May 2010 Archives

2nd Hour - "25 Not Quite Random Things About Latin America"

By
Mike Vergin
on May 28, 2010 2:30 AM | | Comments (17)
Post your brief write-ups here. Remember that I was thinking something around 100 words or so, and they need to be in YOUR words, not copied from a resource.

Help us know what it is and why it's important.

Q4 - Lesson #35 - Checking in with Latin America

By
Mike Vergin
on May 28, 2010 2:00 AM |
We'll use today's lesson to look at the items you each prepared from the post-war era in Latin America.

latin_america.jpg
















Here's the Facebook-inspired list of "25 Not Quite Random Things about Latin America":

Juan and Evita Peron - Argentina
"Dirty War" - Argentina
"Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo" - Argentina

Evo Morales - Bolivia

"Lula" da Silva - Brazil

Salvador Allende - Chile
Augusto Pinochet - Chile
Isabel Allende - Chile

Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Colombia
FARC - Colombia
Plan Colombia - Colombia

Fidel Castro - Cuba
Guantanamo Bay - Cuba

"Papa Doc" and "Baby Doc" Duvalier - Haiti 
Tonton Macoute - Haiti

Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) - Mexico
Frida Kahlo - Mexico
Tlatelolco Massacre - Mexico
Chiapas - Mexico
NAFTA - Mexico
Vicente Fox - Mexico
Zapatista Army of National Liberation - Mexico

Manuel Noriega - Panama

Operation Condor - "Southern Cone" dictatorships

Hugo Chavez - Venezuela

Remember that we looked at some of the Cold War events in Central America already, so that's why terms like Contra and Sandinista are not on the list...


HOMEWORK for next session - Tuesday, June 1st

If you chose to take the 35:2 quiz today, there's no reading assigned for you over the weekend. You'll be asked to have Chapter 35, Section 3 read for Wednesday's class.

If you chose NOT to take the quiz, please review Chapter 35, Section 2, "The Challenge of Democracy in Africa." (pp. 1040-1045) The Tuesday quiz on 35:2 will be multiple choice.

I will get you a set of quizzes for Chapter 36. You'll be able to complete those as a take-home assignment. They will be due by Tuesday, June 8th. Each is weighted as 5 points, just like the others we have taken this quarter.

Remember that your final batch of Current Events are due on Friday, June 4th. You can download this template for your Final Set of Current Events. (Remember, you are picking stories from particular areas, not according to the AP History themes we had been using.)

Q4 - Lesson #34 - Checking in with Latin America (and Central Asia)

By
Mike Vergin
on May 27, 2010 2:00 AM |
That may be the strangest lesson title yet... These two areas have relatively little in common, except that one closed Chapter 34, and the other began Chapter 35. We'll check in on some key events in both regions.

Before anything else, we can debrief a bit about yesterday's Jerusalem 2010 Peace Conference. In particular, I am interested in how this activity changed or reinforced your attitude toward the Middle East and/or any of the particular sides. As I mentioned, I intend to offer you a choice of essay questions (take home) that includes one on the Middle East.

Remember that you have a batch of Current Events due on Friday, June 4th. You'll know all the Unit #8 Identifications and Essay Questions by this weekend. My plan is that we'll continue to do the Chapter #35 quizzes the regular way. For Chapter 36, you will receive a packet of the five quizzes before Friday, and you can complete them on your own as assignments between then and our final day of class.


Central Asia - As you read in Chapter 34, a number of the nations of Central Asia were created in the aftermath of the breakup of the Soviet Union. We can check in very briefly with both the Transcaucasian and Central Asian states, but then we'll focus a little bit more on Afghanistan.

central_asia.jpg

afghanistan.jpg


Latin America - I'll be honest when I tell you that the period from the end of World War II to the 1980s in Latin America is hardly one of my specialties. However, we'll do an activity below that should hit many of the most salient and important specifics from that period up to today in Latin America. 

First, I think it is interesting to take a minute and consider what the book establishes as four key practices in a democracy.

