EOC Simulation Review

EOC Simulation ReviewImportant Time Periods to Study

Saturday, April 20, 2013

The Prehistoric and Ancient World8000-500 BC

• The earliest human beings often wandered following herds of animals in seasonal patterns. They were nomadic hunter-gatherers.

• As perhaps women scattered seeds while groups moved seasonally from place to place, these early human groups began to see plants sprout as food sources in these places. With the Neolithic Revolution- agriculture begins, people start being able to settle in one place, and we the first cities rise in areas around bodies of water- river valleys and natural lakes.

• Civilizations with advanced cities, specialized workers, and complex institutions rise in river valleys in Mesopotamia, Egypt, China and India.


• Notes:

• Mesopotamia- their civilization grew on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in modern-day Iraq and Iran around a series of city-states such as Uruk, Ur and Babylon- each ruled by a single ruler. Each city-state was a theocracy. The Sumerians were polytheistic, built ziggurat temples, used irrigation canals for farming, develop the wheel, sail and plow, plus, use bronze to create weapons and tools. Using cuneiform, the first form of symbol writing, they develop the first code of law- Hammurabi’s Code!

• Egypt- this famous civilization grew up along the banks of the mighty Nile River. This civilization was a monarchy and are the famous builders of the pyramids. Egyptian society was based on a pyramid structure- but, they also were innovators in medicine (embalming & surgery), hieroglyphic writing, buildings and art (pyramids), develop geometry, and study the stars.



• Notes:

• China- it’s civilization grows along the banks of the unpredictable Huang He River. Early on, China is a monarchy ruled by a dynasty known as the Shang. It is the Chinese who establish too, an early form of feudalism. The early Chinese also worshipped their ancestors, worked with bronze, develop silks, and create a written form of communication through pictographs known as characters, which is still in use today!

• India- a mighty farming civilization grows in the Indus River Valley. Though not much is known about it, the people who lived in its cities developed some of the most advanced urban centers in the ancient world with intricate water and plumbing systems. They were great traders and had created a system of written communication.

• Hebrews- influenced by Egypt and Mesopotamia, the Hebrews or Israelites, lived in present-day Israel, Jordan and Lebanon. Their leader was a Sumerian- Abraham. They were the first monotheistic people- believing in one, all-powerful God. Moses, who would lead them out of slavery from the hands of the Egyptians, would present them with a unique and influential code of law- The Ten Commandments. The history of the Jewish people is called the Old Testament.



The Classical Age500 BC- 600 AD

• Persia- (2,000 BC- 100 BC) once united by Cyrus the Great who builds the mightiest empire of the ancient world, the Persians under Darius the Great thrive by building a system of roads and diving the vast empire into provinces-- which paid tribute to the emperor-- but, benefitted from the expansive trade network the empire had created which linked Asia, Africa and Europe. Zoroastrianism was the religion of the Persian Empire.

• Greece- developed as a series of powerful sea-trading city-states because of its unique geography. The two most powerful city-states- Sparta (a military state ruled by an oligarchy) and Athens (a democracy in experimentation) dominate its affairs. They combine together to fend off the Persians, but also fight one another, too. The Greeks contribute democracy, beautiful architecture, innovations in science and math, plus, achievements in philosophy, literature and even recorded history.

• Hellenism- was a blending of Greek, Persian, Indian, and Egyptian cultures through the conquests of Alexander the Great. Alexander’s greatest achievement was that he spread Greek culture throughout the known world of his day.


• China- develops as an empire under the cruel Qin emperor, Shi Huagndi, who though he establishes a network or roads and systems of standard mathematics and writing, is best known for the creation of the Great Wall of China which was designed to both keep barbarian invaders such as the Huns and Mongols out and the Chinese people in. The Han establish the mightiest empire in China during the classical age- unifying it, creating a civil service system based on Confucian ideals, and creating a network of trade that would link East and West for a millenium to come- plus, they invent paper, silk production methods, and ceramics. From India during this period, Buddhism comes to China. But, the Han Empire grew to large to maintain.

• India- the Aryans come into India- developing Sanskrit, a form of writing and Hinduism- still the major religion of India today. But under the Aryans, the caste system develops, too. In India, the Mauryan Empire under Asoka introduced religious tolerance and built roads and hospitals linking it to the Silk Roads and the extensive East-West trade. But, it’s under the Gupta Empire that a Golden Age of Hindu Culture flourishes. It’s during the Gupta Empire in which the zero and the decimal system are introduced, plus, the system of numerals that are used today.




• Rome- the mightiest and last of the classical empires was built around a city-state on a fertile plain in the middle of Italy. At first, the Romans established a great republic that lasted for centuries with two social classes- patricians and plebeians. It sort of had an early version of representative government. What the early government did contribute without question was a code of law- The Twelve Tables- which was crucial because it was a code of law which applied to every citizen. After defeating it’s rival city-state, Carthage, Rome would come to dominate the Mediterranean Sea and all of the major trade routes across three continents. Under Julius Caesar and later, Augustus, Rome expanded into a mighty empire covering three continents. The Roman road system allowed trade to flourish throughout the empire. While bridges linked Roman roads over bodies of water, aqueducts brought water into cities and public baths were built in most major cities, as were colosseums for entertaining the masses. Christianity develops from the teachings and life of Jesus Christ of Nazareth in the province of Judea in the Roman Empire. Spread by disciples such as Paul on the extensive Roman road system, and after facing centuries of persecution, it would be legalized by the Emperor Constantine and eventually became the dominant religion in the Roman Empire and after it’s fall- in all of Europe throughout the Middle Ages and into the present-day. Rome fell in 476 to barbarian invaders.


The Middle Ages600-1450

• After the fall of the Roman Empire the following occurred: roads became non-existent, trade stopped, education and cities declined, plus, there were no true central governments. In Western Europe, the Dark Ages begins and much of the land is controlled and occupied by barbarian chieftains- only Christianity remains as a unifying force for the people of Western Europe.

• In the East, the Byzantine Empire ruled by Justinian flourished as Constantinople became the center for world trade. Justinian, reconquered much of the former Roman Empire, created an enduring code of law (the Code of Justinian), and was instrumental in the creation of the amazing Hagia Sophia Church. Orthodox Christianity splits away from the old Roman Catholic Church- using icons, a different symbol of the cross and a different view of the Trinity, too. The Byzantine Empire began to shrink from outside Turkish invasions, the rise of the Islamic caliphates in North Africa and through intense trading competition with the city-states of Italy such as Venice and Genoa. By 1453, it had shrank to just the city of Constantinople itself and fell to the Ottoman Turks. It would have a heavy influence upon the eventual development of Russia.


• In Western Europe, a barbarian group, the Franks, begin to assert themselves and form their own kingdom- soon, other Germanic groups do the same. Out of the ashes of the old Western Roman Empire, France arises as an independent Christian kingdom following the conversion of Clovis- the king of the Franks. It is under his grandson, Charles Martel that the Muslims will be stopped at the Battle of Tours in 732. But, it is Charlemagne who will unite all of the barbarian kingdoms of Western Europe into the Holy Roman Empire. During this time, the feudal system in Western Europe begins and so do merciless Viking raids from the North.

• Feudal Society- (800-1400): It was characterized by a strict class structure based on the control of land and military power. The class structure was based on a pyramid with the following structure- nobles, clergy, knights, and at the bottom- peasants, most of the people. Each owed service to those above them in the social structure. Most peasants, or serfs, lived on manors where using the three-field-system, they worked for their local lord who often lived in a castle and was protected by knights.

