w. 46 - Start of new unit

Because this past Saturday (Nov. 9) was the thirty-year anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, there have been many articles on the Wall, East Germany, the Stasi, and other topics related to the Cold War.

I hope that you are reading and tuning in to these stories and programs. You'll see that you have the ability to understand and analyze these reports on a whole new level versus where you were two months ago. But you'll also have a better ability to understand how the Cold War is connected to our world today.

One Washington Post article I read had to do with the continued work of trying to put back together documents of surveillance records that the Stasi attempted to shred before their headquarters and archives were taken over after the Wall came down. When the people stormed the Stasi buildings, there were 16,000 (!!!) bags of torn up documents. After a while the Stasi's shredders had jammed, so people were trying to tear up papers by hand. Often the documents were only torn into two pieces. But other times they were torn into many pieces.

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We're starting a new unit on SWEDISH HISTORY.

I first presented events in Swedish history of the last 300 years connected to democratic politics, individual freedoms, and a few other things that can be connected to those issues. I presented these first, because these are some of the issues that you'll want to connect to when you put together different versions of Sweden's history.

So when we get to the end of this unit, you can look back at this first timeline and you should be able to offer an explanation of how it was Sweden developed in a this way. Why were so many democratic institutions and personal freedoms developing in Sweden? They certainly weren't developing in most countries at the same time. In fact, there are still many countries in the world today where there is still no press freedom (or where it isn't protected), where homosexuality is still illegal (and in some countries punishable by death), where workers have no strong organizations protecting their rights, where freedom of religion (and forget freedom from religion) is not an option.


We then grappled with the concept of centuries. One of the difficulties comes from understand that the first hundred years 1–100 constitute the 1st century. And, in following, the years 101–200 would then be the 2nd century. And so, by the time you get to the year 2019, you see that we're in the 21st century.

Then we also talked about Roman numerals -- because you come across Roman numerals in history.

1 = I
5 = V
10 = X
50 = L
100 = C
500 = D
1000 = M




'

EUROPEAN HISTORY


Then I presented a long timeline reaching back to 500 B.C. and the beginning of the Roman Republic.

Our main focus in this unit will be from the 1400s/15th c. forward, but I will regularly refer back to some earlier events. It will take a few lesson before we actually start talking about Sweden. First we will discuss:

the fall of the Western Roman Empire - quickly
the Crusades - quickly
the  Renaissance - quickly
the invention of the printing press in Europe - quickly
the Catholic Church - more in depth
Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation - more in depth
the Scientific Revolution - more in depth
the Enlightenment - in depth

then we'll move to Gustav Vasa and the changes he brought to Sweden.

For all of the things outside of Sweden, we'll use our normal history book. For things inside of Sweden, we'll turn to Swedish history books.

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Here is the Roman Empire at its largest:

You see that it includes most of western Europe -- in addition to Turkey, much of the Middle East, and northern Africa. You have a similar map on p. 171. At this time, Ancient Rome traded actively not only within its own borders, but with lands as far away as China.




Here is a map (p. 175 in your book) of the empire as it came under attack in the 4th and 5th centuries:

The light purple is the Western Roman Empire. It falls apart and comes under the control of many different groups. Gradually, most of western Europe will become a hundreds of small, independent kingdoms cut off from one another. Trade will be minimal.

The dark purple is the Eastern Roman Empire, which was led from Constantinople (today Istanbul). It stayed together for another 1000 years (!).




I'm not sure I'm going to have time to show this in class, but here is the opening scene from the movie "Gladiator." What I find instructive about it is the difference between the Romans and the "barbarians" or "Germans" -- the invading tribes.

Look at the armor the Romans wear. Notice how much care has gone into making their protective clothing both functional and beautiful. Look at the sophistication of their weapons. Then look at the Germans. They are wearing simple animal hides. Their weapons are simple as well. But eventually there were SO MANY invading tribes at some many points along the empire's borders that the empire could not protect itself any longer. The Roman Empire had become too large and unable to keep itself together.