  • free elections
  • citizen participation
  • majority rule, minority rights
  • constitutional government
Whether you are looking at Latin America or elsewhere, consider the factors and conditions that might both foster and threaten these practices. Let's hear some of your ideas.

latin_america.jpg

















Facebook comes to Latin America... I think I've told you that I have never seen either Facebook or MySpace. That doesn't mean that I've been living in a cave and haven't heard about last year's "25 Random Things about Me" fad. In that spirit, we're going to try and introduce you to "25 Not Quite Random Things about Latin America" as a quick assignment.

You will select one of the "things" below, and there are two components to the assignment.

First, you will have two minutes (no more) to explain your thing, and its significance to the class. We will start class with those tomorrow.

Second, you will be expected to make a blog posting of 100-150 words or so regarding your topic. Give us the basic facts and significance of your item. If you want to include a link to something useful, feel free to do that. (These blog postings should be made on the entries provided, and they are due before class time tomorrow.)


Here's the Facebook-inspired list of "25 Not Quite Random Things about Latin America":

Juan and Evita Peron - Argentina
"Dirty War" - Argentina
"Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo" - Argentina

Evo Morales - Bolivia

"Lula" da Silva - Brazil

Salvador Allende - Chile
Augusto Pinochet - Chile
Isabel Allende - Chile

Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Colombia
FARC - Colombia
Plan Colombia - Colombia

Fidel Castro - Cuba
Guantanamo Bay - Cuba

"Papa Doc" and "Baby Doc" Duvalier - Haiti 
Tonton Macoute - Haiti

Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) - Mexico
Frida Kahlo - Mexico
Tlatelolco Massacre - Mexico
Chiapas - Mexico
NAFTA - Mexico
Vicente Fox - Mexico
Zapatista Army of National Liberation - Mexico

Manuel Noriega - Panama

Operation Condor - "Southern Cone" dictatorships

Hugo Chavez - Venezuela

Remember that we looked at some of the Cold War events in Central America already, so that's why terms like Contra and Sandinista are not on the list...


HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Friday, May 28th

Please continue your reading in Chapter 35 with Section 2, "The Challenge of Democracy in Africa" (pp. 1040-1045) The quiz will be multiple choice.

Your contribution to the "25 Not Quite Random Things about Latin America" blog posting is due before the start of class time tomorrow. My expectation is somewhere between 100 to 150 words, and no credit will be given if it is not expressed in your own words. (You can go up to 250 or so words if you are really interested in your topic, but more than that is probably overkill.)

Remember that your final batch of Current Events are due on Friday, June 4th. You can download this template for your Final Set of Current Events. (Remember, you are picking stories from particular areas, not according to the AP History themes we had been using.) 

Q4 - Lesson #33 - 2010 Jerusalem Peace Conference

By
Mike Vergin
on May 26, 2010 2:00 AM |

Welcome to today's "Jerusalem 2010 Peach Conference." We have gathered in the shadow of  the Temple Mount / Noble Sanctuary in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem. Our goal is to make meaningful progress toward a peaceful resolution of the crisis between Israelis and Palestinians.

temple_mount.jpg











Here is the format: - We'll allow groups ten minutes to meet to plan strategy and discuss issues of importance. After that, we will return to the large group. Members of "The Quartet" will assist in moving through the agenda. 

Remember to strive to be consistent with your role. You do not need to turn only to your "leaders" to speak. Everyone here should have a voice, but "agreements" need only be agreed to by the respective leaders.

Agenda for the Jerusalem 2010 Peace Conference: 

Strategy Planning (10 minutes)

Opening Statements: 

  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
  • Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
  • United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Immediate Issues:

  • How can the current tension between Israel and the Palestinians be lessened?
  • Should the security barrier/ wall on the West Bank be removed?
  • What should be done to improve conditions in Gaza?
  • What can be done to increase the safety of the citizens of Israel?

