Web Assignment #1:
The World in 1914.
1. How does the 1905 textbook view the extension of European
Imperialism in its time? Does it view it as a positive or negative phenomenon?
What theories and ideologies does it use to bolster its viewpoint? (Web Assignment I)
2. How do the Laws of War deal with the problems of armed aggression
and the use of weapons of mass destruction? How effectively enforced were
these Laws of War in the First World War? Cite specific examples. (Web Assignments I-II)
Web Assignment #2:
World War I.
1. How could a political assassination be transformed into a
World War? Read the web sources on the Sarajevo incident and the documents
on the alliance system and the beginning of World War I and attempt to
briefly answer this question. (Web Assignments
I-II)
2. According to the Sykes Picot Agreement, the Husein-McMahon
letters, and the Balfour Declaration, how did the powers plan to dispose
of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East? What did they promise the Arabs
and the Jews? (Web Assignment II)
3. World War I has been called the first total war. In what ways
was it total? How did it affect the states and societies of the belligerents?
Web Assignment #3:
The Uneasy Peace.
1. Compare Wilson's fourteen points and the November 11 Armistice
agreement with the Versailles Treatry. In looking at the discrepancies
in these documents do you agree with the statement that the Peace of Paris
led to a second European conflict? (Web Assignment
III)
2. Examine the Treaties of Sevrés of 1920 and Lausanne
of 1923. What changes were made to the original treaty of Sevrés?
Why was there a necessity to renegotiate Sevrés. What had happened
in the intervening three years? (Web Assignment
III)
3. According to Johnson, what was the intellectual impact of
the First World War? Do you believe this impact was a as important as the
social, political, and economic consequences of the War in the web pages
(Web Assignments II-III)?
Web Assignment #4:
The Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union.
1. Briefly analyze Lenin's speeches, interviews and writings
in 1917-1919. Do you get the impression that he is in control of things
in the party and the Soviets? In your mind do you see him as a brilliant
politician/revolutionary or a wide-eyed fanatic? Back up your views with
evidence from his works. (Web Assignment V)
2. Compare and contrast the Rights
of Working and Exploited People of the Constitution of the R.S.F.S.R.
(1918) and the Bill
of Rights of the U.S. Constitution. How are they similar or different
in their formulation of rights regarding freedom of press, speech, religion,
assembly, and the right to bear arms?
3. It has been said that the Soviet Union became the first totalitarian
state in the twentieth century. Do you agree with this statement? If so,
when and how did it develop its totalitarian institutions?
Web Assignment #5:
Fascism in Italy.
1. Compare and contrast the views of the Fascists presented in
the American account of 1922 and the account of the March on Rome. Which
in your opinion presents the more telling arguments? (Web
Assignment V)
2. According to the Johnson and the source readings, how different
were the communist and fascist seizures of power in Russia in 1917 and
Italy in 1923? How do Johnson and the web sources compare and contrast
the rise of Communism in Russia with the rise of Fascism in Italy? In your
opinion which came closer to the totalitarian model? (Web
Assignments IV-V)
Web Assignment #6:
Weimar Germany and the Rise of the Nazis.
1. According to the Web Reading accounts and Johnson, what were
the most important factors that led to the ascendancy of the Nazi party
in Germany? How could the diplomatic reports at the end of 1932 believe
that the Nazis were in decline, when they would be in power a few months
later. (Web Assignment VI)
2. According to the web account and Johnson on the Reichtag Fire,
how did that incident contnbute to the Nazi rise to power in Germany? Cite
specific evidence in both sources. (Web Assignment
VI)
2. What elements were important in the rise of totalitarian and
authoritarian governments in Europe during the period 1918-1939? What conditions
were necessary for these political systems to emerge, grow, and prosper.
Cite examples from Germany, and one of the smaller states (Austria, Hungary,
or Bulgaria). (Web Assignments III and VI)
Web Assignment #7:
Great Britain and France.
1. Judging from the content of Stanley Baldwin's speech on disarmament,
the Covenant of the League of Nations, and the text of the Kellogg-Briand
Pact, was disarmament a viable option to bring about world peace in the
1920's and 1930's? (Web Assignment III and
Web Assignment VII)
2. Looking at the secondary readings on the Maginot Line and
the correspondence on French Efforts to Purchase Warplanes in the United
States in 1938, what do you see as the basic problem in French defense
and military policy in the 1930's? (Web Assignment
VII)
Web Assignment #8:
China.
1. What were the goals of the Chinese national movement in the
1910's and 1920's and what was the program of the Nationalist (Kuomintang)
Party? In your view, part of the movement, Chiang's or Mao's factions,
best represent those goals and that program? (Web
Assignment VIII)
2. According to Mao Tse-Tung, how was the Communist party and
movement to confront the Japanese threat to China. How was the Japanese
invasion affecting the struggle between Mao Tse-Tung's Communists and Chiang
Kai-Shek's Nationalist for control of China? (Web
Assignment VIII)
Web Assignment #9:
Japan.
1. Compare and contrast the Japanese and anti-Japanese view of
the race question at the Paris Peace conference and the League of Nations.
