Joseph Stalin and Totalitarianism

Totalitarianism is when the government has complete and total control of economy, market, and all facets of a nation's people's lives.
Joseph Stalin used this form of government during his reign and nothing else other than his word accounted for worth. Power in form of eddxpression was witheld from all people who would be shackled by the powers that be.

Stalin's Five-Year plan consisted of way of distributing products. For 5 years Stalin would self-impose a recession upon Russia so that they would have a great surplus in the years following. This was the plan anyway. People supposedly suffer first so they can live well later.

Film Lesson: Zhivago

The film Dr. Zhivago depicted the Russian Revolution in a very negative light. At first we are introduced to the end of the Revolution. It seemed as though their was great triumph, but when he returns to his home he has to face the repercussions of Stalin's new found strength and political force.

When Dr. Zhivago returned to Moscow he encountered his brother as a soldier of the Communist Party while outside. He witnessed his family being tied down by the rationing of foods.

Causes of WWI

The military build up from the the late 1800's to the the turn of the 20th century caused the first Great War or WWI. All European industrial nations began a massive build up of military strength which in turn caused all of the turmoil in Europe. As the years passed the struggle for dominance in other nations with the spread of imperialism tensions rose and various pacts formed between the world's great powers.
A new spirit of nationalism was born at the beginning of the 19th century. The congress of Vienna in 1815 broke apart the nationalistic philosophy to keep the peace. But, as all things do change that did as well. In a mere 40 years Germany and Italy were united as nations once more. After the nations became one the arms race began at an alarming rate. Until the build up of the Great War Germany had grossed the most earnings out of the arms race, mountingb over a $100 billion dollars
As military might increased so did the imperialistic ambitions of the European nations. This is where big rivalries stemmed from. They competed for land and geopolitical influence over territories.

The Opium Wars

The Europeans won the Opium Wars, because they had superior manpower and the ability to fight on both land and sea. The power over the marketplace was necesarry to further their imperialistic exspansion. The British found a product to sell to the Chinese that they did not have and it was their entryway into the marketplace. The needed the Chinese tea or WANTED the tea.
During the Opium Wars the Chinese people became sick and addicted and it tore many people apart.
In the afterbirth of the war Jesus was forced to agree to treaties that opened up trade ports for European merchants. With this came to introduction of the Open Door Doctrine and even the Americas came into play with the methods of foreign policy and trade.

The White man's Burden

I do agree with the analysis. It deeply reflects views of Aryan supremacy. The people of this period, especially in the Western bloc saw it as poetic representation of the white man's job to enlighten the world. It was his burden to take over other nations and show them the "right" way of rule. The supreme arrogance of the white man knew no bounds and according to the poem it was to be accepted openly.

The Scramble for Africa

In your own words - explain the term "Scramble for Africa" .
In your explanation address the following: 1.) who were the main European nations involved in this scramble; 2.) what were these nations looking for in Africa; 3.) how were they able to dominate Africa so easily; and 4.) how did this scramble effect the African people?

The term "Scramble for Africa" refers to the European nations who attempted to colonialize the continent. It was split between the most powerful 7 European nations. These were France, Germany, Britain, Belgium, Portugal, Italy and Spain. Trade routes, natural resources, and slave labor was distributed amongst them as if by there mere existence they were justified to own it all. The Scramble for Africa was a race for raw materials needed to support various industries and an ever growing population of Europeans; many of which sought new lands to cultivate and raise families on. Similar to the Pilgrims of Plymouth Rock they formed colonies on foreign land and claimed it as there own.






The Europeans were able to easily dominate Africa, because they possessed better guns and military might. Europeans had more resources to expend and According Jared Diamond(Author of Germs Guns & Steel- The Fates of Human Societies) this was all due to environment.

The Scramble for Africa

In your own words - explain the term "Scramble for Africa" .
In your explanation address the following: 1.) who were the main European nations involved in this scramble; 2.) what were these nations looking for in Africa; 3.) how were they able to dominate Africa so easily; and 4.) how did this scramble effect the African people?

The term "Scramble for Africa" refers to the European nations who attempted to colonialize the continent. It was split between the most powerful 7 European nations. These were France, Germany, Britain, Belgium, Portugal, Italy and Spain. Trade routes, natural resources, and slave labor was distributed amongst them as if by there mere existence they were justified to own it all. The Scramble for Africa was a race for raw materials needed to support various industries and an ever growing population of Europeans; many of which sought new lands to cultivate and raise families on. Similar to the Pilgrims of Plymouth Rock they formed colonies on foreign land and claimed it as there own.






The Europeans were able to easily dominate Africa, because they possessed better guns and military might. Europeans had more resources to expend and According Jared Diamond(Author of Germs Guns & Steel- The Fates of Human Societies) this was all due to environment.