conclusions/points/ideas that people should take away from this episode. (We'll share these verbally in class as well.)
  4. Your reaction to the events you saw. Were there particular people or nations who acted in ways you found praiseworthy, dangerous, etc.?
  5. Your recommendation as to whether this is a worthwhile episode for others to watch.
As with any project of this magnitude, there will be critics of particular conclusions, interpretations, etc. The recent nature of many of these events, as well as the continuing process of declassifying government documents about them, makes the Cold War more controversial than most historical events. If you want to check out a (long) essay by someone who wasn't too impressed with this series, check out Gabriel Schoenfeld's "Twenty-Four Lies About the Cold War."

Back to the Chinese Civil War: Remember this one? When we last left our Nationalist and Communists, they were suspending their own conflict to resist Japan's invasion in World War II. Let's make sure you all have a good understanding of the answers to these questions:

  • What advantages did the Communists have at the end of World War II?
  • What issues and weaknesses led to the defeat of Jiang Jeishi's Nationalist forces?
  • How did the outcome of the Chinese Civil War shape world events in the years to follow?

China Under Mao's Leadership: Let's be sure you understand these events and questions...

  • How did Mao consolidate power in China?
  • What was the "Hundred Flowers" campaign? Can you think of parallels in other countries?
  • What was the Great Leap Forward? How did it affect China?
Take a look at Mao Zedong's "Ten Principles of War." How relevant are these for guerrilla campaigns in the more modern world?

The Cultural Revolution: Morning Sun is a website that accompanies a film made about the Cultural Revolution. After some brief introductory comments, we'll have you take a look at a number of interesting links here.

  • Why did Mao call for a "Cultural Revolution?"
  • What were the goals and tactics of the Cultural Revolution?
  • What was the legacy of the Cultural Revolution for China?
Check out these links at the "Morning Sun" website: (There's a lot more there, but I think you'll find these interesting.)


China's Communist Revolution - A Glossary: This is from a BBC site marking the 50th anniversary of the Communist takeover of China. You can scroll down the links on the left for good definitions of some key people and concepts. (Note the "old" spelling on Jiang Jeishi / Chaing Kai-Shek.)

China's Economy - Looking Back at 50: Take a look at the three graphs below. Match changes with your understanding of China's history under Communist Party rule. (We'll return to China one more time to finish off the story.)

Pair up with a partner and examine the graphs. Be sure you understand what they are showing.

china_economy1.gif




















china_economy_2.gif


china_economy3.gif























Stefan Landsberger's Chinese Propaganda Poster Pages: This is a really cool site. Scroll down to the bottom to find the different categories of posters. Browse around and share interesting images with your neighbors.

 
HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Friday, February 26th

Please continue reading in Chapter 33 with Section 3, "Wars in Korea and Vietnam" (pp. 976-981). The quiz will be matching.

"Your" episode of the Cnn: Cold War series should ideally be watched before tomorrow's class. You should also have your blog summary posted by the end of Monday.

Lesson #22 - From World Wars to Cold War

By
Mike Vergin
on February 24, 2010 2:00 AM |
We've basically got three weeks to complete your eighth, and final, unit of our World History curriculum. We'll have you start out with the reading quiz on Chapter 33, Section 1.

From World Wars to Cold War: I've got a variety of activities for you to work on today. We'll have you sort of bridge the gaps between the end of World War II and the onset of what comes to be called the Cold War.

CNN - Cold War: First, you're going to draw to select an episode of the highly regarded CNN - Cold War series to watch online. You're just doing the drawing today. It's nothing major, but you'll basically be asked to post a brief summary and respond to a couple of questions. Here are the various episode titles and URLs to them if you want to get started watching after you complete the tasks below. (My plan is that we'll go over the first half of these on Friday.)

When you have finished summarizing, please post your blog entry on the CNN: Cold War Reports page. (1st Hour "Reports") (4th Hour "Reports") It should contain the following.

  1. Provide the title of your episode, along with a several sentence summary of what it was about.
  2. Identify and key terms or people about which people should know.
  3. List the three main conclusions/points/ideas that people should take away from this episode. (We'll share these verbally in class as well.)
  4. Your reaction to the events you saw. Were there particular people or nations who acted in ways you found praiseworthy, dangerous, etc.?
  5. Your recommendation as to whether this is a worthwhile episode for others to watch.


Today's activities: Please work on the next few activities in groups of five (or as close to five as you can get...) One member of each group should serve as a recorder of what the group discusses and/or comes up with for answers. Names of the group members should go on that sheet, and this "report" should be turned in at the end of the class.



The "Rules of War": Think back on everything we learned about the two world wars. Imagine that you are a part of a committee drafting the "rules" for warfare. What are three rules that you each would insist on being a part of any such document? Your group should list no more than five on your "report" of the discussion.