In view of Japan's interests in China and Asia, do you think that Japan's
grievances were legitimate or were they a ploy to increase Japanese leverage
in Asia? (Web Assignment VIII-IX)
2. According to Johnson, why was Japan an active player and China
a passive object in Asian international affairs in the Inter war Period?
Compare his view with that of the Web Readings. (Web
Assignments VIII-IX)
Web Assignment #10:
The United States.
1. Are the inaugural addresses of Presidents Harding through
Roosevelt good sources for an understanding of conditions in the United
States in the Inter war Period? Use Johnson and the secondary web sources
for analysis and cite specific sections of the speeches to support your
views. (Web Assignment X)
2. How and why would a stock market crash in New York City cause
a worldwide depression? In your opinion, did U. S. political isolationism
and economic internationalism contribute to the causes that lead to World
War II? Cite Johnson's and the Web Readings' views, if any. (Web
Assignment X)
3. Read and analyze some of the WPA interviews with Americans
during the Great Depression found in the web pages. How do conditions in
the U.S. compare to those in Germany? In you opinion, why did the U.S.
not move in the direction of totalitarianism? (Web
Assignment X)
Web Assignment #11:
The Dictatorships, 1933-1939.
1. Compare and contrast the organization and function of the
totalitarian states of Nazi-Germany and Soviet Russia in the 1930's based
upon the Web Readings. (Web Assignments XI-XII)
2. After the formal signing of the Non-Aggression Pact of August
1939, the representatives of Germany and the Soviet Union, Joachim Von
Ribbentrop and Vyacheslav Molotov, retired for a private discussion over
schnapps and vodka. After a few drinks, they begin to frankly discuss the
differences and similarities between their two states and political systems.
Give a desciption of how this conversation would have gone, either in the
form of report from Molotov to Stalin, or a report from Ribbentrop to Hitler.
In composing these imaginary reports, take into consideration the diplomats'
points of view and general information on Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia
in the late 1930's.
Web Assignment #12:
The Tide of Aggression, 1931-1939.
1. In what ways was the Spanish Civil War a "dress rehearsal"
for World War II? How did it become part of "the tide of Axis aggression"?
2. Based upon the party and diplomatic documents, how do you
explain the transformation of the Soviet Union as the chief opponent of
Fascism and Nazism to a willing accomplice of Axis aggression? How does
Martens justify this change?
Web Assignment #13:
World War II: The Axis Ascendant.
1. In your opinion, how and why were Nazi military operations
so successful in the years 1939-1941 ? Why were they unsuccessful against
Russia? Cite items from the sources readings to bolster your position.
(Web Assignment XIII)
2. Compare and contrast the description of the underground war
in the Balkans given in the Nuremberg Trials on
Balkan War Crimes and a U.S. Army study done in 1949 (Anti-Guerrilla
Operations in the Balkans). Do you see the influence of the Cold War
in the latter study? (Web Assignments XIII-XIV)
3. How did the Sino-Japanese War become the Asian/Pacific Theatre
of the Second World War? Was the expansion of the conflict in 1941 the
case of pure Japanese aggression or a collision course of Japanese and
American interests? What role did events in Europe play in the expansion
of the war in Asia and the Pacific in 1941?
Web Assignment #14:
World War II: Allied Victory.
1. Briefly compare and contrast allied plans for a cross-channel
invasion with axis preparations for defense of Festung Europa (Fortress
Europe). How did these conflicting strategies play out on D-Day? How did
they affect the ordinary soldiers in the first hours of the Normandy invasion?
(Web Assignment XIV)
2. In your view, was the use of the Atomic bomb against Japan
at the end of the war necessary and justified? Do the web accounts (The
Atomic Bombings of Japan: A 50-Year Retrospective and Strategic
Bombing in the Pacific) and Johnson affirm or challenge your view?
(Web Assignment XIV)
Web Assignment #15:
Onset of the Cold War.
1. In your view what decisions made at the Yalta
Conference and the Potsdam
Conference helped to bring about the Cold War. Cite specific provisions
from the conference agreements to support your position. (Web
Assignment XIV)
2. Compare and contrast the George
Kennan Views Soviet Post-War Foreign Policy, 1946 and Truman
Doctrine, 12 March 1947. In your view, did Kennan's policy paper influence
the content of Truman's policy? Cite specific examples. (Web
Assignment XV)
Web Assignment #16:
Decolonization in Asia.
1. From the Background Notes on Selected
East Asian and Pacific Countries read about the decolonization of Indonesia,
Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam and briefly discuss how the policies of
the Britain, Holland and France affected those Asian countries' independence
movements. (Web Assignment XVI)
2. Based upon a perusal British
White Paper on Palestine, 1939, Declaration
of Israel's Independence, 1948, and The
Palestinian National Charter: Resolutions of the Palestine National Council,
July 1-17, 1968, what would you say was the main cause of the Arab-Israeli
conflict in the postwar Middle East? (Web Assignment
XVI)
3. Compare and contrast breakup of the British and French Overseas
Empires in the post-World War II Era in Asia. How did each power respond
to the national movements in their colonies? How was independence achieved?
