Why Did The Soviet Union Block Berlin?

1. The Soviets claimed to suspend all traffic of Berlin because of technical difficulties and they disrupted electric power because there was a shortage of coal.

2. I think the USA didn't believe these were genuine reasons because the Soviets were just doing it to get ahead and Truman probably anticipated this kind of act from Stalin.

3. Source 33 and 35 differ in interpretations of the blockade because source 33 expresses the point that both sides' work was pointless. The USSR didn't gain control of Berlin, and the West side isn't guaranteed that this won't happen again. The blockade just made everything more tense. In source 35, President Truman talks about how he thinks that the Berlin air-lift was an act of not backing down and how they stuck to their word about helping and that they were protecting their freedom in Berlin. He thinks it brought them closer to the west, while source 33 says nothing changed.

4. I think the most useful source would be to take the Soviet's view and President Truman's view and contrast them because they both say opposite things. For a historian, that'd be the best choice because both comments are from the two sides. Truman's is a primary source too.

5. I think the most reliable source would be the other historian's work (Source 33) because as far as we know, it's not someone who was taking sides in the matter. President Truman obviously wants to make it sound like what they were doing in Europe was helping, and the Soviet view is the complete opposite of Truman's.

How Did The USA React To Soviet Expansion?

President Truman of the USA is trying to resist the spread of communism with the 'Truman Doctrine'. The Truman Doctrine states that the US will help any country that is being threatened by a Communist take-over. They will send money, equipment, and advice to any country! They are making it clear that our expansion will be given a limit and if we break that limit, military force will be applied. Also, they plan to give aid to the countries in Europe with money, to help the economy. This might weaken our hold on Europe, it sounds suspicious. I think we should definitely try to put a stop to this!

Focus Task

1) The first optimistic view for blacks was the Brown v. Board of Education Topeka case. The turn out of the case was that the judge ruled all segregated schools, unequal schools. All the southern states had to open up integrated schools. Another example of an optimistic view was in Little Rock, Arkansas. The president at the time, Eisenhower, had troops stationed in Little Rock outside the high school to allow safety for the nine black students attending the previously all white school. Before Rosa Parks, all the black people riding the buses had to sit in the back of the bus and give up their seats for whites if there were no other seats available. Rosa Parks refused, and was arrested. The black community then boycotted the buses for over a year, and when the bus company lost 60% of their profits, the buses were then integrated. Blacks and whites together formed anti-violent protest organizations like SCLC, SNCC, and CORE. This was hopeful for the blacks because that showed them that not all whites were racist and against them.

2) For pessimistic views;

• Blacks were intimidated into not voting.
• Blacks couldn't get the best education for university.
• Many southern states refused to integrate their schools for many years after the governor demanded it.
• When a white man killed a black man, they were not arrested or sent to prison.
• In the case of Medgar Evers, who was killed by a racist white man, his killer was sent to trial, but was not evicted.
• Protesters were hosed by the fire department or arrested.
• Homes and buses of black people were bombed.

3) I think there were more reasons for optimism because blacks had white people on their side and were making progress. Black people could then vote, they could go to a white school, they could fight in a war for America, they could sit wherever they wanted on a bus. Before, they couldn't have done any of that if they didn't try. No one let them give up, and they didn't. Even though they were arrested or beat down for protesting for what was right, they didn't give up and that's what made them progress in the Civil Rights Movement.

Controversial Article

1) I could write an article about the interment of the Japanese-Americans on how it's a violation of their civil rights as Americans. They may be of Japanese decent, but they are Americans, and technically they did nothing wrong. No one knows that these Japanese-Americans are even on the Japanese side of the war or if they would encourage or help Japan defeat America. The Japanese-Americans don't deserve to be in the camps just because of what they look like.

2) I wouldn't publish a story talking about all that because people wouldn't think that I was patriotic or supportive of the Americans. The articles in the newspapers were writing articles about being unified and together, and writing an article about something not agreeing with most Americans wouldn't be the smartest choice.

Which Factor is Most Important to the Depression

I think the most important factor that contributed to the depression would be the new inventions. The poor people would buy all these products, a lot on credit, which they couldn't pay back and they had to borrow money from the banks which eventually closed too. Also, the companies would get really excited about people buying their new products, that they would bake too much inventory. They wouldn't make a profit because no one was buying their products anyore and they would waste their money.

Invention of Cars the Reason for the Boom?

I disagree because there were a lot of other inventions and discoveries. Maybe without the invention of cars the glass, leather, steel, & rubber industries wouldn't have done as well, but that doesn't mean that cars were the source of the boom. The Natural Resources map showed us how America started using more natural resources for their everyday life. There were pictures of men building new skyscrapers and buildings, and electricity was invented and used frequently. Other companies boomed as well like the airplanes, radios, fridges, and clothing.

Economic Boom

The economic boom of the 1920s made more opportunities and money, home life became more modernized in suburban and city areas and transportation developed by way of highways, cars and airplanes.

Successful Labor Unions

How successful was organized labor in improving the position of workers in the period from 1875-1900?

I think the labor unions were not generally successful because in source C, it shows that people think the labor unions are trying to get hold of something like communism because they all want the same money for doing different tasks. Just because they want something dosen't mean they will get it by being greedy, they'll end up with nothing and have no money for their family when they get fired. In source D, the workers are not benefiting because people are losing jobs and their skills. When the people lose their jobs, they don't have any other skills to go and do something else. In source E, companies started making contracts that say you're not allowed to be in a labor union if you want a have a job with them. People are trying to stop the labor unions and people are losing their jobs because of it, which is benefiting the labor union and they have not generally been successful.

My Take On Egypt

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/29/why-egypt-matters_n_815863.html#s232394&title=Regional_Implications

Due to this article, I changed my mind. We already give finacial aid to Egypt and went they are in crisis like this, we should still be there to help them. Also, they are our allies, and if we were in the same situation with Barack Obama, I'm sure Egypt would do the same to us if we help them. Yes, getting in other country's business is tricky, but this could affect the U.S. if taken too far.

Question 3

We should not try to persuade other countries to become a democracy and we shouldn't let political disputes and cultural differences stop us from having relations with other countries. We should keep our ties and relations quiet because it is not any other countrie's business. We should support both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and also focus on maintaining oil.

Sharia

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/01/islam_a_religion_custom_made_f.html

This article is a one-sided view of the Muslim beliefs and how they live their life. The view is coming from an American, where in America, we obviously have different life styles, we live in a democracy and we have women's rights. If women try to defend the rights they should have at their home, their husbands are allowed to beat them, and in public, the police beat them and haul them off to jail, but only the men are forgiven. The American author is bashing the Islamic practices and the author doesn't start to use the Sharia as a source until the end of the article, making the rest of the beliefs seem more rediculous and random. Yes, the beliefs are cruel, but the way the author is writing about the Muslims is disrespectful to their religion.