W. 36

HISTORY 1b 

This blog is a space will I will post information connected to the class. You'll find material that we have discussed in class. You'll also find extra information sometimes that can help you further explore and better understand particular issues.

[Please pay attention to which words are capitalized. It makes a big difference in English.]

w. 34 - We began with material connected to socialism and the Russian Revolution

w. 35 - You worked on answers to questions based on material in chapters 25 and 30.

w. 36 - We spent Tuesday going through the table below regarding some of the key differences between capitalism and communism (economic issues) and liberal democracy and communism (politcal issues). These issues are key to being able to understand and analyze post-WWII events of the 1940s that we'll be focusing on starting w. 37. We also discussed the Soviet-German 1939 Non-agression Pact. You read two short passages in the book (pp. 919 and 925) [Please note: I will not always write here which pages we looked at in class. I expect you to make note of these -- or use the index to look them up.]

I also noted that you will have a quiz coming up on some of the key terms we've discussed. Thus, if there are things that we've talked about in class that you feel uncertain about, please
- look in your book
- reach out to me.

On Friday we spoke about events that occured during World War II :


- 1939 - Soviet-German Non-agression Pact
-Axis countries vs. Allied countries
- -start of the war, spread of German/Axis control
- German attack of Soviet Union - June 1941
- Japanese attack of U.S. (Pearl Harbor) - Dec. 1941
- Atlantic Charter - Aug. 1941 (Posted on Vklass)

I then presented images of Europe at the end of the war.

And I read from the Introduction to Keith Lowe's book Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of World War II

Also: quick quiz w. 37 on map of Europe after WWII. You can test yourself here:
https://online.seterra.com/en/vgp/3481

Capitalism    (U.S. + Western countries)	Communism   (Soviet Union + Eastern Bloc)
Economic -        private ownership of businesses and property -        market economy - supply and demand drive the system (interaction between consumers and producers determines prices and volumes of goods) -        Competition between companies for consumers (by-product: tends to lead to innovations within specific industries) -        Minimum government interference – with the argument that restrictions and regulations decrease efficiency (However: All capitalist systems have a variety of restrictions and regulations, for example regarding what products can be sold (e.g., drugs, child pornography, tobacco . . .), the release of hazardous material into society/the environment (e.g., toxic waste, exhaust fumes, dangerous materials), threats to species (e.g., products or actions that threaten endangered species), and the types and amounts of products that can be imported (and taxes thereon). (Arguments for private ownership: Progress is more easily achieved and individuals’ rights are better met when individuals are allowed to pursue their own self-interests. By-product: There is always an unequal distribution of wealth within society. The degree of these differences is affected by a wide range of factors and can differ not only from country to country but also within a country at different times.) Upshot: The needs of the individual are focused on more than the needs of the collective.	Economic -        state owns industries, companies; limited private ownership (socialism aspires to collective ownership) -        critical of private ownership -        planned economy (a/k/a command economy) – state makes decisions, including prices and volumes -        5-year plans used to reach economic goals -        govt. makes all econ. decisions -        No competition (by-product: fewer innovations) -        Government has central role in regulating companies/industries. (Arguments for government ownership versus private: the needs of society can be better met if goods and services are distributed evenly/fairly throughout society. Capitalists systems seen to be exploitative – where one group exploits (takes advantage) of another (the workers/proletariat), creating an unequal distribution of wealth. Upshot: The needs of the collective are focused on rather than the needs of the individual.
Political (Historically, capitalism has been married to a political system of liberal democracy. Note, though, that for each country, the application of these issues can vary) -        Free elections (different candidates that have competing political ideas, multiple political parties, secret ballots, open political debate, elections of parliamentary/legislative bodies representing various political parties) -        Various democratic institutions supported such as *freedom of expression (including freedom of speech and freedom of the press), *independent labor unions, *independent judiciary (judges)	Political -        1-party system, and, thus, no free-elections. (No competing political ideas allowed via political parties, political debates, political campaigning; no secret ballots; no parliamentary/legislative body representing various political parties) -        no democratic institutions, such as *freedom of expression (thus no freedom of speech or freedom of the press), *no independent labor unions, *no independent judiciary -        promises classless society -        seeks international revolution -        critical of the past