Nuremberg: (You'll need a copy of the Student Handout 1.3 - Nuremberg) Recall that the Nuremberg War Crimes trials took place from 1945 to 1949. Read through the acts considered "illegal" by the Allies. Then, discuss the following questions. Your group should briefly summarize key points of discussion in your "report."

  • Look at the "war crimes" list. Are there additions or deletions you would suggest?
  • Look at the "crimes against humanity" list. Are there additions or deletions you would suggest?
  • Is a defense of "following orders" justifiable against any of these charges?
  • Can individuals be held responsible for the crimes of a nation?
  • Do you think it was possible for the Nuremberg defendants to receive "fair" trials? Why or why not?
  • Do you think documents like this have had a lasting impact on the conduct of warfare? Why or why not?

Geneva Convention: (This is the other side of that sheet - Transparency 1.2) Take a look at the statement from the Geneva Convention on 1949. Briefly summarize your discussion in your "report."

  • Do you think this document adequately protects prisoners and noncombatants in military conflicts?  Why or why not?

Bringing "Order" to the Post-War World: Here, we'll have you take a look at two significant efforts to bring order to the world after the effects of two world wars. 

  • The United Nations: (You'll need the Student Handout 5.2 and 5.3 here.) As you read through the "purposes" of the United Nations consider both how important and how realistic these purposes are. Your group should discuss and identify the three goals of the UN that you find most important AND the three goals that you believe are most difficult to attain.

  • Take a look at 5.3- The Security Council. As you read Article 23.1, take note of the membership of the Security Council. Your group should decide if any of the five members should be replaced. Whether or not you think any should be replaced, present a list of the three nations you believe are most worthy of getting a permanent seat on the Security Council in addition to the five permanent members.

The Marshall Plan: (You'll need a copy of the five "slips" with excerpts from Secretary of State George Marshall delivered to Harvard graduates in 1947 outlining his rationale for a plan to rebuild Europe.) Each group member should read one of the excerpts. Then, discuss the following questions.

  • What are the main points Marshall is making in your excerpt?
  • If you had been in the audience, how would you have reacted?
  • How relevant is Marshall's argument in today's world?

The group should briefly discuss and report on the following question: Looking back from today, what are three reasons why you could consider the Marshall Plan a success? A failure?

If your group completes all these tasks, you should turn in your report. (All groups should do that at the hour's end even if not completed.) You can use any remaining time to read for tomorrow or to start watching "your" episode of the Cnn: Cold War series.


HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Thursday, February 25th

Please continue reading in Chapter 33 with Section 2, "Communists Take Power in China" (pp. 972-975). The quiz will be true / false.

"Your" episode of the Cnn: Cold War series should be watched by Friday. (Realistically, we won't get to all of them before Monday, but we'll do as many as we can.)

Lesson #21 - Unit #7 Objective Exam

By
Mike Vergin
on February 23, 2010 2:00 AM |
It is the usual plan for today. You'll take the objective portion of the Unit #7 Exam. It is just the 60 multiple choice questions since most of you already did the 5 DBQs. 

Remember that your essay should be printed out and turned in to me before you leave school today if possible. Please double-space, or at least space and a half. Double-sided is fine with me. If you're not done at the end of the day, I should get it from you as an email attachment by the end of the evening. (Otherwise, without prior arrangement, it will then be considered late.)


HOMEWORK for next session - Wednesday, February 24th

Please read the first section in Chapter 33, "Cold War:  Superpowers Face Off" (pp. 965 - 970), for tomorrow's class. The quiz will be fill-in-the-blank. 


 

Lesson #20 - Unit #7 Identifications and DBQs Exam

By
Mike Vergin
on February 22, 2010 2:00 AM |
Not much to say here. You'll do the identifications and the DBQs today. If you would like to type your answers, you should download a Unit #7 Identifications template. I will give you all a paper copy of the DBQs, but you may type your answers to those if you would prefer. (You can just do that at the "bottom" of the ID template.)

If you are typing, please print out your exam when you are done. (Double-sided is just fine.)


HOMEWORK for next session - Tuesday, February 23rd

The multiple choice portion of the Unit #7 Objective Exam will take place on Tuesday. Your essay is also due to me by the end of that day.

Lesson #19 - Unit #7 "Two-Minute" Reviews

By
Mike Vergin
on February 19, 2010 2:00 AM | | Comments (0)
Nothing fancy today. We'll do our Unit #7 review... If you want to post any notes as "comments," you can do that on this entry.

