Tonight's Reading

The Weimar Republic 1918-1933

German soldiers returning from World War I came home to a very different Germany. Gone was the German Empire with colonies in Asia and Africa led by the Kaiser Wilhelm II. Gone was the industrial Rhineland, as well as the port city of Danzig. Many came home to find that their homes or businesses had been destroyed in the conflict. The capital of the German Empire had been the proud city of Berlin; the new government had the capital in the city of Weimar.

The new Republic faced an uphill battle of rebuilding a nation that had lost over 1.7 million men in combat, had over 4.2 million men return home wounded. In addition to the loss of human life, many German farms and factories had been destroyed in the fighting. Soldiers and civilians lost their jobs and unemployment soared. The “War Guilt Clause” made it nearly impossible for the German nation to begin rebuilding. The Treaty of Versailles placed Germany responsible for the War, and had to pay damages to Great Britain, France, and Belgium.

1919-1923

From 1919-1923, the Republic faced years of crisis. Many conservative groups in Germany wanted a return to an authoritarian style of government like the old German Empire. The groups began to blame the Republic for the defeat of Germany during the first World War, claiming that the Republic had allied itself with Jews and Socialist, brining Germany to defeat. Many veterans of W.W.I joined these groups, fueled by their anger and resentment.

The Republic’s economy faced a severe depression during this time period as well. Prices for basic goods soared throughout the country. The Weimar Republic began to print out more money to try and help the German citizens deal with high prices, this proved to be a disaster. The value of the German deutschemark (German currency) before W.W.I was 4.2 to 1 U.S. dollar. By August 1923, 1 million deutschemarks equaled 1 U.S. dollar.

By 1923, the German government was unable to pay the reparations to Britain, France, and Belgium. As a result the French and the Belgium governments sent in troops to occupy the Ruhr Valley in Germany. The Ruhr Valley was the industrial center of Germany, home to coal mines, factories, iron deposits, and steel mills. German workers refused to work for the French or the Belgiums and went on strike. Fights broke out between the Germans and the French, and some German workers were killed. The rest of Germany demanded that the French and Belgium troops leave Germany, and protests took place all over the country.

1924-1929

The United States looked on the crisis in Germany with growing concern. The last thing that the U.S. wanted was another war in Europe. Charles Dawes was asked by Britain and the United States to formulate a plan that would bail out the German economy. The Dawes Plan, had the United States loan Germany money so that the German government could pay off its debts to the Allied nations of Europe. In addition to this the German economy was going to be restructured and issue a new type of currency. One the loans were put in place, France and Belgium agreed to withdraw their troops from the Ruhr Valley.

This eased the economic burden that was placed on Germany. For the next five years the German economy would grow and the Weimar Republic flourished. Germany became one of the leading nations in architecture, music, math and science, and fashion.

The Bauhaus style of architecture revolutionized modern buildings in cities across the world. The type of design was radically different from the previous style of the 19^th century.

Arnold Schoenberg was a composer living in Germany. He developed a new twelve tone technique that influenced an entire generation of composers across the world. Along with Richard Strauss, Germany was at the center of the Classical Musical World.

During this period Fritz Lang produces what many consider the first scientific film, Metropolis. The film painted a dark future where the population of the world had been divided. Planners and Thinkers live on Earth in luxury, while the workers live underground.

In October of 1929, the stock market crashes in America and the U.S. enters what historians call, “The Great Depression.” As the American economy worsened, banks and businesses began to close. The American government cancels the Dawes Plan, and the Depression spreads to Germany.

1929-1933

The Depression quickly ended the period of economic growth that Germany had briefly enjoyed. The numbers of unemployed Germans grows at an alarming rate, from 1.8 million in 1928 to over 6 million in 1932. As more and more Germans lose their jobs and savings, many blamed the Weimar Republic for failing to provide for them.

Questions

1. Who did conservative German groups blame for the German loss of World War I?

2. Why did German veterans join these groups?

3. Why did the French and the Belgiums seize the Ruhr Valley?

4. What was the Dawes Plan?

5. What ended the German economic revival?

Questions for the Anti-Semitism Reading

1. In ancient times, how were the Jews distinctly different from their Assyrian, Egyptian, and Greek neighbors?

2. Following the Diaspora, many Jews settled together and formed their own communities. Why? (Think back to the Irish immigrants.)

3. What purpose does having a scapegoat serve society?

4. Explain the anti-Jewish rules from the Justinian Code. Compare this to an event in U.S. history.

5. Why were Christians so successful in blaming the Jews for the cause of the Bubonic Plague?

Practice Questions for Road to Civil War Test

1. What was the Supreme Court ruling on the Dredd Scott case?

2. What was the Fugitive Slave Act? Who was upset by it? Why?

3. List what the South gained from the Compromise of 1850.

4. Who was the Sen. of Massachusetts that sided with the South during the Compromise of 1850? How did this decision impact his political career?

5. Why did the North declare John Brown a hero after he was executed?

6. Who were the Boarder Ruffians?

7. What was the Emigrant Aid Company?

8. According to the Southern States, who was the authority to pass laws regarding slavery? How is this different from the North?

