Stalin

Happy New Year!

This weeks blog is research related. I need you to research Joseph Stalin and discuss the following issues:

His power struggle

Collectivization and Industrialization

Five Year Plans

Constitution under his rule

Cult of Personality

Purges

Impact on Society

Foreign Relations to 1941

Due Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. (January 4th)

Internal Assessment and Extended Essay

Compare and contrast the governments in your Internal Assessment to the government in your Extended Essay. Your IA focus included a civil war therefore there were issues within that particular country. 

Due Wednesday, December 24th by 9:00 p.m. 

Authoritarian Single Party States

To what extent were the social and economic policies of the following successful: Mao, Nasser, Stalin?

Due Tuesday at 9 pm

South Africa - Democratic States

Democratic states - challenges and responses

The 20th century witnessed the establishment, survival, destruction and re-emergence of democratic states. Democratic systems faced treats to their existence from internal and external sources. In some cases the system coped successfully, in other cases the pressures proved difficult to withstand. The performance of democratic states in relation to such pressures- economic, political and social- form the basis for this topic.

Please use South Africa as a base for the following research:

1) Nature and structure of democratic (multiparty) states

•    Constitutions (written and unwritten)

•    Electoral systems, proportional representation, coalition governments

•    Role of political parties: role of an opposition

•    Role of pressure (interest/lobby) groups

2) Economic and social policies

•    Employment

•    Gender

•    Health, education

•    Social welfare

3) Political, social and economic challenges

•    Political extremism

•    Ethnicity, religion, gender

•    Movements for that attainment of civil rights

•    Inequitable distribution of wealth/resources

Nelson Mandela Questions

Choose ANY four questions from the "Long Walk to Freedom" movie and respond to them on this site by Tuesday at 9:00 pm. DO NOT choose the questions that we already reviewed as a group in class.

Internal Assessment: Conclusion

Please post your conclusion to my site - sorry for the delay with the post!

South Africa Handout

Please post the answers to the four questions you were instructed to answer - they are at the very beginning of the reading.

Internal Assessment Analysis

Sorry this is SO late...please post your Analysis section of the Internal Assessment on tonight's blog. Please remember that you need to hand in a hard copy tomorrow at the beginning of class. Good luck finalizing your FaceBook projects!

Ms. Noce

A Story: South African History

This week's blog requires reading and research. You are required to create a story on the history of South Africa using the following key vocabulary terms and people:

African National Congress
Apartheid
Boer War
Trevor Huddleston
Paul Kruger
Nelson Mandela
Cecil Rhodes
Sanctions against South Africa
Desmond Tutu

Here is the catch - you NEED to write this using language that a 6th or 7th grader would be able to comprehend. That means the YOU need to understand the terms and topic prior to writing. Be aware, do NOT write this as a regular blog - this is a story that needs to be conveyed to young children. Can you do this?

DUE MONDAY BY 9:00 P.M.

Paper 1: Outline and Guidelines

READ the handouts I distributed in class today! This is for your own benefit and gives you a peek as to what to expect for your exams this spring.

For the following four questions, DO NOT use the answers provided in this packet that they have as examples from other students - you will NOT receive credit if you do AND you will serve a detention with me for plagiarism. These are old topics we've already covered so break out your notes and look through your binder for handouts to assist you.

Part One:

• Question 1b on page 14 of handout: What is the message conveyed by the cartoon?
• Question 2 on page 15 of the handout: Compare and contrast the views expressed about Japan's actions in the 1930s in Sources D and E.
• Question 3 on page 15 of handout: With reference to their origin and purpose, discuss the value and limitations of Source A and Source C for historians studying the Manchurian crisis.
• Question 4 of handout: Using these sources and your own knowledge analyze the importance of the Japanese invasion of Manchuria for international relations between 1931 and 1936.

* Once you've answered in your OWN words, review what the students wrote in the examples in the handout - how could one of your classmates have written a better response? Respond to one of your classmates for this section of the blog. For example, Samantha I like the way you responded to question 1b however, you could have added...

Part Two:

Review the single handout I distributed, "End of Chapter Activities." Read Source A and complete the question: What is the message presented in Source A below about Nehru's main strength and his main weakness as a leader? 

India 1947-64: Political, Social and Economic Challenges

Sorry this is SO late - your blog for this week is due Tuesday, October 14th at 9:00 p.m. Read the packet distributed in class: "Political, social and economic challenges."

