.. In substance, Mr. Churchill now stands in the position of a firebrand of war. And Mr. Churchill is not alone here. He has friends not only in England but also in the United States of America.
In this respect, one is reminded remarkably of Hitler and his friends. Hitler began to set war loose by announcing his racial theory, declaring that only people speaking the German language represent a fully valuable nation. Mr. Churchill begins to set war loose, also by a racial theory, maintaining that only nations speaking the English language are fully valuable nations, called upon to decide the destinies of the entire world.
The German racial theory brought Hitler and his friends to the conclusion that the Germans, as the only fully valuable nation, must rule over other nations. The English racial theory brings Mr. Churchill and his friends to the conclusion that nations speaking the English language, being the only fully valuable nations, should rule over the remaining nations of the world....
As a result of the German invasion, the Soviet Union has irrevocably lost in battles with the Germans, and also during the German occupation and through the expulsion of Soviet citizens to German slave labor camps, about 7,000,000 people. In other words, the Soviet Union has lost in men several times more than Britain and the United States together.
It may be that some quarters are trying to push into oblivion these sacrifices of the Soviet people which insured the liberation of Europe from the Hitlerite yoke.
But the Soviet Union cannot forget them. One can ask therefore, what can be surprising in the fact that the Soviet Union, in a desire to ensure its security for the future, tries to achieve that these countries should have governments whose relations to the Soviet Union are loyal? How can one, without having lost one's reason, qualify these peaceful aspirations of the Soviet Union as "expansionist tendencies" of our Government?. . .
Mr. Churchill wanders around the truth when he speaks of the growth of the influence of the Communist parties in Eastern Europe.... The growth of the influence of communism cannot be considered accidental. It is a normal function. The influence of the Communists grew because during the hard years of the mastery of fascism in Europe, Communists slowed themselves to be reliable, daring and self-sacrificing fighters against fascist regimes for the liberty of peoples.
Mr. Churchill sometimes recalls in his speeches the common people from small houses, patting them on the shoulder in a lordly manner and pretending to be their friend. But these people are not so simpleminded as it might appear at first sight. Common people, too, have their opinions and their own politics. And they know how to stand up for themselves.
It is they, millions of these common people, who voted Mr. Churchill and his party out in England, giving their votes to the Labor party. It is they, millions of these common people, who isolated reactionaries in Europe, collaborators with fascism, and gave preference to Left democratic parties
From "Stalin's Reply to Churchill," March 14, 1946 (interview with Pravda), The New York Times, p. 4.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18:
TOPIC: Cold War Germanies: East and West
You're listening to:
Rock Around the Clock - Bill Haley and the Comets
Come Go with Me - The Dell Vikings
Sh Boom - The Crew Cuts
1. MINI LECTURE: The Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan
2. HANDOUT: In class reading: West German Politics and Economics
List the political qualities associated with Konrad Adenauer.
Compare and contrast the CDU and SPD.
Though not "centrally planned by the state" the West German economy was very heavily directed. Who exerted a lot of influence in this "laissez faire" capitalist economy?
3. Conflict in East Germany: Berlin: Cold War Showdown: 1948 Airlift and 1961 the Wall
MINI lecture: Causes of the Berlin Blockade leading to the Berlin Airlift. It's all about the Benjamins... I mean the Deutsch Marks.
Here's a look at some American COld War propaganda from 1952
HW: Watch the video below. As you watch consider the following questions. Take notes.
What were the causes of the creation of the Berlin Wall in 1961?
Describe how the Wall was constructed.
How did the Wall impact the lives of both East and West Berliners?
What was President Kennedy's reaction to the Wall?
Describe the impact of the Wall on the course of the Cold War and the Soviet Union in particular.
THURSDAY, APRIL 19:
Topic: The Soviet Union After Stalin
Evaluate the foreign policy goals and achievements of Khrushchev and Brezhnev.
Describe the causes and conclusions of the uprisings in Poland (1956), Hungary, (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968).
CHART ON BOARD:
MINI LECTURE: Khrushchev's "Secret Speech": How did it lead to the events in Poland and Hungary?