9. Why was the Missouri Compromise Declared Unconstitutional?

10. What is popular sovereignty?

Essay Example

Here are the Questions that the essay are answering:

1. Why was George B. McClellan appointed commander of the Union army?

2. What impact did McClellan have on the U.S. army? Were they successful?

3. How did McClellan lose his job as commander? What were the reasons?

Name

Mr. Mullady

U.S. History

Topic: George B. McClellan

George B. McClellan attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated second in his class. Following his graduation, McClellan served during the Mexican-American War and spent several months traveling around Europe learning new military tactics. McClellan returned to the United Stats, and soon resigned from the United States military.

When the Civil War broke out in April of 1861, McClellan reenlisted in the U.S. army and was assigned to defend Ohio from the Confederate forces. He achieved success in securing supplies for the army and was promoted for his actions. That fall, McClellan led an army into Northern Virginia and successfully defeated two Confederate forces. With this early success, McClellan was soon regarded as one of the most talented and intelligent military commanders in the Union Army.

Following the Union defeat at the Battle of Bull Run, Abraham Lincoln appointed McClellan commander of the Army of the Potomac. McClellan immediately began to transform the U.S. army and initiated a standard training manual for soldiers. McClellan’s army spent the next several months transforming itself into an organized fighting force.

McClellan’s reorganization of the army did not lead to success on the battlefield. After the defeats at the Second Battle of Bull Run and Antietam, Abraham Lincoln began to question McClellan’s effectiveness and leadership skills. Lincoln removed McClellan from command of the Army of the Potomac.

Sorry Guys...

I will give you the Model Essay on Monday in class

Research Project Advice/Checklist

**Your Assignment is Due on Friday, April 8th.**

There are 2 Parts of Your Assignment

1. You will be typing a very brief research paper that summarizes your document. Your summary will include your three research questions in it. (I will post an example online this weekend that you can uses as a guideline.)

2. You will be creating an Annotated Bibliography. This is where you are showing me how you have gathered your information from your various sources. NoodleTools is what you are using to create your annotated bibliography. In your Noodle Tools you need to have One Primary Source. For your Annotated Bibliography you need to haveThree sources.

Here is an example of a completed Annotated Bibliography that I had to make for class:

Beatty, Jack. The Rascal King: The Life and Times of James Michael Curley (1874-1958) An Epic of Urban Politics and Irish America. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1992.

This text is considered to the definitive biography on James Michael Curley. Beatty spends a great amount of time detailing the life and times of Curley. He introduces the relationships that Curley has with other Irish-American politicians of his time and how a voter’s ethnicity played a deciding factor at the ballot. This resource was very helpful in providing background information on Curley's life.

Dinneen, Joseph. The Purple Shamrock: The Honorable James Michael Curley of Boston. NewYork: W.W. Norton, 1949.

Curley authorized Joseph Dineen to write a narrative on himself. Dineen was a reporter who had covered Curley for over 30 years and at times in less than favorable light. In his work there is the image of Curley that Curley wants the public to see and embrace, serving as propaganda for upcoming elections. This was an excellent primary source to use and compare with the Beatty narrative and was very useful.

Homeroom print this out and makes sure Claire does not lost it!

Notes on John Brown

I. The Many Sides of John Brown

B. Philanthropist

1. have gave land to fugitive slaves

2. helped raise an African-American orphan

3. established a society to help runaway slaves and also financially assist those that were aiding them.

4. moved to North Elba New York, to help established a farming community for runaway slaves.

C. Fanatic

1. followed five of his sons to the Kansas Territory

2. During "Bleeding Kansas", Brown and his followers would take part in various raids and learned guerilla tactics.

3. Brown would be responsible for the deaths of five pro-slavery men in Kansas

D. Rebel or Domestic Terrorist?

1. Brown developed a plan to start an uprising of slaves in the South. Step 1: seize the arsenal in Harpers Ferry Virginia. Step 2: arm the slaves in the nearby area. Step 3: Move around the South and create chaos.

2. After two years of planning, training, and asking for money...he had only 22 men.

3. After seizing the arsenal in Harper's Ferry on October 16, 1859, he sent out some of his men to the surrounding countryside to recruit slaves, but nobody came...

4. well people did come, angry white people who wanted their arsenal back and contacted the U.S. government that rebels had seized military supplies.

5. U.S. Marines led by Col. Robert E. Lee attacked Brown's forces killing two of his men and capturing the rest.

E. Define Martyr:_______________________________

1. John Brown was executed on December 2, 1859.

2. Many people in the North mourned his death, and some government buildings were draped in black.

3. Louisa May Alcott called him "Saint John the Just"

4. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau praised Brown in editorials

F. Traitor

1. "thinking slavery is wrong...that cannot excuse violence, bloodshed, and treason."

~ Abraham Lincoln

2. Southern Democrats claimed that Brown's actions were a clear sign of a Northern conspiracy to bring an end to slavery.

3. Many 20th Century scholars would portray Brown as a fanatic and a killer.