CRUSADES

Here is a map of the Crusades (p.383 in your book)

The importance for us: As a result of the Crusades, western Europeans come in contact
- texts from Ancient Greece and Rome. This means they come in contact with ideas and writing connected to

• mathematics
• various sciences, including astronomy
• medicine
• drama
• poetry
• history
• philosophy
• art
• Greek and Roman mythology
• political thinking
• the importance of the individual

Additionally, they came in contact with a variety of goods (products) that were not available in Europe because trade had decreased so drastically since the fall of the Western Roman Empire, including

• a variety of foods, including spices 
• textiles
• precious jewels and metals 
• paints/art materials

 As a result of the Crusades, trade in western Europe will revive. And Europe will start on a development in all areas

• science
• arts
• banking
• political thinking
• philosophy
• literature
• history
• the study of languages
• technology
• . . .

w. 44

These timelimes are available in a pdf file on Vklass:

w. 42

The podcast I told you about: Intrigue: Tunnel 29. LISTEN!!

This week we talked about the Cuban Missile Crisis. This event is discussed in your book in chpt. 33, section 4.

With this conflict we see a number of things, including how conflicts between the U.S. and the Soviet Union existed outside of Europe. In this particular conflict, we saw one the rare occasions where the U.S. and the Soviet Union directly faced one another. As best as we know (that is, those of us who are not privy to top secret documents and events of the Cold War), this is the closest the world came to nuclear war during the Cold War.

Here are some photos I showed in class.

Fidel Castro

Kennedy and his advisors during the 13-day Cuban Missile Crisis

 

We then began doing test preparations. The questions we looked at are on Vklass. (Please keep in mind that it is always better to go into the class on Vklass class rather than to look for things under “Händelser.”)

The various goals we are working with: (These are E-level goals.)

Students can in basic terms give an account of processes of change, events and people from different time periods, and make different interpretations.

 In addition, students can in basic terms give an account of the evolution of processes of change and events, as well as their causes and consequences.

Students can with some certainty use some historical concepts to formulate, investigate, explain, and draw conclusions about historical questions from different perspectives.

Students can with some certainty search for, examine and interpret source material to answer questions about historical processes,

It may also be that you are able to work with this goal

Students give simple examples of, and explain in basic terms relationships between processes in the past and conditions in the present.




 

Here’s a table of the course plan’s grading criteria. You can also find the “Betygskriterier och mål” in Swedish on Vklass under the course and then under “Utbildningsmaterial.” 

E Students can in basic terms give an account of processes of change, events and people from different time periods, and make different interpretations.  In addition, students can in basic terms give an account of the evolution of processes of change and events, as well as their causes and consequences. Students give examples of some individuals and explain in basic terms their importance for different processes. Students give simple examples of, and explain in basic terms relationships between processes in the past and conditions in the present. In addition, students can draw simple conclusions about the significance that processes in the past, and conditions in the present may have for the future. Students can with some certainty use some historical concepts to formulate, investigate, explain, and draw conclusions about historical questions from different perspectives. Students can with some certainty search for, examine and interpret source material to answer questions about historical processes, and also make simple reflections on the relevance of the material. Students base their assessment on some source-critical criteria concerning its usefulness and significance for the interpretation. Students can in basic terms give an account of some historical processes and events that have been used in different ways, and in basic terms explain why they have been used differently. In addition, students give some examples of different ways of using history and make simple assessments of their significance for contemporary developments and events.