Longer Term Issues:

  • Should an independent Palestinian state be created? If so, where?
  • What should be done with the status of Jerusalem?
  • What should be the fate of Jewish settlements on the West Bank?
  • Should Palestinian refugees receive the "right of return?"
  • How can the prospect of terrorism be reduced?
  • How do we guarantee all have access to water and needed resources?

Announcement of Treaties / Agreements

Closing Remarks / Press Statements

Here's a reminder of who is present at our conference today...

Representatives of Israel

  • Israel - Benjamin Netanyahu (Prime Minister - Likud)
  • Israel - President Shimon Peres
  • Israel - Tzipi Livni (Opposition Leader - Kadima)
  • Israel - Avigdor Lieberman (Foreign Minister - leader of Yisraeli Beiteinu)
  • Israel - Ehud Barak (Defense Minister - leader of Labour)
  • Israel - soldier serving of Gaza border
  • Israel - settler living on West Bank
  • Israel - mother of three (Jerusalem)

Representatives of the Palestinians

  • Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Fatah)
  • Palestinian -PNA Prime Minister Ismail Haniya (Gaza - Hamas)
  • Palestinian - PNA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad (West Bank - Fatah)
  • Hassan Nasrallah - Hezbollah leader (based in Lebanon)
  • Palestinian - member of Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade (in Gaza)
  • Palestinian - resident of Hebron (West Bank)
  • Palestinian - resident of Jericho (West Bank)
  • Palestinian - mother of three (Gaza)

Representatives of "The Quartet"- NOT ALL IN THIS SMALLER CLASS

  • US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton
  • Russia - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
  • United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
  • European Union - High Representative Catherine Ashton
  • Special Mideast Envoy Tony Blair

  • US President Barack Obama

Here are the links from the BBC News Special Reports site, Middle East Crisis: Israel and the Palestinians: 


Here are the "Obstacles to Peace" they identified:


Here are thumbnail links to all the maps I used last time. They might again be useful.

un_partition.png



gazastrip.png




















HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Thursday, May 27th

Please begin your reading in Chapter 35 with Section 1, "Democracy" (pp. 1033-1039) The quiz will be matching.

Remember that your final batch of Current Events are due on Friday, June 4th. You can download this template for your Final Set of Current Events. (Remember, you are picking stories from particular areas, not according to the AP History themes we had been using.)

We'll get you the information for the Final Exam - (Unit #8) before the weekend. I'll also get you the packet of quizzes for Chapter 36. You'll be able to complete those as a take-home assignment due by the time of our last day. Chapter #35 is the last where you'll take in class reading quizzes.

Q4 - Lesson #32 - The Arab/Israeli Conflict

By
Mike Vergin
on May 25, 2010 2:00 AM |

Today, we head back to the Middle East and bring the country of Israel into the picture of the post-World War II years. We'll set you up to participate in the Jerusalem 2010 Peace Conference at our next meeting as you'll attempt to resolve decades/centuries/millennia of conflict in this region.

We'll first draw roles for our conference, then we'll do a quick overview of the major events leading up to the current situation in the region.

The "Modern" Middle East Crisis

Here's an Arab/Israeli Note-Taking Guide for these events if you'd like one...

Zionism v. anti-Semitism

World War I - collapse of the Ottoman Empire

  • Balfour Declaration - 1917

World War II - Holocaust

  • United Nations created - 1945
  • Takes up "Jewish Question"

Israel created - May 14, 1948

  • UN Partition of Palestine
  • 1948 Arab-Israeli War
  • 1948 Palestinan exodus - al Nakba
un_partition_1947.png




























Suez Crisis - 1956

Six-Day War - 1967

  • Palestinian Liberation Organization formed - 1967
1967-war.jpg


















Yom Kippur War - 1973

  • Black September - 1973

Camp David Accords signed - 1979

PLO begins intifada against Israel - 1987

  • Intifada II sparked in Jerusalem - 2000           

israel_map.png





















Jerusalem 2010 Peace Conference: You will receive one of the roles below to represent at tomorrow's conference. You won't be expected to give individual introductions, but you should come ready to represent your role from a relatively accurate position. You can expect some of these "big questions" to be on the table.

