Conditions Prior to WWII (to 1933)

Conditions Prior to WWII:

Italy:

-          Weak government

-          High national debt

-          High unemployment

-          High inflation

-          Political violence

-          Grievances over peace treaties (Paris Peace Conference, Treaty of London, Treaty of Versailles)

-          Strikes and riots by Bolsheviks

Mussolini:

-          Kills communist sympathizers from 1919 to 1922

-          Forms government in 1922, promises to make Italy “great, respected, and feared”

-          Clashes with Yugoslavia, Greece, France, and Britain over his attempts to dominate the Adriatic and Mediterranean

In the meantime, in the Weimar Republic (Germany)...

-          Germany, friendless since the war, signs the Treaty of Rappola with Russia, which means France’s attempts to isolate Germany are not working

-          In 1922, Germany suspends reparations payments, so France and Belgium move into the Ruhr Valley (western Germany).  Germany is very angry about this, and develops a policy of silent resistance to the French armies (as it has no army of its own to retaliate)

-          Hyper inflation, e.g., an egg costing .09 marks in 1914 costs 320 000 000 000 in 1923.

-          Germany’s economy begins to bounce back due to the Dawes Plan and American Investment in Germany.  The economy collapses, however, in 1929/30 because of the American stock market crash and the Great Depression.  U.S. short-term loans were withdrawn from Germany.

The USSR:

-          Is relatively weak and broke due to WWI and the Russian Civil War

-          Attempts to maintain national security through to 1933 by signing treaties of nonaggression with its neighbours

Japan:

-           Builds up its military and invades Manchuria for economic security (claiming retaliation to Manchurian aggression)

-          League does nothing because they couldn’t come to agreement, and the U.S. wouldn’t come to the table.

Class Jigsaw Notes, Socials 30/33

The Young Plan

·         Written in 1929, adopted in 1930

·         Presented by Owen D. Young

·         Put into effect after the Dawes Plan proved unsuccessful

·         Reduced to necessary payments to $112 Billion Gold Marks ($18 Billion US)

·         Payments to be made over 59 years.

·         All governments accepted this plan, but many right-wing German Politian’s (ex. Hitler) criticized it.  

British Foreign Policy

·         Wanted to maintain international empire, yet avoid European conflicts

·         The Brits thought that no global conflict could justify another war

·         Widespread opposition to rearmament (1920-30)

·         Bickering w/ France turned GB more pro-German, saw them as victims of Treaty of Versailles

·         During Hitler’s rise British gov’t accused of appeasing him, not being harsh enough to Germany’s actions

·         Partly because British economy relied on trade

Kellogg Briand Pact

-A treaty that attempted to outlaw war.

-Drafted by France and the US-August 27, 1928..15 nations signed

-By 1933, 65 nations had signed

Two Principle Articles

1)      Contracting parties condemned recourse to war for the solution of international controversies, renounced it(war) as an instrument of national policy in their relations with one another

2)      Parties agreed that the settlement or solution of all disputes or conflicts of whatever nature or of whatever origin that may be, which may arise between them, shall never be sought except by pacific means.

War Outlawed excepts for self-defense

Failure: NO Sanctions (loopholes made treaty inefficient method for outlawing war)

The Little Entente

·         A political and military alliance formed in 1920 and 1921 by Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia

·         Purpose of alliance was to ensure that Austria-Hungary would not restore after their dissolution after the first World War

·         Agreements between each other encouraging economic cooperation

·         The alliance was backed by France, who had an alliance with Czechoslovakia

·         Alliance was destroyed in 1938 when the Munich Pact delivered the Sudetenland (a part of Czech) to Germany

Problems in the British Economy

·         Many strikes, especially in the coal industry

·         High unemployment

·         High inflation

·         Challenged as other countries industrialized

·         British industry was becoming outdated

Dawes Plan

v  Provide that the Ruhr area be evacuated by Allied occupation troops,

v  That the reparation payment should begin at 1 billion marks for the first year and should rise over a period of four years to 2.5 billion marks per year

v  That the German Reichsbank be reorganized under Allied supervision and that the sources for the reparation money should include transportation, excise and custom taxes

v  The plan went into effect in Sept. 1924

v  Although German business the picked up and reparation payments were made promptly, it became obvious that Germany could not long continue those huge annual payments.

v  As a result Young Plan was substituted in 1929

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Socials 30/33:
Today students will work on projects.  We've almost completed discussion of the events leading to WWII and will discuss the rise of Hitler next week.  Test on this section will be Wednesday, December 1.

English 30-2:
We've completed reading the play "fareWel", and students are working on Act II questions as well as drawing a visual representation of a scene.  Next week they'll be performing part of the play in class and completing Senior Memories.

Socials 10-1:
Students are completing research projects on an Inuit Tradition-specific topic.  Presentations are on Monday.  Meanwhile, we continue with Staking the Claim.

No school on Friday, November 26 as teachers have professional improvement inservices.

Happy long weekend, students!

INFORMATION FOR GRADE 12 PARENTS AND STUDENTS

Due to travel issues, Nicolas Polito will not be able to arrive in time for tonight's meeting.  The Socials Pilot Assessment meeting is therefore postponed until Thursday, December 2 at 7 p.m. in the IHS Library.  Sorry for any inconvenience.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Socials 30/33:

A BIG REMINDER THAT WE HAVE A MEETING REGARDING THE PILOT KEYSTONE PROJECT AT 7 P.M. IN THE LIBRARY.  NIC POLITO, ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION, WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS.  SNACKS AND COFFEE WILL BE PROVIDED.

