Final Essay. Have a great summer Mr.Weiss!! :) June 2, 2008

Adrisha Diaz.
6-2-08
P#4

Final Essay for History
Mr. Weiss

Prompt #1: At the close of the war, the victors declared Germany to be the primary aggressor and forced the country to pay steep preparations. To what extent was German aggression to blame for the start of World War I?

Even though the German aggression for the outbreak of WWI was a bit large, I definitely don’t think they are all to blame. There were many conflicts going on in between European countries, and what broke the ice was when Ferdinand was assassinated. “The war began as a chain of events that revolved around several alliances made between countries.  These pre-war alliances called for the defense of various countries under attack, and all of the major players in the war had made these alliances.  These alliances combined with tensions between militarily active countries set the world up for a major war.  The chain of events that led up to the war began on June 22nd 1914, when a Serbian student named Gavrilo Princip, who was part of the militant group called the “Black Hand”, assassinated Austrian archduke Frances Ferdinand and his wife.” (http://firstworldwar.com/features/germanyduringww1.htm) As you can see, the beginning of the war wasn’t even started by the Germans. In fact, one of the reasons they decided to side with Austria was because if they didn’t, they would have enemies all around them. The Serbs were friends with the Russians, Germany’s major enemy, and if they were to loose Yugoslavia, they would lack in power; something that the Germans wanted so they could  become stronger.

The before-hand issues before the war started are mentioned below:
From the result of the Franco-Prussian war, the French were humiliated because of their loss and Germany then owned the land of Alsace-Lorraine, which used to be the property of France. Also leading to the upset balance of power in Europe.
Russia, Austria, and Ottoman empire losing nationalism because of different races living in their country border lines; making Germany gaining power through nationalism.
Russia and Ottoman empire are now enemies because Russia was becoming more friendly with their country.
Serbia didn’t get along with Austria-Hungary because Serbs were living in Austria-Hungarian Empire. They were friends with Russia, naturally making them against the Austrians.

“The civilian population became a target of war; while the British blockade tried to starve the Germans and their allies into submission, German submarines tried to cut Britain off from its supplies.” (http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/germanresponsibility.htm) As mentioned before, several of the European countries didn’t like Germany because of their rapid industrialization in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was simply a matter of aggravation because their country(Germany) was gaining in strength. Germany although, didn’t want to get into war.

Before the war even began, the French were already forming plans to go against Germans to gain Alsace and Lorraine. “Entirely offensive in nature, Plan XVII made extensive use of the belief in the mystical élan vital assumed to be instilled within every Frenchman – a fighting spirit capable of turning back any enemy by its sheer power.  It assumed the average French soldier to be more than a match for its German counterpart.”(http://firstworldwar.com/features/plans.htm) Personally, I think, the French were holding a grudge against them because they owned a part of their native land.

At the beginning of the war, the Central Powers had lost two countries that used to be on their side. “Italy subsequently negotiated a secret treaty with France, under which Italy would remain neutral should Germany attack France – which in the event transpired.”(http://www.firstworldwar.com/origins/causes.htm) and “Austria-Hungary signed an alliance with Romania in 1883, negotiated by Germany, although in the event Romania – after starting World War One as a neutral – eventually joined in with the allies”.(http://www.firstworldwar.com/origins/causes.htm) The Germans were always under the shadow of Great Britain and other countries, and finally saw an opportunity to reach the light and took the risk. But with already having enemies surrounding them and loosing countries, no wonder they came on ‘strong’ throughout the war.

Getting all caught up with the situation, the Germans wanted to get ahead of the game somehow and came up with the Shieffen Plan. “The German war plans urged a fast knockout of the French army and then a turn to the eastern front.  But to win quickly in the west the German armies needed to surround the French, which they could only do by marching through Belgium.”(http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/germanresponsibility.htm) This was a very big mistake of the Kaiser because he didn’t think of the consequences that might end up happening. Belgium at this time was neutral and didn’t want to get involved in a conflict with anyone. Therefore, declining the permission the Germans asked to be able to go through their country to get to France. The Germans invaded their country, which I think was the only action that Germany made to make the World War larger than what it already was becoming, and the  Belgians got very angry because of this because of the deaths that occurred, making them to join the Allied Forces with France and Russia. In the end anyway, the Germans had lost strength instead.

