Modern World History I

Unit#6: Rise of Totalitarianism, World War II and the Holocaust

2011-04-17T15:55:00.000-07:00

Reminders for your scrapbook project:
-Don''t forget to number the pages in your scrapbook!!
-Don't forget to fill out your blue grade sheet!!
-Don't forget to number your sources for the Endnotes!!
-Be sure to write an Endnotes page AND Bibliography!!

Here are some helpful links for the Scrapbook Project:

Scrapbook Project Assignment
Character Biography Sheet
Proquest Historical Newspapers: Username: 81-8183; Password: bigchalk. Choose “timeline 1900”, then “World War II” This has access to mostly US newspaper articles at the time
AP Image Database: Username: marinacademy; Password: wildcats. A fantastic source for images from WWII era.
The Guardian (UK): British Newspaper – for an other-than-American perspective
Google News Archive: search using your terms and then press “timeline” button
Le Figaro: up through 1942, in French
Historic Jewish Press: a bit tricky to use, but Palestine Times in English will give you access to articles about Jewish experience in Europe at this time
Conflict History: A terrific timeline of conflicts around the world – focus on your time period…
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: Has an incredible database of images, documents, maps, etc.
Yad Vashem - Israeli Holocaust Memorial Museum has a terrific photo collection
Marin Academy's LibGuide - made especially for this project... add links where you find them!
Bedford Handbook - Research and Documentation Online - refer to this to help you cite all the pieces in your scrapbook - documents, maps, articles, images, etc. You will use MLA style formatting for this project. All your sources will be listed in an alphabetized bibliography. You will also include a numbered Endnotes page that will reflect the order that your elements appear in your scrapbook. Use MLA-style parentheticals for the format in your endnotes page.
Internet Modern History Sourcebook - this is a great place to look for primary source documents. Scroll down to the links on the left: Fascism, Nazism, Holocaust, and World War II
Mt. Holyoke list of WWII Documents
Yale University's Avalon Project - WWII Documents
WWII Resources from the University of Washington - includes images and documents
Nazi Propaganda from Calvin College's German Propaganda Archive

Current Events on WWII-related topics - pretty interesting from the Daily Telegraph...

Unit #5: China: From the Qing Dynasty to Mao's Communism

2011-02-04T10:21:00.000-08:00

Here are the essential questions for our unit:

Why did the Qing dynasty decline and ultimately collapse, and what role did the Western powers play in this process?
What problems did China encounter between the two world wars, and what solutions did the Nationalists and the Communists propose?
How did Mao Zedong and the Communists come to power in China?
What were Mao’s chief goals for China, and what policies did he institute to try to achieve them?

Here are some important documents:

Unit Calendar
Research Project Guidelines
Research Note paper
Primary Source Note paper
Reading Guides
Class notes from Chinese Philosophies presentations
Unit Review - use this to help you get organized for the partner test

Here are the PowerPoint presentations:
Women in China:

The Early Republic:

Chiang Kai-Shek:

Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party:

Japanese Aggression in China:

Mao Zedong and the Communist Party:

Links for China Research Project: Please do NOT use Wikipedia as a source for this project... We'll talk more in class about what's acceptable four online sources.

Asia for Educators - website with great primary source documents and brief histories of events
East Asian History Sourcebook - more primary source documents
Gale Group Database - password is wildcats. Scroll down to use the World History in Context search engine. We'll talk more about this in class...
AP Images - great spot for images for your powerpoint
Bedford Handbook - Research and Documentation Online - this is a great place to go if you have questions about how to cite your sources for your bibliography. Use MLA list of Works Citedhttp://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/RES5e_ch08_s1-0011.html

Unit #4: Russia: Revolution and the USSR

2011-01-11T20:08:00.000-08:00

Here are some important documents for our unit:

Unit #3: World War I

2010-10-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our unit on World War I. Here are the essential questions for our unit:

How did the tensions of the late 19th century lead to the outbreak of the Great War?
How did the events of the war impact both the soldiers and their societies?
How did World War I challenge the 19th century notions of progress?
Why was World War I a "Great War"?

Here are the important documents for this unit:

Unit Calendar
Reading Guides
Causes of the War Writing Assignment
Country Cards - if you'd like to reference the information

Interesting websites on World War I:

Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century - the film we're watching in class
First World War - you can find links to the Nicky-Willy telegrams, timelines, images...
BBC World War I
World War I - Trenches on the Web

Unit #2: Imperialism

2010-09-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

Here are the essential questions for our unit on Imperialism:

Why did newly industrialized nations seek to dominate other nations around the globe?
How did European nations justify their actions?
What was the impact on imperialized regions?
What are the legacies of European imperialism?

Some helpful handouts for this unit:

Reading Guides
Unit Calendar - A Block; G Block
Scramble for Africa debrief - if you didn't get a chance to finish it in class, use these questions to write down your thoughts.
Link to Kipling's White Man's Burden

Unit #1: Industrial Revolution

2010-08-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

Our first unit is the Industrial Revolution. Our guiding questions will be:

Why did the Industrial Revolution begin in Britain?
How did the Industrial Revolution change industry and technology? How did it change society?
Was the Industrial Revolution more of a scientific/technological or social revolution?
Was it progress?

Here are some important documents for our unit on the Industrial Revolution:

Unit Calendar, including Homework assignments
Reading Guides for Homework
Unit Review - to help you prepare for the test

Welcome to Modern World History I! An introduction and course overview:

At the dawn of the 18th century, Europe and the rest of the globe were rural landscapes dotted mostly with small villages and towns; London only had half a million inhabitants. By the turn of the 20th century, fueled by innovations in agriculture and technology, the belief in “progress”, and the rise of nationalism, the nations of Europe had scrambled to exercise dominion over the peoples in Africa and Asia with marked success, and the shifts in thinking about society and government were dramatic. During the next fifty years, however, the relative stability that marked the 19th century would be shattered by two world wars and a series of upheavals that would fundamentally redefine global politics and culture. In this course, we will look to understand the forces of the 19th and early 20th centuries, how they set the stage for the second half of the 20th century, and how they continue to influence our world today.

Our year will be centered on the themes of identity and conflict. We will work with your English teachers to use the following questions to understand these themes more deeply: What factors inform our identity? What does it mean to be an “insider” versus an “outsider”? What does it mean to belong? How does that belonging impact both the individual and society? We will also pay particular attention to the variety of perspectives that are necessary to have a deeper understanding of history and certainly make it come alive.