Thursday, September 29, 2011
Impact of WWI on Germany
Make a list of the challenges facing Friedrich Ebert when he became the leader of Germany following the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II on Nov. 9, 1918.
Organize the challenges as follows:
Political Challenges
-stress of the war led to a revolution from October to November 1918
-citizens hated the idea of democracy
-citizens believed that politicians that were not strong had betrayed Hindenburg
Social Challenges
-the war killed so many people that 600,000 widowers were left and about 2 million children were left without fathers
-huge gap in living standards between the wealthy and poor
-workers were angry that factory workers got to continue being payed while the workers' income had a restriction placed on it
-women were sent to work at factories which made social situations tense because people thought that was wrong in society
Economic Challenges
-national income decreased to about 1/3 of what it had been in 1913
-industrial production was about 2/3 of what it had previously been in 1913
-Germany was virtually bankrupt after the war was over
-restrictions were placed on worker's earnings during the war
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Germany is "Punished" by the Big Three at Versailles
1. Using information and sources on pages 14 - 17, summarize the aims of the three leaders at the Paris Peace Conference.
Georges Clemenceau (France)
Attitude towards Germany: France found Germany a threat and thought they deserved to take blame for the war because Germany had not been as damaged from the war as France had, especially in terms of population decrease, land damage, and industrial damage.
Main Aim: Originally, to separate Germany into smaller, separate states, but eventually that evolved into leaving Germany with as little power as possible.
How he felt about the treaty: The representatives of France found the treaty as a way to take down Germany and give Germany very little power, but in the end, France was not happy because they were under the impression that Britain especially was letting Germany have it easy.
Woodrow Wilson (United States)
Attitude towards Germany: Thought that Germany definitely needed repercussions but not so harsh that it would come back and hurt the US when Germany decided they were able to fight back.
Main Aim: To make all countries eventually self-determined so that everyone had the ability to run their own country in their own way.
How he felt about the treaty: He was content with the treaty for the most part, because his biggest aim was met when the countries decided to attempt self-determination.
David Lloyd George (Great Britain)
Attitude towards Germany: As Wilson felt, George wanted Germany to be punished but not so much that it would come back to hurt them in the end.
Main Aim: To have Germany trade with Britain again, after previously being their second biggest trade country.
How he felt about the treaty: He often disagreed with Wilson, especially about the self-determination, but was happy to allow Germany to not be treated harshly so that they would be more likely to be safe in the future.
Main Terms of the Treaty of Versailles against Germany
2. Read pages 18 - 19. Summarize the main terms of the Treaty of Versailles:
War Guilt: Germany was forced to admit blame for the war, mostly because there was no one left to blame other than them.
Reparations: Because Germany had to take blame for the war, they had to pay the debt caused by the war, which added up to be around 6.6 million dollars.
German Territories and Colonies: The territories and colonies that Germany once had were taken away from them and put under control of Britain and France. Germany was then banned from joining Austria as an Ally.
Germany's Armed Forces: Restrictions were placed to make sure that Germany could not overtake any countries. They ended up with a smaller army, no drafts, few Navy battle ships, no armed vehicles, and a demilitarized zone of land.
League of Nations: Used to keep Germany in check, so mostly acted as an international police force.
Georges Clemenceau (France)
Attitude towards Germany: France found Germany a threat and thought they deserved to take blame for the war because Germany had not been as damaged from the war as France had, especially in terms of population decrease, land damage, and industrial damage.
Main Aim: Originally, to separate Germany into smaller, separate states, but eventually that evolved into leaving Germany with as little power as possible.
How he felt about the treaty: The representatives of France found the treaty as a way to take down Germany and give Germany very little power, but in the end, France was not happy because they were under the impression that Britain especially was letting Germany have it easy.
Woodrow Wilson (United States)
Attitude towards Germany: Thought that Germany definitely needed repercussions but not so harsh that it would come back and hurt the US when Germany decided they were able to fight back.
Main Aim: To make all countries eventually self-determined so that everyone had the ability to run their own country in their own way.
How he felt about the treaty: He was content with the treaty for the most part, because his biggest aim was met when the countries decided to attempt self-determination.
David Lloyd George (Great Britain)
Attitude towards Germany: As Wilson felt, George wanted Germany to be punished but not so much that it would come back to hurt them in the end.
