June 1st - 3rd
FINAL EXAMS
May 26th - May 28th
Review for Final Exams
May 5th - May 22nd
SOUTH ASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Chapter 35, section 2-4
In South Asia and the Middle East, nations cast off western rule and begin
to modernize. They have similar challenges - religious and ethnic strife,
border conflicts, urbanization, and population growth. Diversity and
nationalism blocked the Pan-Arab dream of a united Arab state. Control of
water and oil resources has a major impact on the countries of the Middle
East. Ethnic and religious diversity, the influence of western culture and
the Islamic revival are some of the forces shaping the Middle East today.
For example, in Iran, leaders rejected western models and created a
theocracy. In Israel, after long conflict, Palestinians and Jews seek peace.
March 31st - April 30th
EAST ASIA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA 1945 - PRESENT
Textbook, chapter 34, section 1-4
China, Japan, and other Asian nations achieved varying degrees of success in
their efforts to modernize. After World War II, Japan introduced democratic
reforms, emerging as a economic superpower in the 1960s. The People's
Republic of China achieved modest economic gains under communist rule, while
sacrificing individual freedoms. Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and South
Korea became industrialized nations. Cold War tensions sparked long,
devastating conflicts in Vietnam and Cambodia.
March 26th
TEST CHAPTER 31 (section 5) and CHAPTER 32 (section 1-2)
March 24th
Review chapter 31(section 5) and chapter 32 (section 1-2)
March 10th - 26th
THE WORLD SINCE 1945: AN OVERVIEW
Textbook, chapter 31, section 5 and chapter 32, section 1-2
After WWII, European colonial empires ended and dozens of new countries were
born. The United States and the Soviet Union emerged as dominant powers.
Lock in a ideological Cold War, these two superpowers realigned the world's
economies into the capitalist West and the communist East. Industrialized
nations of the global North and developing nations of the global South
became increasingly interdependent.
March 5th
TEST CHAPTER 31
March 3rd
Review chapter 31
February 19th - March 27th
World War II
Textbook, chapter 31, section 1-4
In the 1930s dictators undermined the peace by committing acts of
aggression and seizing foreign territories. They tested their military
capabilities and technology by intervening in the Spanish Civil War. Fearing
the horrors of another major war, the western democracies turned to
appeasement, a policy that failed to stop the aggression of the dictatorial
powers.
Armed with modern technology, the opposing forces in World War II wielded
more destructive power than had never existed before. The Axis powers desired
both lands that had been denied them after WWI and other regions rich in
natural resources. After the United States responded to Japanese
expansionism with trade restrictions, the Japanese expansionism with trade
restrictions, the Japanese retaliated by bombing the United States naval
base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941
The Axis powers treated the people they conquered as inferiors. In many
cases, this meant torture, forced labor, or death. Both the Axis and Allied
nations committed all their resources to the war effort. Allied victories in
North Africa, Italy, Russia, along with the successful invasion of France in
1944, were major turning points in the war.
The Japanese advance in the Pacific was halted by American victories in
the Coral Sea and at Midway Island. As Allied troops invaded Germany from
both the west and the east, Germany finally surrendered. When Japan refused
to surrender the United States dropped atomic bombs on two Japanese cities
to end the conflict.
February 17th
TEST CHAPTER 30
February 13th
Review chapter 30
January 29th - February 12th
CRISIS OF DEMOCRACY IN THE WEST
Textbook, chapter 31, section 1-4
Following WWI, diplomats tried to ensure a lasting peace. They drafted
treaties that renounced war, and they encouraged international cooperation in
the League of Nations. Britain, France, and the United States, the leading
democratic powers, faced difficult political and economic challenges both at
home and abroad. When the Great Depression struck, businesses closed, global
trade declined, and unemployment and poverty grew.