VIDEO: CNN Cold War (last 25 minutes of video): Focus on Poland and Hungary (1956): In what ways were the conclusions different? Why did they differ? (hint, focus on Warsaw Pact membership)
HW: DUE MONDAY!!! Begin the Britain Cold War Reading (PDF below). Print the reading. Warning, this is NOT a simple read. You will need to find a quiet place to focus on the reading. You must also complete a brief written assignment based on the reading. You must create a timeline showing which party was in power in Britain from 1945 to Present. You can add the names of prominent Prime Ministers to the timeline. When you finish reading, you must be able to answer the following questions:
Describe the platform of the Conservative Party in Britain after WWII. Based on this platform, who would vote for the Conservatives?
Describe the platform of the Labour Party after WWII. Who would vote for the Labour Party? What issues caused a divide among Labour Party politicians?
Define the term Welfare State. What institutions developed in the British welfare state after WWII? What were the costs and benefits of creating the welfare state?
What is Butskellism? Explain the rationale behind this strange political phenomenon? Have we learned about something like this before?
Describe the "Thatcher Revolution." Explain the causes of Thatcher's political success.
What contemporary political issues stem from the creation of the British Welfare state? Think current events....
This cartoon from The Independent on Sunday shows a long line of fat cats queueing up to receive a cash handout from Gordon Brown. (Despite huge losses, Lloyds Bank, already 43% state-owned, is planning to pay out £120m in bonuses.) The cartoon is based on the award-winning campaign produced by Saatchi & Saatchi for the Conservatives in 1978, shown above.
HW: PRINT and READ the PDF. Decolonization Reading.pdf The reading focuses on the process of decolonization at the end of WWII. As you read
What countries were involved in the Suez Canal Crisis? What political party was in power in Britain (think... make sense of this!)
What role did each play? What stake did each have in the crisis?
What impact did the Suez Crisis have on the process of decolonization?
Explain why might Nasser's ideals of Pan-Arabism be attractive in the Middle East?
What problems troubled independent India?
How did the defeat at Dien Bien Phu impact French colonial rule in North Africa?
Describe the tensions between French-Algerian settlers, the FLN, and the French government.
How did the Algerian Crisis impact the political career of Charles DeGaulle?
THINKING QUESTION: Though given independence, many would argue that the new countries/governments were doomed to struggle or failure. What historic reasons could be given to justify this assertion? How did the geopolitical Cold War context make the task of establishing independent governments difficult? THINK!!! USE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HISTORY!!!!!
EXTRA CREDIT: WATCH IRON LADY (WILL BE ACCEPTED NO LATER THAN NEXT MONDAY)
Rent and watch the Iron Lady (2011) starring Meryl Streep. You can do this with friends, make some popcorn, listen to some Clash songs (London calling is an appropriate tune) as you cue up the movie. When you finish, TYPE a response to the following questions:
1. Explain three new aspects or events of Thatcher's time in office that you learned about in the course of the movie. Be sure to reference specific scenes from the movie.
2. How did the movie portray the life and times of Margaret Thatcher? Was she glorified? Villified? Was it sympathetic, or critical of her? Choose your own adjectives and explain your assessment with specific references to the film.
(This extra credit assignment can earn you EXAM score credit)
NO SCHOOL TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25:
TOPIC: Decolonization
What forces combined to cause Great Britain to reverse centuries old foreign policy and begin decolonization?
How did the Cold War impact newly independent countries?
For what reasons was it difficult for newly independent countries to create stable governments?
MAP SHOWING INDIGENOUS AFRICAN TRIBAL BOUNDARIES
AFRICA UNDER IMPERIAL RULE AFTER THE BERLIN CONFERENCE (1885)
TASK 2: Read selections from The West, Unique, Not Universal article. You must read "Can the Rest Copy the West" & "Cultural Backlash." The reading and discussion should take about 30 minutes.
Discussion: Consider the author's arguments regarding "westoxification," indigenization, "second generation indigenization" and the cultural response to decolonization.
Discuss: How does Mobutu's rule of Zaire (the Congo) exemplify the issues in the reading.
