The Rise of Totalitarian Rulers

In this new unit, we will be studying a few totalitarian rulers.  From our discussion and videos to date, how do totalitarian rulers get to hold so much power in a country?  

Demoralization of War

 The First World War saw two very different fronts.  The Western front was a deadly stalement while the Eastern Front was very mobile with one side dominating the other.  No one will argue that it would be demoralizing to fight on either front.  Which do you think would have been the most frustrating front to be a part of?  Why? 

The Western Front

 The First World War is often referred to as a futile war with way too many casualties for not much land.  So far we have only looked at some aspects of the Western Front, but even in that amount of studying, we have seen several examples of this.  What were two examples of this that stand out from what you have seen so far in this unit?

Western and Eastern Front

We have looked at the Western Front and the Eastern Front of the First World War.  War is brutal no matter the conditions.  What would have been the most difficult part of being a soldier on either side of the war? 

Tensions Prior to WWI

We discussed 4 tensions that helped cause WWI. These were:  Military/Arms Race, Economic Rivalry, Alliance Systems, and Nationalism.  Which one or ones of these do you believe were the MOST significant in starting the war.  Explain why you think this.

Life in Early 20th Century

We've only just begun our course on 20th Century History.  In your opinion, what would have been 2 exciting elements of living during the early 1900s?  What would have been 2 challenges?

Interest Inventory

We skimmed a number of topics surrounding World War II.  If you had the opportunity to study one element of this war more thoroughly, what would it be? Explain why your interest takes you there...

Phoney War

Although WWII technically started in September,  1939, the fighting started in April 1940.  Is calling this period of time a Phoney War accurate?  Explain why you agree or disagree with that statement.

The Between War Years

This past unit was one where the Totalitarian Rulers rose to power in a variety of nations.  It was also a unit of economic hardships.  What were 2 of the most interesting things that were discussed or presented during this unit.

The Dirty Thirties

Some reports say that Canada, specifically  the prairie provinces, were hardest hit during the Great Depression of the 1930s.  Whether you agree with this or not is not the question... the question is why would people say this?

Totalitarian Rulers

We looked at 5 beliefs or philosophies that a totalitarian ruler has... extreme nationalism, racial purity, devotion to a leader, creation of a scapegoat and use of violence/war.  Which of these do you think a successful dictator would rely most heavily on and which one do you think could be removed from the list... explain your thoughts.

Why do people follow the extremists?

This next unit is about the rise of totalitarian rulers.  When we study these rulers, we often wonder "why" people would follow such extremists... what are some reasons you have seen in your experience, whether personal or learned...

What do you think?

We have spent the last 6 weeks studying the first 19 years of the 20th century... focusing around World War One.  Of everything we studied this unit, what do you think had the largest impact or interest level for you.  Please give a reason for this.

Glory of War

The First World War ended the notion that war is glorious.  There are many reasons why this statement can be considered true... or you could say that there never was glory in war and World War One reinforced this.  Please give your opinion on this plus one or two examples to support your thoughts.

 

Canada and WWI

Canada was said to become a nation during WWI, despite becoming a country in 1867.  Give one or two reasons why you think this statement has been said.

Pre WWI Tensions

We looked at 4 key reasons why tensions were running high prior to WWI:
1) Nationalism
2) Economic Rivalry
3) Alliance System
4) Weapons or Arms Race
Which one or two do you think are MOST responsible for the start of the war and WHY?

100+ Year’s of Change

We’ve been looking at what life was like at the beginnng of the 20th century...what do you think are 2 of the biggest changes that society has seen since then?

From Moderate Reform to Violent Revolution

How and why did the moderate reforms of the National Assembly become violent?
Do you agree with turning to violence in this situation?  Explain briefly.

One Hundred Years Later...

The very first part of this course is looking at life at the beginning of the 20th Century.  We saw many changes occurring at the time... what change (attitude, invention, philosophy...) do you think has the greatest impact on our world today?  Give a brief explanation.

 

Greatest Impact

We have touched on many events of the 20th Century - realizing it's impossible to cover everything!!  Which event(s) do you think had the greatest impact on your life? No wrong answers - just give a quick explanation!