Angered by unfulfilled foreign policy goals and facing political and
economic turmoil at home, many Italians turned to Benito Mussolini and
fascism. Mussolini's fascism was rooted in extreme nationalism, action, and
discipline. As "Il Duce", Mussolini established a totalitarian system in
which the needs of the state took precedence over all else.
Germany's Weimar Republic was weakened by coalition governments,
opposition from both the left and the right, and economic crisis. many
Germans blamed it for the Versailles treaty. Under Adolf Hitler, the new
Nazi government used terror, repression, and one-party rule to establish a
totalitarian state. Poverty, ethnic conflicts, and lack of democratic
traditions helped fascism gain inroads in Eastern Europe as well.
In the 1920s, Japan's political parties and democratic parliament grew
stronger. But the Great Depression fueled dissatisfaction among militarists
and extreme nationalists. By the 1930s, the Japanese military dominated a
government that emphasized obedience to the emperor, service to the state,
and a policy of imperialist expansion.
January 27th
TEST CHAPTER 28
January 22nd
Review chapter 28
January 13th - 20th
THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
Textbook, chapter 28, section 1-3
Czarist rule and the extreme hardships of WWI set the stage for
revolution in Russia. After the seizure of power, Lenin and the Bolsheviks
attempted to establish socialism and a dictatorship of the proletariat. They
also had to defeat rival forces and rebuild a nation ruined by war.
Lenin directed the establishment of the Soviet Union under the supreme
authority of the Communist Party. In economics, he mixed capitalism with
socialism. After Lenin's death, Joseph Stalin gained power through ruthless
measures. His economic goals were industrialization and collectivization. By
launching a Great Purge and other acts of terror, Stalin gained absolute
power.
Under Stalin, the Soviet government used propaganda, censorship, and
terror to establish a totalitarian state. Members of the Communist Party and
others leaders constituted a powerful new elite. The Soviet government
January 7th - 9th
FINAL EXAMS
December 18th
TEST CHAPTER 27
December 16th
Review chapter 27
December 2nd - December 12th
WORLD WAR I
Textbook, Chapter 27, section 1-5
By 1914, Europeans had enjoyed almost a century without a major war.
They had witnessed incredible changes. Rapid advances in science and
industry had fed a belief in unlimited progress, peace, and prosperity. That
confidence came crashing down in August 1914.
Aggressive nationalism, economic and imperial rivalries, militarism,
and other forces pushed Europe toward war. By forming alliances to protect
themselves, countries actually made war more likely.
Soon after the start of World War I, a stalemate developed on the
Western Front. Modern weapons of the industrial age resulted in huge
casualties and prevented either side from gaining a decisive advantage. As
the fighting drew in non-European powers and soldiers from Europe's overseas
colonies, World War I became a truly global conflict.
In their efforts to win World War I, governments engaged in total war
by committing all their nation's resources, controlling public opinion, and
introducing economic restraints. Women contributed to the war effort in
various ways. Russia withdrew from the war following its revolution. The
United States, meanwhile, entered the war on the Allied side. In 1918, the
Allies achieved victory. However, Europeans struggled to recover from the
devastation of World War I. Millions had been killed or wounded; famine and
disease were prevalent; farms, factories, and homes were in ruins; several
governments had collapsed. At the Paris Peace Conference, President Wilson
urged "peace without victory" while France and Great Britain called for
punishment and reparations. The Treaty of Versailles left many nations
dissatisfied and resentful.
November 25th
TEST CHAPTER 23
November 21st
Review Chapter 23
November 7th - November 20th
NATIONALISM TRIUMPHS IN EUROPE
Textbook, Chapter 23, section 1-4
In the last half of the nineteenth century, much of Europe was in turmoil.
Germany and Italy achieved unification, but in other areas, nationalist
groups fought for independence.
In Germany:
During the early 1800s, the rise of German nationalism fueled desires for a
strong, united German state. As chancellor of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck led
the drive for German unity. Following his ideas of Realpolitik and “blood
and iron”, Bismarck used a minor dispute to create war between France and
the German states. As a result of the Franco-Prussian War, France was
defeated and a powerful German state, the Second Reich, was born.