UNIT 7:  The World at War (1900 - 1945)    
                
Chapter 29    The Great War (1914 - 1918)   
    1    Marching Toward War   
    2    Europe Plunges into War   
    3    A Global Conflict   
    4    A Flawed Peace   
               
Chapter 30    Revolution and Nationalism (1900 - 1939)
    1    Revolutions in Russia   
    2    Totalitarianism   
    3    Imperial China Collapses   
    4    Nationalism in India and Southwest Asia
               
Chapter 31    Years of Crisis (1919 - 1939)   
    1    Postwar Uncertainty   
    2    A Worldwide Depression   
    3    Fascism Rises in Europe   
    4    Aggressors Invade Nations
               
Chapter 32    World War II (1939 - 1945)   
    1    Hitler's Lightning War   
    2    Japan's Pacific Campaign   
    3    The Holocaust   
    4    The Allied Victory   
    5    Europe and Japan in Ruins


HOMEWORK for next session - Monday, February 22nd

Remember that the Unit #7 Identifications Exam and DBQs will be on Monday. The possible IDs (and the essay choices) are posted on a separate entry. 

The multiple choice portion of the Unit #7 Objective Exam will be held on Tuesday, February 23rd. Your essay also needs to get to me by the end of Tuesday.

Lesson #18 - The Impact of World War II

By
Mike Vergin
on February 17, 2010 3:45 PM |
Thanks to everyone for their work on the various "fronts" of World War II. I'm impressed with the wide variety of resources you accessed. We can start out by taking any questions or comments related to those presentations. We'll also make sure everyone is squared away on the format for next week's Unit #7 Exam.


Unit #7 "Two-Minute Reviews" - These will take place on Friday.

The Impact of World War II - The section you read for today did a pretty good job of summing up many of the impacts of the war. In addition to taking any questions or comments that you might have on those, I'm interested in your thoughts on a couple of other lists.

  • What are the most significant outcomes of World War II? (Why?)
  • What are the biggest "unanswered questions" at the war's end?
  • Which of the world wars most impacts history? Why?

Debating World War II - We could do these sorts of topics for weeks, but we only have part of a class period. We'll start you out with the classic debate topic on World War II.

Resolved: The United States was justified in dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Here are some collections of resources for you to browse to get some ideas and support for claims you might want to make.


In the unlikely event that you run out of things to say on that topic, here are some more for us...

  • Resolved: The Treaty of Versailles was the predominant cause of World War II.
  • Resolved: The United States should have been directly involved in the European war before Pearl Harbor. 
  • Resolved: The United States erred in not opening a second front in northern Europe before D-Day in June of 1944.
  • Resolved: The Allies should have bombed Auschwitz (and other concentration camps) once they were aware of their existence.
  • Resolved: The Soviet Union was more vital to winning the war in Europe than the United States.
  • Resolved: The bombings of cities such as London, Dresden and Tokyo should be considered war crimes.

HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Friday, February 19th

We'll do the Unit #7 "Two-Minute Reviews" tomorrow.

Remember that the Unit #7 Identifications Exam and DBQs will be on Monday. The possible IDs (and the essay choices) are posted on a separate entry. 

The multiple choice portion of the Unit #7 Objective Exam will be held on Tuesday, February 23rd. Your essay also needs to get to me by the end of Tuesday.

Lesson #17 - "Reports from the Front" - Day 2

By
Mike Vergin
on February 17, 2010 2:00 AM |
Please note that the Unit #7 Identifications and Essay Exam Questions are posted on a separate entry. We'll have you choose sections for Friday's "Two-Minute Reviews."

Here are the remaining "fronts" from which we will be hearing today:
  • (2nd Hour) - North Africa
  • The Holocaust
  • War in the Pacific
  • The United States and the War
Each of these timelines can be found here. 


Here's a reminder of the expectations:

Assume that you have a maximum of 20 minutes to walk us through the events of your timeline. (15 minutes would be a reasonable minimum.)

"Reporting Live..." - For at least five of your events, a group member should report "live" from the scene. Basically, I'm thinking you will give us a minute or so as if you were there, reporting on what is happening/what happened and why it is/was significant. 

"Where in the World?" - Basically, be sure we understand the geographic context for your information.

Visuals - Seeing something visual to accompany several of your events seems like a reasonable expectation.

You need to make sure you are crediting the original sources, but Eyewitness to History - World War II might be useful to you.

You are certainly free to put your own spin on these requirements, but I think the basic requirements are pretty straight-forward. Obviously, you'll be expected to show the proper level of decorum for your particular events as well.


HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Thursday, February 18th

Finish your reading for Unit #7 with Section 5 in Chapter 32, "Europe and Japan in Ruins." (pp. 948 - 951) The quiz will be multiple choice.

Remember that the Unit #7 Identifications Exam and DBQs will be on Monday. The possible IDs (and the essay choices) are posted on the previous entry.

