Hello all!
If you can believe it, we're up to World War I & II this week. The readings for this week aren't too bad in terms of length. Please look at the British Army's Form A 2042 (p.285), then read Wilfred Owen (p.287), Adolf Hitler (p.307), and Hanna Lévy-Hass (p.312). Also, PLEASE REVIEW THE READINGS FOR LAST WEEK about Japan, as we'll be going over them too. After this week, we'll be caught up with the syllabus.
Remember, map quiz on Friday in lecture - the study guide is up online. I'll be handing back last Friday's quizzes in section.
THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION:
1) What part of the World War I experience is Wilfred Owen writing about? From the poem, what can you tell about the soldiers' experiences during World War I?
2) For Adolf Hitler, what was the connection between race and the state? What did Hitler think about Russia? What were his plans, based on this reading?
3) Hanna Lévy-Hass describes conditions in the concentration camps - what was life like in the camps in general?
ACTIVITY - due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, 10/24 if you chose to do it
This one is based on your OWN knowledge. In order to know how much background I need to give you on the World Wars, I need to know what you already understand. So, pick ONE of the following six topics, and tell me (in 6-8 sentences) what you already know about the subject. If you know anything about the wartime experience in places other than Europe, the US, and Japan, please include that.
1) The causes of World War I
2) The actual events of World War I
3) The changes in the world political system after World War I
4) The causes of World War II
5) The events of World War II
6) The Holocaust & concentration camps
See everyone in lecture & section!
-Kirsten
If you can believe it, we're up to World War I & II this week. The readings for this week aren't too bad in terms of length. Please look at the British Army's Form A 2042 (p.285), then read Wilfred Owen (p.287), Adolf Hitler (p.307), and Hanna Lévy-Hass (p.312). Also, PLEASE REVIEW THE READINGS FOR LAST WEEK about Japan, as we'll be going over them too. After this week, we'll be caught up with the syllabus.
Remember, map quiz on Friday in lecture - the study guide is up online. I'll be handing back last Friday's quizzes in section.
THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION:
1) What part of the World War I experience is Wilfred Owen writing about? From the poem, what can you tell about the soldiers' experiences during World War I?
2) For Adolf Hitler, what was the connection between race and the state? What did Hitler think about Russia? What were his plans, based on this reading?
3) Hanna Lévy-Hass describes conditions in the concentration camps - what was life like in the camps in general?
ACTIVITY - due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, 10/24 if you chose to do it
This one is based on your OWN knowledge. In order to know how much background I need to give you on the World Wars, I need to know what you already understand. So, pick ONE of the following six topics, and tell me (in 6-8 sentences) what you already know about the subject. If you know anything about the wartime experience in places other than Europe, the US, and Japan, please include that.
1) The causes of World War I
2) The actual events of World War I
3) The changes in the world political system after World War I
4) The causes of World War II
5) The events of World War II
6) The Holocaust & concentration camps
See everyone in lecture & section!
-Kirsten
Vicki F 11:30
ReplyDelete6) The Holocaust & concentration camps
Honestly, I know very little about any of the topics listed above. I don't know if I can blame bad teachers in high school, or just an inability to remember historical information, but regardless, I do not know much. This topic is the only one that I can pretend to know anything about. I know the Holocaust was a genocide. It was an attempt at creating a "perfect Arian race." Everyone knows that Jewish people were targeted, but it was also anyone that would take away from that "perfection" including homosexuals, people of other races and those with mental disorders. I know people had curfews for when they had to be in their houses, and they had to wear the Star of David on their clothing so people would know they were Jewish. Concentration camps where intense labor camps where people were sent. If they were not send to gas chambers right when they got to the camps, they were forced to do terrible labor and were not treated well at all. I really don't know anything specific about the Holocaust or concentration camps, including the cause of it, or specifically what it was like. (Also, embarrassingly, the main source of my knowledge about the Holocaust is the musical The Sound of Music)
Sarah Petersen 10:20
ReplyDeleteEverything I seem to know about World War II is summed up in my head as a big vague collection of events. I know that Hitler came from Austria into Germany and worked his way into a powerful position, establishing the Nazi party. I know vaguely that Japan was on the "bad" side of the world powers and that there was a struggle between the United States and Japan in the Pacific for ownership of islands. I remember that the United States and England teamed up with the USSR I believe to get the axis of evil subdued. There was also a guy named Mussolini in Italy (I remember next to nothing of his involvement in the War). Basically, the main thing I got out of learning about WWII was that Hitler kept invading countries and this was his undoing.