C Students can in detail give an account of processes of change, events, and people from different time periods, and make different interpretations. Students compare different interpretations, recommend one, and in a simple assessment, give reasons for their choice. In addition, students can in detail give an account of the evolution of processes of change and events, as well as their causes and consequences. Students give examples of some individuals and explain in detail their importance for different events. Students give simple examples of, and explain in detail relationships between events in the past and conditions in the present. In addition, students can draw some well-grounded conclusions about the significance processes in the past, and conditions in the present may have for the future. Students can with some certainty use historical concepts to formulate, investigate, explain and draw conclusions about historical questions from different perspectives. Students can with some certainty search for, examine and interpret source material to answer questions about historical processes, and also make well-grounded reflections on the relevance of the material. Students base their evaluation on source-critical methods and make a simple assessment of different possible interpretations of the source material. Students can in detail give an account of some historical processes and events that have been used in different ways, and in detail explain why they have been used differently. In addition, students give some examples of different ways of using history and make simple assessments of their significance for contemporary developments and events

A Students can in detail and in a balanced way give an account of processes of change, events and people during different time periods, and interpret them differently.  Students compare different interpretations, recommend one, and in a balanced assessment, give the reasons for their choice. In addition, students can in detail and in a balanced way give an account of the evolution of processes of change and events, as well as their causes and consequences. Students give examples of some individuals and explain in detail and in a balanced way their importance for different events. Students give complex examples of, and explain in detail and in a balanced way, relationships between processes in the past and conditions in the present, and argue for and against different ways of viewing these relationships. In addition, students can draw some well-grounded and balanced conclusions about the significance events in the past, and conditions in the present may have for the future. Students can with certainty use historical concepts to formulate, investigate, explain, and draw conclusions about historical questions from different perspectives. Students can with certainty search for, examine and interpret source material to answer questions about historical processes, and also make well-grounded and balanced reflections on the relevance of the material. Students base their evaluation on source-critical methods and make a balanced assessment of different possible interpretations of the source material. Students can in detail and in a balanced way give an account of some historical processes and events that have been used in different ways, and in detail and in a balanced way explain why they have been used differently. In addition, students give some examples of different ways of using history and evaluate this by making balanced assessments of their significance for contemporary developments and events

 

I encourage you to make a timeline to try to map the various events you think that you want to discuss. Then you can try to decide how to organize what you would write.

Remember that you must use at least one of the six Cold War documents in your answer. And it is not enough to mention the document. You need to use some material from the document within your answer. That is, you need to be able to explain how some element(s) from the document is/are relevant to what you are explaining. Ideally, you’ll pull out specific quotes from the document.

As I said in class, you will be allowed to bring a timeline to the exam. The timeline must be handwritten and must be your own. (You may not photocopy someone else’s.) And you may have only years/dates and events, not descriptive, explanatory, or interpretative text. It’s mean to help you structure your answer.

You will also have a list of Cold War terms.

I will help you with any spellings or questions you have.

And there will be dictionaries in the room.

You will not be graded on you English; you will be graded on your ability to reach the history goals. But I nonetheless expect that you can copy a word from the terms list correctly and that you can ask questions when you’re unsure.

communism vs. fascism

I promised Sa2 that I would post a table that lays out basic differences between fascism and communism. Nazi Germany under Hitler and Italy under Mussolini were both fascist. The Soviet Union was communist, as is the People’s Republic of China today. Both systems are authoritarian and strip away individual freedoms, free institutions, have secret police that attempt to control society – but they are based in different ideas.

Scroll farther down to get to material that we've beeen covering in class.

Communism	Fascism
	extremely nationalistic
appeals to workers	appeals to the middle class
seeks international revolution	works to prevent revolution
promises classless society	promises to preserve existing social classes
critical of the past	glorifies certain aspects of  the past
critical of private ownership	defends ownership of private property

w. 41

Berlin Wall + East Germany

Here’s the first video we looked at in class:

I showed some other films about the building of the wall in the early 1960s and how the wall looked from the air. I've not been able to find them online. However, there are a number of films on YouTube about the history of the Wall.

I noted that the Berlin Wall became a symbol of the Cold War. And eventually with it comes a somewhat comfortable understanding of the balance of power between the West and the East. Even if there are still many places around the world where the U.S. and the Soviet Union are in conflict because they support different sides in various conflicts, there is a certain acceptance of the split of power in Europe.