Main Aim: To have Germany trade with Britain again, after previously being their second biggest trade country.
How he felt about the treaty: He often disagreed with Wilson, especially about the self-determination, but was happy to allow Germany to not be treated harshly so that they would be more likely to be safe in the future.
Main Terms of the Treaty of Versailles against Germany
2. Read pages 18 - 19. Summarize the main terms of the Treaty of Versailles:
War Guilt: Germany was forced to admit blame for the war, mostly because there was no one left to blame other than them.
Reparations: Because Germany had to take blame for the war, they had to pay the debt caused by the war, which added up to be around 6.6 million dollars.
German Territories and Colonies: The territories and colonies that Germany once had were taken away from them and put under control of Britain and France. Germany was then banned from joining Austria as an Ally.
Germany's Armed Forces: Restrictions were placed to make sure that Germany could not overtake any countries. They ended up with a smaller army, no drafts, few Navy battle ships, no armed vehicles, and a demilitarized zone of land.
League of Nations: Used to keep Germany in check, so mostly acted as an international police force.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
The German Revolution
1. Using the documents in Chapter 1 as evidence, list the ways in which conditions in Germany worsened during the war.
Many people were starving because British ships blocked ports that imported food, then a cold front arrived and the potato crops froze. Also, the soldiers were forced to sleep in mud dugouts and were living in fear of being hit by shell-fire.
2. Give two reasons why the war caused such bad conditions for German civilians.
The British blocked the ports where food was imported, coal shortages caused lack of heat and there were electricity shortages.
3. After reading Chapter 2, give two reasons why Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated on November 10, 1918.
America was pushing for him to create a more democratic government and the mutiny spread around all of Germany, forcing him to have to abdicate so the country would not completely fall apart.
4. Using the information you have read in this chapter, give evidence to support the statement that there was "revolution all over Germany."
Cities were joining together to create a mutiny to bring down Kaiser that caused most ports of the navy, and eventually people that were inland to rebel and revolt against Kaiser.
5. Study the information about the German Socialists in Chapter 2, page 5. What did the three Socialist groups have in common?
All three groups had the exact same aim: to improve the workers' conditions and to allow citizens of Germany to vote.
6. In what ways were the Socialist groups different.
Each method was different between the three groups. The Social Democratic Party's method was to support the government and try to make reforms by acts of parliament. The Independent Socialists did the exact opposite when they opposed the government and forced it to make the reforms they wanted by organizing strikes. The Spartacists' method was to overthrow the government with a revolution.
7. After reading Chapter 3 make a time chart of the events of the German Revolution from Nov. 10, 1918 to Jan. 15, 1919. You should be able to find six events.
Kaiser fled, Ebert took over Kaiser's position, Ebert issued a statement to try to calm the situation, The Social Democrats and The Spartacists create violence, sailors broke into government headquarters, the Weimar Republic is created.
8. At what time would you say the Communists had their best chance of seizing power? Explain your answer.
Right after the revolution because at that time everyone was in poverty and was struggling to survive, and as Karl Marx had said, communism was best preached during poverty spells. Everyone thinks that if they are poor and going no where, the idea of equality is perfect so that would have been the best time to attempt to convince people.
Many people were starving because British ships blocked ports that imported food, then a cold front arrived and the potato crops froze. Also, the soldiers were forced to sleep in mud dugouts and were living in fear of being hit by shell-fire.
2. Give two reasons why the war caused such bad conditions for German civilians.
The British blocked the ports where food was imported, coal shortages caused lack of heat and there were electricity shortages.
3. After reading Chapter 2, give two reasons why Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated on November 10, 1918.
America was pushing for him to create a more democratic government and the mutiny spread around all of Germany, forcing him to have to abdicate so the country would not completely fall apart.
4. Using the information you have read in this chapter, give evidence to support the statement that there was "revolution all over Germany."
Cities were joining together to create a mutiny to bring down Kaiser that caused most ports of the navy, and eventually people that were inland to rebel and revolt against Kaiser.
5. Study the information about the German Socialists in Chapter 2, page 5. What did the three Socialist groups have in common?
All three groups had the exact same aim: to improve the workers' conditions and to allow citizens of Germany to vote.