1. There is a saying that "language is power." Why do people whose language is not officially recognized feel disempowered? What disadvantages do they suffer? What are the advantages and disadvantages to a country of having a large number of official languages? 
2. Nehru is reported to have told the French writer, Andre Malraux, that the most difficult task he faced was creating a secular state in a religious country. Explain what he meant by this remark. 
3. Having read this unit, explain how appropriate it is to consider each of these as an "axis of conflict" in Indian society: religion, language, caste, class and gender. 
4. Find out what you can about the life of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar - the discrimination he faced as an "untouchable"; his distinguished academic career; his contribution to democracy in India;; and his disillusion with the Congress Party and with Hinduism. 
5. Find out about and make brief notes on the position of the Dalits in Indian society and politics since Nehru's time.

GET READY FOR ANOTHER DEBATE NEXT WEEK ALONG WITH YOUR MAP TEST!!!!

The Nature and Structure of Democracy in India

Due Sunday night at 9:00 p.m.

1. Analyze the challenges facing the government of newly independent India in 1947.
2. Assess the achievements of Nehru's government in its efforts to establish a secular, democratic republic in India.
3. Analyze the successes and failures of the health, education and rural development policies of the Indian government between 1947 and 1964.
4. To what extent did Nehru's government create greater equality in Indian society?
5. Explain how political extremism and communalism posed threats to democracy in India.
6. Evaluate the successes and failures of the government of India under Nehru. 

The ISIS Crisis-

Today in class we viewed a 60 Minutes documentary on ISIS. This week's blog, I would like you to focus on the civil war you are researching for your Internal Assessment and compare and contrast the following points regarding ISIS:

• Syria is a control zone for ISIS - what was the control zone for your specific war
• There is major conflict between Iraqi Sunnis and Shias - what is the difference between these two groups? What groups can you compare and contrast them too for your personal IA?
• The recent beheading of four individuals has been given global stature - what events or issues made your civil war receive global stature?
• The U.S. air strikes clearly have an impact on the hostages held by ISIS - what did you find to be impactful during your research for your specific civil war?
• Syria was the control zone for ISIS - what was the control zone for the civil war that you are focused on within your research? 

Conflict In The Middle East

1. Why and with what results did the Arabs and Israelis fight the wars of 1967 and 1973?
2. "Terrorism and violence rather than peaceful diplomacy." How far would you agree with this view of the activities of the PLO in the Middle East in the period 1973 to 1995?
3. How successful was President Nasser as leader of Egypt?
4. "The USA and the USSR intervened in the Middle East in the period 1956 to 1979 purely to preserve political and economic stability in the region." How valid do you think this view is?
5. Assess the reasons why the Six-Day War of 1967 was followed by the Yom Kippur War only three years later. 
6. To what extent have the violent actions of some Palestinians been the main obstacle to the establishment of a Palestinian state? 

Persian Gulf: Questions to Consider

WELCOME BACK TO BLOG HEAVEN! At this point in time we do not have access to Turn It In. Therefore I will be uploading your responses to another site - DO NOT plagiarise. 

Questions to Consider

1. Why is the Persian Gulf region so important?
2. What are the strategic waterways of the region?
3. What is Huntington’s civilization theory?
4. How are Iran and the Arab countries different?
5. Why did Iran erupt in Islamic revolution?
6. What were the first, second, and third Gulf Wars about?
7. Why did Saddam use chemical weapons in the first but not the second or third Gulf War?
8. How did U.S. diplomacy blunder in Iran and Iraq?
9. Would you be willing to fight to keep Gulf oil flowing?

Alcan Roadtrip

Hi Guys!

Miss me yet? I bet not! Here is the link to our Alaska road trip - be on the look out for blogs beginning July 17th. You will be responsible for posting four weeks of blogs and this will count as four quiz/blog grades towards your grade for term one. DO NOT IGNORE THIS TASK!

When you click on the site, scroll down half way. On the right hand side you will see a "Follow Us" indicator with two buttons, click on the orange blog button and that will bring you to the blog site.

Please text me at 617-413-1903 with any issues - however you are ALL responsible for these blogs. Have a great summer and see you guys soon!

Noce

http://mccarthysnowden.wix.com/alcanroadtrip

Alaska

DUE DATE: Sunday, June 22nd at 9:00 p.m.

Why was Alaska knows as the forgotten war during WWII? Do you agree or disagree with it being called the forgotten war? Why? Explain. Be sure to include in your answer the following components:

Alaska-Canadian Highway
African Americans
Japan
Russia

Fun Facts!