  • Should an independent Palestinian state be created? If so, where?
  • What should be done with the status of Jerusalem?
  • Should the security barrier/ wall on the West Bank be removed?
  • What should be done to improve conditions in Gaza?
  • What role, if any, does the outside world play in these negotiations?
  • Should Palestinian refugees receive the "right of return?"
  • What can be done to increase the safety of the citizens of Israel?

Representatives of Israel

  • Israel - Tzipi Livni (leader of Kadima)
  • Israel - Benjamin Netanyahu (Prime Minister - Likud)
  • Israel - President Shimon Peres
  • Israel - Avigdor Lieberman (leader of Yisraeli Beiteinu)
  • Israel - Ehud Barak (leader of Labour)
  • Israel - soldier serving of Gaza border
  • Israel - settler living on West Bank
  • Israel - mother of three (Jerusalem)

Representatives of the Palestinians

  • Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Fatah)
  • Palestinian -PNA Prime Minister Ismail Haniya (Gaza - Hamas)
  • Palestinian - PNA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad (West Bank - Fatah)
  • Hassan Nasrallah - Hezbollah leader (based in Lebanon)
  • Palestinian - member of Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade (in Gaza)
  • Palestinian - resident of Hebron (West Bank)
  • Palestinian - resident of Jericho (West Bank)
  • Palestinian - mother of three (Gaza)

Representatives of "The Quartet"

  • US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton
  • Russia - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (Not this quarter)
  • United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon 
  • European Union - High Representative Catherine Ashton (Not this quarter)
  • Special Mideast Envoy Tony Blair (Not this quarter)
  • US President Barack Obama (not this quarter)

You can certainly do much, if not all, of your preparation at the BBC News Special Reports site, Middle East Crisis: Israel and the Palestinians. Here are some specific recommendations for you to check out. 

2009 Israeli Election: Where they stand - must reading for all Israeli politicians
2009 Q& A: Israel's General Election - Confused about the 2009 election? Read this.
Who are Hamas? - explains the history of this Palestinian group.
Q & A: Gaza Conflict - explains the December 2008 Israeli advance into the Gaza Strip 

They identify some "Obstacles to Peace": Browsing these would help everyone.
Here are maps of Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.

jerusalem_67_today.gif













old_city.jpg
westbankwall.jpg





























gaza.png











































HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Wednesday, May 26th

Finish your reading in Chapter 34 with Section 5, "Central Asia Struggles" (pp. 1024 - 1027). The quiz will be true/false.

Be ready to represent "your" position at our Jerusalem Conference 2010 tomorrow.

Your Current Events, which are explained on Blog Entry #30, will be due on Friday, June 4th.

Q4 - Lesson #31 - Decolonization and Independence in Africa

By
Mike Vergin
on May 24, 2010 2:00 AM | | Comments (0)
We'll return to Africa again today. After we look at the various paths to independence followed across Africa, we'll turn our attention to the Rwandan genocide of 1994. (We'll return to Africa one more time to focus on the apartheid era and its aftermath in South Africa.)

Case Studies: Africa - Let's hear what you learned about the process of decolonization in these African nations.

    • Ghana
    • Kenya
    • Algeria
    • Zaire (Congo)
    • Angola
As a reminder, you were asked to do the following:

    • Describe the way in which independence was achieved in your country.
    • Explain key events and/or people in the move to independence.
    • If applicable, discuss the legacy of colonialism/imperialism in your country.
    • Evaluate the success of decolonization for your country.
    • Mention anything else that you believe to be important.
We'll take a quick look at a couple of additional "stories" that took place in the process of decolonization across Africa. In particular, we should check in on Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and a few others.

BBC: The Story of Africa - This website does a nice job with the independence movements in Africa. You might be interested in browsing around here a bit.


