Current Events Summary #4

Countries in South Asia seem to be very concerned with their foreign relations. Some of these countries, such as Afghanistan and Bangladesh, are troubled by the presence of foreign forces within their borders. Meanwhile, India is trying to convince the world that it can be trusted with nuclear technology.
There has recently been some suspicion that Afghanistan's government has been torturing prisoners transferred by NATO forces. Because of this, Canadian troops stationed in Afghanistan have stopped transferring their prisoners into Afghan custody. NATO is opposed to the torture of prisoners, but there is no strong evidence to suggest that these suspicions are justified. If any evidence is found, Afghanistan promises to investigate.
Bangladesh also has foreign troops stationed in it, but for a different reason. The United States and Pakistan have sent forces to assist Bangladesh in repairing the damages caused by a recent cyclone. The Bangladesh government welcomes the help of these countries, but does not want them to stay for too long. The people of that country are very much opposed to the war in Iraq, which is led by the U.S., and so the government is trying to keep America's role in helping the country quiet. A Bangladesh minister has said that the foreign forces will be leaving as soon as they are no longer needed.
India is currently concerned with foreign policy as well. A group of people have been sent by India to make agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA. India is hoping to be trusted with technology and materials that could be used to make nuclear weapons. First, however, it needs to get "India specific safe guards" from the IAEA. After doing so, India may be able to more easily participate in nuclear trade.
These South Asian countries do not seem to have the influence or power that other countries do. They seem to be very dependent on their relationships with other nations in some areas. For this reason, it is very important for them to keep good relations with powerful countries and organizations.

Critical Thinking 21-4 #5

The 1920's were a time of progression for African Americans. Organizations such as the NAACP and the UNIA struggled for civil rights and showed black pride. While this was happening, there was a great outburst of creativity in Harlem. This event came to be known as the Harlem Renaissance.
The Harlem Renaissance contributed a lot to both black and general American history. Several well-educated African Americans led the movement, expressing themselves through music, writing, and poetry, while encouraging others to do the same. Great American literature emerged at this time, including the works of writers Claude McKay and Langston Hughes. Jazz was also becoming quite popular in Harlem. Musicians like Louis Armstrong were particularly talented in this area, and quickly became well known,
During the Harlem Renaissance, African Americans not only gained some civil rights, but they also made an incredible impact on American history by expressing themselves through art and literature.

Critical Thinking 21-1 #5

In the 1920's there was some struggle between the nation's traditional values and the new ways and beliefs that were being developed at the time. This could be seen in Prohibition and in debates about religion. Some events that could be seen as victories for tradition included the passage of the Volstead Act and the ruling of the Scopes trial. However, it is not true that these were genuine triumphs. The Volstead Act was passed to help prohibition. It created an agency that would enforce the prohibition of alcohol, finding illegal drinks and overseeing industries that used alcohol legally. The fact that this law was passed may have been a triumph for those who valued tradition, but the law itself failed, as there was not enough money or a large enough force to do the job. An example of a debate regarding religion was the Scopes trial. in which a man named John Scopes was arrested for teaching evolution to his students. This was illegal in Tennessee, where Scopes was, and many religious people believed in creationism, and evolution was contradictory to that belief. Scopes was eventually found guilty, but this was not a true victory either, because of the strong defense of Scopes and the fact that even William Jennings Bryan, the prosecutor. admitted that the bible could be interpreted in different ways. Over all, neither of these events showed genuine triumph for traditional ways, but instead showed that there was still a powerful argument for them, so they would die off even as new ways increased in popularity.

Critical Thinking 20-1 #3

In the decade following Wold War One, Americans began to show a fear of people who were from foreign countries and of people who had beliefs that were different from those of the majority. These fears were caused not only by the war, but also by the Russian Revolution and the idea of communism. The new Russian government had promised that it would stir up revolutions in other countries, so that communism could be spread throughout
the world. The fear of such a revolution in the U.S. was known as the "Red Scare."
Americans, afraid of having their country taken over by communists, reacted in unjustifiable ways. Some groups' reactions violated civil rights or broke laws. They would break into houses, accuse people of crimes, deport them without trials, and in some cases even killed people. The targets of such attacks were foreigners, immigrants, anarchists, communists, socialists, and some other minorities. Most of the attacks on these people could not be justified by the Red Scare. One example is the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti, two Italian immigrants, who also happened to be anarchists. The two men were accused of murder, but there was little evidence against them, and they both claimed to be innocent and had alibis. However, when a witness said that the murderers looked Italian, Sacco and Vanzetti were sentenced to die in the electric chair. Another problem was the rise in power of the Ku Klux Klan, which used the Red Scare as an excuse to commit acts of violence against minorities. Other effects of the scare included limiting immigration and the disapproval of unions, which were seen as communist organizations.
The attacks on minorities because of the Red Scare were completely unjustified. It made little sense to save the country's freedom by violating civil rights and unreasonably killing or deporting people. Also, people who were in the country for a while were not necessarily likely to want to overthrow the government. Although, Americans were reasonably frightened by communist threats and other problems facing their country, their reactions were unfair and overly extreme.

Critical Thinking 19-2 #3

World War One represented a frightening new kind of warfare in multiple ways. During the war, new technologies were introduced that would change war forever. These included weapons such as machine guns, flamethrowers, shells, and bombs dropped from planes. Machines such as tanks and U-boats were also created for use in the war. Chemical warfare was introduced here as well. Both sides of the conflict used gases that would choke people, blind them, cause blistering, and have other harmful effects. These weapons were not entirely reliable though, because if the wind changed they might harm the people who were trying to use them against their enemy. With all these new weapons and technologies, the numbers of casualties were incredibly high. Even when the weapons themselves didn't kill people, soldiers would get diseases from the unsanitary trenches. Another threat to surviving soldiers was that of shell shock. Because of constant bombings, some soldiers emotionally collapsed, losing their minds. For many people, this damage was permanent. The technology created, numbers of casualties counted, and the threat of shell shock were frightening things that were new to war, and more of these things were to be seen in the future.

Critical Thinking 19-1 # 5

In 1917, Germany began to use U-boats more often. U-boats were new submarines made by the Germans. They could be used to go underwater so that they could sink boats. This technology was particularly help for Germany, which was being blockaded by British ships. The blockade prevented any boats from getting into or out of Germany, cutting off the country from any help it could receive. The British were able to do this because of the fact that they had a much stronger navy than their enemy. Germany was at a disadvantage, so instead of trying to win a battle that they would likely lose by using boats, they used submarines, which could sink boats without being noticed. Using U-boats, the Germans formed a counter-blockade, to keep British ships out. This was an early example of submarine warfare, and it showed how effective these new weapons could be.