• During this era, the Roman Catholic Church was a powerful force. The Pope controlled vast lands- plus, monasteries and abbeys spread the Christian message.



• Two church thinkers-- St. Augustine, who taught that if we put our faith in God that he will reward us in the afterlife and St. Thomas Aquinas, who believed that we should trust reason as well as faith, but, too, he believed in natural law and that a ruler’s power came from God through the people- a novel concept for the time.

• During time, we also see great Gothic churches such as the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris being built to honor God.

• The Crusades- Christian Europeans challenged Muslims for control of the Holy Land. Though they were not successful in their efforts for the most part, the Crusades increased interest in trade with the East for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire- plus, it renews an interest in learning as we see the first universities arise in Western Europe. Western Europe begins to re-awaken after the Crusades. It is during the era of the Crusades, that the Magna Carta is signed in 1215- limiting the power of the English kings and establishing parliament, as both England and France arise as powerful nations out of the Crusading Era.

• We see cities begin to re-awaken, roads are rebuilt, and trade begins again in Western Europe, plus, we begin to see peasant farmers, or serfs move to the cities to find work and to open up shops as merchants.



• Islam- begins with the teachings of Muhammed that are revealed to him through the angel Gabriel- who, taught him to unite the Arab tribes under the will and rule of Allah- or, God. The Islamic holy book is the Quran. Muslims worship God directly- without a priest- by following the Five Pillars of Islam.

• Islam spreads rapidly as the Arab nomadic berber groups were experienced fighters, plus, the aging Byzantine and Persian empires they faced had fought each other for so long that both had weakened significantly. The Islamic Empire would expand all the way across North Africa and even make its way into Western Europe until it was halted at the Battle of Tours in France in 732.

• Islam makes significant contributions in many fields including:

• Mathematics- borrowing the concept of the zero, they develop our modern numeral system, plus, they lay the foundations for the advancement of algebra and advanced geometry.

• Medicine- they are the first to study optics, understood that blood moves through the body, as it is pumped through the heart and begin to diagnose diseases such as smallpox and measles. They create the first true hospitals.



• Art and Architecture- they forbade images of people, especially of Allah- but used beautiful geometric designs-- but, their prized tapestries- rugs, textiles and leather works were highly sought. They built beautiful palaces and mosques which were richly decorated with mosaics, calligraphy, and geometric designs. In their places of learning, such as the House of Wisdom- they preserved the classical texts of Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Indian learning from the Classical Era.

• The Islamic Empire in the Middle East- near present-day Turkey, would be conquered by the Seljuks and later, the Ottoman Turks, who in turn eventually will defeat the Byzantine Empire and take Constantinople. After conquering the Islamic Empire- they simply created another by converting to the religion themselves, however, because Jews and Christians living in these areas were also people of the book, the Ottomans simply required them to live in their own communities and pay special taxes. It is at this time, that Arab traders- converting West African empires to Islam in places such as Ghana, Mali and Songhai begin the lucrative gold-salt trade.

• Groups of Muslims also invade India during this time- making their mark on that classical culture, but they will be pushed out by another group- the Mongols. A descendant of the Mongols will begin the Mughal Empire in India. Under the great leaders- Akbar, religious toleration is put in place, but under Shah Jahan, India builds an infrastructure- including the famous Taj Mahal- a monument to his beautiful and loving wife. Also, Sikh culture develops.



• China- The Tang and Song Dynasties rule China throughout the Middle Ages and keep it unified, but, it’s their great innovations which are traded through the Muslims and which trickle into the West which cause so much interest. The Chinese begin to use paper money, coins, porcelain, gardens, block printing, the magnetic compass and gunpowder. Chinese culture flourishes under their empires- but, women take a step backward, as the practice of footbinding begins during this era to limit female mobility.

• Japan- is heavily influenced by the Chinese during this era as Buddhism comes to its shores, but, Japan is ruled by a feudal system and were ruled by the Shogun- and military warrior nobles known as samurai.

• The Mongols- though they build the largest empire in history under Ghengis Khan as fierce nomadic raiders who were essentially archers on horseback . But, their greatest contribution to history is the fact that they open East-West trade on the Silk Roads so that goods from the Orient can make their way through Constantinople to ports such as Venice in the West. During the Yuan Dynasty and under Kublai Khan China is ruled by the Mongols, visited by Europeans such as Marco Polo and opened to the Western world.

• Russia- develops as the princes of Moscow push the Mongols out and begin to consolidate their power throughout the areas around them. These areas along with Viking influences become Russia.



• The Middle Ages come to an the Ming Dynasty finally kicks the Mongols out of China. They establish 300 years of peace in China, Japan and Southeast Asia. At first, the Ming Dynasty opens up to the rest of the world through the voyages of Zheng He, but, in 1434, those voyages come to an end just shortly before European interest in coming to the Far East begins.

• The Crusades also bring an end to the Middle Ages, as learning and trade once again begin to flourish in Western Europe. The Great Schism ends the dominance of the power of the Catholic Church in Europe, as it showcases the struggle for power and issues of corruption in the Church. The Hundred Years’ War ends the era of chivalry, as knights on horseback are unhorsed in battles such as Crecy and Agincourt, plus, it leads to a sense of nationalism in both England and France. Joan of Arc of France is a key leader in the struggle. The Black Death- or, bubonic plague kills an entire generation of Europeans as fleas on rats that come from Eastern trade routes infect and kill an entire population.

• With the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Ottoman Turks, all of the East-West trade routes are now cut off to Europeans, who now seek a route around Africa to the Orient which is explored by sailors from Portugal. Others, such as the Spanish who have just kicked the Muslims out of their lands, seek routes led by Christopher Columbus to the West. With these events, the Renaissance begins as the Middle Ages come to an end.



• Notes: The Renaissance

• It means rebirth and was so- of education, literature, art, architecture, and science.

• Though the Renaissance is allowed to flourish because of trade flowing across the continent, is enhance by an invention- the printing press, perhaps the most important innovation in history is created by Johannes Gutenberg in 1450.

• Due to the rise of the universities of the period, two scholarly movements emerge: Secularism- which places an emphasis on worldly rather than spiritual ideals & Humanism- which places an emphasis upon studying and valuing the dignity, worth, and uniqueness of each person.

• Literature- writers such as Erasmus and Petrarch begin to question the Church. Other writers such as Cervantes and Shakespeare write classical works in their native languages. In politics, Niccolo Machiavelli’s book- The Prince becomes influential as he justifies that rulers should work to keep their power by any means necessary. They should collect taxes and raise professional armies, plus, exchange ambassadors to solve problems. It begins the idealism of the modern nation-state.

Connecting Hemispheres1450-1750


• In painting and sculpture, realism in portraying the human form becomes important, but the discovery of three-dimensional vanishing point perspective is key. Masaccio and Da Vinci are key artists during this period who create influential works. Michaelangelo is a key artist and sculptor whose work also becomes key. His works include the Pieta and the painting of the Sistine Chapel.

• In architecture, Fillippo Brunelleschi develops the world’s largest free-standing dome structure that gave the building an immense sense of open space in Florence which was a part of the largest church in the world at that time and too, creates the blueprint and the concepts that are the pioneering ideals for modern architecture.