Unit #7 - Identifications and Essay Exam Questions

By
Mike Vergin
on February 16, 2010 2:30 AM |

Unit #7 Identifications: On Monday, February 22nd, you will write on your choice of 5 of the 8 identifications that appear on the Unit #7 exam chosen from the list below. You may bring 10 words of "notes" for each of the 15 possible identifications to the exam. (Printed out, not on your computer.) You will need to turn in these notes, and I reserve the right to count symbols, acronyms, etc. as one or more words. Each of the five identifications is worth 5 points.

A good identification is typically in the range of 4 to 6 sentences in length. (You do need to write in complete sentences.) You should demonstrate both an understanding of just who / what the ID "is" and place it in the appropriate historical context. In addition, you need to explain the significance of the ID. In other words, answer the "So what?" question.


Schlieffen Plan
League of Nations
Treaty of Versailles
March Revolution
Great Purge
Mao Zedong
Amritsar Massacre
Mustafa Kemal
Great Depression
Benito Mussolini
appeasement
Battle of Britain
"Final Solution"
Battle of Stalingrad
Nuremberg Trials

Unit #7 Essay Exam - Questions and Format - You'll write an essay as part of the Unit #7 Exam. This essay should be turned no later than your arrival at class on Tuesday, February 23rd. (It should be printed out.)  Below you can find both the questions from which you will choose and the format for the essay portion on the Unit #7 Exam. The essay will be evaluated on the usual 30 point scale.

Format: The actual essay will be written by hand or word-processed. You should prepare for a five-paragraph essay. That means that you should include an introduction (with a clear thesis statement), three body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. (Note that the questions lend themselves to such a format. That is on purpose.)

Remember that the questions are not designed for you to tell us everything you have learned. Focus on what the question is requiring you to do.

* You may write this outside of class time.
* I want them printed out. (Double spaced, please.) Printing double-sided is fine.

A. Identify and explain the significance of your choices for the three most important outcomes or legacies of the First World War. Did the "end" of World War I make World War II inevitable? Why or why not?

B. Identify and explain what you believe were the three main causes of the Great Depression that affected the world in the early 1930s. Is the world headed for another depression? Why or why not?

C. At the end of World War II, the world faced a number of challenges and issues yet to be resolved. Identify and explain your choices for the three most important of these issues. Almost sixty-years later, do you believe our world is safer than it was at the end of 1945? Why or why not?

Lesson #16 - "Reports from the Front" - Day I

By
Mike Vergin
on February 16, 2010 2:00 AM |
Welcome back... Please note that the Unit #7 Identifications and Essay Exam Questions are posted on a separate entry.

Here are the six "fronts" from which we will be hearing over the next two class periods:
  • War in Europe
  • War in North Africa
  • The Russian Front
  • The Holocaust
  • War in the Pacific
  • The United States and the War
Each of these timelines can be found here. Barring multiple absences or something else strange, my plan is to hear from the first three groups today.


Here's a reminder of the expectations:

Assume that you have a maximum of 20 minutes to walk us through the events of your timeline. (15 minutes would be a reasonable minimum.)

"Reporting Live..." - For at least three of your events, a group member should report "live" from the scene. Basically, I'm thinking you will give us a minute or so as if you were there, reporting on what is happening/what happened and why it is/was significant. 

"Where in the World?" - Basically, be sure we understand the geographic context for your information.

Visuals - Seeing something visual to accompany several of your events seems like a reasonable expectation.

You need to make sure you are crediting the original sources, but Eyewitness to History - World War II might be useful to you.

You are certainly free to put your own spin on these requirements, but I think the basic requirements are pretty straight-forward. Obviously, you'll be expected to show the proper level of decorum for your particular events as well.


HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Wednesday, February 17th

Find out how the war ends by reading Section 4 in Chapter 32, "The Allied Victory." (pp. 940 - 947) The quiz will be matching.

The remaining groups should be ready for your "World War II Timeline Reports" tomorrow. 

Remember that the Unit #7 Identifications Exam will be on Monday. The possible IDs (and the essay choices) are posted on another entry.

Lesson #15 - The Timelines of World War II

By
Mike Vergin
on February 8, 2010 2:00 AM | | Comments (0)
OK, I tried to do a little too much on Friday. We can take a couple minutes at the top here to check in regarding the DBQ packet, the Rape of Nanking, the "Words of World War II" (now due by Tuesday, February 16th) or anything else that came at you a little too quickly last session.

Here's an interesting article from today's Foreign Policy website on Hitler's book: "How to Discredit Mein Kampf." 

The plan for today is pretty simple. Both in your reading and in our class activities, the war has broken out on all fronts. We're going to have each of you specialize in one of those "fronts." We'll have groups of you presenting back to us starting next Tuesday in a number of different ways. By the end, you should have a better feeling for the significant occurrences on various fronts in the war.

