Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Collapse Of Communism

Communism collapse in eastern europe and the USSR was a major turning point in history. The Berlin Wall came crashing down, Eastern and Western Germany could form more economic and social ties. Though at first it was an economic disaster, later on, they were able to better the financial situations. People were not allowed to cross the border from Communist East Germany to Democratic West Germany, and vice-versa. On November 9, 1989, the wall came down. After 28 years, East and West Germany could finally form new diplomatic relations. The cold war proved that communism was the primitive way to run a country because though the soviet Union was able to build weapons fast and able to keep up with America it was only the matter of time till there economy collapsed and communism fell in Russia 1990. the coolaspe of the soviet union changed the world because people became more free and less communism was done.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Nelson Mandela and Apartheid

Apartheid is racial segregation policy of the government of South Africa from 1948 to 1994. Under the apartheid system, nonwhites-classified as Bantu (black), colored (mixed), or Indian-did not share full rights of citizenship with the white minority. Nelson mandela is such a hero because he try to stop apartheid from happening in africa. He was admired by the authors of the articles and sites because he used ghandi's non violence protesting way. he was imprisoned for 27 years and his people still fighting the government he was freed in 1990 which meant the end of the corrupt government of apartheid.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

African Independence

Africa in 1955 most of africa was colonies and very little independence, throughout time in 1975 most of africa turned independent and less colonies were formed. This happened because peoeple from europe took over africa cause it was week, and slaved the people there and sold africas resources. they were pretty much bullying africa for their people and resources cause their a weaker country. After world war II the British were going to set up a government in Africa but it was costing too much money to control africa so they gave africa their independence.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

NATO and The Warsaw Pact

Read the three NATO links below. What were NATO and the Warsaw Pact? Who formed these alliances and why?

NATO(North Atlantic Treaty Organization) NATO is an organization that includes countries in Europe and North America. The major reason for the formation of NATO was that the countries involved wanted a mutual defense alliance so that if one of them were attacked all of the other countries in NATO would come to them and rescue the other country.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Film Lesson: Night and Fog

Some reactions i had to "Night and Fog" were just like sadness because i felt bad for the people who died and the way they died. I found the film very powerful because of some of the scenes that were actual from what happened in the holocaust like little clips from real life in the concentration camp of the holocaust. "Night and Fog" compares scenes from "Schindler's List" because it almost the same as the clips from real life situatuions and living in the concentration camps, but people are acting the scenes out in Schindlers list instead of it being real. I think "Night and Fog" was more effective and illustrated the holocaust because it had real clips from the holocaust and real pictures from the holocaust how people died and how they starved. In the pictures you can see how people were skinny and boney, and how they gased and killed people. the documentary showed the holocaust more effectively.

Film Lesson: Schindler's List

"Schindler's List" illustrated the Holocaust because it had scenes showing the real happenings of what happened during the holocaust and what the jews went through and what happened to them. The movie illustrated all the cruel things that the nazi's did to the jews. The most powerful scene that captured me was when the nazi's where evacuating the jews from the ghettos to get them to the labor camps and Schindler was looking over them from the mountains and this little girl with a red jacket was walking around trying to hide. Then when germany had to shut down the camps and burn all evidence and the people, Schindler came and saw the little girls red jacket and her in the pileof burned people. The images of people suffering and dieing and getting burned will stay with me.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

The Treaty of Versailles (ended WW I)

The Treaty of Versailles affected Germany at the end of WW I because germany was blamed for all the destruction done during the war, and they took the blame for the war. When Germany took the blame for all that happened in the war, germany got all these rules and provisions from the treaty of versailles. Some of the rules of the treaty were that germany had to pay for all the damage that they caused to the other countriesand reconstruct them. Germany also lost most of their lands and colonies. No I dont think the treaty was because they blamed it all on germany so since germany took the blame, the other countries took advantage and piled all the expensences on germany and the war guilt on germany.The Treaty of Versailles led to the rise of Fascism and Adolph Hitler because the treaty wasnt enough to prevent germany from becoming the dominant continental power again. The treaty helped the rise of the nazi party, because of the unfairness of the treaty. The historians thought this beacause of the unfairness to germany in the treaty instead of working out an agreement.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk)


Mustafa Kemal a.k.a Ataturk modernized Turkey in many ways. He passed laws and made plenty of changes,made Turkey more secular. Secular means not pertaining to or connected with your religious. Mustafa Kemal modernized turkey by changing the way turkish people dressed. Also european hats were replacing fez, chich are hats worn by turkish people. Women stopped wearing the veil, which is a cloth worn by women over the head, shoulders, and often the face. All citizens took surnames, which are nicknames given to a persons name. Mustafa Kemal's Turkey undertook agricultural expansion, industrial growth, and technological advancement. In mining, transportation, manufacturing, banking, exports, etc. Many strides were taken, within the decade, the gross national product increased five-fold, which meant increased in multiple achievements.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Film Lesson-"Gandhi" Extra Credit


I think India's Independence was all about Gandhi Because his method of non-violence helped india the most in winning their independenc back. If gandhi wouldve never hepled them i think india would stayed the same or go to war with great britian. I dont think it wouldve just happened anyways, if gandhi wouldve helped them.In Great Britain about the time of Indian Independence (1947) that may have influenced events GReat britain was losing control over india and gave them their independence.

Film Lesson-"Gandhi"

Gandhi helped his nation of India gain Independence from Great Britain. He did this by following his philosophy of non-violence. Great britian wasnt so fair to the people of india. great britian stole there resources like cotton and made clothes out of them and sold them to the people of india for money. Also with salt they sold it to them as well. Gandhi believed that him and his people shouldt be treated unfairly and be soldthere own products and resources and be taxed for everything.
An event that proved that gandhi was following his philosophy was when he went on a salt march and walked to the ocean and proved that the indian people shouldnt buy products of any kind from great britian and they should make and produce their own. The guards of great britian got mad and disturbed the indians from marketing their own products and the people were hit by sticks by the guards and no one reacted with anger they just let the guards hit them. Another act they did was the indian people would weave their own clothing, they wouldnt buy clothing from great britian. Another way to show that ghandhi and his people followed his method of non-violence was when the british guards were blocking the entrance of this factory where the indian people were trying to get into. Every time a person would try to come thru the guards they would get hit with these sticks, but instead of reacting and fighting back they would just keep on going until they couldnt go anymore. This made Great Britian look really bad with both these events happening and the bristish reacting in violence and gandhi and his people reacting in the oppisite way, non-violence.

Friday, February 6, 2009