Unit #8: 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 #25 - China under Communism and Mao Zedong

By
Mike Vergin
on May 13, 2010 2:00 AM |
Today's main focus will be on the rise to power of the Communist Party in China under Mao Zedong's leadership. I've got some images from a book, The Chinese Century, that may also help you make sense of some of this.

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

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

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


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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

china_economy1.gif




















china_economy_2.gif


china_economy3.gif























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

I showed this TED presentation by Hans Rosling yesterday to my Economics/21st Century class. It occurs to me that you might enjoy it and find it interesting given events we've been studying. If you like the graphics he uses, check out Gapminder.
 

HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Friday, May 14th

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. (We'll go through them in order, but won't get to them all.) You should also have your blog summary posted by the end of Monday.

Q4 - Lesson #24 - The Origins of the Cold War

By
Mike Vergin
on May 12, 2010 2:00 AM |
We'll talk briefly about your work from yesterday, and then we'll jump into the Cold War.

I've got a "The Beginning of the Cold War" DBQ activity that should help give you the "big picture" of the Cold War. It's got useful background information and will serve as a valuable starting point.

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

When you have finished summarizing, please post your blog entry on the CNN: Cold War Reports page. (2nd Hour CNN: Cold War 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.

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

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

China

  • Mao Zedong
  • Zhou Enlai - NOT this quarter

Europe

  • Lech Walesa
  • Vaclav Havel - NOT this quarter
  • Margaret Thatcher
  • Erich Honecker
  • Willy Brandt
  • Konrad Adenauer - NOT this quarter

Korea

  • Syngman Rhee
  • Kim Il Sung

Soviet Union

  • Joseph Stalin
  • Nikita Khrushchev
  • Andrei Gromyko - NOT this quarter
  • Leonid Brezhnev
  • Mikhail Gorbachev

United States

  • Harry Truman
  • Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • John Kennedy
  • Lyndon Johnson
  • Richard Nixon
  • Henry Kissinger - NOT this quarter
  • Ronald Reagan

Vietnam

  • Ngo Dinh Diem
  • Ho Chi Minh
Cuba

  • Fidel Castro

HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Thursday, May 13th

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

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

Our 19th Anniversary of the End of the Cold War round-table discussion will take place next Tuesday.

Q4 - Lesson #23 - From World War to Cold War

By
Mike Vergin
on May 11, 2010 2:00 AM |
We've basically got four full weeks to complete your eighth, and final, unit of our World History curriculum.

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.

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.)


HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Wednesday, May 12th

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

« Unit #8: March 2010 | Main Index | Archives | Unit #8: June 2010 »

Search

About this Archive

This page is a archive of entries in the Unit #8 category from May 2010.

Unit #8: March 2010 is the previous archive.

Unit #8: June 2010 is the next archive.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.