Unit #7: February 2012 Archives

Lesson #20 - Unit #7 Objective Exam

By
Mike Vergin
on February 17, 2012 8:00 AM |
It is the usual plan for today. You'll take the objective portion of the Unit #7 Exam.

Remember that your DBQs, IDs, and essay should be turned in to me as well, either today or before you leave for Deep Portage. E-mail is just fine with any of those, or you may slide them under my door in the morning. (If I remember, I'll have someone open the door for you.)

Please double-space, or at least space and a half your essay. Double-sided is fine with me. 

Enjoy your time at Deep Portage and your long weekend.


HOMEWORK for next session - Tuesday, February 21st

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






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

By
Mike Vergin
on February 10, 2012 8:00 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 13th
 
The multiple choice portion of the Unit #7 Objective Exam will be held on Monday, February 13th.

Your IDs, DBQs, and essay are due no later than your departure for Deep Portage on Tuesday, February 14th, but I will certainly accept them earlier.

Lessons #17-18 - Debating the Impact of World War II

By
Mike Vergin
on February 8, 2012 8:00 AM |
NOTE: I am just posting this single blog entry for Wednesday and Thursday's classes. We're on slightly different schedules in each class.

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 the Unit #7 Exam.


World War II "Specifics You Should Know" - Here's a digital copy of the World War II review sheet that was handed out at the last lesson.

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

The Impact of World War II - The section you read for Wednesday 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 Friday, February 10th

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

You should post your "Words of World War II" blog entry (on Lesson #15) ASAP.

The multiple choice portion of the Unit #7 Exam will be on Monday, February 13th. Your IDs, DBQs, and essay are due no later than your departure for Deep Portage on Tuesday, February 14th, but I will certainly accept them earlier.
The possible IDs (and the essay choices) are posted on a separate entry. 

Lesson #16 - "Reports from the Front" - WWII - Day 2

By
Mike Vergin
on February 7, 2012 8:00 AM |
Here is another copy of the Unit #7 Review/Study Guide if you need it.

NEW CLARIFICATION FOR UNIT #7 EXAM: I have the Unit #7 IDs and DBQs available for you today. Both of these should be returned to me before your departure for Deep Portage. (Your Unit #7 Essay is also due by then.)

You may receive some class time on Wednesday or Thursday, but you are welcome to complete these assignments outside of class. For the IDs, I would recommend you still write the 10 words of notes out and work from there. (Otherwise, I think it is too easy to either forget about the "big picture" and/or use language directly from the book or other sources.) I do not expect, nor do I want, the IDs to be longer than usual.

Here's a Unit #7 Identifications template for typing the Unit #7 IDs if you prefer to do that. (Paper copies are also available.)

You will need to write both the IDs and the DBQ for Unit #8 by hand during the US Social Studies Final Exam.


Please note that the Unit #7 Identifications and Essay Exam Questions are posted on a separate entry.


Here are those two collections of World War II photographs that I emailed out to everyone last session.


Here are the six "fronts" from which we will be hearing over these 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. 


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 the Lesson #15 blog entry by the end of Thursday.



HOMEWORK for next session - Wednesday, February 8th

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.

I should have your "Between the Wars" assignments and your VIP Timelines by now.

Your "The Words of World War II" blog entry should be posted to yesterday's blog entry by the end of Thursday.

We will do the "Two-Minute Review" on Friday of this week.

The multiple choice portion of the Unit #7 Exam will be on Monday, February 13th. Your IDs, DBQs, and essay are due no later than your departure for Deep Portage on Tuesday, February 14th, but I will certainly accept them earlier.

Lesson #15 - "Reports from the Front" - WWII - Day 1

By
Mike Vergin
on February 6, 2012 8:00 AM | | Comments (29)
Please note that the Unit #7 Identifications and Essay Exam Questions are posted on a previous entry. Your Unit #7 Essay is due to me before you leave for Deep Portage. Because of a field trip on Thursday, I'm now thinking we'll wait until Friday to do the "Two-Minute" Review. We'll give you the latter half of the block on THURSDAY to do the Unit #7 Identifications, and then I'll simply give you the Unit #7 DBQ to take home with you and complete before you leave for Deep Portage.

  • Thursday - Unit #7 Identifications (2nd half of block)
  • Friday - Unit #7 "Two-Minute" Review
  • Monday - Unit #7 Objective Exam - (Multiple Choice)
  • Before Deep Portage - Unit #7 Essay and Unit #7 DBQs due to me

Here are those two collections of World War II photographs that I emailed out to everyone last session.


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.


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 Thursday.



HOMEWORK for next session - Tuesday, February 7th

Continue reading with 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."

You should post a blog comment to this entry by the end of Thursday for your "The Words of World War II" assignment.

Your "Between the Wars" assignment is due today. (If you are doing the poem or letter(s), you should post those on Lesson #9's blog entry.)

Lesson #14 - "Reports from the Front" Work Day

By
Mike Vergin
on February 3, 2012 8:00 AM |
Following the quiz, you will have the remainder of the block to prepare for the "Reports from the Front" presentations that will take place on Monday and Tuesday. 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 Monday. (All groups should be prepared to go Monday if need be.)

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 next session - Monday, February 6th

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

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

Your "Between the Wars" assignment is due today. (If you are doing the poem or letter(s), you should post those on Lesson #9's blog entry.)

Unit #7 Exam - Identifications and Essay Questions

By
Mike Vergin
on February 2, 2012 8:15 AM |

Unit #7 Identifications: On Friday, February 10th, 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 must be turned no later than your departure to Deep Portage on Tuesday, February 14th. I would welcome any earlier than that. (I prefer them printed out, but you could email them as an attachment if time constraints require.)  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, and that score is doubled in PowerSchool.

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.


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 #13 - The Road to War

By
Mike Vergin
on February 2, 2012 8:00 AM |
We'll get Hitler into power today, and then you'll have some work time for the "Reports from the Front" that will occur 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. The end of the story comes in the final section:  The Defeat of Hitler - Quest for a Nazi Empire, 1939 - 1945.

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 excerpt of a Hitler speech from the propaganda film, "The Triumph of the Will."

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

THIS IS NO LONGER THE SITUATION, BUT I AM LEAVING IT UP SINCE I THINK THE STORY IS INTERESTING. 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 [originally] used above. Since I'd never heard of the museum, I Googled that as well. It turns out that the museum itself doesn't really exist, and it is a front for a Neo-Nazi group headquartered in a Virginia strip mall. 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 - "Reporting from the Fronts"

Here are the six "fronts" from which you will be "reporting" next Monday and Tuesday:

  • 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.

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 - Friday, February 3rd

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

Your VIP Timeline component is due tomorrow.

Your "Between the Wars" assignment (introduced on Lesson #9) is due on Monday, February 6th.

Your "Reports from the Front" will take place on Monday and Tuesday. The plan is to do the European, North African and Russian fronts on Monday. (However, if enough people are absent, we might do another of the groups. Everyone should be ready for Monday.)

Lesson #12 - The Rise of Fascism

By
Mike Vergin
on February 1, 2012 8:00 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?"


The rise of mass society - By the 1930s, many had come to believe that individualism (and classical 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 - Thursday, February 2nd

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.

Your VIP Timeline component is due on Friday.

Your "Between the Wars" assignment (introduced on Lesson #9) is due on Monday, February 6th.



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