In Italy:
For centuries, Italy had been a collection of separate states ruled by
foreign and local princes who competed with each other for power. In the
1800s, influential leaders such as Giuseppe Mazzini, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and
Count Camillo Cavour helped to create a united Italy. However, Italy still
faced regional differences, disputes between the Church and state, and
opposition to a conservative government.
In Austria:
Desire for national independence threatened to break up the Austrian Empire.
To appease Hungarian demands, Emperor Francis Joseph agreed to the creation
of the Dual Monarchy of Austria and Hungary. Meanwhile, the European powers
competed for influence in the Balkan peninsula.
November 6th
TEST CHAPTER 22
November 4th
Review Chapter 22
October 24th - October 30th
LIFE IN THE INDUSTRIAL AGE 1800 - 1914
Textbook Chapter 22
A second Industrial Revolution spread across Europe, North America, and
beyond in the mid-1800s. By late century, “big business” ruled the
industrial world. A complex social structure evolved, dominated by middle
class values. The women’s suffrage movement began. The overall standard of
living improved, but the poor still suffered. Through art, romanticism,
realism, and impressionism responded to social and technological changes.
October 23rd
TEST CHAPTER 20
October 21st
Review Chapter 20
October 9th - October 17th
THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
Textbook, Chapter 20
Several factors triggered the Industrial Revolution. Improved farming
methods and the enclosure movement created a revolution in agriculture. Due
to increased food production and better living conditions, the population of
Europe soared. The Industrial Revolution was driven by a growing labor force
and by new sources of fuel and power.
The Industrial Revolution started in England, where they were favorable
economic, political, and social conditions; a sufficient work force; and
plentiful of iron and coal. Iron was used to build the machines, and coal
was used to fuel them. As machinery took hold in the British textile
industry, the factory system replaced the putting out system.
Factory work meant long hours, backbreaking jobs, unsafe conditions,
and low pay. Many women worked both at home and in the factories. Child
labor was a common practice. In the cities, working-class families endured
filthy and overcrowded living conditions. At the same time, however, the
Industrial Revolution gradually brought more jobs, higher pay, and other
material benefits.
October 7th
TEST CHAPTER 19
October 2nd
Review Chapter 19
September 15th - October 2nd
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND NAPOLEON
Textbook, Chapter 19
In 1789, a financial crisis, an outmoded social system, and an
indecisive king burdened France. Reformers called for a constitution,
limitations on the monarch's power, and equality among citizens. Peasants
and the urban poor rioted. The crisis deepened, moderates lost control, and
the execution of the king and queen in 1793 ushered in the Reign of Terror.
Between 1799 and 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte controlled the government,
conquered the forces of Europe's major powers, and spread the ideas of the
revolution across Europe. After his defeat, the Congress of Vienna tried to
undo the effects of the French Revolution.
September 16th
TEST: THE AGE OF REASON
September 12th
Review Chapter 18
August 28th - September 11th
THE AGE OF REASON (THE ENLIGHTENMENT)
Textbook, Chapter 18: The Enlightenment and the American Revolution
In the 1500s and 1600s astronomers advanced their knowledge of the
universe by rejecting ancient ideas. They and other scientists developed a
new method based on experimentation, observations, and mathematical
calculations. In his theory on gravity, Newton linked physics and astronomy.
Other scientists made advancess in medicine and chemistry.
These new advances in science led to the application of reason as a means
of governing human nature. Enlightenment thinkers tried to apply the law of
nature to human society. Their political ideas included the concepts of
natural rights, separation of powers, checks and balances, and freedom of
thought. Their economic ideas included the policies of "laissez faire" and a
free market.Enlightenment ideas spread, challenging the old order and
creating new forms of art and literature.
August 26th
INTRODUCTION TO WORLD HISTORY