I am frustrated by the limitations of virtual learning, especially at a time when America is in crisis. We need to come together as a nation to deal with the issues that have caused the unrest. I have always viewed history as a road map to the future, and we can learn from the mistakes as well as the success of the past to help guide us to the future.
There are many lessons we can learn from history, and the best lessons are often explained by students. The best response to last week's assignment and a lesson in history was submitted by Aurora Wentzell, and she agreed to let me use her response:
Social Darwinists view war as a ____Natural__ and inevitable state of human affairs.
- Do you agree or disagree? Explain.
Aurora wrote "I somewhat agree because war is natural, but we don't need it. It's like poison ivy, it grows naturally, but we don't need it. Poison ivy doesn't serve a purpose to us, and if we touch it, it makes us uncomfortable and it spreads, just like war."
War is not an inevitable state of human affairs, and neither is the current social unrest throughout the country. The riots that plague America today have been sparked by the brutal killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week. There are numerous factors that have contributed to this unrest, among them: anxiety over the deadly pandemic of Corona 19, frustration over high unemployment and income inequality, and fury over the death of another African American while in police custody. The fury has been compounded because while his brutal killing was videoed and made public, and the officers involved were immediately fired, it took 5 days after Lloyd's murder for an arrest to be made.
The Mayor of Miami, Francis X. Suarez, estimated that 80-90% of the protesters are peaceful, but that 10-20% have used these protests to loot and cause mayhem. These violent radicals and reactionaries have used the cover of peaceful protests to bring chaos and mayhem.
I am not sure what the result of this crisis will be, but understanding and addressing the root causes will be the first step in resolving this crisis. I agree with Aurora, war is not a natural and inevitable state of human affairs, and its roots (like poison ivy) have to be pulled out and destroyed in order to address the problem.
These are some of the reasons a spark led to global conflict from 1914-1918, and eventually to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the start of WWII.
1. WWI is sparked by the assassination of Franz Ferdinand of Austria Hungary by a Serbian nationalist in June 1914 The Balkan Peninsula is a powerkeg of tension between Austrians and Serbs.
2. AH pulls in Germany when Germany gives them a blank check to gain vengeance vs. Serbia
3. Serbia pulls in Russia, their Slavic defender and "big brother"
4.Russia mobilizes its military to prepare to defend Serbia from AH
5. When Russia mobilizes its forces, Germany feels threatened because it can be attacked on two fronts by Russia and France, an ally of Russia
6. Austria Hungary declares war on Serbia by the end of July
7. Germany preemptively declares war first on Russia (Aug 1st), then on France (Aug 3rd)
8. Germany attacks France through neutral Belgium (Aug 4th) bringing England and all of her colonies into the the conflict. England had an 1822 treaty to defend neutral Belgium.
9. World war starts and Europe will never be the same again.
10.The war is one of stalemate in the West while Germany eventually defeated Russia in the East.
11. In 1917,Russia left the war, but the US entered and turned the tide by 1918.
12. Germany is exhausted and defeated in part because of a worldwide influenza, and signs an armistice which goes into effect 11/11/1918
13. Germany is later forced to sign the punishing Treaty of Versailles and accept 100% of the blame for the war, they also lose terrritory and have to dismantle their military
14. Hitler will come to power in 1933 in part because of how he feels Germany is cheated by the Treaty of Versailles. The Great Depression also helped Hitler win a parliamentary election in 1933.
Next week we will look at Hitler's rise to power, this week we will look at WWI and the life of the soldier on the Western Front;
Watch : America's Time Shellshock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GBWDQ5cF_U
CP2 answer 4 of the 10 questions in complete sentences. Look at #10 first
CP1 answer 6 of the 10 in complete sentences. Look at #10 first
Honors answer 8 of the 10 questions in complete sentences. Look at #10 first
1. Why is this episode called Shell Shock? What does the term mean? When and how
did it come into use? Why do you think Shell Shock is referred to as PTSD today?
2. Imagine that you are a World War I soldier. Write a diary entry or a letter to me that explains what life is in the trenches. This letter should list at least three things you see, hear, or feel in the trenches.
3. In May 1915 a German U-boat sank the Lusitania off the Irish Coast. Despite the knowledge of a
war waging in the Atlantic, passengers chose to sail in these waters. Why did the
passengers of the Lusitania have a false sense of security?
4. Why was World War I different from all previous wars? How was this war truly a
product of the new century? Identify and explain three ways technology changed warfare.
5. What was the “massacre of the innocents?” in Germany? Why did this event bear this name?
6. The automobile is one of the most influential machines of the twentieth century.
How did Henry Ford's Model T change American life in the early years of the century? Bullet 3 ways.
7. How did propaganda shape American views of World War I? How were the Germans portrayed in the movies? What impact did this have on the way Americans viewed the war?
8. The years 1915-1940 saw the great African-American migration, when millions of
African-Americans migrated from the South to the North. How did World War I help foster this massive migration? How did this migration affect life in both the
South and the North?
8. What is a “war of attrition?” Why was World War I a war of attrition on the Western Front?
9. Discuss the futility of the Battle of the Somme. How were soldiers treated by their officiers?
10. Think about what is happening today: what do you think the legacy of this current crisis and protests will be? Let me know what you think about the current protests and my comments. I encourage you to disagree with anything I wrote. As Gandhi said "Honest disagreement is a sign of progress."