Here are the six "fronts" from which you will be "reporting":
  • War in Europe
  • War in North Africa
  • The Russian Front
  • The Holocaust
  • War in the Pacific
  • The United States and the War
Each of these timelines can be found here. I simply edited down much longer timelines from "The History Place" and "sorted" the events by fronts.

World War II Timeline "Reports"
Once you have your group set, the rest of the block will be yours to prepare. I'm expecting all groups to be ready to go when we get back together in a week. We'll set a tentative order at the hour's end, but I will not hesitate to put groups that aren't making good use of time go earlier...

Assume that you have a maximum of 20 minutes to walk us through the events of your timeline. (15 minutes would be a reasonable minimum.) Although the presentations will no doubt differ a bit due to their content, I'm expecting each group's presentation to include these items...

"Reporting Live..." - For at least three of your events, a group member should report "live" from the scene. Basically, I'm thinking you will give us a minute or so as if you were there, reporting on what is happening/what happened and why it is/was significant. You can decide how creative to be, but the basic task should be clear enough. (You can certainly do this for more than three events if you'd like.)

"Where in the World?" - I've got some pretty good maps you are welcome to use on the overhead. You also can use other maps on the computer projector. Basically, be sure we understand the geographic context for your information.

Visuals - As many of you have already noticed, we're covering an event that was well-recorded photographically and on film. Seeing something visual to accompany several of your events seems like a reasonable expectation.

You need to make sure you are crediting the original sources, but Eyewitness to History - World War II might be useful to you.

You are certainly free to put your own spin on these requirements, but I think the basic requirements are pretty straight-forward. Obviously, you'll be expected to show the proper level of decorum for your particular events as well.


HOMEWORK for next session - Tuesday, February 16th

Continue reading in Chapter 32 with Section 3, "The Holocaust." (pp. 936 - 939) The quiz will be true/false.

Your groups should be ready for your "World War II Timeline Reports." We won't get them all in, but you should still all be ready.

Your "Between the Wars" assignment is due today, and your "Words of World War II" blog posting is now due before Tuesday, February 16th. (You should post that on Lesson #14's blog entry.)

Lesson #14 - The Road to War

By
Mike Vergin
on February 5, 2010 2:00 AM | | Comments (21)
We'll get you up to the outbreak of World War II today, and we'll set up a couple of things that we will tackle next week.

The Rise of Adolf Hitler - From Unknown to Dictator of Germany
The History Place website does a good job working through key events in the rise to power of Adolf Hitler. Today, we'll quickly run through the chapters each of you had from The Rise of Adolf Hitler website. Remember, you have a maximum of one minute, and you are responsible for conveying the important parts of your chapter. Please, talk to us. Don't read at us. 

Here are the chapters:
Adolf Hitler is Born
Hitler's Boyhood
Hitler's Father Dies
Hitler Fails Art Exam
Hitler's Mother Dies
Hitler is Homeless in Vienna
Hitler in World War I
War Ends with German Defeat
Hitler Joins German Workers' Party
Nazi Party is Formed
Hitler Named Leader of Nazi Party
The Beer Hall Putsch
Hitler on Trial for Treason
Hitler's Book Mein Kampf
A New Beginning
The Quiet Years
Great Depression Begins
Germans Elect Nazis
Success and a Suicide
Hitler Runs for President
The Republic Collapses
Hitler Named Chancellor of Germany
The Reichstag Burns
Hitler Becomes Dictator of Germany

We'll cover it in other ways, but if you are interested in learning more about what comes "next," I'd recommend their next section: The Triumph of Hitler - Nazi Germany 1933 to 1939. 

If you've never done it, watching some video of a Hitler speech or rally is interesting. Even with the sound off, you can see how charismatic he is. (Seventy years later, much of his manner has been parodied and perhaps lost some of its edge. Imagine what it would have been like back in the 1930s.) YouTube has this speech from 1933.

I'm not, of course, endorsing any of it, but here's an online version of Mein Kampf. 

Interested in a little controversy? (It's also a good lesson in being careful on the internet.) I wanted a link to a clearly formatted, easy to browse version of Mein Kampf so that you could get a feel for his writing if you want. The first link returned by Google is to The Hitler Historical Museum, and it's the one I used above. Since I'd never heard of the museum, I Googled that as well. Here's an interesting article I found:

Do Historians Have a Responsibility to Warn the Public About Misleading Websites?

Do examples like this cause you to think any differently about research and/or the internet?

We'll obviously continue to look at events in which Hitler was involved, but we'll shift from looking at him as an individual to looking at the war itself.


World War II: The Road to War - DBQ Activity - As we dive into the war itself, I've got a pretty good set of document based-questions to help you get a better understanding of what all is going on. We'll let you work on that for a few minutes.