Was it by conflict or diplomacy? Analyze this question in general terms
and give examples of the independence movements in at least one British
and one French possession in Asia. (Web Assignment
XVI)
Web Assignment #17:
Decolonization in Africa.
1. From the Background Notes on Selected
African Countries read about the decolonization
of Algeria, Ghana, Mozambique, and Chad and briefly discuss how the policies
of the Britain, Portugal and France affected those African countries' independence
movements. (Web assignment XVII)
2. Based upon the primary source readings, briefly describe Apartheid
in South Africa and the opposition to it. (Web
Assignment XVII).
3. Compare and contrast breakup of the British and French Overseas
Empires in the post-World War II Era in Africa. How did each power respond
to the national movements in their colonies? How was independence achieved?
Was it by conflict or diplomacy? Analyze this question in general terms
and give examples of the independence movements in at least one British
and one French possession in Africa. (Web assignment
XVII)
Web Assignment #18:
China and India.
1. Briefly discuss the issues of the Jammu-Kashmir dispute between
India and Pakistan. Which country has the strongest claim to the region?
How can this problem be solved? Use Johnson and the web sources to answer
this question. (Web Assignment XVIII)
2. Based upon Johnson and the Web Sources, briefly compare and
contrast the Chinese and Indian approaches to economic development and
population control in the second half of this century. (Web
Assignment XVIII)
Web Assignment #19:
Western and Eastern Europe.
1. According to Johnson, how did Europe recover economically
and politically in the Post-War Era? How did eastern and western Europe
differ in their political/ economic conditions?
2. Read the The
Decade of European Recovery II (From Raymond F. Betts, Europe in Retrospect
), The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
(CMEA/Comecon), and United
States Department of State Press Statement on the European Common Market
And The Free Trade Area, January 15, 1957, and briefly compare and
contrast the West and East European approaches to economic cooperation
and development. (Web Assignment XIX)
Web Assignment #20:
The Americas.
1. According to the Web sources and Johnson, which were the most
significant problems existing between the United States and Latin America
in the Post World War II Era? (Web Assignment
XX)
2. According to Johnson and the Web Sources, how has Latin America
been affected by the ideological currents of the Twentieth Century (Communism,
Fascism, anti-Imperialism, etc.)? (Web Assignment
XX)
Web Assignment #21:
The Soviet Bloc.
1. What was gist of Khrushchev's Speech to the 20th CPSU Congress?
How did Khrushchev's secret speech affect Soviet politics? How did it affect
politics in the Socialist states of Eastern Europe? (Assignment
XXI)
2. How did the Soviets respond to revolution in Hungary
and Poland in 1956? How did it affect their relations with the Third
World and the West?
3. What do the web documents (Medvedev,
Soviet
Intellectual Policy, Trial
of Ginsberg et al, and Political
Anecdotes) say about the nature of dissent and repression in the Soviet
Union in the Brezhnev era (1964-1982)? How did elements of totalitarianism
survive in the Soviet Union?
Web Assignment #22:
The Development of Asia.
1. How have the countries of Asia moved in the direction of advanced
economic development in the last 25 years? Use two comparable countries
as examples (Vietnam and China; Taiwan and South Korea; Singapore and Hong
Kong; or Malaysia and Indonesia). (Web Assignment
XXII)
2. Compare and contrast earlier reports of Asian Economic growth
with later reports of Asian Economic Crisis, again using two comparable
countries as examples (Vietnam and China; Taiwan and South Korea; Singapore
and Hong Kong; or Malaysia and Indonesia). (Web
Assignment XXII)
Web Assignment #23:
The Decline of Communism.
1. In looking at the war in Afghanistan and the Chernobyl' incident,
which do youy believe played the greatest role in bring about the changes
in the Svoiet Union in the late 1980's? (Web
Assignment XXI and Web Assignment XXIII)
2. Using documents on Romania in 1989 as an example, how did
Soviet leaders view the Breakup of the Soviet Bloc? (Web
Assignment XXIII)
Web Assignment #24:
Fundamentalism and Nationalism.
1. Briefly analyze Muslim and Hindu fundamentalist ideologies
of the 1990's and comment whether or not they resemble ideologies of the
1920's and 1930's such as Nazism and Fascism? (Web
Assignment XXIV)
2. According to the Web sources, how does religion and ethnicity
play a role in armed conflicts of the late twentieth century? Is it a real
cause or an excuse for war? Use the Caucasus, Kosovo, Ireland or Kurdistan
as an example. (Web Assignment XXIV)
3. From a perusal of web sources, how do you view Russia's role
in the Commonwealth of Independent States? Is the new Russian Federation
acting as a peacekeeper or Empire builder? (Web
Assignment XXIV)
Web Assignment #25:
The End of History?
1. In your view, does the use of eyewitness accounts, like are
found in the web readings, enhance the study of the history of the twentieth
century or detract from it? Like television news shows does the selective
choice of what events to cover indicate a bias? Does the lack of analysis
give a jaded view of history? Cite specific examples.
2. According to the Johnson and the Web Sources, are we living
in "the best of times" or "the worst of times" in the
late Twentieth Century? What is your opinion? (Web
Assignment XXV)
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