But by the time we get to the 1980s, this acceptance starts to be less secure, because there is greater discontent in Eastern Europe, particularly regarding the economic challenges. Whereas people in the West are experiencing increased wealth (which is evident, for example, in the ability to own cars, appliances, more expensive clothing, as well the ability to travel, and access to new music), families in the East are still on waiting lists for cars (of which there is usually one mediocre sort), telephones, appliances, apartments they don’t need to share with other families, and they are forced to wait in line to get basic foodstuffs, because stores regularly run out of popular items, including meat and fresh foods. 

In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became the new Soviet leader. Here’s a little graphic of the Cold War Soviet leaders and U.S. presidents:

Gorbachev determined that reforms needed to be made in the Soviet Union – and also in the other countries of the Eastern bloc. He introduced the concepts of perestroika and glasnost.

 But the system had become so inflexible that it was difficult to introduce change easily. For decades, change had been stifled (kvävt), because there was the fear that if any change was allowed, the Soviet Union would lose control. Gorbachev acknowledged that this still might be the case – that it would lose control. But he argued that change was necessary nonetheless.

In 1989, a number of changes started to develop as a result of perestroika and glasnost. For example, Hungary took down its border with Austria, which thus created an opening in the Iron Curtain.

In the fall of 1989, East Germans began protesting – but not knowing if there would be repercussions (återverkan; that is, would the police arrest them). Up until the Berlin Wall actually opened, and it became clear that East Germany wasn’t going to be able to put the toothpaste back in the tube, there was the very real fear of the Stasi and what it would do.  

I noted that in May–June of 1989, there were protests with thousands of demonstrators in Beijing China, at the very large Tiananmen Square. These protests ended with the Chinese government sending in the tanks and soldiers and firing on unarmed demonstrators, killing thousands. We don’t know exactly who or how many were killed, because the Chinese government is not transparent about such things.

In Germany there was the very real question of whether or not East Germany/Warsaw Pact troops would behave like China in November of 1989.

Thursday:

We started by taking a quiz; after that you read in your book, chpt. 33, section 1. The purpose of the quiz and reading was to help you see which concepts and events you may be having problems with. You’ll notice that most of the terms are connected to the events of the Cold War we’ve been discussing, including

the Truman Doctrine

the Marshall Plan

the Berlin Blockade and Airlift

the formation of West Germany (FRG) and East Germany (GDR)

NATO

Warsaw Pact

Hungarian Revolution

Prague Spring

Berlin Wall

Information about Mikhail Gorbachev and glasnost and perestroika are in chpt. 35, section 3, pp. 1046-1047.

Stasi

The Stasi was the secret police of East Germany was officially formed in 1950. It was modeled off the Soviet secret police (the NKVD, later the KGB).

goals:

discourage dissent among the population

manipulate and control the minds of citizens

It dealt with things such as

-       political surveillance

-       internal security

-       supervision of political trials

-       administration of Gulags and other prison camps

-       border security

By 1989, Stasi had

-       91,015 full-time staff

-       173,000 informants

privileges for informers

-       education

-       access to work

Behavior that could get people into trouble with the Stasi:

-       slandering the state

-       any criticism toward the SED (the communist party in control of East Germany)

-       refusal to cooperate with a state security official

-       conspiracy to leave the GDR

In the early years of East Germany, 100,000s of East Germans were fleeing to the West. One of the purposes of the Stasi was to stop people from leaving.

We look at a couple of clips from the movie “The Lives of Others” to help us understand how the Stasi worked:

And here is a link to a video about the real Stasi files, where former East Germans can go to read their files. At around the 5-min. mark, a woman talks about the amount of time it takes before a people starts dealing with their past. 

And on the Britannica website, there are a couple of short films about the Stasi.