WWYD ("What Would You Do?") - The Road to War in Europe - Here's how this works. You need to think about four countries (Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States). We will describe events in chronological order. If, as any of the four countries, you would have taken action at that time, you should raise your hand. We'll discuss your decisions as we go.

First, let's make a list of reasons why these countries might have preferred to avoid war. Second, let's consider what the policy options were for the four countries.

  • March 1935 - Hitler repudiates Treaty of Versailles
  • March 1936 - German troops move into the Rhineland
  • November 1936 - Axis Powers formed
  • November 1937 - Hitler announces plan for Third Reich
  • March 1938 - Anschluss with Austria  
  • September 1938 - Nazis demand Sudetenland
  • September 29, 1938 - Munich Conference takes place
  • March 1939 - Germany occupies Czechoslovakia
  • September 1, 1939 - Germany invades Poland
  • September 3, 1939 - Great Britain and France declare war on Germany

The Rape of Nanjing - Here's what our book has to say about this event. "Beijing and other northern cities as well as the capital, Nanjing, fell to the Japanese in 1937. Japanese soldiers killed tens of thousands of captured soldiers and civilians in Nanjing." While technically correct, this sterile account does little to capture the true scope of this event.

Download a copy of this account of the Rape of Nanking. The first page is an "outside account" of some key events. The second page starts a really interesting look at the Japanese government's treatment of these events in their own history books, etc.

Here's the homepage for Iris Chang, author of The Rape of Nanking. (Notice that there seems to be no mention of her suicide in 2004.) "New Interest in Japan's War Atrocities, but Why Now?" is an interesting 1998 article from The New York Times.

Here's the site and trailer for a documentary (which I haven't seen) that tells her story: IRIS CHANG: The Rape of Nanking.

Here's a BBC story on the subject - Scarred by History:  The Rape of Nanjing.


The Words of World War II
Here are links to a number of speeches from World War II. You need to select one of them to read and post a blog comment reaction to that speech. Be sure you understand the context of the speech. You can react to the speech's style and/or effectiveness. Or, you can comment upon what it reveals about the particular speaker or their nation, etc. It's pretty open, but I'll expect a comment of a good paragraph or more in length.

Your blog comments should be posted to this blog entry by the end of Monday.

Franklin D. Roosevelt - The Great Arsenal of Democracy
Franklin D. Roosevelt - The Four Freedoms
Franklin D. Roosevelt - Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation
Winston Churchill - Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat
Winston Churchill - We Shall Fight on the Beaches
Winston Churchill - Their Finest Hour
Winston Churchill - The Few


HOMEWORK for next session - Monday, February 8th

Continue reading in Chapter 32 with Section 2, "Japan's Pacific Campaign." (pp. 931 - 935) The quiz will be fill-in-the-blank.

Your blog comments for the "Words of World War II" should be posted by the end of Monday.

Lesson #13 - The Rise of Fascism

By
Mike Vergin
on February 4, 2010 2:00 AM |
Our look at World War II really begins today with our consideration of the rise of fascism. We'll do a couple quick things at the top here, and then we'll consider fascism directly.

Here's an article from the Boston Globe that you might find interesting based on our conversation from Friday: "Depression 2009: What would it look like?"


Leadership in World History: We have certainly come a long way since the earliest human societies. Here's a chance to take a little "trip down memory lane..." Pair up with a partner if you'd like. I want you to make a list of ten figures that you would consider to have been "leaders" in world history. 

After you have done that, I want you to go back and make two additional lists. One should be of characteristics you would identify in "effective" leaders. As you can probably guess, the other should be of characteristics you would identify in "ineffective" leaders. I'd like you to have at least ten items on each of the lists. (By the way, I purposely chose labels other that good/bad because I am more interested in what attributes allow people to "lead," rather than in what direction they actually lead people.)


The rise of mass society - By the 1930s, many had come to believe that individualism (and liberalism) were being replaced by what came to be called "mass society." Because it's an important concept in the rise of fascism and other factors, we'll take a quick look at it today. 

Initially, I'd like you to download and read through W.H. Auden's 1939 poem, "The Unknown Citizen." From this, let's see what you think "mass society" might represent.

Here are some of the key characteristics of mass society and mass culture:
  • Democracy had leveled the playing field for all.
  • The "mass man" emerged, and he "is satisfied in being identical to others."
  • Expanded suffrage and literacy made the "mass man" more common.
  • Mass culture became standardized and diffused
  • Mass culture was something to be purchased and passively consumed.
  • Developments like the movies, recorded music and the automobile contributed.
  • Linkages between people became "vertical," rather than "horizontal."
Did this mean that Western civilization was sowing the seeds of its own demise?
To what degree did this contribute to the rise of totalitarianism and fascism?