• In science, the theory of Nicholas Copernicus that the Sun, not the Earth is the center of a solar system of planets is challenged by the Church after his death in 1543. Galileo, develops the telescope and through his observations, challenges the Church ideal of perfect heavenly bodies and supports the confrontational theory of Copernicus, as he views the surface of the Moon, the moons of Jupiter, the phases of Venus and spots on the surface of the Sun. Though, he is arrested and confined to his home at the end of his life, his ideals and fight led a new generation scientists such as Sir Isaac Newton to usher in the theories, concepts, ideals and methods of modern scientific thinking.



• Notes: The Reformation:

• Though Erasmus and Sir Thomas Moore in England had called for reform, it is Martin Luther who posts his 95 Theses in 1519 to protest the sale of indulgences which begins the Protestant Reformation, or break away from the Catholic Church. The sale of indulgences was designed to fund the building of St. Peters Basilica in Rome- but, an offering for an indulgence was designed to pardon your sins, too, and it was this that Luther felt was wrong. Luther believed that having faith in God alone could save you and that each person could read the Bible and interpret it for themselves. He was excommunicated and labeled an outlaw. Many German princes supported Luther to gain lands back from the Church and are the first to be labeled Protestants. Luther translates the Bible into German, but despite supporting peasants, he did not support them in their rebellion against the princes and therefore showed his support and that of his church for secular authority.

• In Geneva, Switzerland, John Calvin begins a reformation group. His Calvinists believed in predestination- that an elect group of people are saved by grace from the beginning by God. Both the movement by Luther and by Calvin caught on because of the advent of the printing press. Calvin also introduces a theocracy to Geneva.



• The effects of the Reformation include: an end to religious unity in Europe, the growth of royal power, and to often intense persecution.

• The Catholic Church struck back with a Counter-Reformation: ending the sale of indulgences, beginning the Inquisition- a court designed to find and punish heretics, and beginning the Jesuit Order, to defend and spread the Catholic faith.

• Henry VIII of England also breaks his country away from the Catholic Church, but, so that he could obtain a divorce from the niece of the Holy Roman Emperor and too, so he could confiscate wealthy monasteries and Church lands in his dominion. His Act of Supremacy of 1534 made him the head of the Church of England.

• The Peace of Augsburg of 1555 ended the fighting between the Church and the German princes- but, the Thirty Years War 1618-1648 would be the final religious conflict fought in Europe. It ended all religious conflicts, resulted in a growth of nationalism and introduced the method by which the peace after a conflict is negotiated by all of the countries sitting down together at the table to see it to its end.



• Most historians and scientists believe that 20,000 years old primitive human groups searching for food followed herds of animals across the Bering Strait land bridge into what is now Alaska and began populating the continents of North and South America. Prior to the arrival of Columbus, there were three highly advanced civilizations in the Americas- the Maya, the Aztec and the Inca.

• The Maya lived in the Yucatan Peninsula region of present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Nicaragua and Honduras. They built great cities with spectacular palaces, temples and pyramids which were often decorated with extensive murals and were farmers whose staple crop was corn. The Maya had a system of pictograph writing, played games, and used the zero to develop a number system and a calendar. Constant warfare led to the decline of their civilization.

• The Aztecs- a war-like group settled in the Valley of Mexico and built their fabulous capital city in the center of Lake Texcoco, where they grew crops on floating island gardens called chinampas to survive. Like the Maya, they also made careful observations of the heavens and were the most powerful Native American group invading Europeans would face. They had a feudal system of government organization, but it was their belief in human sacrifice that would horrify Europeans.



• The Inca- lived in the Andes Mountain Range of South America and were a highly advanced culture when the Europeans arrived. They grew such crops as potatoes and often stored them for long period of time. They used llamas to help them move their goods. Also, they were known for their extensive road system and a welfare state that assisted those in need in their culture. They were superb engineers who built elaborate cities high in the mountains in which they lived.

• Notes: The Age of Discovery

• With the voyages of Columbus, an Era of Exploration and Discovery ensues. Though Columbus only reaches the Bahamas on his first voyage, other explorers from other nations soon follow his lead. Spain and Portugal take an early lead in the wave of exploration to the New World- the Americas, but, soon France and England follow them.

• Columbian Exchange- good, foods, slaves and diseases are exchanged between the Old World and the New World.

• From 1519-1522- Ferdinand Magellan sails around the world, but sailors from Portugal had already established routes around Africa and were trading with the empires of the Orient.



• With the conquest of the Inca in Peru by Pizarro following Cortes conquest of the Aztecs in Mexico earlier in 1519, the Spanish begin to search for gold and silver in what is now North America, however expeditions under De Soto and Coronado find no valuable riches. After spending great sums of money on these expeditions, trying to weather a floundering economic crisis at home and with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, England becomes the dominant force in the world with its powerful navy and appetite for resources.

• Following the establishment of Jamestown (1607) and Plymouth (1620) the English begin to colonize the Atlantic seaboard of North America with plantation agriculture using slave labor developing in its southern colonies and its northern colonies developing with small factories and industries such as shipbuilding.

• Also during this era, we see the development of absolute monarchs in Europe such as Elizabeth I of England, Phillip II of Spain, Peter the Great of Russia and Louis XIV of France. Believing in their power to rule almost as unquestioned dictators, most begin the pathway of actions and decisions that will eventually lead to bankrupting their nations and empires. In England, the monarchy is deposed after a civil war which lead to a dictatorship under Oliver Cromwell and then a return to their monarchy. The political thinking of the Enlightenment has its roots at this time.



• The Enlightenment sought to apply the reasoning of scientific thought as developed by Bacon and Descartes to solving social and political problems. It would result in the overthrow of monarchies and revolutions in the New World that would eventually lead to democratic nations such as the United States.

• Enlightenment- In science, Newton discovers the laws of gravity and motion, while Boyle discovers the laws and properties of basic chemistry. In politics, the movement takes on an influential form that will usher in an age of democracy in places such as the former colonies of Britain- soon, to become after an intense revolution, the United States of America.

• Thinkers: Hobbes (social contract); Locke (natural rights); Voltaire (religious and social tolerance); Montesquie (separation of powers- checks and balances); Rousseau (individual liberty); and Beccaria (innocent until proven guilty- modern judicial concepts)

• The first test of Enlightenment thinking comes with the success of the American Revolution. After defeating the French in the French and Indian War, Britain was in deep debt and started taxing its American colonists to pay for the war. Resenting the taxation without possessing a voice in the British government, the colonists revolted.



• American Revolution (1775-1781)- in the beginning, the colonists struggle against the forces of the British, but, led by George Washington and with assistance from the French who want revenge against the British for their losses in the French and Indian War, the colonists prevail. Important documents developed during this period include the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson which was written in 1776 and essentially was a list of grievances against the British monarchy. The US Constitution (1787) and its Bill of Rights (1790) established a republican form of government with a system of checks and balanced based on a separation of powers and an emphasis on individual rights and liberties.

• In France, a revolution begins in 1789 based on class warfare- the French people overthrow their monarchy and establish a republic based on the document The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1792); but, it is short-lived and grows violent as its leaders such as Maximilien Robespierre and Jean Paul Marat began to assume dictatorial powers and initiate a Reign of Terror marked by intense paranoia and persecution. The Revolution ends with the death of its leaders at the guillotine and the rise of a dictator, Napoleon Buonaparte. From 1800-1815, Napoleon will resurrect France and plunge the continent into constant warfare until his defeat in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo. The conflict initiates the Industrial Revolution and the rise of nationalist movements throughout Europe during the 19th century.