In the German appeal to the Americans, it begged for them to have sympathy and to not believe all the things that they have been hearing from their enemies. “Not one human being among us dreamed of war.  We are a nation that wishes to lead a quiet and industrious life.  This need hardly be stated to you Americans.  You, of all others, know the temper of the German who lives within your gates.” (http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/germanappealtoamericans.htm) At the end stating, “We do not know if victory will be ours, the Lord alone knows.  We have not chosen our path, we must continue doing our duty, even to the very end.  We bear the misery of war, the death of our sons, believing in Germany, believing in duty.” (http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/germanappealtoamericans.htm) The Germans with all their heart wanted to have a peaceful nation and was in desperation. Like any other country in their time, they wanted to gain power throughout Europe, just like Great Britain and France had their turn, but ending up in disaster and defeat. Their last statement in their appeal to the Americans was, “And we know that Germany cannot be wiped from the face of the earth.” (http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/germanappealtoamericans.htm) They were going to stand up for themselves as long as they could for the pride of their country not for ‘aggressive’ or greedy reasons.

Word Count: 1083

HW PG. 710 #’s 1,2,4. May 19, 2008

#1 A. Propaganda: ideas, facts, or rumors spread deliberately to further one’s cause or to damage an opposing cause.
B. war of attrition: slow wearing-down manner of warfare in which each side tries to outlast the other.
C. contraband: war materials supplied by a neutral nation to a belligerent one.
D. atrocities: brutal crimes of war, often committed against civilians.

#2 Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria,and the Ottoman Empire. Their territory extended from the North Sea to the Middle Sea.
B. Allied Powers: Great Britain, France, Russia, and their partners(32 countries in total). They had more soldiers and a grater industrial capacity.
C. U-boats: [meaning underwater boats] Germans used it towards the Allied shipping.
D. Woodrow Wilson: The U.S President at this time, 1915, warned the Germans that he would not tolerate another such incident again; the Germans “famous” submarines sank ‘Louisiana’ resulting in 1,200 deaths.
E. Arthur Zimmermann: a high official in the German foreign ministry. He tried sending a secret telegram to the German ambassador in Mexico, proposing an alliance between them, promising that they would help them regain AZ, New Mexico, and Texas if they fight on their side.

#4 A. Technology changed the way the war was fought by the use of new weapons such as machine guns, long-range artillery, airplanes, tanks, u-boats, etc.
B. The principles that were proclaimed by the U.S for declaring war were..
1. The situation of Arthur Zimmermann and Americans getting very angry(look at number 2E).
2. German u-boats sinking many ships and leading to American deaths because of these attacks.
And 3. None of the Central powers having a democratic government and the Americans wanted to fight for their ideals.

HW PG 769 #’s 3&4 May 12, 2008

#3 A. Some of the factors that led to th fall of th Qing dynasty were the substantial spheres of influence over France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, and Russia. Over time, foreign traders started moving in deeper into the country of China and had won many precessions and privileges. Also, after the crushing of the Boxer Rebellion, it brought China completely under foreign domination.
B. The nationalist movement grew and changed under the leadership of Chiang Kai-Shek by the army growing strength and the nationalists gaining control of Human province and the cities of the Wuhan area. He later established a nationalist government in Nanjing which did make some improvements like the building of roads and railroads.
C. The factors that led to the rise of communism in China was the influence of the Russian Revolution and ideas of Mark and Lenin. They wanted to free their country from foreign domination.

#4 Chinese Communist Party
I, as a Chinese communist, want my country to be free. Having our lands being governed by foreigners is unacceptable and cannot last any longer. Our cultures and traditions are going to wear out and our future children will not know us. We want to be remembered as fighters who wanted what was right for their country and not stopping until they get there; even if it puts your life on the line. Never surrender and keep together as a team for your freedom.

MAKEUP HW! May 6, 2008

Mr. Weiss,
I was absent for the FBLA trip and I hope it’s still okay at this time to post this homework.
See you in class! Thankyou. – Adrisha.

-PG 416 #4
A. The changes that the growth of cities were to China were that they began to specialize in the manufacture or production of certain goods. They increase the amount of land used for farming and popular culture began to rise.
B. The attitudes Chinese rulers might not have had towards foreigners were probably not wanting them there. Confucius and his beliefs were to keep everybody out(idea of the Great Wall of China), and on top of all that, the population was increasing fast; meaning that the country did not need more people.

