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

#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.

#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.

-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.

#2 A. Adam Smith: Scottish economist considered as founder of classical economics. He wrote a book called “Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations”, which was established in 1776.
B. Thomas Malthus: Anglican clergyman who became a professor of economics, thinking that people multiply more rapidly than the food supply increases.
C. David Ricardo: British economist. Wrote a book, Principles of Political Economy and taxation, that was published in 1817. He stated that supply and demand determine wages. His idea became known as the iron law of wages.
D. Charles Dickens : English writer. He used his novels to attack greedy employers.
E. Jeremy Bentham: Philosopher. Made the theory utilitarianism. He argued that a law was useful if it led to happiness to a greater amount of people.
F. John Stuart Mill: English philosopher. Also believed that a government should work for the good of all its citizens. He did things like: call for government to protect working children and to improve factory conditions, thought that everyone should have the same rights not depending on sex or race, and wrote a book that supported women’s rights.

#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!

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.