The Roots of Imperialism- I• The Era of Exploration and Discovery began a mercantilist policy similar to

imperialism- the major powers of the day: Portugal, Spain, France and Britain claimed lands in present-day North and South America and exploited them for their resources.

• Though Spain leads this early wave of exploration, after the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 at the hands of the British, it begins its descent as a major world power- while Britain, on the other hand, begin to construct the world’s greatest global empire through the power of its mighty navy.

• In this early era of what imperialism will look like later in Africa and Asia, the British exploit its colonies for such natural resources as timber, fish, and fertile soil for farming.

• Though the British do not introduce the slave trade and the issues that come with it, slaves are imported in large numbers to work on large agricultural plantations in its colonies. The cotton and other products produced during this era will also initiate a new revolution- the Industrial Revolution.


• The Industrial Revolution introduces new technologies such as the spinning mule, spinning jenny, seed drill, powered loom, and through the introduction of steam power-- the steamship, and too, the locomotive.

• The new innovations lead to a population boom, an economic boom, and the creation of a powerful industrial infrastructure based on factory production and urbanization. The textile industry is the first to become mechanized, but, soon, others follow. Remember, where does all of this industrialization begin? It begins in Britain.

• With the growth of industry and the economic boom in Europe, we see two different schools of economic emerge-- capitalism and socialism. Capitalism is marked by free enterprise- the ability to own your own business, make your own money and do it with little or no government interference (laissez-faire). Socialism is marked by some public ownership- the government owns some of the factories and operates some of the services needed by the people. Communism is extreme socialism- government control of all of the means of production.

The Roots of Imperialism- II


• Finally, with the economic boom caused by the Industrial Revolution, power is measured by industrial growth and wealth. This leads the powers of Europe to seek new markets for their goods, places to obtain new raw materials for their factories and lands which can be used to link together their empires-- Imperialism!

• Imperialism in Africa will begin with the takeover of the Congo in Central Africa by the European industrial country of Belgium. Next, the British and the French begin to exploit Africa for its wealth of natural resources and come to control much of the continent.

• Some of the African nations will become part of the growing European empires as colonies. In a colony, the European empire directly governed the territory. Other areas of Africa and later Asia and Latin America too, would become protectorates. A protectorate is an area that is allowed by an empire to be able to govern itself.

The Roots of Imperialism- III


• Economic Competition- the thirst for new markets, the acquisition of raw materials for their growing factories and cities and the need for linking together their often far-flung global empires accelerate imperialism in the 1800’s.

• Social Competition- racism (the belief that one group is superior to another), paternalism (the belief that one group should take care of another because it is incapable of doing so) and Social Darwinism (that because of one group’s development- that defines their superiority-- survival of the fittest).

• Imperial Competition- after obtaining all of this land, the imperial powers needed to be able to link it all together with the acquisition of new territories. For example, both the British and the Americans obtain land to create canals to link together their acquired territories, and too, they obtain islands that allow their ships to able to stop and refuel.

The Reasons for Imperialism


Imperialism- Africa

• In the 1870’s Belgium begins the African Scramble and by 1913 all of Africa except for Liberia and Ethiopia is gobbled up by European powers. Britain and France own much of the continent- almost 70% of it, by 1913.

• The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 divides up Africa among the European powers without any recognition of the distinct cultures living within the regions controlled by these powers. This competition creates intense rivalries.

• Medicines like quinine helped prevent diseases like malaria and yellow fever which in the past had kept Europeans from coming into Africa. However, African people were often forced to grow cash crops rather than food and many starve to death as a result. This disastrous effect of imperialism is felt throughout the globe.

• New technologies- steamships and railroads allowed the Europeans to be able to navigate tough African rivers and railroads allowed them to take goods to their ports. The Suez Canal allows the British to link their empire together and Egypt is a key prize for its cotton for the textile industry.

• In 1902, the Boer War introduces modern total war- including concentration camps, as the British come to control South Africa and the gold and diamond trade.

• Weapons like the Maxim Gun make the conquest of Africa easy for the Europeans- whose weapons technologies lead to the death of many African people.


• The British East India Company begins to assert its control over India in 1757. The valuable possession will come to be called the “Jewel in the Crown” for its wealth of resources that will be exploited by the British Empire.

• The Sepoy Mutiny- in 1857 after some British soldiers had sealed their cartridge boxes with meats- Indian soldiers rebel. After this clash with British soldiers, a period of total British control “The Raj” begins that will last until India gains its independence in 1947.

• With the Suez Canal and British control of Egypt, too, Indian cotton also becomes a staple for the British textile industry and helps fuel the British imperial economic boom.

• The people of India also often face starvation at the hands of the British who force them to grow cash crops instead of food crops. But, it is the growth of one Indian crop- opium and its extensive trade that will allow the British to also extend their power into another ancient powerhouse- China!

Imperialism- India


• Opium War 1838-1842: The British open up China and while trading Indian opium to the Chinese, establish a chain of addiction and begin to win control through their powerful navy to control key ports in China. After winning the war, the Treaty of Nanjing gives the British control over the key port of Hong Kong and other areas of the country.

• Taiping Rebellion 1850-1864: rebelling against all foreigners, the Chinese try to kick them out of the country. Unfortunately, it not only fails, but, millions of Chinese people die from utter starvation. Many Chinese people move to the United States to be able to escape from it and work on the transcontinental railroad.

• Open-Door Policy 1899- The United States put forward this policy which opens up China to trade with everyone and in effect, greatly weakens it- it gives all of the European powers spheres of influence, or areas of control within this ancient and once proud, nation.

• Boxer Rebellion- 1902- another rebellion against foreigners in China. It was put down by an international army, killing many, many Chinese people.

Imperialism- China


Imperialism- Japan

• 1854- Treaty of Kanagawa- With this treaty, the United States opens up Japan to the rest of the world for trade.

• 1867-1912- Meiji Era- After kicking out the Tokugawa shogunate, the new dynastic rulers of Japan begin to rapidly westernize and modernize their country.

• 1894-1895- Sino-Japanese War- Japan defeats China and acquires Korea and in-roads to Manchuria- a coal-rich region of China.

• 1904-1905- Japan defeats Russia easily and stops the Russian advance into Manchuria.


The United States and Latin America

• The Monroe Doctrine kept the powers of Europe from colonizing the developing nations of Latin America and the Caribbean. Britain still kept its possessions in the Caribbean, but the US for the first time is forced to back up its police powers during the Spanish-American War.

• The US wins the Philippines, Cuba, Guam, and Puerto Rico after defeating Spain in the Spanish-American War of 1898.

• The relationship between Cuba and the US is not a great one at all, as the Platt Amendment (1900) made Cuba a protectorate, but the relationship between Cuba and the US grew uglier as the US constantly wanted to assert more control over Cuba. The US was interested primarily in Cuba for the sugar, just as it had for Hawaii which it annexed also in 1898.

• The Panamanians had sort of wanted their independence from Columbia for some time, but, when the US saw the potential for the building of a canal- a project which had been started earlier by the French- President Theodore Roosevelt, begins a revolt in Panama to break it away from Columbia, supports it, and then once it was achieved- acquired the land to build it and begun the process. The canal was opened in 1914. Theodore Roosevelt using the US as a police power to enforce the Monroe Doctrine in the Americas.