"The Season of Blood" - The Rwandan Genocide - Around the time many of your were born, the tiny nation of Rwanda witnessed the most concentrated killing of the 20th century. Your reading for today mentioned the event, but we'll spend some time trying to make sense of these events.

Download this Rwanda - note guide to help you with some of the terms and the chronology of events.

Here are some resources you might find interesting:

These are news articles from the time. What's most interesting is what isn't mentioned in them...

These are the very good websites that accompanied two PBS "Frontline" episodes.

Here's a chart that speaks for itself...
rwanda_population.png
















HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Tuesday, May 25th

Continue your reading in Chapter 33 with Section 4, "Conflicts in the Middle East" (pp. 1017 - 1023). The quiz will be fill-in-the-blank.

Q4 - Lesson #30 - Independence for Southeast Asia (and Africa)

By
Mike Vergin
on May 21, 2010 2:00 AM |
We'll just spend a brief time on Southeast Asia today before moving on to begin our look at decolonization in Africa.

Current Events: Due to popular request (seriously, a couple people have asked me last quarter if we could do them to get the 20 points), you'll have one more batch of Current Events. We'll make these due on Friday, June 4th, although I'd certainly take them earlier. We'll have the topics be related to our current studies, so they will need to come from specific regions of the world. Notice that you don't stick with those AP History themes that you have been using. Instead, simply choose stories that fit within the given regions listed below.

  • South Asia
  • Southeast Asia
  • East Asia (China, Japan, Koreas)
  • Africa
  • Middle East 
  • Latin America
You can download this template for your Final Set of Current Events.


"Decolonization and Revolution: 1945 to 1975" DBQ activity - We can briefly discuss points of interest here.

Whirlwind Tour of Southeast Asia: As we did yesterday, we'll focus our attention today on the key aspects of the section you read for class. Here are the things I believe you should be sure to know.

People to Know: Ferdinand Marcos, Aung San Suu Kyi, Sukarno, Suharto
Places to Know: Philippines, Myanmar (Burma), Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, East Timor


Decolonization and Independence in Africa: We'll take a closer look at the wide variety of paths to decolonization in Africa over the next two days. We'll begin with a quick jigsaw activity designed to look at some of the words that accompanies the move toward independence in Africa.

You'll receive an excerpt, speech or poem from a major figure in Africa's move for independence. Read that selection along with others with that reading. After that, we'll have you share your reading in a jigsaw group.

africa_decolonization.jpg








































Case Studies: Africa - I know, some of you hate the term "case study," but this should be a useful activity here. We'll have you select one of five African nations. (To make it easier, we'll use the five in the book.) Your group will have no more than five minutes next time to "tell" us the story of decolonization and independence in "your" country. (No need for PowerPoint or technology other than the maps I'll have available.)

Here are the countries: (They are all mentioned in Chapter 34:3, but I'd expect your preparation to extend beyond just that.)

    • Ghana
    • Kenya
    • Algeria
    • Zaire (Congo)
    • Angola
For your short presentation, please do on the following.

    • Describe the way in which independence was achieved in your country.
    • Explain key events and/or people in the move to independence.
    • If applicable, discuss the legacy of colonialism/imperialism in your country.
    • Evaluate the success of decolonization for your country.
    • Mention anything else that you believe to be important.

HOMEWORK for next session - Monday, May 24th

Continue your reading in Chapter 33 with Section 3, "New Nations in Africa" (pp. 1012 - 1016). Tomorrow's quiz will be multiple choice.

Be ready to tell your African decolonization/independence story with your group.

Q4 - Lesson #29 - Independence on the Indian Subcontinent

By
Mike Vergin
on May 20, 2010 2:00 AM |
Our major topic for the remainder of this week will be decolonization in much of the world. Taking a look at a world map from, say, 1945 and comparing it to a recent map will show you just how much has changed in the last 65 years. Here are several questions to ponder:

  • Why does decolonization begin to happen when it does?
  • Why are there so many paths to decolonization around the world?
decolonization_1945.jpg
Before we turn our attention to India and its neighbors, I wanted to give you a chance to chime in on any of the topics from yesterday that we didn't quite get to on the Cold War. In particular, I was curious about any of these...