6. In what ways were the Socialist groups different.
Each method was different between the three groups. The Social Democratic Party's method was to support the government and try to make reforms by acts of parliament. The Independent Socialists did the exact opposite when they opposed the government and forced it to make the reforms they wanted by organizing strikes. The Spartacists' method was to overthrow the government with a revolution.
7. After reading Chapter 3 make a time chart of the events of the German Revolution from Nov. 10, 1918 to Jan. 15, 1919. You should be able to find six events.
Kaiser fled, Ebert took over Kaiser's position, Ebert issued a statement to try to calm the situation, The Social Democrats and The Spartacists create violence, sailors broke into government headquarters, the Weimar Republic is created.
8. At what time would you say the Communists had their best chance of seizing power? Explain your answer.
Right after the revolution because at that time everyone was in poverty and was struggling to survive, and as Karl Marx had said, communism was best preached during poverty spells. Everyone thinks that if they are poor and going no where, the idea of equality is perfect so that would have been the best time to attempt to convince people.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Russia, 1861-1905
1. List the general goals of the:
a. socialists
they were trying to create a classless society that would end the suffering of the workers
they wanted the state to be in charge of production
b. liberal reformers
they were trying to put the western constitutional practice and the western law in place to end problems in Russia
2. List three characteristics of serfs' lives.they farmed the lands on open-field strips and worked for the nobles
they paid rent in the form of produce, cash, or labor
most lived in small dank homes that were usually shared with animals
3. List four reforms of Tsar Alexander II.
elimination of the system of serfdom because he wished to modernize.
created local elected assemblies known as zemstvos
he took steps to increase industrial production
expanded railroad systems to give people more opportunities
4. Why did the populists go "to the people" in 1873-1874?
they went to the people because they did not believe in industrialization. instead they believed they needed to "maintain Russian peasants' traditional communal group ethic" because they believed it would guarantee equality for the people.
5. List two consequences of the famine of 1891.
half a million peasants died from famine and disease
many communities staged revolts during the famine
6. Why was Karl Marx important to Russian intellectuals?
It became important because they believed he gave them a reason for the famine and they believed his ideas could make Russia more like Europe.
7. What were the Goals and Methods of the following political groups in early twentieth century Russia? (see page 8 of the reading)
a. Liberal Democrats
they believed in individual liberty and that the state should protect certain individual rights.
b. Socialist Revolutionaries
they wanted to socialize all land and transfer it to communes and they wanted to get rid of the anarchy and create a democratic republic. this group was involved in violence but they believed they were doing it for the good of the peasants.
c. Social Democrats
they believed that as Russia became more capitalistic, it would be easier to start socialist activity focusing more on the working class instead of on the peasantry.
8. How did Bloody Sunday change people's attitudes toward the Tsar?
People used to think of the tsar as a benevolent man that protected his people but their love for him died and turned to frustration and hate. They could not believe that he would allow so many of his people to be killed or wounded. They began to attack soldiers, policemen, rob stores, and throw rocks at people.
9. List four reforms in Tsar Nicholas's October Manifesto.
expansion of civil liberty
limited monarchy
legislature elected by universal suffrage
legislation of trade unions and political parties
a. socialists
they were trying to create a classless society that would end the suffering of the workers
they wanted the state to be in charge of production
b. liberal reformers
they were trying to put the western constitutional practice and the western law in place to end problems in Russia
2. List three characteristics of serfs' lives.they farmed the lands on open-field strips and worked for the nobles
they paid rent in the form of produce, cash, or labor
most lived in small dank homes that were usually shared with animals
3. List four reforms of Tsar Alexander II.
elimination of the system of serfdom because he wished to modernize.
created local elected assemblies known as zemstvos
he took steps to increase industrial production
expanded railroad systems to give people more opportunities
4. Why did the populists go "to the people" in 1873-1874?
they went to the people because they did not believe in industrialization. instead they believed they needed to "maintain Russian peasants' traditional communal group ethic" because they believed it would guarantee equality for the people.
5. List two consequences of the famine of 1891.
half a million peasants died from famine and disease
many communities staged revolts during the famine
6. Why was Karl Marx important to Russian intellectuals?
It became important because they believed he gave them a reason for the famine and they believed his ideas could make Russia more like Europe.
