World War 2 Maps

1. This map shows the naval aspect of WWII, German gains in Europe, and the Allied effort to recapture land.
2. This map shows the size of the domestic product production in each country.
3. This map shows the redrawn and annexed European countries that followed WWI.
4. This map shows the power struggles and territorial issues between Japan and China.
5. This map shows the amount of German speakers in the Czech Republic in the 1930s.
6. This map shows the annexation of Portland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.
7. This map shows the invasion of USSR into Finland in the late 1930s.
8. This map depicts France's Maginot Line along the border of Germany and France.
9. The map shows campaigns in the west as French and British troops were forced to retreat.
10. This map shows Hitler's plans to invade the British Isles.
11. This map shows the bombs dropped on London in 1940 and 1941.
12. This map shows the free zone of the newly Nazi-friendly French government of Vichy.
13. This map shows Hitler's gradual invasion of Russia.
14. This map shows Hitler's route to seize Leningrad in September 1941.
15. This map shows the damaged US fleets after Japan's surprise Pearl Harbor attack.
16. This map shows the expansion of Japanese fleets into the Pacific ocean, forming a strong dominance over the ocean.
17. This map depicts the route of the Japanese Bataan Death March.
18. The map shows Hitler's defeat/retreat in the Battle of Stalingrad.
19. The map shows the displacement of Wavell by Graziani's advance.
20. The map shows the location of the Free French colonies in Africa.
21. This map shows the Allie's strategy in invading Italy.
22. The map depicts the various fleets and locations of the invasion of Normandy beaches.
23. The map shows the Allied land gains in Europe.
24. The map shows the amount of causalities of the major powers, and whether they are Allied powers or Axis powers.
25. The image shows ships that acted as platforms for aircrafts to use.
26. The map shows the radar development and spread in the 1940s.
27. The map shows important sites where the Manhattan Project construction took place.
28. The map shows the Bletchley Park team's organization.
29. The image shows a diagram of Germany's V-2 rocket.
30. The image depicts the locations and routes of the admirals in the Pacific War.
31. This map details the process in which Japanese attempted a gambit at Leyte Gulf.
32. This map shows the devastation from American bombs on Japanese cities.
33. The map shows the extent of the fire damage at Hiroshima.
34.  The map shows the percentage of Jews slaughtered in each region.
35. The maps show the United Nations Partition Plan, invasions from Arab armies, and Israeli's counterattack routes.
36. The map shows the responses in aircraft movement between the European countries.
37. The map shows areas occupied by Communist forces throughout the 1950s.
38. The map shows the areas in which Europeans lost their foothold in Africa.
39. The map depicts military bases in Germany.
40. The map depicts US military bases in Japan.
41. The map shows the expansion of the European Union as the years went on.
42. The map shows the world's increasing involvement in the United Nations.

Are you OK, OK?

Oklahoma has rewritten a bill to ban the the AP US History course in their schools. They blame CollegeBoard for creating such a "negative" framework for the course. Ben Carson states that this course will make students want to "sign up for ISIS." This issue becomes problematic when many critics wants to take this to the courtroom. They argue that the course focuses on the wars and epidemics, rather than the apple pie life of Americans.

This debate is foolish as so many critics are behind this movement of banning this course. The conservatives are so eager to sweep the "negativity" under the rug, they lose focus of the the whole concept of the course. The whole concept is for students to learn about the ups and downs of the development of this nation. The whole point is to unveil the grim presence of racial, social, and economic issues that were, and are still, prevalent today. Banning this course not only furthers the fellow student from knowing the big picture, it decreases the nationalism that the critics want to preserve so badly. Oh, the irony. Students should be informed of our nation's past, and limiting the knowledge not only distance ourselves, but labels the ugly truths of this country as irrelevant. We cannot change the past; hiding it does not make it disappear.

Industrial Revolution

Europe:
1. What was the impact of European population growth on industry?
More effective methods of production was necessary to supply the growing population,
2. What were the results of the first organization of workers?
They were successful in demanding higher wages and shorter work hours.
3. Why did industry reach the Netherlands so relatively late?
The Netherlands were covered in waterways, and lacked resources.

Belgium
4. How did Napoleon impact the development of industry in Belgium?
He abolished the old guilds and promoted freedom of trade.
5. Which industries developed in Belgium? Why did those develop? 

The textiles and canal industry were booming because they had resources to accelerate this industry.
6. How did infrastructure in Belgium improve? 

Belgian investors and entrepreneurs contributed to the rise of industrialization.

France
7. What characteristics in France discouraged industrial innovation? 

The French relied on timber for the longest time since they barely had resources.
8. How did French social structures dictate which industries developed?