“The Balkans: The Powder Keg of Europe”

* This area of Southeastern Europe had been controlled by the Ottoman Empire for centuries. By 1900, though, most of the nation-states in the area wanted their independence- but, Russia and Austria still wanted to control the area. Russia, because the people spoke a similar language and had a similar culture had more ties to the people of the region which had been in ancient times a part of the Byzantine Empire and before that, of the Old Eastern Roman Empire.

* Serbia, a kingdom in this region wanted to unite the Slavic people in the region together. But, in 1908, Austria-Hungary seized their neighbors Bosnia and Herzegovina which angered the Serbian people. In Serbia, a militant group, the Black Hand called for the end of Austrian rule in Bosnia.

* On June 28, 1914, the heir to the throne of Austria Hungary, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sofie, paid a visit to the capital of Bosnia, Sarajevo. As the couple rode through the streets in an open car, they were shot by Gavrilo Princip, a 19-year old member of the Black Hand. This event sparked the beginning of World War I.

* After the assassination, the alliance system came into play, as Russia came to aid Serbia after Austria declares war on it. Germany comes to the aid of Austria, once Russia makes it clear that it will aid Serbia. France then becomes involved to aid Russia. Soon, Britain, once Belgium is invaded and France threatened- enters the war on the side of the Allies. The Ottoman Empire, now Turkey, fights on the side of the Central Powers. Italy, which had been on the side of the Central Powers, later switches to the Allied side to regain territory it feared that Austria might want to reclaim.


• In order to win the war, Germany initiates, the Schlieffen Plan to invade France through Belgium and fight a holding action against Russia in the East. Their goal was to win the Western Front quickly and then turn against Russia for the final smashing victory to win the war. This was the German plan for winning World War I.

Germany’s Grand Plan


Prelude The Western

FrontConcepts:

The Eastern FrontConcepts:

The war in the Western Front is fought using trench warfare. The Allies were Britain, France, Russia, Italy and

later the USA. The Central Powers were Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire.

The war in the Eastern Front is more mobilized, but, in it, the Allies face disaster as the Russians are defeated in battle

after battle. New weapons are introduced into the war including: tanks, airplanes, machine guns and poison gas- all of which kill untold numbers of soldiers on both sides. The Russians were totally unprepared for the war as they had not industrialized. Their greatest strength was their large

population.


Prelude

The Western Front:

Battles: Results:Winners:

Marne

Verdun

Somme

AlliesIt ends the Schleiffen Plan and forces a stalemate in

the Western Front.

Central Powers

Allies

The Germans push the Allies back almost to Paris

itself and end the war.

The Allies counterattack and push the German onslaught

back.


Prelude The Eastern

Front:

Battles:

Tannenberg

Limanowa

Central Powers

Battles:

Central Powers

The Russian army is destroyed and their offensive stopped with

shocking losses.

The Russian army is destroyed and humiliated. Russia considers

leaving the war.

Gallipoli Central Powers Russia is isolated as the Allies lose control of the gateway to

the Black Sea.


The US Enters the War• Germany begins unrestricted submarine warfare.

• The passenger ship Lusitania is torpedoed and the explosion kills 128 Americans.

• The Zimmerman Note is intercepted which angers Americans as Germany proposes an alliance with Mexico to threaten the US.

• The US has closer ties to the Allies- especially Britain and France- and a stream of propaganda also helps convince Americans to go to war.


Russia Leaves the War• Russian defeats on the frontier against Austria and

Germany with staggering losses put the country into crisis.

• The Russian economy was already fragile with large numbers of peasant farmers starving even before the war began.

• Having been ruled by an autocratic regime for centuries, the Russian people lose faith in their leader, Tsar Nicholas II, who offers them no hope of change.

• Russia had never industrialized and was not equipped or prepared to take on the modernized western powers such as Germany.


The Questions• The failure of an autocratic ruler to reform, the poor economic conditions,

the lack of modernization and the disastrous failure of the armies in the field of battle in World War I would lead to the Russian Revolution.

• Tsar Nicholas II- an autocratic ruler whose country lagged behind the major powers of Europe going into World War I.

• Vladimir Lenin- a follower of the ideals of Karl Marx who was banished from Russia and later allowed to come back by the Germans. After he comes back to Russia, he initiates the beginning of the Bolshevik Revolution.

• The departure of the Russians from the Eastern Front during World War I was a disaster in the making for the Allies as it would allow the Germans to concentrate their massive war machine in the Western Front on the British and the French. Until the US enters the war on the side of the Allies, it appears that the Germans might have a chance to win the war. It is the entry of the US which turns the war in favor of the Allies.

• The Russian Revolution installed a pure communist government which shocked the rest of the democratic world and in the process of doing so, killed millions of their own people.


The Timeline of the Russian Revolution

• 1861- Russia free its serfs in principle, but in reality most of the serfs are still tied to the lands that are owned by wealthy nobles. Most of the peasants, the majority of the Russian people, live in a land which is slow to industrialize and very, very poor.

• 1894- Nicholas II becomes Tsar and even though the steel industry grows in Russia and the massive Trans-Siberian Railway is constructed, working conditions were poor, wages were low for these poor workers, and often children were forced to work in terrible conditions. The Russian people grow angrier as their lives improve very little.

• 1905- “Bloody Sunday” A large group of reform-minded average citizens appeal to the Tsar for changes and representation in the government, but are slaughtered in large numbers. Riots continue and the Tsar agrees to form a legislative body- the Duma. However, the Tsar actually pays no attention to the Duma. Remember, Russia, has also suffered a humiliating defeat to Japan at this time, too!


• 1914- Though the country is ill-prepared for it, it enters into World War I on the side of the Allies to help protect Serbia from the threat of Austria-Hungary, but, also to honor its alliance with France against Germany. It suffers disastrous defeat after defeat-- as the country had never industrialized as Germany and or Britain had its soldiers were so unprepared that at times they went into battle against the German war machine with no bullets for their rifles! While the army was losing in the field, many of the families of the soldiers at home were starving in the effort to keep the army going.

• 1917- Russia drops out of World War I. The Tsar is deposed and his family is murdered. A provisional government is formed by Alexander Kerensky, but he wants to keep Russia in the war. The Russian soldiers refuse to fight and with the Russian people starving to death, local councils called soviets are formed. Revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin returns from his exile to Russia and begins the October Revolution of 1917 in which armed peasant workers depose Kerensky and take control of the government.



• 1918- The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk- This treaty ends the involvement of Russia in World War I. For a time, it appears that the revolution has worked, but, once the war ends, forces opposed to the communist Bolsheviks begin to gather themselves in Russia.

• 1919-1921- A violent and bloody civil war begins in which the “Whites” opposed to the Bolsheviks under Lenin and the “Reds,” the followers of Lenin, fight for the control of the country. The former Allies of World War I- even the US send aid and too, troops to aid the “Whites.” After three bloody years of fighting in which 15 million Russian people perish, the “Reds” win. Russia is now renamed- The Soviet Union.

• 1924- Lenin dies and a power struggle between Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin begins, but after a year of back-stabbing, Stalin, wins out to become the new leader of the Soviet Union which he will lead until his death in 1953. By the late 1920’s Russia has recovered and its farms and factories are becoming more productive than ever before. It is a power on the rise to be reckoned with in the world.



The Tide Turns• In the spring of 1918, the Germans launch a massive offensive to try to end the war

before the Americans can be put into the fighting in overwhelming numbers, but their offensive is stopped.

• With the help of American troops, more than 300 tanks are massed and move forward to begin slowly pushing the German troops out of France. French troops continue the push and with the German army continuing to back down, its people turn on the Kaiser who leaves his throne.