7. What were the Goals and Methods of the following political groups in early twentieth century Russia? (see page 8 of the reading)
a. Liberal Democrats
they believed in individual liberty and that the state should protect certain individual rights.
b. Socialist Revolutionaries
they wanted to socialize all land and transfer it to communes and they wanted to get rid of the anarchy and create a democratic republic. this group was involved in violence but they believed they were doing it for the good of the peasants.
c. Social Democrats
they believed that as Russia became more capitalistic, it would be easier to start socialist activity focusing more on the working class instead of on the peasantry.
8. How did Bloody Sunday change people's attitudes toward the Tsar?
People used to think of the tsar as a benevolent man that protected his people but their love for him died and turned to frustration and hate. They could not believe that he would allow so many of his people to be killed or wounded. They began to attack soldiers, policemen, rob stores, and throw rocks at people.
9. List four reforms in Tsar Nicholas's October Manifesto.
expansion of civil liberty
limited monarchy
legislature elected by universal suffrage
legislation of trade unions and political parties
Monday, September 5, 2011
The Seeds of Conflict
1. Define "The West." Make sure you could identify several countries as examples.
-the West: considered a threat to the freedoms of democracy and capitalism.
2. Explain the differences in the economic ideology between the West and the USSR.
-The West believed in private enterprise which was focused on separation of factory owners and the workers that were working in those factories or other poorer working classes. The opposite of this idea is what the USSR based their ideas on. To create a world without social classes, the idea was to create a state-owned economy that would create opportunities for the poorer classes to make as much money as the richer classes, but brought the richer classes' profits significantly down.
3. Explain the differences in the political ideology between the West and the USSR.
-In the West, there was a democracy that included freedom to vote, freedom of speech, freedom of worship, and a free press, giving the people of the state to have a say in how their country was controlled and to change what they did not like. The USSR thought that having the people choosing between different political parties was leading to different classes and conflicting situations that were dangerous. Instead of the people having a say, there was one political party that was run by the Communist Party which took away freedoms.
4. What was the Comintern (Communist International) and why did it concern the West.
-a system in which communist groups were coordinated throughout the world and support their attempts to undermine capitalism by available means. This was concerning to the West because there was no end to stopping capitalism, even if a new revolution was involved.
5. What occurred during the Russian Civil War (1918-21) that solidified the opposition between the West and the Communists? (Be specific and use key details.)
-During this war, the communists fought the conservatives who were supported by Britain, the US, France, and Japan, who also wished to fight communism and to change the decision that would pull Russia out of the First World War against Germany. After the war was over, the supporters of the conservatives began to leave the picture, causing the communists to win the Russian Civil War. When the communists had won, the West felt strongly about taking down communism and thought about using military action to do so.
-the West: considered a threat to the freedoms of democracy and capitalism.
2. Explain the differences in the economic ideology between the West and the USSR.
-The West believed in private enterprise which was focused on separation of factory owners and the workers that were working in those factories or other poorer working classes. The opposite of this idea is what the USSR based their ideas on. To create a world without social classes, the idea was to create a state-owned economy that would create opportunities for the poorer classes to make as much money as the richer classes, but brought the richer classes' profits significantly down.
3. Explain the differences in the political ideology between the West and the USSR.
-In the West, there was a democracy that included freedom to vote, freedom of speech, freedom of worship, and a free press, giving the people of the state to have a say in how their country was controlled and to change what they did not like. The USSR thought that having the people choosing between different political parties was leading to different classes and conflicting situations that were dangerous. Instead of the people having a say, there was one political party that was run by the Communist Party which took away freedoms.
4. What was the Comintern (Communist International) and why did it concern the West.
-a system in which communist groups were coordinated throughout the world and support their attempts to undermine capitalism by available means. This was concerning to the West because there was no end to stopping capitalism, even if a new revolution was involved.
5. What occurred during the Russian Civil War (1918-21) that solidified the opposition between the West and the Communists? (Be specific and use key details.)
-During this war, the communists fought the conservatives who were supported by Britain, the US, France, and Japan, who also wished to fight communism and to change the decision that would pull Russia out of the First World War against Germany. After the war was over, the supporters of the conservatives began to leave the picture, causing the communists to win the Russian Civil War. When the communists had won, the West felt strongly about taking down communism and thought about using military action to do so.
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