What is fascism? There are probably few political terms in recent world history that generate as much confusion as "fascism." Its etymology is clear enough - The Italian word fascismo comes from the Latin fasces, which was a bundle of sticks or rods fastened around an axe. This was a symbol of authority in ancient Rome.

Stanley Payne, the author of A History of Fascism, uses a three-part definition for this new belief that emerged as a rival to both communism and liberalism in the 20th century.

I. According to Payne, fascism's primary goal was the regeneration of the nation, a goal that was pursued through extreme forms of nationalism.

II. Payne emphasizes the "fascist negations," as many think it is easier to identify what socialists were against, as opposed to what they are for.
  • They were anti-liberal, believing the nation was the base of society, not the individual.
  • They were anti-communist.
  • They were anti-conservative. (Fascism is usually seen as a right-wing movement, but terms like "radical right" are often used.)
III. Finally, Payne focused on features of style and organization.
  • Fascists created a mass following via the tools and resources of mass society.
  • They used the mass media and public rituals to exalt a single leader and embrace militarism.
  • Mass rallies and demonstrations were used to unify the people.

Working with a definition of fascism: We'll give you a chance to try out another "definition" of fascism here. Download a copy of Fourteen Characteristics of Fascism by Dr. Laurence Britt. (There's apparently some controversy online as whether Britt is actually a "real" political scientist or whether he has a doctorate. Either way, the list is useful for our purposes.)

Using Britt's matrix and working in a small group, I'd like you to try to find examples of as many of the fourteen characteristics of fascism as you can from one (or more) of the following examples of fascism.

  • Hitler and Germany (obviously the easiest to use)
  • Mussolini and Italy (probably the next easiest)
  • Franco and Spain
  • Suharto and Indonesia
  • Pinochet and Chile
Use your text when applicable, as well as doing some internet research. We'll talk about what you've found in a while.


The Rise of Adolf Hitler - From Unknown to Dictator of Germany
The History Place is a website that does a pretty good job working through key events in the rise to power of Adolf Hitler. You are each going to receive a slip with an event or period from Hitler's earlier years. They will correspond to a "chapter" from The History Place's site.

The Rise of Adolf Hitler - This link will take you to "your" chapter. Your job is simple. Tomorrow, we'll go through the events in chronological order. You will present a "Hitler minute" on your chapter. That means you have a maximum of one minute. No projectors, no visuals. You are responsible for conveying the important parts of your chapter.

Talk to us, don't read at us. Decide what is important and relevant to us.


HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Friday, February 5th

Start your reading in Chapter 32 with Section 1, "Hitler's Lightning War." (pp. 925 - 930) The quiz will be multiple choice.

Be ready with your "Hitler minute" for our look at "The Rise of Adolf Hitler" tomorrow.

Lesson #12 - 1933 (and 2010) World Economic Conference

By
Mike Vergin
on February 3, 2010 2:00 AM |

Today, we'll hold our simulated "World Economic Conference" with two objectives. First, we'll try to determine the major causes of the Great Depression. Second, we'll turn our attention to our present economic situation and try to figure out whether we are headed for another depression. You'll play a key role in both of these conversations.

Causes of the Great Depression - You were assigned to one of five groups, depending on the color handout you received. Today, we'll hear your group presentations. Remember that it is your responsibility to make the argument that "your" cause was the most significant cause of the Great Depression.

Here are the causes:

    • reparation payments and war debts
    • overproduction in agriculture
    • stock market crash
    • inequitable income distribution
    • protectionism
Following the presentations, we'll attempt to come to a consensus as to which of these causes were most responsible for the Great Depression. After our open discussion, we'll put you in groups and have a vote. Here's how this will work. Each group will have ten "points," and you can assign them however you would like. (For example, you could give 4 points to what you feel is the major cause and 3 each to two others you deem most significant.) We'll see how this comes out.

What do you think of this quote? 
Historian John Garraty - "The Great Depression of the 1930s was a worldwide phenomenon composed of an infinite number of separate but related events." 

Are we headed for another depression? - Unfortunately, this is a very timely issue, as you all heard the news reports last year calling economic conditions, "the worst since the Great Depression" and things like that. You were asked to read the article you received, and you should be ready to discuss its main points. As a big group, we'll try to get a handle on some key issues affecting the future direction of the world's economy.

Here are the titles of the articles:
  • "Echoes of the Great Depression"
  • "A new Great Depression? It's different this time"
  • "Is today's economic crisis another Great Depression?"

Let's start with these questions:
  • How would you describe the overall tone of your article?
  • What current trends and/or conditions are similar to those leading up to the Great Depression?
  • What current trends and/or conditions are significantly different than those preceding the Great Depression?
  • Realistically, what is the best case scenario for the world economy?
  • What do you feel is the worst case scenario for the world economy?

HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Thursday, February 4th

Complete your reading in Chapter 31 with Section 4, "Aggressors Invade Nations." (pp. 915 - 919) The quiz will be matching.

Your "Between the Wars" assignment is due on Monday. (That's the poem, artwork or letter described on Monday's blog entry.)

Lesson #11 - The Great Depression

By
Mike Vergin
on February 2, 2010 2:00 AM |

You'll take an extended look at the Great Depression next year in Modern US History, but we'll also consider the global economic slowdown from a worldwide perspective today and tomorrow. After that, World War II will take us through the rest of the unit.

The Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928 - Ultimately, 61 nations joined this treaty which claimed to outlaw war as a means of settling disputes. The actual language pledged that each nation would "renounce war as an instrument of national policy." Kellogg and Briand were the representatives of the US and French governments, and the treaty is also often called the Pact of Paris. 

  • In your opinion, was this treaty ever "worth the paper it was printed on?" Why or why not?
  • What do you think motivated nations to join the pact?
  • Is such a pact a realistic option in today's world? Why or why not?

Hyperinflation - Weimar Germany - Not much here to tell you, except that this chart is really pretty amazing. It shows how many German marks were equivalent in value to one US dollar.

July 1914 - 4.2 marks to the dollar 
January 1919 - 8.9 
July 1919 - 14.0 
January 1920 - 64.8 
July 1920 - 39.5 
January 1921 - 64.9 
July 1921 - 76.7 
January 1922 - 1919.8 
July 1922 - 493.2 
January 1923 - 17,972 
July 1923 - 353,412 
August 1923 - 4,620,455 
September 1923 - 98,860,000 
October 1923 - 25,260,208,000 
November 15, 1923 - 4,200,000,000,000 (yes, trillion)

[Source: Gordon Craig, "Germany 1866-1945"]

By late 1923, the German government required 1,783 printing presses, running around the clock, to print money.

The Great Depression - A Global Experience - Although we often use the term in reference to the United States, it is important to remember that this economic collapse of the late 1920s-1930s was truly a global phenomenon.

This iconic image was taken by Dorothea Lange in 1936 near Santa Barbara, California.

migrant_mother.gif

Across the world in India, people were also suffering from the Great Depression's effects.

gandhi_march.jpg

What ideas and images come to mind when you hear the phrase, the "Great Depression?"

Let's take a look at some numbers. We'll have some of you graph on the board the changes in GDP per capita for a number of countries while the rest of us try to answer some questions. (You'll receive a handout for this.)

Perhaps the next logical question is, "How did this all happen?" We'll turn our attention here next.

World Economic Conference - Causes of the Great Depression

Tomorrow, we'll hold a simulated "World Economic Conference" with two objectives. First, we'll try to determine the major causes of the Great Depression. Second, we'll turn our attention to our present economic situation and try to figure out whether we are headed for another depression. You'll play a key role in both of these conversations.

Causes of the Great Depression - You are going to be assigned to one of five groups, depending on the color handout you receive. Each handout explains one of the major causes of the economic slowdown. It gives you very specific information about what your group is expected to present at tomorrow's conference. I'd expect each group's presentation to be a minimum of five minutes. (I'd prefer not to use the projector if we can avoid that.)

Here are the causes:

    • reparation payments and war debts
    • overproduction in agriculture
    • stock market crash
    • inequitable income distribution
    • protectionism
Following the presentations, we'll attempt to come to a consensus as to which of these causes were most responsible for the Great Depression.


Are we headed for another depression? - For many of you, this might be a more important issue. A number of recent articles have raised this issue, and we'll take a look at it during tomorrow's World Economic Conference. You need to read the article you receive, and you should be ready to discuss its main points tomorrow in class. As a big group, we'll return to this overall issue of the future direction of the world's economy.


HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Wednesday, February 3rd

Continue your reading in Chapter 31 with Section 3, "Fascism Rises in Europe." (pp. 910 - 914) The quiz will be true / false.

Be ready for both parts of tomorrow's World Economic Conference.

Your "Between the Wars" assignment is due on Monday. (That's the poem, artwork or letter described on yesterday's blog entry.)

Lesson #10 - Between the Wars

By
Mike Vergin
on February 1, 2010 2:00 AM | | Comments (15)
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.


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.

  • Turkey - Mustafa Kemal, Ataturk
  • Iran - Persia, Riza Shah Pahlavi
  • Saudi Arabia - Abd al-Aziz Ibn Saud

Questions:
  • 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.


"Between the Wars" Assignment - You get some choices here. Whatever you choose, I should get this from you by Monday, February 8th. 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 - Tuesday, February 2nd

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, February 8th.

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