• On November 11, 1918, the war comes to an end with an armistice- an end to the fighting, but it is the highly controversial, unpopular and mistake-laden Treaty of Versailles of 1919 that will bring the war to an end.

• The war cost $338 billion dollars and saw almost 30 million casualties, plus, an untold amount of destruction and the loss of a generation of Europeans. It had been a total war, which saw all of the resources of the powerful industrialized nations being used to try to win it. It also introduced new weapons: airplanes, tanks, machine guns, poison gas and submarines. Propaganda had played a heavy role throughout the war. Women obtain the ability to vote after it comes to its conclusion. Their increased abilities after the war is one of the few bright conclusions from this grisly war.


The Treaty of Versailles of 1919• The President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, proposed his Fourteen Points- a plan

for world peace and to avoid another huge conflict, but the French who wanted solely to punish the Germans push for it to not be accepted.

• The Fourteen Points included: an end to secret treaties, freedom of the seas, free trade,and reduced armies and navies- plus, it gave suggestions for changing borders and creating new nations, and adjusting colonial claims- all based upon self-determination. It also sought to create a League of Nations to solve international disputes.

• The treaty left a bitter legacy. It blamed Germany for the war- making it completely responsible for it. Germany’s military was reduced, its overseas possessions were taken away, it was forced to give away some land, it was asked to pay reparations, and from the beginning, it was never involved in the peace process. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was split apart. The Ottoman Empire lost territory too, in the Middle East and became the nation of Turkey. Russia, who was not represented at the negotiating table also lost tremendous amounts of land. The loss of land for both Germany and Russia will eventually lead to the Second World War- just watch and see!

• It also created a mandate system by which all of the territories that had been possessions of Germany in Africa and Asia were truly governed by the League of Nations through the Allies until they were ready to have their independence.

• The United States- the dominant nation at the war’s end, did not even ratify the treaty as it sought to stay out of international affairs. A global economic catastrophe- a direct result of the conflict is to come!


The Depression• During the 1920’s everything boomed in American industry, but European

nations having been destroyed by World War I, could not longer afford to easily purchase American goods, had suffered the destruction of their farmland and industrial infrastructure and lost a generation of workers. Civil unrest lingered in hard hit nations such as Germany and Italy which saw the rise of totalitarian dictatorships by the end of the decade.

• In the US during the 1920’s, art and literature of the age bloomed- but, a sense of uncertainty of the future was pervasive, art often showed elements of fantasy with realism, a new form of music- jazz- became popular and sports, movies and radio reached out to entertain millions of youth and older audiences alike creating a pop culture for the first time. The oil and automobile industries grew giving Americans- even teens- a new sense of personal freedom and a new type of culture, too.

• But, by the end of the decade, an economic collapse loomed: farms which had expanded to meet the needs of the war found themselves struggling as competition loomed from other parts of the globe, businesses had overproduced consumer goods, consumers had bought a large percentage of goods on credit- including the purchase of stocks on margin- and with the collapse of European and other global markets, by 1929, the US economy began, too, its descent into the abyss with the crash of the stock market. Within a year, with the fall of the stock exchange, banks which were overextended began to fail and close their doors in record numbers, unemployment soared and people began losing their homes and farms.


• In order to deal with the Depression, nations around the globe began to create work programs, offer insurance and welfare programs for struggling workers and businesses and give their citizens a sense of hope. During this time, FDR becomes the President of the United States and begins the New Deal programs in an effort to lift the nation out of the depression in 1933. Also, during this time, with the German economy floundering despite American loans before the crisis hit, Adolf Hitler, comes to power in 1933 with the promise to lift his nation out of the crisis and restore its empire- a Third Reich. With Mussolini already having come to power in Italy, a wave of fascist dictators and a reign of terror begins across Europe which will lead to World War II by the end of the decade in 1939.

The Depression


World War II- The Beginning • Due to the Depression, Fascism, an extreme form of socialism which features

extreme nationalistic feelings becomes popular in Germany and Italy and this is where Hitler and Mussolini come to power, as they promise and deliver in getting both of their nations out of the global economic slump.

• Defying the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler, rebuilds the German military and begins the process of gobbling up land around him to regain the territory which had been lost by Germany and his homeland Austria at the end of World War I. Hitler, taking advantage of the appeasement policies of the leaders of Britain and France, annexes Austria and takes back the Sudetenland- a large chunk of Czechoslovakia- an area where many German-speaking people were living at that time.

• Hitler, fearing the involvement of the Russians, signed a non-aggression pact with Joseph Stalin of the USSR (Soviet Union) and secretly agreed to divide Poland with the Soviet leader. On September 1, 1939, however, Germany attacked Poland. Immediately, Britain and France declared war on Germany and World War II began.

• In the first year of the war from September, 1939, to June, 1940, Hitler’s armies conquered much of the European continent, including France, using their blitzkrieg method of lightning war-- bomb an area, send in armored divisions, or tanks and then occupy it with ground forces and their secret police. In the Battle of Britain, however, Hitler, is stopped and despite intensive bombing raids, his forces could never crack the resolve of the British, who led by their charismatic leader, Winston Churchill, held out against the Nazi forces. During this time, the US began to assist the British with supplies from the lend-lease program- a part of the Atlantic Charter. The Soviets, however, began gobbling up land around them, too.


• Though Japan had invaded Manchuria a resource rich region in 1931 and had been fighting against the Chinese since 1937, it had not expanded its control into the Pacific to create a vast empire- a goal of its militarist leaders. While fighting against the Chinese, Japan, sought oil supplies from the United States, but, with the US also supplying the Chinese with oil and aid and seeking to maintain their relationship with China, it decided to embargo oil to Japan. Without oil, the Japanese war machine could not function.

• On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attack the US Naval installation at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, which sends shockwaves throughout the world and puts the US into the war on the side of the Allies. Though the Japanese will begin to take control of many Pacific islands during this period, the attack on Pearl Harbor turned the tide of the war into the favor of the Allies.

• Bringing the US into the war is critical. Now, the manufacturing might, wealth of natural resources and raw manpower of the US almost overnight, turns into high gear for the war effort. Untouched by the war, beyond Pearl Harbor, the industrial might and human potential of the US will be critical for the Allies in winning World War II.

• Just prior to Pear Harbor, German forces had invaded the Soviet Union, bringing another formidable arch enemy onto the side of the Allies.

• The Allies also agree on a strategy for winning the war- fight Germany first, and then deal with Japan after fighting a holding action in the Pacific.

World War II- The Turning Point


World War II- The Tide Turns in Europe • During the first meeting of the Allied leaders, Stalin, begged Britain and the

US to open up a second front in the West by liberating France, as it seemed German troops were advancing further into his nation. Churchill, however, urged a different strategy which was undertaken beginning in the fall of 1942- as the combined British and American forces took North Africa, seized the Suez Canal and acquired access to the petroleum supplies of the Middle East.

• From this point, after securing North Africa, the British and the Americans launched an invasion of Italy and by the end of the next year, 1943, Italy, was no longer an ally to Hitler’s Germany, but, would serve a crucial role as a location for Allied bomber groups who would target the German oil fields in the Balkans, German war factories in Bavaria and Austria, knock out rail lines and supply depots in Northern France and along the German border and would support the ground invasion forces which were to come.