The demands of the aristocracy for leather, porcelain, silk, and furniture dramatically increased the industry size.
9. Which industries developed in France late? Why did it happen late? 

Motor industries and glass industries, they developed late because it remained an agriculture based country until the 20th century.

Germany
10. Why did industrial development occur late in Germany? 

The country was divided into many small states and traditional guild privileges were abolished late.
11. What was the impact of the German Customs Union? 

The demand for coal and mining areas boomed.
12. In which industries did Germany become the leader in Europe? 

Railroad and iron.

Great Britain
13. Which other industries developed because of the steam engine?
Railways, sea travel/transport, and textiles. 

Luxembourg
14. How did Luxembourg benefit from German industrialization? 

The textile industry expanded, the iron and metal working also bled into Luxembourg.
15. Why were they so successful at producing iron? 

They discovered iron rich areas. 

Netherlands
16. Was the Netherlands' economic success before industrialization
 something that helped industry develop or slowed development? Why? 

They were okay, but industrialization expanded the ecomny a lot.
17. Which industries did develop in the Netherlands? 

Iron works. 

Norway
18. What were the earliest industries in Norway? 

Fishing, soap, glass, iron, or beer.
19. How did water power development change Norway's economy? 

It connected areas around Norway, and the production of energy advance the economy.
Spain
20. What kinds of mining industries were successful in Spain?

They mined minerals and other metals. 

"Revolutions are Super Fun!"

The American and French Revolutions share similarities such as economic issues such as taxation, and political representation as they demanded for equal rights; they were different in their opponent: America opposed the British, whereas the French opposed their own government, and the social classes of the rebels. Americans in general rebelled, while only the lower classes rebelled in French.

Both the American Revolution and the French Revolution resulted when people began demanding proper representation. Americans were tired of the pressure of unreasonable taxes and wanted their own freedom. The lower class and middle class Frenchmen also wanted to reduce their taxes, and they were unwilling to give their savings to the oppressive king.

Another similarity they share is economic issues among the poorer classes. Americans revolted and rebelled against taxation- an example of this is the Boston Tea Party- and attacked the British in the hopes of becoming America's Next Top Model independent from them. The British were in large amounts of debt; in turn they forced harsher taxes onto the colonies. In France, the similar thing happened when the King imposed taxes on the peasants, while the wealthy didn't have to pay. A reason for this is because of France's separation of the social classes.

The third similarity between the two is their government. In the Americas they formed the Continental Congress to lead the rebellion, and in France, the National Assembly was formed to rebel against the King. The reason for these formations is because the people's awareness of the oppressive government.


Differences in the two is the enemy. In the Americas, their opponent was an all-dominating overseas force, whereas in France, the people are against their own government, hoping to make a better place for themselves.

Another difference resides in which class of people initiated the war. In the Americas, everyone joined into the movement because they all had disadvantages as long as they were under British rule. In France, the lower class and middle class were the rebellious ones, since the upper class were untouched by much of the issues from the government. A reason for this difference is because of the size of each entity; the Americas were always under oppressive British rule, and Britain controlled everything there. In France, the majority of the issues were dealing with the lower classes.

The third difference between the two is the differing amount of bloodshed and violence. In France, after the storming of the Bastille, the people would kill all supporters of the monarchy, whereas in the Americas, they were not as violent and blood thirsty. A reason for this is because of the colonies' lack of proper metal work and weapons. Though the Americas did have the force of angry colonists.

Ottoman Art

The Ottoman Empire was renowned for its architecture, mosques, caravansaries, and also did a lot of typography and miniature painting. In their structures, they had massive domes, vaults, minarets, and columns that became the aesthetic style of the Ottomans. The miniature paintings were influenced by the Persian miniature paintings. Colors were obtained from ground powder pigments mixed with egg whites - most common colors were red, green, and shades of blue. Their paintings were stylized and abstract, but became more realistic when they were influenced by Baroque styles. The Ottomans were also famous for their woven art: carpets, door hangings, and curtains.

Mughal art borrows mostly from the Renaissance, Persians, and Indians. They built monuments, such as Humayun's Tomb, the Pearl Mosque, and the Taj Mahal. It was decorated so meticulously, the Taj Mahal still stands today. When painting, the Mughals adopted the miniature paintings from the Muslim tradition.They had lavishly decorated texts, and images depicting scenes of wildlife, hunting, court life, and battles. The paintings were realistically shown from the beginning.