Holocaust:
ReplyDeleteI know that Hitler did not like the Jews so his followers, the Nazis, captured all of them and put them into an area (the ghetto). In the concentration camps, thee Jews had to work like slaves. Living conditions for the Jews were not good because they lived in a small area and there were a lot of sickness spreading around them because of their conditions. Hitler was trying to make a perfect race. The Jews were treated like animals. Some Jews tried to run away from the camp to be free but when they get caught by a Nazi, they can be killed on spot.
Tran Nguyen
11:30
1) The cause of the World War I:
ReplyDeleteWhen we talk about the cause of some events, we usually concern about two kinds of causes: the direct one and the deep one. The direct causes are always the trigger of the explosion of potentially deep causes. Hence direct causes are often events while deep causes are always accumulated factors like increasing conflicts between empires, the desires for territorial expansion… For the World War I, I believe the direct cause would be Sarajevo Incident when Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated. As for the deep reason for the WWI was that European countries presented diplomatic clashes on the uneven partition for the colonial territories and possessions ravened, and hence conflicts and hostility kept increasing. The tension was worsening when Russia reconstructed its army and German gained power from its industrial progress, and those countries were all ready for a worldwide devastation.
MacKenna Roberts 10:20 Thurs
ReplyDeleteJapan, Italy and Germany were allies and US, England , and France were allies. Japan attacked the US on Dec 7th, 1941 and that's how we got involved. Hitler was crazy and killed all the Jews and Joseph Stalin was his partner from Russia (I think). Roosevelt was president of the US and he had polio and died before his term was ended but he was an inspiration to America they looked up to him. I'm pretty sure he marries his cousin too! The British, French, America side won the war but a lot of people from both sides died.
Sean H 11:30 Thurs
ReplyDeleteCauses for World War I
This is from what I learned in high school. I know that the immediate effect was from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by extremist group called the Black Hand. The society's reasoning for this was being that the Austrian-Hungarian empire has taken over part of a Ottoman Empire province. Another reason is the alliances that were being formed during this time. Plus with tensions already between certain countries, if one country were to get into a conflict another would come to it aid and vice versa.
Sorry meant to add more..
DeleteThe growing tensions were partly from imperialism throughout the world. Every country wanted power and wanted to show it by ruling a indigenous population.
The Holocaust and Concentration Camps:
ReplyDeleteThe Holocaust was a part of World War II and dealt with Hitler's discrimination against certain groups of people. Hitler wanted to
create what he believed was a perfect race, which excluded Jews, homosexuals, those with disabilities both physical and mental, and other groups he thought were unfit. The "Night of the Broken Glass" was the beginning of the Holocaust, I believe, which was when Jewish owned businesses were broken into. People were sent to concentration camps by being taken from thier homes and shipped off to work camps that were basically death camps. The most brutal of these concentration camps was Auschwitz. Over 6 million Jews died and close to 11 million people died altogether. A majority of the Jewish people taken to the concentration camps came from Poland.
I know little of the wars. However, I am a server at a restaurant named the 94th Aero Squadron, in Columbus. It is themed with memorabilia from both the wars, including airplane parts, old posters, pictures of soldiers, etc. So, every weekend I am surrounded by snap shots of what occurred.
ReplyDeleteThe most that I do know is from the Holocaust. Hitler wished to create the "perfect race." Which were blonde hair-blue eyed individuals. (When he himself was a brunette with brown eyes.)
He discriminated against Jews, homosexuals, and gypsies. He wished to dehumanize them by ripping them of their names and forced them to basically be numbered off. They were no longer deemed more than creatures.
A main source, of my knowledge, about the Holocaust was from the movie, "Schindler's List."
I was always concerned how the "lessons" of WWII continue on to this day. This was the first war when civilians were targeted on both sides. Germany bombed London and other cities to slow production; the causualties were mostly civilian. Cruise Liners and merchant ships were targeted by the Kriegsmarine and the Allies would bomb German cities in the same manner. Firebombing was a disgusting result where the heat of the flames would actually kill people at a distance. People were found boiled alive when they sought refuge in bathtubs or sources of water. No matter the theatre of war, civilians were targeted. The sad thing is, this seems to be something that seemed to be "ok" to do after the war ended. Civilian casualties are expected now, it is no longer just a conflict between uniformed opponents.
