Meeting of the Minds II

If you were to run or be appointed as the leader of your country or homeland in contemporary society, what issues would you address?
First, I would address the several accounts of genocide around the world such as in Darfur and Rwanda. Then, I would do my best to make sure that no other person, group or government gains as much power as Hitler did. I want to prevent the things that I heard and saw happen not to happen again.

Choose one member of this debate that you admire and explain why, using specific incidents and details. Is there anyone you wish you could have met? Anything you want to say to someone?
I admire Anne Boleyn for several reasons. First, she does not fall easily to men and neither do I. Also, you're intelligent and you did not wither under Henry's hissy fits. In the end, you were sympathized instead of ridiculed. Hitler: You are a monster. You have no compassion and no heart. I have seen what you have done to my people and yours and you are a destroyer of lives and innocence itself.

Would you consider the United States to be an imperialist country? Give examples with either choice of answer.
No. The United States is not imperialist because the United States is not trying to completely control any country that it is currently occupying. Hitler controlled every part of every aspect of every country his troops set foot in. In Iraq, the US is restoring a new government and not completely destroying the Iraqi people and definitely not committing genocide.

Who do you feel is the greatest of the world's superpowers and explain why. Has this changed from your historical period?
I feel that America is the greatest of the world's superpowers-although that status may be waning. America has gained power and maintained its power and economy and did not have to take over every country it can get its hands on. This has changed from my time when Germany was the world superpower conquering country after country and creating a vast empire.

What is the most important message that you could send to the world today?
Do not be like Hitler! Do not let genocide of any sort take place whatsoever. Hitler has struck fear into the hearts of my race, took away our race's pride and identity, and killed Jews for none other reason than to be rid of them in his empire.

Has your country ever experienced and event like 9-11? cite an example that you feel might have had this magnitude. Explain.
Although my country has never had one defining terrorist attack like 9/11, I do feel that Hitler's conquest of Germany is our 9/11. He completely overturned our government, slaughtered innocent people and wrecked countless other lives much like the United States' 9/11. Germany underwent reforms after the war similar to the United States' national defense reforms.

Self Reflection

I think I did well with this class. My strengths were organization (especially my notebook), creativity for projects, and good writing skills. My weaknesses were time management and sometimes motivation because history is not one of my favorite subjects. Another weakness was not understanding some of the material. History is not one of my strengths and sometimes I do not understand it.

This course was much more involved and in-depth than other social studies courses I have taken. Having more pieces of the puzzle helped me understand history a little better than I did in my other social studies classes. Also, looking at the different aspects of history like art history and society idea of just political and military history helped me to better understand what was going on during the different periods of history.

I have learned quite a few skills that will help me in the future. Probably most important would be time management to get my work done on time. Also, with my notebook I learned how to better organize material for class. I greatly improved in preparing and giving presentations and speaking in debates. In addition, I have learned how to tell what to study and how to study better. This class has helped me greatly prepare for college and my future.

Meeting of the Minds I

Anne Frank was a Jewish girl in her early teens. She led a normal life being born into an upper-middle class family with one older sister, Margot. Her greatest challenges were going to school and growing up. Then, she heard rumors of Jewish ghettos and Germany's campaign against the Jews.

In a matter of three days, her life changed completely. Her parents, the Van Daans, and Mr. Koophuis are rushing around secretively to move into hiding. Anne's family and the Van Daans now live behind a cupboard and in the attic of an office building. They cannot be discovered because the SS will take them or kill them as soon as they are found. They only took with them what they could carry. Her parents arranged for their other belongings to be given to friends for safe-keeping becuase the SS takes Jewish belongings.

Living conditions were cramped especially with eight people. They had to have the shades drawn all the time so they were not seen moving around. They had to restrict their movement so they are not heard. They had to rotate shower times and pick places to take them becuase they did not have a perminant shower. Every knock or voice coming from the rest of the building struck fear that the SS had found them. Margot, Anne and Peter (the Van Daan's son) had to have a private tutor in order for them to be able to continue school. Their meals were carefully calculated and none could be wasted.

After business hours, they snuck down to an office to listen to the radio. They heard on the English radio about the death camps, more and more Jews being moved to the camp by cattle carts, and the gas chambers. Mr. Koophuis told hem news he heard on the streets and updates on thier friends' activities when he visited them. As time went on, the news became more and more disturbing.

Anne Frank was a normal teenager just like any other. However, her life took a turn that no teenager should have to face. Anne Frank was a Jew; a target or genocide.

Darfur Genocide

Youtube Video
~http://www.youtube.com/watch?v-hXdWDM4fmRY
~Janjaweed- "Men on horseback," government, Arab militias committing genocide Background
~Arab militias are carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing against non-Arab groups -Genocide
~Major religions: Islam (North) Christianity (South) President Omar Al-Bashir
~Took power after a military coup June 1989
~March 4, 2009, International Criminal court in The Hague issued arrest warrant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur
Since Taking Power...
~Dissolved parliament 1999
~Banned political parties
~Set up and chaired the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation-but then dissolved it to concentrate his power
~Declared State of Emergency ~Accused of rigging the vote of the election of 2000
~Highly restricted broadcasting
~Military censors