-PG 421 #2
A. Opium War: The conflict between China and Britain that lasted from 1839 to 1842. The British gained control of the region near Nanjing.
B. Treaty of Nanjing: (1842) China gave the island of Hong Kong to the British. Also opening five ports to British trade.
C. Taiping Rebellion: (Lasting from 1850 to 1864) Millions of people were killed and cities and farmlands were destroyed. It weakened China’s sovereignty and undermined the emperor’s prestige.

PG 681 #’s 1&3
#1 A. Meiji Restoration: change when a group of Samurai overthrew the Tokugawa and shogunate and restored the emperor to emperor.
B. Diet: Japan’s two-house national legislature.
C. Sino-Japanese War: war between China and Japan over Korea in 1894, resulting in a Japanese victory.
D. Treaty of Shimonoseki: 1895 treaty forcing China to recognize independence of Korea and make concessions to Japan.
E. Mongkut: Ascended to power in 1851. Studied western ideas to understand his enemies and help modernize his country.
F. Liliuokalani: (1838-1917) First woman ever to become ruler of Hawaiian Islands, and also the last. In 1893, business leaders gained enough power to end the queen’s reign.
G. Emilio Aguinaldo: Led the Filipinos in a fight for independence.
#3 A. The British rule affected India by making their transportation easier by building things like bridges and railroads. Their education system was taught through Western Civilization ways; meaning everything was taught in English.
B. The Japanese were able to reform and industrialize their nation quickly  because the started learning the Western ways and taking advantage of the situation by revolutionizing themselves, and also buying machinery from European countries.
C. The United States expansion in Hawaii differed from its expansion in Philippines because when gaining control in Hawaii, they did it through business leaders making treaties, and with the Philippines they fought in a war with Spain, the country ruling the Philippines, which they won and leading them to own this country.

Hw 4-16 April 16, 2008

Pg 550
#1 A. enclosure movement: practice of fencing or enclosing common lands into individual holdings.
B. crop rotation: practice of alternating crops of different kinds to preserve soil fertility.
C. Industrial Revolution: term for changed beginning in the 1700s, when power driven machines began to do much of the work that people had done before.
D. factors of production: basic resources for industrialization, such as necessary land, capital, and labor.
E. mechanization: use of automatic machinery to increase production.
F. factory system: production of goods in a factory through the use of machines and a large number of workers.
G. vulcanization: process of treating rubber to make it more useful.

#2 A. Jethro Tull: invented a seed drill that made it possible to plant seeds in straight rows.
B. Richard Arkwright: invented a way to drive the spinning “jenny” through water power.
C. Eli Whitney: invented the cotton gin.
D. James Watt: studied and improved Newcomen’s steam machine.
E. Henry Bessemer: developed the “Bessemer process” which is a cheaper and more efficient method of making steel.
F. Robert Fulton: first to build a profitable steam boat.
G. Samuel Morse: invented a new form of communication, a telegraph.

**EXTRA CREDIT!!** (Thank-you Mr.Weiss!)
I would be willing to give up some of my things if it meant that no one had to work in a factory again because it’s a really nice thing to do. You are making so many peoples lives better, and in the end, you’ll feel great you did it too. Anyhow, every single year, I give away many things to the poor people in the Dominican Republic with my mom. But in this case, I’m actually giving an opportunity to those who aren’t as lucky as I am and its also not like I can buy the things all over again!

Hw due 4-14 April 13, 2008

Pg. 636
#2  A. Carbonari: secret society of Italian nationalists in the early 1800s.
B&C: Guiseppe Mazzini/ Young Italy Movement: Mazzini was one of the most famous Carbonari. In 1831, he called for all Italian patriots to join his Young Italy Movement; believing that a republic should rule Italy.
D. King Victor Emmanuel II: wanting to expand Sardinian territory, which was his homeland.
E. Camillo Benso di Cavour: Republican and an Italian patriot. Him and the Sardinian Parliament supported the goals of the liberals.
F. Napoleon III: French emperor. He thought that if the Austrians were driven out of Italy, France might be able to dominate the Italian states.    Later on, after Austria declared war, he signed an armistice with Austria because he was afraid that they would team up with Prussia and ‘crush’ him. Napoleon also insisted on receiving Nice and Savoy.
G.  Guiseppe Garibaldi: (1807-1882 and born in Nice) Formed an army of volunteers called “Red Shirts”. This army conquered southern Italy, helping to unite the country.
#4  A. The events that led to new nationalist movements for unification in Italy were the Young Italy Movement and  in !866 when they gained Venetia in a war with Austria.
B. The important leaders in the fight for Italian unification were Guiseppe Mazzini, Guiseppe Garibaldi, Cavour, Napoleon III, and Victor Emmanuel II.
C. Sardinia took the lead in Italian unification because he supported the liberals.