ReplyDeleteJohn Brundage (10:20 Thurs)
6) The Holocaust & concentration camps
ReplyDeleteI know most of what happened during the Holocaust and in the Concentration Camps. Through hebrew school, regular middle and high school and other entities I was able to study both concentration camps. In high school I learned all about the Holocaust and Hitlers ideologies about why Jews and other groups should be put into camps. In other places i was able to learn about each of the many concentration camps and their differences, the bigger ones at least. I am lucky enough to have learned such a large amount from different entities. I have seen the paina and suffering that has happened in the concentration camps from pictures, memoirs books etc. but have also had the privelege to learn about how atrocities like this rose to action. So with a pretty broad knowledge of the Holocaust and Concentration camps, I look forward to learning even more!
6) The Holocaust & concentration camps
ReplyDeleteI have a very broad knowledge of The Holocaust & concentration camps. Through High, Middle and Hebrew school I have had the privilegie to go into great depth about The Holocaust & concentration camps. I have studied individual concentration camps as well as what led to The Holocaust & concentration camps. The most interesting stuff to me was the information about Auschwitz and other big concentration camps. I have also learned about pre Nazi Hitler ideologies like those in Mein Kampf and other pamphlets he had released. I cant wait to go into further depth in this class because I feel that this is a topic that everyone should have a decent knowledge of so that the atrocities like these never happen again. We will Always Remember.
I have very spotty knowledge of anything relating to either World War; the thing I probably know most about is the concentration camps. Many people often imagine the Holocaust as one fell swoop of rounding up people to concentration camps, but Hitler's plan for creating a perfect Aryan race involved systematic oppression that was gradual. It is also crucial to understand that the idea of racial superiority was not Hitler's brainchild. The idea of one race being inferior to another was scientifically sound and popular at the time, and eugenics was accepted as righteous by many scholars and scientific minds, not just Nazis. Jewish and other minority populations were first legally ostracized through the Nuremburg laws and other political tactics, then displaced into ghettos, and then loaded into trucks and shipped to the camps where they were robbed of their possessions, and most often systematically killed, usually by gas chambers (often commandants would tell the inmates that they were to receive delousing treatment in the gas chambers), or forced into labor. The Nazi regime not only exterminated vast minority populations but performed cruel medical experiments. The SS soldiers didn't even regard Jews as human beings. One particularly disturbing example is the projects at Buchenwald involving skinning prisoners with tattoos and using the skins to create lampshades and other decorative "art". Estimates of death range from between four and ten million.
ReplyDeleteI am most familiar with information regarding the Holocaust. I have read The Diary of Anne Frank and completed an independent study on the Holocaust. I was once well aware of several specifics regarding the treatment, living conditions, and ruling of the individuals living in concentration campus, but my knowledge has faded some. I was also given the opportunity to explore the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC in eighth grade. It was a very moving experience. I do not know very much regarding World War I or World War II. My attention was always drawn toward the brutality and hard to believe descriptions of the Holocaust.
ReplyDelete4) The causes of World War II
ReplyDeleteWorld War II was largely caused by the effects of World War I and The Great Depression. After WWI, The Treaty of Versailles put all the blame for the war on Germany. Germany was upset because they had to pay war reparations to Britain and France. Hitler took over Germany and built up their army. Hitler wanted to take back the land that he thought should have been Germany's land. The League of Nations, a league set up to create equality throughout the world, failed. Therefore, there was not equality in the world which created conflict.
My knowledge about the World Wars is also from high school and most of them are in a Chinese perspective.
ReplyDeleteAs Prof. Mcdow said in class that the second world war might be started in 1931. Japan started and had a complete plan to invade China in 1931, and the Manchurian Incident was a start point or an excuse of the whole Japanese invasion. But at first the Nationalist Party, which has great power at that time in China just responded as "nonresistant".
What I know about the cause of the second world war are, first, the relationships among those countries after the first world war are still unstable, and the Treaty of Versailles did not help a lot in dealing with their different needs. And second, the great depression and the unequal development in economics and politics made the relationships between countries more intense. And finally, the establish of the fascist regime in Germany and Japan was a very important factor, but I don't know much about it.
4) The causes of World War II
ReplyDeleteAfter world war I, the victorious countries, British, France and so on held a conference and put huge burdens on defeated nations, especially Germany, which are forcing them to pay all the capitals caused by the war. At the first time, citizens in defeated countries tried themselves to pay back all the liabilities. However, they gradually realized the amounts of debts they had to pay back was too expensive and exorbitant. Furthermore, because most countries joined World War I spent too much money while they held it, even the victorious countries suffered themselves from economical hardships. The phenomena stimulated the world to experience the Great Depression. While most Western countries had troubles in their economies, Adolf Hitler raised his voice in Germany and persuaded the Germany citizens that they didn't have to be treated badly. He insisted that the German people were honored, therefore, they had to take back their rights and forces, although it would stimulate another big tensions and wars among other countries. As many residents advocated Hitler, Germany united with several other countries, like Japan, and attacked France, British and U.S.A in order to return their powers from the countries, resulting the world to hold another big war called WWII, or World War II.