• But, a key turning point in the war would also begin the year of 1943, as the Soviet Union wins a key victory at Stalingrad, defeating a large German force that was ill-prepared for the horrifying and brutal Russian winter. From this point forward, the Soviet forces were always pushing the Germans back toward the capital city of Berlin, slowly. It is the key turning point in the war in Europe.


• The D-Day Invasion- the largest amphibious invasion in history opens up a second front in the war from the West, relieves the pressure on the Soviet Union and liberates an ally to turn against the German war machine- France.

• Having secured North Africa, captured Italy, and now after the D-Day Invasion having liberated France and opened up a second front in the European theatre of the war, the Allies begin to push into Germany itself from both the East, as the Soviets slowly advance westward after the victory at Stalingrad and the West, as the Americans, British and Canadians begin to push through Belgium and into Germany itself.

• In the Battle of the Bulge, the German forces regroup and counterattack against the American, British and Canadian Allied force closing in in the West in the Ardennes Hills and forests of Belgium, pushing them back for a time, until additional reinforcements, severe winter cold, a lack of supplies and Allied air power begin to push the German forces back into Germany itself.

• With the Soviet armies moving into Germany from the East and now, Allied forces moving towards Berlin from the West, Hitler, commits suicide. It is during this time, that Allied forces begin liberating concentration camps and discovering the horrors of the Holocaust and Hitler’s Final Solution- genocide on a massive scale as 14 million people had been murdered in 15,000 concentration camps-- half of those murdered were Jewish. On May 8, 1945, Germany surrenders and the war in Europe comes to an end.

World War II- The Final Push into Germany


• After the disaster at Pearl Harbor, the US forces led on land by General Douglas MacArthur and at sea by Admiral Chester Nimitz begin the island hopping strategy after the US Navy wins a key victory in the Battle of Midway. Beginning with the capture of Guadalcanal in 1942, the Allies use the island hopping strategy to reach ever closer to Japan-- bomb the island, land ground troops, set up a supply and air base from which you can take the next island while keeping lines of supply and reinforcement open as you advance across the vast Pacific Ocean and inch closer and closer toward Japan, itself.

• By the end of 1943 and into the summer of 1944, the Allies have taken in bloody succession the islands of Tinian, Saipan and Guam from which it can begin the process of bombing Japan, itself, around the clock, but without fighter escort support. A second Allied force wins a key victory at the Battle of Leyte Gulf- destroying the Japanese Navy and liberating the Philippines.

• In order to be able to bomb Japan into submission, the Allies move closer to the Japanese home islands and in one of the most heroic battles ever fought by US forces- they succeed in capturing the island of Iwo Jima and its crucial airfields.

World War II- The Tide Turns in the Pacific


• After the Battle of Iwo Jima, the two Allied battle groups make their way to Okinawa and mount one of the greatest invasions in history of the island that is on the door step to mounting an invasion of Japan. In the fiercest, most savagely fought and bloodiest battle of the deadliest conflict in World History, the Allied forces defeat the Japanese- but, at a staggering cost.

• Rather than risk what would be a costly invasion of the Japanese home islands, the US President, Harry S. Truman (after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt) decides to use a weapon being developed by the top-secret Manhattan Project to force Japan to possibly surrender-- the atomic bomb. Two atomic bombs are dropped- one on Hiroshima, the other on Nagasaki- both cities were industrial targets. After the massive destruction unleashed by the two atomic bombs, the Japanese surrender.

• On September 1, 1945, the greatest and most destructive conflict in World History- World War II came to an end with the final surrender of Japan. At the end of the war, many leaders who had committed atrocities during the war, were tried for their crimes against humanity in the Nuremberg Trials and many were sentenced to death. The end of the war also saw the development of the United Nations, or UN, a peacekeeping body designed to solve international disputes and prevent another global conflict. Over 70 million people were killed during World War II- over half of them were civilians.

World War II- The Final Push to Japan and The End Game


The Beginning• The Cold War begins during World War II and with its

ending.• The Soviet Union mistrusts the US and Britain

because they have kept the development of the atomic bomb a secret from them.

• Both Britain and the United States waited a long time to open up a second front in the war in Europe against Nazi Germany which lead to the deaths of many Russian soldiers and additional mistrust between the two sides.

• When World War II ends, the Allies divide Germany into zones, or sectors at the Yalta Conference- each controlled by an Allied power. The Soviets feared a


The Two Sides- The Allies, or the West

• NATO- (The Allies) The United States, Britain, France and their allies form this organization to fight against the spread of communism.

• Why are they fighting? Communism took away the individual rights and liberties of citizens.

• How are they fighting? The Allies try to contain Communism and stop it from spreading into other countries. This is the policy of containment.

• Both sides develop nuclear weapons to protect themselves and brinksmanship develops as a policy between the two sides.


The Two Sides- The Communists or Reds

• Warsaw Pact- (The Communists, or Reds) The Soviet Union and it’s allies or, satellite nations.

• Why are they fighting? The Communists wanted to spread their ideals of a classless based society around the world.

• How are they fighting? The Communists try to take over surrounding nations and make them into satellite countries which can help protect them from a possible Western invasion.

• Both sides develop nuclear weapons to protect themselves and brinksmanship develops as a policy between the two sides.

• Brinksmanship is only put to the test once during the Cold War- The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)- as Soviet missiles are placed in Cuba, led by a Communist puppet leader, Fidel Castro, to be launched into the US. US missiles are placed in Turkey to be launched against the USSR. The situation is resolved by negotiation between the young US President John F. Kennedy and the Soviet Premier Nikita Kruschev, but the world for thirteen days sat on the edge of nuclear war.


Europe: The Division of Germany

• After World War II, Germany is divided into two separate nations. East Germany is controlled by the Communists of the Soviet Union. West Germany develops from the Allies sectors- those controlled by Britain, France and the USA.

• The capital city of Germany is also divided into Eastern (Communist controlled) and Western halves (Allied controlled).

• The Berlin Airlift occurs when the Soviets block the city off from receiving any outside aid. The Allies use bomber planes to break the blockade by dropping in food and supplies to the people in their sectors of the city.

• In 1961, the Soviets build the Berlin Wall to separate their sector of the city (East Berlin) from the Allied sector of the city (West Berlin). It was designed to protect the city from a Western invasion and to keep the people of their sector of the city from leaving it.

• The Allies use the Marshall Plan to rebuild their half of the divided German nation and other countries which had suffered a tremendous amount of damage during World War II to prevent Communism from spreading into these smaller nations.


The Cold War- Heats Up!• In Asia, the policies of containment by the Allies and the creation of

satellite nations by the Communists was put to the test in China, Korea, and Vietnam.

• After World War II, the US rebuilds Japan due to the spreading of Communism and the fear of the growing power of a former ally- China. Japan’s government is re-structured to be a democracy, it’s factories are rebuilt, and it is put back into a sound financial state through direct intervention from the US, as West Germany had been through the Marshall Plan to serve as a counterweight in the East to China.

• A civil war had been fought in China prior to World War II, but the fighting between the Communist forces led by Mao Zedong and the Nationalists led by Chiang Kai-Shek put their conflict for the control of China on hold to fight the Japanese during World War II. After the war, despite US aid to their former ally, Chiang Kai-Shek and his Nationalist forces, China falls to Mao and his Communist guerilla forces. The Nationalists are banned from China and create the Republic of Taiwan. The loss of China begins the Allied policy of containment as put forth by the Truman Doctrine, as the US and its Allies began to use military force in police actions- undeclared wars- to try to stop the spread of communism throughout the globe.