Pg. 642
#4  A. Prussia replaced Austria as the leading German state in Europe by the three wars(called the Danish War, Seven Weeks’ War, and the Franco-Prussian War) with Otto von Bismarck and King William I.
B. German unification: It went under an empire while also having Austria and Prussia.
Italian unification: It didn’t become an empire and was only one state.
C. The makeup of the German government after the unification was King William I of Prussia proclaimed emperor and Bismarck named chief minister. All 25 German states had its own ruler and set of laws, while the “kaiser” heading the government. The legislative branch had 2 houses: Bundersrat and Reichstag.

“Al-Jabarti’s Chronicle of Napoleon in Egypt” March 25, 2008

The French think that the Egyptians are corrupt and needing a sense of order in their everyday lives.  The French tell them that they do not want to take away their religion but that they need to be worshiping God. When the English arrived in Egypt and identified themselves saying that they had come to enquire the French, the people of the town told them, ‘ No French are with us except those who reside in the port’. Also warning them that they might attack suddenly and that they might not be able to repel them.  Al-Sayyid Muhammad Kurayyim did not believe their words and saw them as trickery. The English requested, ‘Sell us water and provisions according to their value and we shall stay in our ships lying in wait for them. When they come we shall take care of the matter and save you the trouble’. Kurayyim declined their offer. When the French had arrived, the Egyptians then realized that they were wrong and they were fortified of their weapons and techniques.

hw 3/18 March 18, 2008

P.528
1.  A. plebiscite: procedure used to submit the constitution of a new government to the people for a yes-or-no vote.
B. nationalism: Love of one’s country rather than of one’s native region.
C. scorched-earth policy: tacting of burning or destroying crops and anything else of value to an invading enemy.
2.  A. Napoleonic code: system of French law under Napoleon’s direction.
B. concordat: agreement with the Pope allowing religious freedom.
C. Horatio nelson: Led a British fleet in 1805, defeated a combined French and Spanish fleet off the coast of Spain. he was killed in the battle, but saved Britain invasion.
D. Duke of Wellington: The British sent the Duke of wellington to help the Spanish and Portuguese people rise up against the French.

hw 3/10 March 9, 2008

PG. 522
#4:
A. The national convention changed France by creating the ‘Committee of Public Safety’ which would act towards the principles of good citizenshi, opened new schools, supported idea of universal elementary education, established wage and price controls intended to stop inflation, worked to address human rights concerns, encouraged religious toleration, and even replaced the confusing system of weights and measures with the metric system. These people were on a role!
B. The Reign of Terror and foreign wars affected the people of France that by the year 1794, many favored a return to monarchy. They probably felt as if no matter who was in control, and what rules were made, they would suffer anyways; So why not go back to original traditons?
C. Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power because under the Directory, the ongoing wars offered oppurtunities for able military leaders. Keys to open doors He married a leader of the French society, Josephine de Beauharnais, and won command of the French army two days later.
>>
PG. 528
#4:
A. Napoleon’s achievements through 1804 was being crowned Emperor.
B. Napoleon established an empire by making a plebiscite for declaring France an empire because his supporters wanted to make his power permanent and hereditary.
C. Napoleon was finally defeated by the British and Prussian allies at Waterloo.

La Marseillaise March 6, 2008

The national French anthem has to do with how they were fighting for their country and rights in war; wanting to stand up for what they believed in. The song was written with much anger and determination; stating how when soldiers die, “the earth will bear new ones”. They wanted to take the influence from the Americans and be a land of the free too! It describes all the hard times that it took for them to get where they are today, and how they are willing to defend and fight again if anyone gets in their way. Just like our anthem, it is a great reminder that their ancestors fought for them and that it wasn’t an easy task! The song is a symbol of pride and strength that will forever be for the French.