Much of the information I know of WWII is what I learned of the holocaust. I know that the holocaust was a result of WWII but not what caused it. Prior to class, I honestly did not know much of why WWII started. I knew that It was a result of the after math of WWI and that Germany was upset over the money they had to pay from the first world war. From what I was taught, I believed that the second war world happened because there was still an unsettled battle between the countries involved in the first world war.
ReplyDelete4) The causes of WWII
ReplyDeleteAfter WWI, the Treaty of Versailles put most of the blame on Germany. It forced Germany to pay back many war debts towards other countries. This really made Germany angry and when Hitler rose to power, he used this anger to aggressively take other lands around Germany with the German army to get the assets to pay back this debt. This of course led to countries such as England to declare war with Germany since they had treaties with the countries being invaded such as Belgium. The Axis powers became rather powerful and it seemed like they could not be stopped. It took America being attacked by Japan to really turn the tide toward the Allies favor in Europe ("awaking the sleeping giant").
6) The Holocaust & concentration camps
ReplyDeleteThe Holocaust was the murder of about six million Jews. The Nazi's created concentration camps to exterminate the most amount of people possible. They believed that they were racially superior to the Jews and that the Jews were a threat to the German way of life. The concentration camps were supposed to hold these ideological threats and were made to observe and concentrate the entire Jewish population. The Jews were sent to labor camps and ghettos to be put to work or killed. The Allies eventually liberated the camps as the moved across Germany on the offensive. These attacks against the Jewish people disrupted many communities and many peoples' ways of life.
World War II is one of my favorite events to learn about in history so I remember more about it than I do other events. There were several main causes of World War II. The failure of the Treaty of Versailles was one of these causes. It led to dissatisfaction in Germany and the eventual rise of Adolf Hitler. Economic depression across the world also played a role. During the Great Depression the United States followed a policy of isolationism. They were too busy with their problems at home to worry about problems abroad. Americans did become involved in the war when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
ReplyDeleteThe Holocaust was a massacre of many, many people led by Adolf Hitler. I know that it wasn't only Jewish people, but also included gays, handicaps and gypsies. Basically Adolf Hitler was trying to create a "perfect gender", which was essentially white people with blue eyes and blonde hair. When they captured the people who weren't a part of this group, they took them to concentration camps. At the concentration camps, they lived in horrible conditions. The sanitation was very low, the temperatures very high and overall, it was miserable for the inhabitants. If the people didn't die while working, they were mass murdered in gas chambers or by shooting.
ReplyDeleteEvents of WWI
ReplyDeleteWorld War I was fought between Germany/Austria-Hungary and it's allies versus England/France/Russia/Italy/Japan. Later in the game, the U.S. joined in on the side of the Allies, which were England, France, etc. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand, an Austrian Archduke, was considered the event that started the war but it had been brewing for some time, and this murder was just a means to an end. When the German/Austrian alliance was defeated, Germany was harshly punished with reparations and some of their territory was taken. World War I caused even more instability in the area, which ended up leading to some of the problems that caused World War II.
Holocaust:
ReplyDeleteThe Holocaust is an event in history that many people know about. My knowledge of the Holocaust goes from its origins all the way to its decline and overdue end. There are many reasons why the extermination of six million people happened over the course of nearly a decade without many countries on the Allied side having any idea of such genocide, but the main reason being that it was a very, very slow process. Events such as kristallnacht were the first acts of violence against the Jewish peoples in WWII Europe, in which Nazi soldiers broke into many Jewish stores breaking the entire glass front. After these acts of violence occurred, many Jewish, crippled, homosexual, and crippled peoples were relocated to ghettos on the outskirts of their home towns. The conditions in these ghettos were very poor, and the people contained in them were not permitted to leave. The next step in Hitler's process was to create several concentration camps all over the land he had taken in Europe. Their purpose was to work all people in them that were capable, and to exterminate the rest. Camps like Dachau in Germany and Auchwitz in Poland were two main places of forced labor and extermination, respectively. Near the end of the war, Hitler changed the tempo of this long-term investigation in order to cover-up the atrocities he and his regime had performed, killing millions of innocent people over the course of a few years.