Cold War Time Capsules - Assume that you've been put in charge of compiling a time capsule of the Cold War. It will be opened in 2041, the 50th anniversary of the end of the Cold War. You've got room for ten items. What do you put in the capsule?  Why?

Cold War Photo Album - A slightly different version. You're limited to ten photographs to capture the essence of the Cold War. Which do you select? Why?

Cold War "Heroes and Villains" - Who are they? Why?

Independence on the Indian Subcontinent - We'll be covering a lot of ground these next few days. I'll do my best to make sure you understand what I think you need to know and what is mostly background. For now, I'll use some mini-lectures to try and highlight key items and to provide a forum for questions and comments.

"A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance." -Jawarhalal Nehru

  • People you should know: Mohandas Gandhi, Jawarhalal Nehru, Indira Gandhi
  • Terms you should know: Partition, Kashmir, Sikhs, Punjab, Golden Temple
  • Countries to know: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka
Here's a Time magazine cover featuring the Partition of India.

partition_time_cover.jpg



































Timeline of key events:
July 16, 1947 - British House of Commons announces partition in one month
August 14, 1947 - Pakistan given independence
August 15, 1947 - India given independence
1947 - estimated 1 million die in resettlement violence
January 30, 1948 - Gandhi killed by Hindu extremist
1947 - 1964 - Jawaharlal Nehru is Indian Prime Minister
1966 - 1984 - Indira Gandhi serves as Prime Minister
1984 - Attack on Sikh Golden Temple at Amritsar
1991 - Rajiv Gandhi assassinated
1998 - India (and Pakistan) successfully test nuclear weapons

We can also chat briefly about the situations in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Resources to check out on the Indian subcontinent:


Some questions for us to consider:

  • After 60 years, should we consider the Partition a success? Why or why not?
  • What have been the main achievements of India so far? Its biggest failures?
  • Do you think India will become a significant economic rival to the United States?
  • Will there be war between India and Pakistan? If so, will it be nuclear?
To wrap up today and segue into tomorrow, I have your FINAL DBQ activity to work on. This one is called, "Decolonization and Revolution: 1945 to 1975," and it provides a nice overview of the period. This should be ready for discussion tomorrow.


HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Thursday, March 4th

Continue your reading in Chapter 33 with Section 2, "Southeast Asian Nations Gain Independence" (pp. 1004 - 1009).

Have the "Decolonization and Revolution: 1945 to 1975" DBQ activity ready to discuss.

Q4 - Lesson #28 - Cold War Retirement Home 19th Anniversary Celebration

By
Mike Vergin
on May 19, 2010 2:00 AM |
Cold Warrior Retirement Home 19th Anniversary Celebration: We'll wrap up our look at the Cold War with a version of our round-table discussions today.

Here are the guests:

China

  • Mao Zedong

Europe

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

Korea

  • Syngman Rhee
  • Kim Il Sung

Soviet Union

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

United States

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

Cuba

  • Fidel Castro

Vietnam

  • Ngo Dinh Diem
  • Ho Chi Minh

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. 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." 

Questions for Discussion: We've already been talking about Cold War events, but I want to take a step back here and consider the broader picture. Here are a couple of questions for you:

  • Was the Cold War inevitable? Why or why not?
  • Where, if anywhere, do you place blame for the start of the Cold War?
  • From the perspective of 1945, do you think either side conceived that this conflict would last for more than 40 years?
  • From the perspective of 1945, do you think either side could realistically have predicted victory?
  • What do you believe were the most important events of the Cold War? Why?
  • Who was most to blame for the Cuban Missile Crisis? The United States, the Soviet Union, Cuba?
  • Was the nuclear arms race inevitable? What might have been done differently?
  • What brought the Cold War to an end?
  • Is the United States justified in claiming to have "won" the Cold War? Why or why not?