(East Timor: colonized by the Portuguese, 98% Christian population today, gained independence from predominantly Muslim Indonesia in August 1999. Since East Timor is plagued
by violence from anti-independence terrorists.)
HW: PRINT the DBQ. DBQ France 1968.pdf Read the documents to prepare for class tomorrow's discussion.
BELOW IS FOR EXTENDED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES: Fanon's Wretched of the Earth
THE INTERNATIONALE
(written in France, 1871 by Paris Commune,
adopted by international socialist movement,
then became the national anthem of the USSR)
Stand up, wretched of the Earth Stand up, prisoners of hunger Reason thunders in its volcano This is the eruption of the end Of the past let us make a clean slate Enslaved masses, stand up, stand up The world is about to change its foundation We are nothing, let us be all!
HW: PRINT and READ the online lecture at this LINK. '89 is '68 turned upside down. The lecture will provide an overview of events leading to the fall of Eastern Block Communism in 1989 and mention issues leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union. LINK TO 1989 The Walls Came Tumbling Down
BELOW IS FOR EXTENDED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
If you're really interested and want to find out more....
How did each of the following contribute to the fall of the one-party state in the Soviet Union?
Ronald Reagan
Arms Race
Secret Speech
Eastern Bloc Reformers (Havel, Walesa)
Glastnost & Perestroika
Consumerism and Materialism
Eastern Bloc Hardliners (Honecker,Ceausescu)
Brezhnev Doctrine
Mikhail Gorbachev
Other (choose your own)
FRIDAY, May 2:
TOPIC: The European Union: Can Germany and France overcome their historic rivalry?
OBJECTIVES:
- Discuss the formation and reasoning for the creation of the European Union.
- List and describe the three pillars and four governing bodies of the European Union. - Evaluate whether the European Union is viable supranational organization.
1. Analyze the various Protestant views of the relationship between church and state in
the period circa 1500–1700. (2010)
2. Compare and contrast the religious policies of TWO of the following: (2002)
Elizabeth I of England
Catherine de Medici of France
Isabella I of Spain
3. Analyze various ways in which the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) represented a
turning point in European history. (2009)
4. Analyze the reasons for the decline of the Holy Roman Empire as a force in European
politics in the period 1517 to 1648. (2008)
5. How and to what extent did the methods and ideals of Renaissance humanism contribute to the Protestant Reformation? (2006)
6. Analyze the impacts of the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Reformation
(Counter Reformation) on the social order of sixteenth-century Europe. (2009)
7. Compare and contrast the social and economic roles of the state in seventeenth and eighteenth century Europe (before 1789) to the social and economic roles of the state in Europe after the Second World War. (2006)
GOOD OVERALL COURSE REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Using examples from at least two different states, analyze the key features of the “new monarchies” and the factors responsible for their rise in the period 1450 to 1550. (2006)
2. Britain and France were engaged in a geopolitical and economic rivalry during the eighteenth century. Identify the factors that contributed to this rivalry, and assess the results for both countries over the period 1689 to 1789. (2007)
3. Explain why Europe saw no lasting peace in the period between the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 and the Peace of Paris in 1763 (2003)
4. Identify the grievances of the groups that made up the Third Estate in France on the eve of the French Revolution, and analyze the extent to which ONE of these groups was able to address its grievances in the period 1789 to 1799. (2007)
5. Compare and contrast the foreign policy goals and achievements of Metternich (1815-1848) and Bismarck (1862-1890). (2002)
6. Compare and contrast the French Jacobins’ use of state power to achieve revolutionary goals during the Terror (1793-1794) with Stalin’s use of state power to achieve revolutionary goals in the Soviet Union during the period 1928 to 1939. (2001)
7. Compare and contrast the crises in state authority that precipitated the French
Revolution in 1789 and the February and October Revolutions in Russia in 1917. (2009)
8. Analyze the similarities and differences in the methods used by Cavour and Bismarck
to bring about the unification of Italy and of Germany, respectively. (2008)
9. Historians speak of the rise of mass politics in the period from 1880 to 1914. Define this phenomenon and analyze its effects on European politics in this period. (2005)
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