Unit #8: February 2009 Archives

Lesson #30 - The Arab/Israeli Conflict

By
Mike Vergin
on February 26, 2009 8:40 PM |

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 2009 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 2009 Peace Conference: You will receive one of the roles below to represent at Monday'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. I'll provide more specific guidelines on Monday, but 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 (Foreign Minister / PM candidate - Kadima)
  • Israel - Benjamin Netanyahu (PM candidate - Likud)
  • Israel - President Shimon Peres
  • Israel - (Outgoing) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (Kadima)
  • Israel - Avigdor Lieberman (PM candidate -Yisraeli Beiteinu)
  • Israel - Ehud Barak (PM candidate - 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 - member of Islamic Jihad (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
  • United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
  • European Union - High Representative Javier Solana
  • Special Mideast Envoy Tony Blair


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. 

Israeli Election: Where they stand - must reading for all Israeli politicians
Q & A: Israel's General Election - Confused about the recent election? Read this.
Who are Hamas? - explains the history of this Palestinian group.
Q & A: Gaza Conflict - explains the recent 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 next session - Monday, March 2nd

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 2009 on Monday.

This will begin our last full week together. Yeah!!! (Oops. I mean "sniff, sniff... boo hoo, boo hoo.) 

 

Lesson #29 - Decolonization and Independence in Africa

By
Mike Vergin
on February 26, 2009 8:00 AM |
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 on 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 - Shortly after you all were born, the tiny nation of Rwanda witnessed some of 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 - Friday, February 27th

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




Lesson #28 - Independence in Southeast Asia (and Africa)

By
Mike Vergin
on February 25, 2009 8:00 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 asked if we could do them), you'll have one more batch of Current Events. We'll make these due on Friday, March 6th, 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 shuld 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 tomorrow 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 tomorrow - Thursday, February 26th

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.

Lesson #27 - Independence on the Indian Subcontinent

By
Mike Vergin
on February 24, 2009 8:00 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. (I'm thinking I should post specifics that I want you to know on a separate blog page for this last unit.) 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 - Wednesday, February 25th

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.

Lesson #26 - Cold Warrior 18th Anniversary Celebration

By
Mike Vergin
on February 23, 2009 8:00 AM |
Cold Warrior Retirement Home 18th 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
  • 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
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 - Tuesday, February 24th

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???

  

Lesson #25 - The Cold War Continues

By
Mike Vergin
on February 20, 2009 8:00 AM |
We'll keep going with our overview of the Cold War today...

Cnn: Cold War Reports: I'd like to continue hearing from our "reporters" on their episodes from this series. Let's try to finish them up today:

13. Make Love, Not War - http://tinyurl.com/5mexsb
14. Red Spring - http://tinyurl.com/5egq2h
15. China - http://tinyurl.com/6hagn8
16. Détente - http://tinyurl.com/5ggezb
17. Good Guys, Bad Guys - http://tinyurl.com/6d3ux
18. Backyard - http://tinyurl.com/54tfp2
19. Freeze - http://tinyurl.com/64k2a6
20. Soldiers of God - http://tinyurl.com/69fz4s
21. Spies - http://tinyurl.com/5wojfh
22. Star Wars - http://tinyurl.com/4eae95
23. The Wall Comes Down - http://tinyurl.com/6m2b6y
24. Conclusions - http://tinyurl.com/6cbcgn
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.


Fighting the "Cold War": We've already been talking about Cold War events, but I think it makes sense 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?
  • 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?
While fought on a variety of fronts with a wide variety of tactics, here are some of what historians generally agree where the "strategies" of the Cold War. (A slightly different list appears on page 983 in your text...) It would be good if we can think of some examples of each of these strategies.

  • Espionage
  • Propaganda
  • Foreign assistance
  • Weapons development / arms race
  • Multinational alliances
  • Technological development
  • Brinkmanship
  • Proxy wars

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 (and a partner if you want) put in the capsule?  Why?


HOMEWORK for next session - Monday, February 23rd

Please finish reading in Chapter 33 with Section 5, "The Cold War Thaws" (pp. 988-991). The quiz will be fill-in-the-blank.

"Your" Cold Warrior should be ready to present at Monday's Cold Warrior Retirement Home 18th Anniversary Celebration. 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.

Lesson #24 - Fighting the Cold War

By
Mike Vergin
on February 19, 2009 8:00 AM |
OK, so my time allocation wasn't the best yesterday. I want to set aside a little time at the top today to finish up any questions or comments on China from yesterday. I underestimated you interest in the current aspects of the crisis, so we may have hurried things a bit at the end.

Here's an interesting follow-up to yesterday's conversation: "In Protest, Tibetans Refuse to Celebrate New Year." (Time, 2/18/09)

In addition, I thought some of you might want to share your favorites from Stefan Landsberger's Chinese Propaganda Poster Pages. There's some really interesting material in here.


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." Monday, we will celebrate the 18th 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

Remind me to hand out that "The Beginning of the Cold War" DBQ activity to those of you who did not get it when I was gone. 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 tomorrow - Friday, February 20th

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 Monday's Cold Warrior Retirement Home 18th Anniversary Celebration. 

Lesson #23 - China under Communism and Mao Zedong

By
Mike Vergin
on February 18, 2009 8:00 AM |
Today's main focus will be on the rise to power of the Communist Party in China under Mao Zedong's leadership. (We'll also give you back some exams and go over the requirements for the Cnn: Cold War episode you need to watch.) 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. I haven't checked all the links (nor have I seen all the episodes), so I am hoping this all works. You should have the episode watched before class time tomorrow, and you should be ready to post your blog entry on a page I will have available then. (Don't post in advance for two reasons. First, the page is not created. Second, I want you to post in order so that things make sense for the "reader.")

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 guerilla 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 - Thursday, February 19th

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 be watched before tomorrow's class. You should also have your blog summary ready to post during class. (We'll do it that way so they are in order, rather than all jumbled up...)

Lesson #22 - From World Wars to Cold War

By
Mike Vergin
on February 17, 2009 8:00 AM |
If you are very observant, you might notice that I am not with you today. We have a daughter who is a little under the weather... Of course, I wish I could be there. Not only are we starting the last unit of our two-year journey together, but I also actually have the multiple choice AND essay exams corrected and ready to return. Sorry, but you'll be in suspense for one more day...

I trust that you will actually get something accomplished today and not give the sub a hard time. 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. We'll talk in class about what you'll need to do with this when I return. It's nothing major, but you'll basically be asked to post a brief summary and respond to a couple of questions. The substitute has the cards and a signup sheet. Here are the various episode titles and URLs to them if you want to get started watching after you complete the tasks below. (I'll expect that you have watched your episode by Thursday.)

 

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 - Wednesday, February 18th

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 Thursday. We'll talk about what I'd like you to do with that in class on Wednesday. (It won't be anything huge.)
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