In class, we'll be working through the remainder of the module.

English 30-2:
Work catch-up (persuasive writing, play questions) and Senior Memories

Socials 10-1:
Work on your Staking the Claim projects, which are due on Thursday, November 25.  This is your last class for research.

Happy Monday!  :)

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Socials 30/33:
Class time is reserved for project work.

English 30-2:
Work on "fareWel" before moving on to Senior Memories.

Socials 10-1:
We will enjoy a justice presentation and question and answer session given by elders and other members of the justice community in the library.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Socials 30/33:
We begin with notes on prestige and how nations achieve, maintain, and/or lose prestige.  Then, we we review post WWI world events and interaction among nations in that time period.  Well close with America's isolationist policies.

English 30-2:
We'll review natural and inverted sentences before renewing our study of "fareWel" with notes and reading.

Socials 10-1:
Complete one activity involving the importance of language before beginning a research project on various Staking the Claim topics particular to Nunavummiut.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Hello School Fans!

Socials 30/33:  The Introduction of  the new Nunavusiutit Final Assessment Project will become a complete reality today.  We'll also go over your responses to questions, and maybe a few notes.  Also, there will be a parent information night on the new assessment on Monday, November 22 at 7 p.m. in my classroom.  Nic Polito, the project writer from the Department of Education, will be in attendance to make a small presentation and to field questions.  Please inform your parents.  Snacks and coffee will be available.

English 30-2:  We'll be typing final drafts of your IDEA uniform letters and working more with fareWel.

Socials 10-1:  We'll go over yesterday's terms, then watch part one of Staking the Claim.  Yes, there will be an assignment with this.  Fyi, tomorrow we're headed to Arctic College for a GIS presentation and workshop.  Wear proper outdoor clothing, please.

Today's skill testing question, to test whether you're actually logging on and reading this is:
What Canadian holiday commemorates an armistice?

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Homework

Due to the school closure on Friday:

Socials 30/33 students should have their assigned questions from the textbook completed for Monday morning.

Socials 10-1 students should still have their letter to a veteran, Staking the Claim questions, and their article analysis completed forMonday.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone!  :)

Friday, November 12, 2010

Socials 30/33:
Today we welcome a guest speaker from Ottawa's Foreign Affairs office.  Beverly Young is a member of Canada's "Arctic Cavalry", and joins us this morning to discuss issues relevant to Canada's foreign policies regarding the Arctic. 

English 30-2:
Students will work on editing, revising, and publishing their letters urging our IDEA to accept or reject a proposed school uniform policy.

Socials 10-1:
After discussion and review of Wednesday's homework assignments, students will view Part I of Staking the Claim.  Activities follow.

Treaties of and post WWI

 Major Provisions Brought About by WWI and Post WWI Treaties:

Through the establishment of new boundaries, all treaties generally increased the chances of future discontent in southeastern Europe and the Middle East.

Treaty of London (1915):  as a reward for support, Italy was to be given parts of Austria.  The promises of this treaty were never fully realized by Italy (largely because of W. Wilson’s non-support).  This became an important factor in the rise of Mussolini in 1922.

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk(1918):  took substantial territory away from Russia, including:  Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine.

Treaties of St. Germain (1919) and Trianon (1920):  Austria-Hungary split into Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia.  Austria and Hungary are forced to pay reparations.  This is problematic because in Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, there are many national and ethnic groups that are too blended to be divided into nations.

Treaty of Neuilly (1919):  Bulgaria must surrender territory, limit the size of its army, and pay reparations.

Treaties of Sevres (1920) and Lausanne (1923):  Turkish Empire broken; some territories now independent, but Britain and France take control of the former Turkish Empire in the Middle East.

Treaty of Riga (1921):  established Poland as the buffer zone between Russia and Germany.

Treaty of Versailles (1919): 

-          Germany was to pay about $33 billion in reparations to the Allies

-          Germany was forced to accept full responsibility for starting the war (war guilt clause)

-          Germany agreed never to engage in Anschluss (a union) with Austria

-          Germany military was disarmed save for a small army for national security

-          Rhineland (bordering France) was demilitarized and the Allies occupied it for 15 years

-          Saar Basin was transferred to the League of Nations, while the coal mines were to be operated by France for 15 years

-          Germany was forced to cede 10% of its European territory

-          All German territories in Africa, China, and the Pacific Islands were given to League of Nations to administer.  They became mandates.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Exams are over and returned to students, and the joys of learning keep multiplying.  This week in:

Socials 30/33:
Beginning Module 5, which is an examination of post WWI conditions, interactions between nations, and ultimately, the causes of WWII.  On Friday, November 12, we will be visited by Beverly Young, who works for Ottawa's Foreign Affairs Department, with a particular focus on Arctic Issues.  Students will have an opportunity to gain knowledge about Canada's foreign policies and priorities.

English 30-2:
Students will focus on writing persuasive text this week, as we write (not send) letters to the IDEA in an attempt to convince them to either adopt school uniforms at IHS or to maintain the status quo.  Next week we'll begin studying the play, "Farewel", by Ian Ross.

Socials 10-1:
Students are working on "Staking the Claim", a unit that studies the conditions which led to the signing of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.  On Wednesday, we'll be writing veterans in appreciation of their contributions to our nation.