DUE DATE: Sunday, June 15th at 9:00 p.m.

This will be an easy but challenging blog for you!

Each one of you has to come up with 10 facts on Tokyo and 10 facts on Okinawa. Sound easy? Here is the catch - this is a group project blog. Why? Because NO TWO facts can be the same. For example, if one student says that Tokyo is in Japan, another student cannot have that same fact. Have fun!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Compare and Contrast

You guys need practice (and I need to grade a million blogs before Friday)!

For this week I would like you to choose a topic that interests you - whether it be sports, school, coaches, teams, etc. and work on evaluating your answer, being VERY specific with facts to back-up your responses.

For example, I think the Yankees are better than the Red Sox, but can I say that stands true for last year? No, the Red Sox (Dead Sox) won the World Series whereas the Yankees were lucky to even finish off the year. Overall the Yankees are better than the Red Sox in terms of championship wins...but then my question/statement would have to read: The Yankees are better than the Red Sox in terms of the number of years winning those titles. Does this make sense? I would have to dig deep into researching why exactly the Yankees performed better - was it their pitching, coaching, batters, etc.

What makes the coach for the Lakers better than the coach for the Celtics? You would have to look at the number of years each coach has worked with their teams, the number of wins, where did each team finish in that division, etc. Hard core facts of what makes this compare and contrast blog true.

Please do NOT give me a simple simon answer - take this seriously. It is definitely different than your other blogs because you are free to choose your own topic. The one main issue you all had across the board with your Annotated Bibliographies was the lack of specificity along with comparing and contrasting your authors.

Have fun!

Oh!!! I will be updating the Alaska blog with your e-mails and you may be posting to that soon as a test.

Plan of Investigation

You will be responsible for writing a draft of your Plan of Investigation for this week's blog. Please note that you MUST upload this to turnitin.com AND print out a copy to hand in on Monday at the beginning of class.

Next week I will begin conducting short conferences with each one of you. This is a VERY important investigation and must be taken seriously. It is impossible for you to write your investigation if you do not have a solid research question and notes. PLEASE read the two handouts for assistance in this process - they are there to help you. Remember, this is NOT a research paper - it is an investigation.

Also, please be aware that you will be graded with the IB Markband - this is in your packets that was distributed to you a month ago.

Tension in Northern Ireland

Turnitin is up and running once again! These questions are due Monday and 9:00 p.m. Please remember that your Critical Annotated Bibliography report is due Tuesday in class along with your note cards!

1. Assess the role of religious and economic factors in causing the tensions in Northern Ireland in the period 1967 to 1990.
2. “The existence of a written constitution is necessary for a successful democratic state.” With reference to Northern Ireland, to what extent do you agree with this statement?
3. Analyze the social and economic challenges faced by Northern Ireland in the late 1960’s.
4. Analyze either the changing status of women or the treatment of religious groups in two authoritarian or single-party states, each chosen from a different region.
5. Describe the four provinces of Northern Ireland. Be sure to include in your answer the similarities and differences in regards to religion, peaceful and violent protests, what types of resistance movements existed and why they became popular.

The Troubles

Please use the following link to read The Troubles: Thirty Years of Conflict in Northern Ireland (1968-1998). Compare and contrast this civil war to the topic you have chosen. Think about these questions: What are the similarities? What are the differences? Why are groups formed to rebel against the existing government? Please remember to upload to turnitin. I have blogs to hand back tomorrow in class! Sorry for the long turn around.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/troubles

Northern Ireland

This blog will begin our discussion on Northern Ireland and the struggles that area of the world faced. The content of this blog and our class lecture will assist you with your topic regarding civil wars, struggles, and the impact these events had on their people.

1. Analyze the impact WWI had on Ireland?
2. Describe the Home Rule Association. Who was the founder? What are they responsible for?
3. Explain the role Charles Stuart Parnell has with the Home Rule Association.
4. Compare and Contrast the Wyndham Land Act to Birrell’s Land Act.
5. Examine the Irish Land League and their responsibility.
6. Identify the Reform Act and its purpose.
7. Compare and contrast the following: First Home Rule bill; Second Home Rule bill; and Third Home Rule bill.
8. Analyze the Irish Parliamentary Party.
9. Discuss Irish Nationalists.
10. Describe in detail the First Sinn Fein.