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• In Korea, a tense situation was developing after the civil war in China, as communists from the Soviet Union had occupied North Korea and American and British forces had occupied South Korea. Due to this early set of occupations, after World War II, the two regions develop into both democratic (South Korea) and Communist (North Korea) states. After the civil war in China ends with a Communist victory, the forces in North Korea see their chance to unite Korea as a single Communist nation.

• In 1950, North Korea attacks South Korea pushing their forces almost into a position of surrender. For the first time in history, the United Nations becomes involved, though most of the troops come from the USA. This UN force, led by Douglas MacArthur, push the North Korean forces back to the border of China and threaten to go further. China reacts and aids North Korea, pushing the UN forces back into South Korea.

• When MacArthur advocates the use of nuclear weapons against the Chinese and North Korean forces, rather than start a third global conflict, he is replaced by Matthew Ridgeway, who spearheads a counterattack by UN forces which pushes the North Koreans and Chinese back to the 38th parallel. A stalemate occurs at this point in the conflict. Two years later in 1953, an armistice is signed to end the fighting. Communism was contained by Allied forces, but, Korea remains a divided nation to this day with a democratic South Korea and a Communist controlled North Korea.

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The Cold War- Heats Up!


• In 1950, the US also began sending aid to Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh, a Communist leader had been fighting to create a Communist state of Vietnam since World War II when his country, a former French colony was occupied by the Japanese. After the war, the French want their colony of Vietnam back and from 1946-1954 fight Ho and his guerillas to try to reclaim it. The result of the French Indochina War (1946-1954) is that France is defeated and Vietnam- like Korea is divided into a democratic South Vietnam and a Communist state of North Vietnam. Ho and his forces in 1957 begin probing attacks in an effort to unite the country as a single Communist state once more, plus he is aided by a group of guerilla fighters the Viet Cong, who remain loyal to him after the French Indochina War in South Vietnam.

• In 1957, the US begins sending military advisors and aid to South Vietnam and with each passing year until 1963, the number of advisors and aid starts a policy of escalation- sending more and more troops and supplies to try to contain or control the situation.

• In 1964, with the political situation growing out of control in South Vietnam and with a US Navy destroyer being fired upon supposedly by a North Vietnamese patrol boat, with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, US President Lyndon Johnson, begins the process of escalating the conflict by sending more and more troops into South Vietnam to try to rid it of Communist forces both from within (the Viet Cong) and from North Vietnam in order to keep it as a democratic state-- containment.

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• By 1968, it appears that the US soldiers are nearing their objective, but then the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong launch the TET Offensive- raiding over 100 US bases simultaneously. Images of TET broadcast at home on US television have a huge psychological effect on the American public about a war that had been going on for four years that have never been declared and that the American government had said that a clear victory was in sight. After TET, the growth of public resentment concerning the conflict and the anti-war protest movement on college campuses, makes the war highly unpopular and after the election of Richard Nixon, the nation slowly begins to end its involvement in Vietnam. We begin a policy of Vietnamization under Nixon- training South Vietnamese troops to be able to defend their homeland and by 1973, all of the American troops had been evacuated from Vietnam. Two years later, in 1975, the South Vietnamese are overwhelmed by the North Vietnamese forces and the Viet Cong. Vietnam is united as a Communist nation and the policy of containment fails despite twenty-five years of US aid and military involvement.

• In the years to follow, one of the greatest acts of genocide in world history will occur in Cambodia led by the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979) and a shocking protest in Tiananmen Square in China (1989) will highlight the instability that occurred in Asian Communist nations during this period.

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The Cold War- Thaws• With the launch of the world’s first satellite, Sputnik, the Soviet Union begins an arms race against the US

with space as a the battleground. By early 1961, the Soviets have also put a man in space, but, US President John F. Kennedy raises the stakes, leading to the arms race between the two superpowers known as the Space Race- using the effort of landing a man on the Moon as the goal. In 1969, the US defeats the Soviet Union by landing a man on the Moon with the flight of Apollo 11.

• The impact of the Space Race is significant to understanding the process of ending the Cold War. By 1975, with the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, the two countries were cooperating with one another in space flight. But, the spending of the Soviet Union on their costly space program would be one of the key factors in their economic collapse that would lead to the end of the Cold War. Plus, the Soviets beginning too, in the late 1970’s began a costly war in Afghanistan. Both of these factors would lead to the eventual end of the Cold War.

• Also, in the 1970’s with a policy of detente being put into place- relations between the US and the Soviet Union and China, too, slowly begin to thaw as President Richard Nixon visits both nations in 1972 and with the SALT treaties begins the process of limiting the power of nuclear weapons on both sides and the use of ballistic missiles.

• With the death of Leonid Brezhnev, the Soviet Premier (1964-1982) and the Soviet economy in free fall due to their costly space program, costly wars, and inability to compete with US industry and technology, the new premier, Mikhail Gorbachev, begins the process of opening up his nation to the rest of the world with his policies of perestroika- allowing for more individual freedom and glasnost allowing for more openness. The US President Ronald Reagan, begins negotiating with Gorbachev for continued openness, but, also for arms limitation.

• Reagan, continues to push the policy of SDI, his program to use satellites to shoot down ballistic missiles and monitor Soviet troop movements and nuclear bases to the point of brinksmanship, but, Gorbachev, realizing that his nation cannot compete economically or technologically begins the process of ending the tensions- along with Reagan and his successor, President George H.W. Bush, of ending the Cold War. In a symbol of openness, in 1989, the Berlin Wall- long a symbol of division is dismantled and the Cold War begins to come to an end and by 1991, the Soviet Union is on its way to becoming a more democratic and open nation.

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The Modern World Emerges

• Decolonization of Asia and Africa- After W.W.II, the imperial powers were weakened; and their colonies gained independence.

• South Asia- Gandhi used non-violent resistance. Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan created.

• Africa- Ghana was the first to achieve independence in 1957; other colonies soon followed. Problem of apartheid in South Africa; Nelson Mandela was elected President in 1994.

• Southeast Asia- Indonesians and Vietnamese fight; win independence from Holland and France.

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The Modern World Emerges• Israel/Palestine Conflict- Palestine had been home to Jews and Arabs. • Israeli Independence (1948). The United Nations created a Jewish state out

of Palestine. Arabs rejected this and attacked Israel. Thousands of Palestinians fled their homes to neighboring Arab states.

• Arab-Israeli Wars (1956, 1967, 1973). After the 1967 war, Israel occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

• Camp David Accords (1978). Peace treaty with Egypt’s Anwar al-Sadat. Israel agreed to give back Sinai to Egypt.

• Oslo Accords. In 1993, Israel agreed to a Palestinian Authority.

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The Modern World Emerges• Radical Islamic Fundamentalism- Iranian Revolution, 1979, overthrew the

Shah and established an Islamic state. Al Qaeda resents Western culture. September 11, 2001 terrorists attacked U.S. Coalition forces went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

• Human Rights- Genocide in Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, Burundi, and Darfur. Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, the disappearances of people in Argentina.

• Influential Women- Mother Teresa, Golda Meir, and Margaret Thatcher. • Globalization- New global culture and economy due to Internet,

transportation. • In 2008 the United States will elect the first African American President in

its history, and the lone superpower will exit the war in Iraq, pass a controversial healthcare initiative, and continue its fight against global terrorism. These issues of the modern world still confront us today.

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Documents

EOC Simulation Review