Joseph Stalin and Totalitarianism

Totalitarianism is defined as absolute control by the state or a governing branch of a highly centralized institution. In much simpler terms it is a government that keeps its control by telling its citizens what to think and punishing them if they think otherwise. With totalitarianism there are constant surveillance, government controlling the media, secret police, and harsh punishment. When Vladimir Lenin died he left his reign to an evil man named Joseph Stalin. He used harsh methods and easily disposed of his competition. Joseph Stalin felt they were 100 years behind so he made what was called the Five Year Plan. With this they would become a major industrial country within just 5 years. With them trying to increase their agriculture and coal output workers were first to work for 16- 18 hours a day. The great purges was when Stalin became extremely paranoid and decided to pretty much kill off all his past supporters and helpers. Many members of the government were killed or sent to labor camps. Some had even signed confessions. Joseph Stalin was a harsh and cruel dictator.

Film Lesson: Doctor Zhivago

The movie started out before the revolution with Russians marching for change. When the people were getting closer to the czars house he ordered to have them killed. The people were starving and the czar was treating them all unfairly. The peaceful protest lead to many wounded and killed. This was called Bloody Sunday. Another cause for the revolution was WWI. The Russians didn't want to be part of the war. Later on in the movie the Russian soldiers decided to just leave their trenches and with the they got the new incoming soldiers to rebel against the czar. Thus the Revolution was set. In Doctor Zhivago a man was explaining how with communism there would be no czar and that only the workers would rule. The Doctor had a large wealthy house before the revolution but when he came back his large house was being shared with 13 other families. The government owned all the property and gave it to the people equally. Doctor Zhivago even spoke about it being just. But even with everything being shared the people were still poor and hungry. There wasnt enough heat or food to go around to everyone. And since no one can be rich in communism the governent was taking Doctor Zhivagos expensive plates and putting them in storage. Which is basically the government stealing to share with everyone.

Causes of WWI

There were many things that contributed to world war one. One of the reasons for WWI were Nationalism. Before war all of the countries were building up with pride. Nationalism gave the countries a feeling of superiority which cause bother hatred and racism. Suddenly people from one country simply started disliking people from another country simply as a duty to their own country. Another reason was militarism. As the countries began to work harder on their military the others got suspicious. Over the years before WWI all the countries started putting more money into their army and navy. Each one was as suspicious as the next and making secret alliances with one another. At that point all the countries started preparing for a war and were ready for it at any moment. At last another major conflict was the countries alliance systems. The alliances pretty much made the teams up for war. There was the Triple Alliance which was Italy, Germany, and Austria- Hungary. Also there was the Triple Entente which was made up of Great Britain, France, and Russia.

The Opium Wars

The Opium Wars were drug wars that took place from 1839 to 1842. The Chinese were extremely proud people and thought that they were the best and that they needed no one. The Qing ambassador showed no interest in the machines that could made him a stronger country. The British were desperate for something to trade with the Chinese in large amounts besides their Silver. That something was Opium. Opium is a narcotic made from poppy plant. By 1835 millions were addicted to the drug. The addiction made many problems for the country. Opium was ruining the people so the Chinese declared war with the British. The battles took place mostly in the sea which means the Chinese had no chance against Britains advanced ships. So the Chinese suffered a humiliating defeat that forced them to sign peace treaties. The peace treaties let the British us Chinas five ports instead of just one, the were forced to legalize Opium, and they lost control of Hong Kong. The Opium war started many unfair treaties with the Western countries.

The White Man's Burden

The White Man's Burden represents the ideas of an imperialistic mind. From what I understand of the poem Rudyard Kipling believed that it was every white mans job to go to Africa and modernize the people who live there. It is clear that the poem is racist and that the white man only thought of the Africans as savages. Although the poem was hard to understand you can tell that Rudyard Kipling had strong nationalistic feelings towards his country and that he thought it was his duty to England to fix Africa. The White man felt they were superior to the Africans and that they should start acting like the White people. I don't agree with the analysis since the Africans were doing fine without anyones help. The Europeans were mostly being racist and didnt even treat the Africans like people. I think America is imperialistic to an extent. Our country is much less ignorant now and less racist. But although I think America tries to help because we just care I also think money and power has a lot to with it.

The Scramble for Africa

The Scramble for Africa was when all the European nations began claiming all of Africas territory. Many treaties were made by the Africans themselves giving the Europeans all this power. Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Britain started taking interest in 1881. They started taking interest in Africa for its vast amount of natural resources. Africa contained gold, diamonds, petroleum, and much more. Also some of the countries would claim African land simply for power or to just have it for their own. The European countries had much better technology than the Africans which was the only reason for their easy victory. The Europeans had steam boats and machine guns while the Africans still depended on Spears and sheilds. This had a negative effect on Africa. The Africans were losing their land and culture. Also the Europeans took advantage of the Africans and looked down upon them.

Film Lesson: "Mountains of the Moon"

In the movie Mountains of the Moon two British men went searching for the source of the Nile River. The first time their mission failed because another tribe basically murdered the group of Africans hired to help them and a lieutenant. During their journey some of the bearers helping them out ran away with some of their belongings. Also another problem faced were the harsh conditions of Africa. The ground was rough to walk on and the temperature was extremely hot. Another problem were the animals that lived in Africa. At one point Richard Burton became sick and Speke went on to try to find the source of the Nile. He thought he found it but what he really found was Lake Victoria. He named it himself after the Queen of the United Kingdom at the time. The Europeans had much more tools than the Africans that helped with the directions and health. They had steamboats which helped with their traveling. Also they had weapons such as machine guns. I think these technological advantages were the reason Europeans won so easily.