Email Address Request

Hello -

May I please have everyone respond to this blog with their e-mail address? I want to be able to mail out group updates and stay in touch over the summer with your IA projects, etc. For some reason I do not have your addresses.

Next week I will provide you with a packet of IA information including contracts that you need to sign, due dates, a sample IA, and a general break down. This is like a bible - DO NOT LOSE IT!

I reviewed your questions today and some of you need to edit them a bit.

By the way - Jerilys owes Victor $5 - he posted his blog a little while ago...William Reis is STILL the blog leader - what an addict! I hope Victor's blog is good and not rushed just to get it in.

Have a good weekend - I KNOW you will all miss me!

China 1900-1949

I will provide a reading to you for these questions in class Thursday. Remember to turnitin! 

1. Explain why there was a revolution in China in 1911 and assess the consequences of that revolution.
2. Explain why it took the Nationalists (Kuomintang) so long to establish their authority over China after the revolution of 1911.
3. Chiang Kai-shek was popular during the second half of the 1920's, but after he came to power, his Kuomintang government proved to be a disappointment to the majority of Chinese people. How far would you agree that this is a fair assessment of the career of Chiang Kai-shek?
4. The communist victory in 1949 was due as much to the shortcomings of the Kuomintang as it was to the leadership of Mao Zedong. How far would you agree with this assessment?
5. Assess the view that popular support was the main reason why the communists were able to achieve power in China in 1949. 

Civil Wars

I hope you guys are enjoying your vacation! Below you will find independent research questions for your next blog. Your due date for this blog is Sunday, April 27th, at 9:00 p.m. Please remember to upload to turnitin.com! Enjoy your break and get a lot of rest!

1.     With reference to two civil wars, compare and contrast the importance of ideology in (a) causing the civil war, and (b) attracting outside involvement.

2.     Compare and contrast the causes of two twentieth century civil wars.

3.     Examine the impact of foreign intervention on either the Chinese Civil War or the Spanish Civil War.

4.     Examine the impact of foreign intervention on either the Chinese Civil War or the Spanish Civil War.

5.     What were the main causes and results of the Spanish Civil War?

6.     Describe how the following components played a role in Nigeria in the 1960s:

a.     The war was fought less for political principles than for reasons of hostility between different peoples in different regions

b.     Civil war can arise because people in certain regions of a country feel oppressed or neglected because of political divisions

c.     There are different religious ideas in a country

7.     In Spain, describe how the following three factors contributed to a civil war:

a.     War was fought less for political principles than for reasons of hostility between different peoples in different regions

b.     Civil war can arise: because people in certain regions of a country feel oppressed or neglected because of political divisions

c.     There are different religious ideas in a country

8.     Why has 20th-century warfare seen much less of a distinction between soldiers and civilians than the warfare of previous centuries? For example, one reason could be technology, i.e. the development of aircraft and bigger bombs.

9.     Explain briefly the difference between the following:

·       Total war and limited war

·       National war and civil war

·       Conventional war and guerrilla war

·       Strategy and tactics

·       Defensive and offensive warfare.

10.  Decide whether each war listed below is either total, limited or civil.

War

First World War, 1914-18

Second World War, 1939–45

Algerian War, 1954–62

Nigerian Civil War, 1967–70

Falklands/Malvinas War, 1982

Nicaraguan Revolution, began 1978

Indo–Pakistan Wars, 1947–48, 1965, 1971

Spanish Civil War, 1936–39

Chinese Civil War, 1927–49

Iran–Iraq War, 1980–88

Gulf War, 1990–91

Africa

The following essay questions will be accompanied by a reading I will provide you with in class tomorrow, Thursday, April 10th. I will move the due date for this week's blog to Monday, April 14th at 9:00 p.m.

1. Discuss, in one way for each, how geography has influenced the history of two specific countries or areas in Africa.
2. (a) Give one reason why either Italy or Germany was late in acquiring a colonial empire. (b) Name one African colony acquired by Italy or Germany before 1914 and trace its history up to the present day.
3. Show one difference in the way each of the following African nations achieved independence: (a) Nigeria (b) Algeria (c) Congo (d) Angola.
4. (a) Define "colonial nationalism." (b) Show in two ways that colonial nationalism in Africa was an outgrowth of world conditions. (c) Describe two grievances of African nationalists against the European empire builders.
5. For Africa "independence is only the beginning." (a) Discuss two problems facing the independent African states. (b) Giving one argument to support your opinion, indicate whether the OAU will be effective in overcoming these problems. (c) Evaluate two other efforts by the African nations to overcome these problems. 
6. For each of the following, discuss one effect upon any newly independent African nation. You must name a specific nation and use a different one for each item: (a) tribalism (b) Sahara Desert (c) subsistence agriculture (d) lack of capital (e) high price of oil in the 1970s (f) exodus of white settlers. 

