Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Mikhail Gorbachev and the end of Communism

Throughout time Russia was alway a communist state until it was time when

Monday, May 7, 2007

Creation of Israel

After World War II, a place was needed for all of the Jews that survived the Holocaust. Yet through their hardships and battles, Zionism came to rise. Zionism was the establishment of a Jewish State. The Jews needed a place to live, but nobody wanted to take the Jews or give them a place to live in. Although the Jews were not accepted by the Arabs, they had the British support. "When the British, who voiced support for Zionism, won control of the area after World War I, there was a major Arab revolt against them, too. " Infact there was a lot of tension between the Arabs and the Jews for there was no sign of an establishment.
In 1936, "the Arabs began a major revolt against British policies and ever-increasing Jewish immigration." These revolts continued and violence grew and continued until the land was given to them. Both the Jews and the Arabs struggled and continue to do so because both debated over who should have their holy land of Jerusalem. Yet the Arabs did not think that it would be fair for the Jews to have that land and if it was the other way around, the same problem would occur. Palestinians and Jews will almost never get along for that reason.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Nelson Mandela and Apartheid

Apartheid was a policy of racial segregation in South African from 1948 to 1994. This policy separated the Bantu (black), the Colored (mixed), and the Indians from the white minority. They were restricted in parliamentary elections, public facilities and even marital status. they were all dominated by the White minority. But the people of South Africa started to get tired and they started to take action. Nelson Mandel was an anti-apartheid activist and leader of the African National Congress(ANC). He was later sentenced to life imprisonment for sabotage after he went underground and began the ANC's armed struggle. He was imprisoned for nearly 27 years. For that he was considered a hero, for not becoming a rebel while he was in jail and for fairly doing his time as he was told. But as soon as he got out of jail, his point of view changed and thought that violence was necessary. Many authors admired him because he self-sacrificed himself and was a fighter and some authors even said " Instead of bowing down to this unjust system of government, he became a lifelong warrior in the battle to free South Africa". Greatly he was admired.

African Independence

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Cuban Missile Crisis

NATO and The Warsaw Pact

NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This was formed by the United States to try to help weaker countries resist the Soviet Union. They would form a deffensive military alliance and any attack on any of the NATO members would result in an armed force by all members of NATO. But in 1955, the Soviet Union saw NATO as threat and they formed their own alliance that was later known as The Warsaw Pact. The Warsaw Pact included The Soviet Union, East Germany, Czeclovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania. Both of these rival alliances continued to fight indirectly.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Film Lesson: "Night and Fog"

This documentary is a more of a real image of the Holocaust. You could actually see the people that were there during that time and how they were treated from real based

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Film Lesson: "Schindler's List"

The film "Schindler's List" is an illustration showing what happened in the Holocaust. We were able to see how the Jews were treated first in the Ghettos, the in the Labor Camps and Finally in the concentration camps. This film illustrated how the Jews would hide and then later be killed by the Nazi's. It also illustrated how the families were separated and might have never united again. But despite the fact of the horrible treatment on the Jews and others too, there was a man who had workers that could be saved by him because he was a Nazi member. This man was Schindler and if you made it on his list then the chances of you getting killed were very few because he would save you.
There was apart in this film where they try to separate a little girl from her mom but he stops the officer wnd the little girl can go back with his mother. The Nazi's were trying to have a genocide, or eliminating a race but Schindler was a "good Nazi". If you would like to see a film with the illustration of the Holocaust then this is the film but i recommend you to skip some parts because it can be very strong. One image that will always stay in my mind is the little girl in the pink jacket running up the streets of the Ghetto and then later seeing her being burned in Auschwitiz. It was something very powerful to see how the Nazi's had no compassion over nobody.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

US Atomic Bombing of Japan in 1945

I agree that the US Bombing of Japan in 1945 was one of the most major events during the last century. The Bombing of Japan was a turning point for the world because it was during this time that the whole world was getting modernized. The power of the bombs showed the capability of only one country's massive production. Not only were the people amazed at something like this, but it also created great tension of what could happen next.
The bombing caused the death of many innocent people and the vanishment of two cities: hiroshima and Nagasaki. People were seriously hurt with all of the radiations and all with no where to go or nothing to do. In fact this bombing was so strong that a book was written about a little girl who got Lukemia from the bomb radiations. This bok is Sadako and the thousand Paper Cranes.
Some were for the idea of bombing and some weren't, but what done is done.
I don't agree with everything on the list from the article because i don't think that the events were put in order. I don't think that Brown vs. Board of Ed. is more important that the Holocaust or Hitlers reign. This list should be redone.

Germany at War - WWII

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

The Treaty Of Versaille (end WWI)


The end of World War I was a victory for The Triple Entente and a defeat for The Triple Alliance brought by The Treaty Of Versailles. But towards the end, Germany was blamed for all of the damages in every counrty around the world that was affected.
The Treaty of Versailles brouht major provisions. One of those provisions was the Leage of Nations. It was an international peace organization that consisted of 32 members: both allies and other neutral countries. Among those were the "Big Three: U.S., France and Britain". Another provision that affected Germany in a great way was Territorial Losses. As aresult Germany had land removed from all over the world and later other countries were formed. The third major provision was Military Restrictions. Germany was forced to limit their navy and army to almost 100,000 men and to remove their army and navy from Rhineland. The last provision was War Guilt. This ment that Germany was blamed for everything and was forced to sign and accept the consequences. This left a resentment of anger in all Germans.
In fact many historians agree that this was what led to WWII and that Adolf Hitler and his fascism. A desire of revenge and to recover everything that was lost.

Monday, February 12, 2007

Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) and the Modernization of Turkey

Mustafa Kemal became the reformer of Turkey. He brought turkey to the moder world of Europe. But to make it large, he had to start with the most minimum thing: that was their clothing. Mustafa Kemal wanted to get Turkey out of the traditional world.
He wanted the Turks to get rid of their 'Fez' which was their tradional hat and modernize it to a brimmed Panama hat. But that wasn't it. He wanted to create a feeling of nationalism, which is like pride to ones country. Mustafa Kemal wanted the turks to get out of the religious feeling and it to a secular state, or a non religious state and giving women poewer and rights. Mustafa Kemal was eventually called ATATURK-meaning father of the turks.

Friday, February 9, 2007

Film Review "Gandhi"

GANDHI: India's Leader To Independence.
India was found to be in the darkness under the British rule for over 200 years. It was full of harsh treatement and seemed to be at it's end. British people were very much prejedice towards the Indiand people and didnt seem to care about them and the Indian people were getting tired. Yet little did they know that there was another way of confronting the British.
Mahatma Gandhi was their leader for India's independence. He was aleader who used passive resistance and non-violence. In, other words the British did everything to him and the Indian people but he would not fight back. This I belive is the strongest way of fighting back because the Brithish would eventually get tired that they did not repond back. One of the mst impacting things that he did was when he decided to make his own clothes.
I thought that this was a great impact because now the Brithish wouldn't make as much money as they would if the Indian people were buying from them. It brought their economy down. Indeed that his passive resistance led to an impact in India that would later lead them to independence. Although I do think that most of their independence was led by Gandhi because he was the one who inspired the others to step up for their rights. I don't think that it would of happened anyway because no one was standing up for their rights yet. Gandhi's step surely led to India's independence especially considering that countries like England were involved in Hitlers' position in WWII.