Alliance with Hassan Al-Turabi
~Leader of the National Islamic Front
~Turabi tried to give parliament the power to remove the president
~1999 Bashir declared a State of Emergency
~Turabi was imprisoned and accused of treason Results...For Now
~Sudan's infrastructure is in ruins- desperate need for reconstruction
~Sudan-Chad relations strained -Border violations could lead to a larger war
~Cost of peace could be great -Cultivation By the Numbers
~The conflict has affected more than 2.6 million people in Darfur and Eastern Chad
~1.85 million people have been displaced within Darfur
~15,000 people die each month in Darfur
~200,000 have fled to refugee camps in neighboring Chad
~More than 20% of children under five years old are suffering from severe malnutrition and many are dying each day
~Only 50% of persons in need are receiving food assistance
~In March 2005, UN Undersecretary-General Jan Egeland warned that as many as 3 to 4 million people could need food aid in the coming months
~In April 2005, the World Food Program announced that a drastic funding shortfall would force them to cut food rations by one-half for one million Darfurians

World Changes

After WWII, many changes swept the world, especially Europe, to restore order, the balance of power and prevent other world conquests. Essentially, there were two kinds of changes that came about in modern times: improvement and new dangers and crises.

Many improvements followed WWII because of the need to rebuild and restructure Europe. Immediately following the war, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund organizations were created in December 1945, by the Articles of Agreement. They head an overseas financial system to rebuild Europe after its economy had collapsed during the war. Today, these "sister organizations" are working to eliminate poverty. In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was established to prevent the spread of communism. NATO has since been getting involved in world conflicts in effort to solve and prevent wars. Along with these changes, globalization has been a constant effort to get the world communicating. Its purpose is to spread culture, communication and technology around the world and create a freer world market. In doing so, it spreads economic growth and technological advancements and helps to balance the world. The next big improvement was the creation of OPEC in 1960 to coordinate petroleum policies. Recently, OPEC is looking into global warming. The biggest change to Europe came about by the Maastricht Treaty in 1993. It created the European Union which was a community that focused on security, foreign policy and citizens' rights. It also created the Euro, the official currency of the EU, that helped to strengthen the economies of the member states.

On the other side, new dangers and crises developed after the war. A massive population decline had plagued Europe due to a baby bust and changing gender roles, especially for women. Europe as a whole is becoming older. Large scale immigration has also become a problem as immigrants are fleeing their war-torn and terrorized homelands. The largest wars/conflicts of the time were the Korean Conflict and the Chinese Civil War. Both were clashes between democratic and communist citizens each wanting their way of government to be dominant. Terror and genocide are rampant in Europe. In Israel, the Israelis and Palestinians are fighting over control of Israel and the Gaza Strip. In Tibet, the Dalai Lama is head of "Tibet's government in exile" and is not recognized by China; breeding conflict. On September 11, 2001, the United States were attacked by an extremist terrorist group. Also, genocide plagues many countries such as Rwanda, Darfur and the Balkans. Bloody campaigns are being led to exterminate groups of peoples. All of these issues are dangers to global security as well as enviormental dangers such as global warming.

In the wake of the destruction of WWII, changes swept Europe good and bad. Many improvements such as the EU and globalization has improved things around the world. But, dangers and crises threaten global security. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, said that the UN has come full circle in terms of preventing violence, terror, and wars and promoting peace, reform and human rights.

Are We Destined For Another World War?

Government and politics have always and will always be a defining power in the world. WWII was a war of governments/ideologies between dictators and free nations. The dictators wanted to spread their control and idea of an ideal government while the democratic nations tried to prevent that spread. The result was a second world war to prevent Hitler from conquering of the world.

All wars in part or in whole are caused by clashing governments and ideologies. Both world wars were caused by one government or ideology spreading too far and endangering the others. The others would then arm and defend themselves from being overtaken. In the first World War, communism became too popular and threatened the delicate balance of world power. In WWII, Adolf Hitler and Nazism was on its way to conquering Europe and possibly the world if it was not stopped. Hitler used war and military power to spread his form of ideal government-Nazism.

Today, many argue that the United States is pushing its democratic government too far. Many use the war in Iraq that has grown into the War on Terror as an example. The US is trying to institute democratic governments in other countries by using its military power and war. Other countries, especially in Europe, think that the US is pushing too far and may be driving toward a new war. They disapprove of the US' tactics and forcefulness. Some countries are feeling the need to arm themselves just in case. If this feeling spreads and continues, another world war may be upcoming as a result again of government and politics.

"Inferno" William F. Draper

Lieutenant Commander William Draper vigorously studied art in college both in the US and abroad. He was commissioned in 1942 to be a combat artist covering the south Pacific campaigns. His works were printed in National Geographic and after the war he continued art in portraits.

Draper's "Inferno" takes place in Charou Kanan, Saipan at a sugar factory on D-Day. The sugar mill as gone up in flames as the name implies after enemy shell and mortar fire. However, the marines push forward and continue their attack unaffected by the danger.

Draper uses colors not only to show mood but also to create a focus and emphasis in his work. The flames are the only color that is vibrant and bright as opposed to the dark and heavy colors in the rest of the painting. This automatically creates a focus and emphasis on the flame and destruction. The dark billows of black smoke contrast the bright flame and gives an overpowering and threatening mood.

In addition, everything is in ruins around the building. The ground is bear and covered in debris and sets a confused and chaotic situation. Soldiers are hiding behind piles of debris waiting to make their advance. D-Day and all of WWII was a dark time in our world's history. The darkness in Draper's art represents the corruption, evil and destruction caused by the war. However, the fire represents the change and revolution that was occurring all over the world as Hitler's empire fell.