Cold War Time Capsules - Assume that you've been put in charge of compiling a time capsule of the Cold War. It will be opened in 2041, the 50th anniversary of the end of the Cold War. You've got room for ten items. What do you put in the capsule?  Why?

Cold War Photo Album - A slightly different version. You're limited to ten photographs to capture the essence of the Cold War. Which do you select? Why?

Cold War "Heroes and Villains" - Who are they? Why?


HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Wednesday, May 19th

Please start reading in Chapter 34 with Section 1, "The Indian Subcontinent Achieves Freedom" (pp. 997-1003). The quiz will be true/false. CONGRATULATIONS! When was the last time you read one thousand pages in a book???

Q4 - Lesson #27.5 - The Cold War Continues (some more...)

By
Mike Vergin
on May 18, 2010 2:00 AM |
We'll be holding our "Cold Warriors" Anniversary round table on Wednesday.

Between the election and absences, we didn't get real far yesterday. We'll try to wrap this thing up today.

Cnn: Cold War Reports: We'll continue to hear from our "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:


When you have finished summarizing, please post your blog entry on the CNN: Cold War Reports page. 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.

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 War Time Capsules - Assume that you've been put in charge of compiling a time capsule of the Cold War. It will be opened in 2041, the 50th anniversary of the end of the Cold War. You've got room for ten items. What do you put in the capsule?  Why?

Cold War Photo Album - A slightly different version. You're limited to ten photographs to capture the essence of the Cold War. Which do you select? Why?


HOMEWORK for next session - Wednesday, May 19th

You can take a break from the reading tonight. You will be asked to read 34:1 for Thursday's quiz.

"Your" Cold Warrior should be ready to present at Wednesday's Cold Warrior Retirement Home 19th Anniversary Celebration.

Q4 - Lesson #27 - The Cold War Continues

By
Mike Vergin
on May 17, 2010 2:00 AM |
Looks like we'll be pushing our "Cold Warriors" Anniversary round table back until Wednesday.

Cnn: Cold War Reports: We'll continue to hear from our "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:


When you have finished summarizing, please post your blog entry on the CNN: Cold War Reports page. 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 finish any remaining 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 War Time Capsules - Assume that you've been put in charge of compiling a time capsule of the Cold War. It will be opened in 2041, the 50th anniversary of the end of the Cold War. You've got room for ten items. What do you put in the capsule?  Why?

Cold War Photo Album - A slightly different version. You're limited to ten photographs to capture the essence of the Cold War. Which do you select? Why?


HOMEWORK for next session - Tuesday, May 18th

Please finish reading in Chapter 33 with Section 5, "The Cold War Thaws." The quiz will be fill-in-the-blank.

"Your" Cold Warrior should be ready to present at Wednesday's Cold Warrior Retirement Home 19th Anniversary Celebration.

Q4 - Lesson #26 - "Fighting" the Cold War

By
Mike Vergin
on May 14, 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 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. 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

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...

Cold War Time Capsules - Assume that you've been put in charge of compiling a time capsule of the Cold War. It will be opened in 2041, the 50th anniversary of the end of the Cold War. You've got room for ten items. What do you put in the capsule?  Why?

Cold War Photo Album - A slightly different version. You're limited to ten photographs to capture the essence of the Cold War. Which do you select? Why?


HOMEWORK for next session - Monday, March 17th

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 next Tuesday's Cold Warrior Retirement Home 19th Anniversary Celebration.

Q4 - Lesson #18.5 - Reports from the Front - Day III

By
Mike Vergin
on May 4, 2010 8:00 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 the Unit #7 "Two-Minute Reviews" today as well.

Here are the remaining "fronts" from which we will be hearing today:

  • 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 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, May 5th

You are done with your reading for Unit #7. It would be a good time to start reviewing and preparing for the Unit #7 Exam.

The possible IDs (and the essay choices) are posted on a separate entry.
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