Japanese Internment Camps

Good Evening,

This is another research blog - please remember to upload to turnitin! GREAT job on your dioramas!

1) During WWII why were the Japanese-Americans removed from their homes and daily lives but not the German-Americans? We were at war with both countries - so why the removal of the Japanese?

2) Research and describe how non-Japanese Americans felt when the Japanese disappeared from their neighborhoods.

3) Research a newspaper article from 1942 and interpret the rationale for interning Japanese Americans. Please include the title of your newspaper for this question.

4) Go online and find photographs of Japanese Americans being evacuated and in internment camps. Find a picture that you find touching/moving. Who is the person in the picture? Write a letter to him/her in the camp. What thoughts and feelings would you like to convey about their situation? How do you feel about them being locked up while you are free to continue living where you do, continue going to school, etc.?

5) The 442^nd was a battalion of Japanese American soldiers who fought in World War II for the US while relatives were interned. Research and describe this battalion – what were they responsible for? 

Japan and The Pacific: WW2

These are independent research questions - there is no handout this week. Remember to upload to turnitin.com! Also, I would like for you to comment on two of your classmates blog responses this week. Analyze what they did differently, similar, their tone, etc. 

1. Describe in detail the air raids in Japan.
2. Compare and contrast the Battle of Okinawa and the Battle of Iwo Jima. 
3.  Analyze in detail the Battle of Tokyo Bay.
4. Why did World War II end with the surrender of Japan? 
5. Describe the fall of imperial Japan? 
6. Evaluate the importance of naval warfare in WWII. Three specific battles must be discussed in detail. 
7.  Compare and contrast the methods used to achieve victory during WWII on land and at sea. 

*PLEASE COMMENT ON TWO CLASSMATES BLOG RESPONSES!

Japan's Strategy in 1941-1942

You will receive two readings in class tomorrow - they will assist you with answering the following questions on Japan's strategy in 1941-1942. 1. Why did the Japanese believe that it was better to go to war with the United States sooner rather than later? 2. Why were Japanese military planners pessimistic about their country's chances in a long war against the United States? 3. What actions did the Japanese government take to prepare for a war in the Pacific? 4. According to Japanese military planners, how likely was war against the Soviet Union? 5. What were the three phases of Japan's strategy in the Pacific? 6. What was the overall Japanese strategy? 7. Why was it adopted? 8. Which strategic goals were met, and which were not? 9. What was the purpose of The Supreme War Council? Compare and contrast The Supreme War Council to The Imperial Headquarters. 10. Why is the Battle of Port Morseby and Midway important? Some refer to Midway as the turning point of the war - why would this stand true?

Dr. Mengele's Assistant

Please answer the following questions - there is no need to upload to turnitin since your responses will be coming directly from your findings in the book. I will allow you to submit up until Monday evening at 9:00 p.m. Have a great long weekend!

1. What were Miklos’ expectations when he volunteered to be Mengele’s assistant?
2. How would you describe the attitude of the executioners who delivered Zyklon B then lit up cigarettes and drove away?
3. Describe your reaction when you read about the recipe for concentration camp dysentery. How was the food worse than “pigs’ swill?”
4. Analyze the scene where the girl was found alive among the pile of corpses from the gas chamber. How did you feel with the outcome? Could the outcome have changed?
5. Describe the role of the Sonderkommando members in this book. How do you think other Jewish prisoners regarded these individuals?
6. What kind of people are capable of the actions that Oberschafuhrer Steinberg and his four colleagues executed? What was your reaction to this incredibly disturbing part of the book?
7. Why did Dr. Mengele allow Miklos to search the camp for his wife and daughter? Did you find Dr. Mengele’s behavior odd? For someone so horrid did you see a soft side with him?
8. “Like a pyromaniac it had wished to set the world ablaze, only to ultimately perish in its own fire.” Analyze this quote – whom is it referencing? Is it an appropriate quote used to describe this situation?
9. On more than one occasion Miklos and his colleagues thought they were going to be executed. How did their first experience differ from their last experience?
10. Dr. Mengele asked Miklos to perform many disturbing experiments and methods – describe in detail the one that left you in awe after reading this book.