The Magna Carta

Eight hundred years ago, King John and the feudal barons signed a treaty that states that the king will govern the people with feudal laws. In 1215, John had spent most of his finances trying to hold onto France. He alienated Pop Innocent III, expelled the monks from from Canterbury, and the pope excommunicated him. England became a rogue nation, but to prevent invasion, he accepted the pope's offer for archbishop much to humiliation. John signed the Magna Carta, but it was a failure: it had an enforcement clause  that no self-respecting monarch would have stuck to—establishing a council of 25 barons with the right to seize all the king’s possessions if he broke any of the other clauses. He asked the pope for an annulment a month later. The Magna Carta created a better power balance between the barons and the monarch, and is still relevant today in legal cases. 


1. OMG what was the king's hostage doing to her son??!!??!
She was chewing his face like he was a large slim jim. 

2. At the time, what was England's relationship with its neighbors?

England became a rogue nation, so large powers - France, Wales, Scotland, Rome - tried to overthrow the regime.

 3. Why did King John agree to the Magna Carta? 

He was afraid of being invaded, and when rebels gained ground and invaded England, he had to find a solution.

4. What was the impact of the Magna Carta at the time? 

It was considered a failure at the time, since the idea of pplaying by certain rules wasn't a new idea. 

5. How did later kings use the charter to their advantage? 

Well, John's son was nine, so one of the loyal barons, William Marshal, took over the throne. He reissued the charter, weakening the king's power dramatically, thus the rebels had no more reason to rebel. 

6. How did Edward Coke revive the importance of the charter? 

Coke was the leader of the group of lawyers who fought and successfully brought back the Magna Carta to soothe the English War. 

7. How did American colonial leaders use the Magna Carta? 

The Massachusetts Assembly used it to argue the against taxation without representation.

8. Why is the Magna Carta more important to modern Americans than to the British?

Americans use it to justify their actions towards oppressive forces. 

Failed Colonies in the Americas

1. Excerpts from the Spanish do not consider that the French forces had been reduced by a hurricane prior to the attack. Instead, the chaplain of the Spanish expedition glorifies the leadership of the general in defeating the French and justifies it with support from God. Both sides emphasize the religious tensions underlying the attack, which points to the larger social and political context in Europe at this time.

2. The criteria and justification of their actions stem from a religious base. The Spanish sees their conquest as spreading the Catholic religion and combating Protestantism, even if it requires murdering otherwise innocent people. Since the Church was closely tied to the state at that time, this justification also serves as a political motivation, since successful conquests could simultaneously spread Catholicism and gain territory. Also, the French recognize the possibility that they could be killed over their religion, Lutheranism, but they accept defeat as a punishment for their previous sins, according to the text. Therefore, in both cases, religious arguments are used to explain and justify the circumstances.

3. The strength of their colonies lies in their conviction that their home countries will support them in their endeavor that aims to serve and to please God. However, a major weakness of the settlements is the consistent lack of food and resources.

4. The settlers ascribe famine and population decline to the work of God, but as is shown in the letter by Chaplain Quirós, he attributes their lack of ability to get free food from the Indians an error on their part.

5. The colonists' exhibited poor planning for their settlements, mainly by not bringing enough resources and not being knowledgeable of the landscape beforehand, which is true for both Fort Caroline and Ajacan. In Ajacan, the settlers adapted by getting food from the Indians, but this soon caused problems, especially in the winter since their food ran scarce. 

6. The Indians may have been able to help them in the short run, but since they didn't return the favors, that discouraged the already-suffering Indians from doing so in the long run, and may have even led to conflicts with them.

7. Their underestimation of the hardships presented by the terrain caused them many problems in finding and growing food, and also prevented them from navigating it effectively. All these issues result in a waste of their resources, which were already scarce.

8. The French leadership in Fort Caroline was already discouraged by their deteriorated forces in the face of the sudden attack by the Spanish, their surrender was an easy victory for the Spanish. In Ajacan, the leader prevented the settlers from bartering with the Indians, which led to their downfall as they lost resources and increased tensions between their two groups.

9. Demonstrated by the plight of the settlers in Fort Caroline and in Ajacan, sufficient resources and material reinforcements from the home country are vital for a successful colony. Equally important to a successful colony is cooperation with native populations and an attempt to understand the existing culture.

10. The colonists prepared for failure by having distress signals in place to alert White (if he ever returned) of their fate. The colonists also had a backup plan to go to Croatoan.

11. Fort Caroline ended with the Spanish conquest, while Roanoke ended supposedly from lack of resources.

12. Accounts of successful colonies will include those written by settlers themselves and provide a better picture of everyday life.

13. Better organization and preparation could have enabled the colonists to better face the challenges of the new environment.

14. Settlers can gain information about why these colonies failed (lack of reinforcement, tensions with natives) and hopefully learn from previous colonists' mistakes.

15. European rivalries' resulted in competition and fighting for these colonies that may have perpetuated their downfall, similar to Fort Caroline.