50 replies to this topic

[rachelloughery]

Help needed on content for questions. I find I am struggling with what to teach IB History and how to structure answers.

For the question "Most frequent causes of 20th Century Wars" my students and I came up with FEAR, ECONOMIC GAIN and the ROLE OF INDIVIDUALS. Would these be accepted by IB obviously depending on the level of detail in their answers?

What do other people use?

Thanks!

[rachelloughery]

Nobody likes this question.......

[Lou Phillips]

Imperialism, nationalism should be in there too I'd have thought- although obviously fits into all of the above but is slightly different. When I was on the IB training course in Athens it was suggested that for top grades students should be confidently using concepts like that in their essays.

[Dafydd Humphreys]

Imperialism - the highest stage of capitalism. Markets must be opened and secured to ensure continued growth.

[claire_duffs]

Human instincts Human Needs Human Values
Human Thoughts
Survival The Individual level [Is war a function of human nature? ] Survival of the fittest- Hitlers hope for the Aryan race etc
Territory- Aims for expansion causes wars
Power seekers- As you say - Individuals- Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin etc

Resources- Oil etc, falls into humans needs. Money!

Rational Decision- Strike when ya can, windows of oppurtunity


A little scatty but I'm doing the same in IB too and thats what I have been doing!

Edited by claire_duffs, 10 June 2009 - 12:49 PM.

[Lou Phillips]

Imperialism - the highest stage of capitalism. Markets must be opened and secured to ensure continued growth.

Indeed. And with that comes some of your historiography as you, Rachel, asked about in another thread!

Edited by Lou Phillips, 10 June 2009 - 03:03 PM.

[Dafydd Humphreys]

Power seekers- As you say - Individuals- Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin etc

Err....could you show me which war Stalin started please? And how he was a 'power-seeker'?

[Seb Falk]

Power seekers- As you say - Individuals- Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin etc

Err....could you show me which war Stalin started please? And how he was a 'power-seeker'?

Mmmmm... No-one exactly forced him to invade Poland in 1939...

And I don't think the 'power-seeker' comment can really be argued with - Acton describes his personality as "a singularly repulsive concoction of power-lust, megalomania, cynicism, and suspicion".

Edited by Seb Falk, 10 June 2009 - 05:54 PM.

[Dafydd Humphreys]

Power seekers- As you say - Individuals- Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin etc

Err....could you show me which war Stalin started please? And how he was a 'power-seeker'?

Mmmmm... No-one exactly forced him to invade Poland in 1939...

And I don't think the 'power-seeker' comment can really be argued with - Acton describes his personality as "a singularly repulsive concoction of power-lust, megalomania, cynicism, and suspicion".

The Soviet take-over of eastern Poland saved millions from the Einsatzgruppen until the Germans invaded in 1941. Not forgetting the Ukrainian, Jewish and Byelorussian people who had been discriminated against by the ultra-nationalist Polish government, a government which had already invaded Czechoslovakia at the same time as the Germans.

Acton may say a lot of things after a few drinks....we can forgive him.

[Seb Falk]

Would the 20,000-odd Polish officers and civilians massacred by the Soviets at Katyn have been grateful for being saved from the einsatzgruppen?

[claire_duffs]

I think that it is quite evident that Stalin was a power seeker. He was a dictator who killed millions of his own people because he felt insecure, and was weary of the Russian people not trusting his leadership or courses of action. Why kill so many people if you don’t want control, or in fact power? I think that control is very much linked with power and Stalin seeked power over so many things not just during the purges, but through the media or the expansion of communism in other countries, anything in which he could control he did, and that is seeking power.

In fact, the purges gave him more control and power as he established his position within Russia and got rid of his opponents. Look at the Stalin constitution, stating things such as free education, and the right to vote to name but a few .However, we all know realistically this ‘democratic’ constitution was written in order for Stalin to seek power over the Russian people and to keep them on ‘side’ ( even though they hadn’t much choice anyway)

The same goes on today. Isn’t the government trying to seek power from the people by stating how they are going to help the economy, give people jobs, or whatever, even though they are mostly talkin complete rubbish? Whoever is in control of any country, whether it was during the 1930’s or present day, they are seeking power in order to control influence.

As for Stalin causing a war, Ok one could argue he didn’t actually start a war, but the question being asked here is: “Most frequent causes of 20^th Century Wars”, and Stalin could be added here as contributing to starting the Cold war. Some historians have even asked the question if Stalin even contributed to the cause of WWII. Although this must be ‘preposterous’ in your eyes, I think its good to get pupils thinking and for them to come up with the reasons why they think Stalin may or may not have contributed to the causes of 20^th century wars. You may have your opinions on this Dafydd, whatever they are, but there are debates on Stalin contributing to causes of war and this is why I mentioned him.

[Dafydd Humphreys]

Would the 20,000-odd Polish officers and civilians massacred by the Soviets at Katyn have been grateful for being saved from the einsatzgruppen?

More Red Army POWs died at the hands of the Poles in the war in the early 1920s.

I hope you don't hold the Polish officer and establishment class in higher regard than Russian and Ukrainian soldiers.

[Dafydd Humphreys]

He was a dictator who killed millions of his own people because he felt insecure

Evidence please. (Non-CIA origin if you can)

[Dafydd Humphreys]

Look at the Stalin constitution, stating things such as free education, and the right to vote to name but a few .

However, we all know realistically this ‘democratic’ constitution was written in order for Stalin to seek power over the Russian people and to keep them on ‘side’

Conjecture. Evidence please.

[claire_duffs]

Whats CIA origin?