Out of the selected topics, I think that I have the most knowledge about World War II. I know more about how the conflict began compared to the actual course of events. As Prof McDow stated, in class, the road to the World War II began way before the involvement of the US, especially in the Pacific where Japan was busy with the invasion of China. Action was also happening in Europe, such as the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, and the numerous treaties and broken treaties between the countries involved in the first world war. In many ways, the after effects of World War I altered the balance of power in Europe, and in Germany's case, led to an absence of a central government that eventually gave way to the rise of the Nazi Party. With the rise of the Nazi's in Germany came the invasion of Poland which many consider the start of the global conflict. Their fascist regime took sides with Italy's fascist regime as numerous nations declared war on each other. US was involved indirectly until Pearl Harbor which resulted in US military action, and they joined the sides of the allies against Germany, Italy and Japan.
ReplyDeleteJames C. 11:30
I actually feel that I am fairly knowledgeable about most of these subjects from a European perspective due to having taken a German Cultural course last spring. For the purpose of this assignment I will detail what I know about the causes of World War II (number 4). One of largest reason leading up to World War II was the reparations imposed on Germany from World War I. Many neighboring European countries were afraid of a militarily strong Germany and thus placed heavy sanctions in terms on fines, and also limiting the military presence that Germany was able to have. This hindrance hampered the Germany economy and caused significant resentment. Additionally, other countries were keeping exports to Germany at unnaturally high prices. Finally an unstable political system capped by President Hindenburg naming Hitler Chancellor and then dying set the stage for Hitler to begin taking over Germany. Hitler then militarized Germany by promoting a strong sense of nationalism using propaganda and rallies to gain supporters, and hid military groups through other labor and work groups.
ReplyDeleteThe Holocaust is probably on of the most interesting parts of history for me to learn about. During the Holocaust Jewish people were taken from their homes and housed in a part of town called the ghettos. There they were stripped of their basic rights. Over thousands died. All of this was directed under Adolf Hitler. He believed that it was wrong to be Jewish. Once they rounded up the majority of of the Jewish population in Germany, Hitler and the Nazis picked them up and took them to concentration camps. There, Jewish families were split up and sent to work doing various tasks benefiting the German soldiers and Hitler. Eventually many of them died in gas chambers used to wipe out the jews or from poor living conditions.
ReplyDeleteColleen Hile
ReplyDeleteTh 11:30
What I know about the causes of World War II revolves around the Treaty of Versailles, which caused Germany to pay a lot of money in reparations. Since, Germany had to pay so much money, their economic structure started to fail. This fail and the reparations made the Germans mad since they felt that they should not have to pay for losing the war. In the midst of this economic struggle, Adolf Hitler took power with the promise of fixing Germany and making it a world power again. However, he started invading other countries, like Poland, which went against the Treaty of Versailles. So England and other countries attempted to stop Hitler however when he did not stop, they declared war and World War II broke out in Europe. Also, Hitler began to commit unspeakable crimes against Jewish people, which angered other countries. Also, for the United States, the war began because of the attack on Pearl Harbor mainly.
Lucas Chaney
ReplyDeleteThe Events of World War 2:
I don't remember the exact order that these events occurred in, but I know that they made huge impacts on the war as a whole. In 1939, Germany begun the war by attacking Poland. The U.S. Bombed two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Allies surprised Germany by invading the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. I also know that important battles occurred in the cities of Stalingrad, Berlin, and the "Battle of the Bulge".
The Holocaust & concentration camps
ReplyDeleteDuring high school we always concentrated on the horrors of the reign by the Nazi's and these death camps. Hitler was so manipulative that he had an army that backed up his idea of a white superior race. The fact that a society was so brain washed to commit horror crimes against other human beings is insane. Hitler did everything in his power to wash out the Jewish race. He labeled them as the villains and himself as the hero. He saw them as a plague, and he was responsible for "cleaning up" Germany, and the world. What I never understood was how he gained the support of the entire Nazi military. I don't think there initial founding was based off of racial superiority?
I do not know that much about WWI or WWII but this time period is of great interest to me, particularly because I am interested in US history and also because my great grandfather was in WWII. The topic I probably know the most about is the Holocaust. The Holocaust is something I find extremely interesting. I know that Adolph Hitler and the Nazi Party created concentration camps where they put people they felt didn’t fit the Aryan race (blonde haired, blue eyed Germans). The Holocaust is generally remembered as the genocide of millions of Jewish people and is a dark time in world history.
ReplyDeleteDavid Lawrence Th 12:40