IRL 17

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/ben_gurion.html

The link above is a biography of David Ben Gurion. It relates to what we've learned because Ben Gurion was the leader of the struggle for an Israeli state as well as the Prime minister for a number of years. It adds information about other parts of his life as well as his policies. For example, he tried to re-establish trade with West Germany despite criticism. He left his post as Prime Minister just a few years before the 6 day war and many other conflicts. He was also involved in one of the first farmer's communes. This source is valuable because it comes from an Israeli-American cooperation for a virtual library. However, Israel's political views may have hidden some of Ben Gurion's involvment in wars, limiting him.

SGQ12

Crisis in the Middle East p. 3-9

What was the Jewish claim to Palestine?

That is was given to them by God and they had lived in it for thousands of years.

What was the importance of the Balfour Declaration?

It gave land from the Palestine to Jewish settlers, but the Arabs didn't want the Jews there and did not think the Jews deserved the land.

What was the Arab claim to Palestine?

They had lived there ever since the Jews had left and made up the majority of the people. The Arabs also wanted the land because it was holy to them.

To what extent was WWI a turning point in the struggle for Arab independence?

The Arabs thought of it as a turning point. They felt they would gain their independence, but in reality the land was technically owned by the British and French, although the government was Arabic.

Why did Britain and France want mandates in the Middle East?

They wanted the natural resources and land that resided there. They also wanted to overthrow the Turks.

IRL 16

http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/history_workshop_journal/v062/62.1rettie.html

The article at the above link speaks about Kruschev's secret speech. We have briefly mentioned Kruschev's speech as a reason that the Chinese were angry at the USSR. The link shows how Kruschev's speech was not really meant to be secret, and also shows the reactions of the Georgians to his speech. The Georgians, like the Chinese, were angry at him for denouncing Stalin. The source is from an article from a journal published in 2006, which gives it the advantage of having more sources to work from. It is also from a .edu site, which are generally reputable and are concerning education. However, it does not show its sources for the observation of events in 1956.

Sino-US cooperation? (Question #5)

There is some evidence in sources A-C that the changes in relations between USA and the PRC in 1971 were less fundamental than is sometimes supposed. In source A, it is mentioned that China's foreign policy is still very hostile towards other countries. It is said that they are booth aloof and suspicious. Source B initially seems to support the idea that the change in Sino-US relations was great, but later on it goes on to mention that the relationships between the countries had been suspended for twenty years. Source C mentions that three-corner diplomacy was advantageous to the United States, showing that the US is still sticking to their own ways. There is façade of agreement, but really every country is still looking out for their own interests.

Sino-Russian Collaboration Activity

How might the sources A-E be used to illustrate the importance in an authoritarain state of the media in the process of molding public opinion?

When considering the origin, content, and purpose of these sources, the importance of the media in the process of moulding public opinion in an authoritarian state can be seen. The first part of source A is an excerpt from a Chinese book, the other part is an open letter from the CPSU. The Chinese source intends to denounce Russian actions. It is very evident that this sentiment towards Russia is carried through China as well. The other Chinese sources reflect the same ideas. China’s media in source B exposes a similar sentiment from Khruschchev. Because the purpose of this article is to incite anti-Russian feelings in China, we do not know if this is an accurate The Russian part of source A is denouncing Chinese actions, showing that both countries viewed each other equally. Source B caries the same ideas about China from the Soviet Central Committee. Source C conveys similar sentiments back and forth between Russia and China. Russian media paints the Chinese as the aggressor blowing the boarder dispute out of proportion. The Chinese say similar things about the Russians. Source D was a Chinese newspaper article posted with the purpose to mar the reputation of Khrushchev, calling him a traitor to the communist cause. This shows us the tension between China and Russia, the media influences the public opinion about Russia. Source E consists of two speeches, one from Brezhnev. This source shows a change in mood from the other four sources. Brezhnev wanted to unite the socialist countries. However, the Chinese speech states that they do not want to be united with the USSR. All five sources reflect the social climate of that time. All but Brezhnev’s speech in source E convey the tension between China and Russia at this time. We can see how the media can mould the public opinion through their origin, content, and purpose.

Sin-Russian Conflict A

A cult of personality refers to a leader's ability to make himself godlike in his people's eyes, or the people's ability to think of their leader as absolute evil. This was the cause of a rift between the Chinese and the USSR residents, because the USSR looked at him as a god. They thought his “puppet governments” were defensive against the imperialist Eastern forces. The Chinese thought we was oppressing those countries, including their own.

IRL 15

http://www.ena.lu/treaty_prague_11_december_1973-020302438.html

The document provided at the link is the full text of the Prague treaty that we read about in class. It gives greater detail and insight into the nature of the mutual relations between Czechoslovakia and Germany, discussing the 1938 Munich Agreements as well as general mutual cooperation. The source is valuable because as a .lu adress in orginates from Luxembourg in Europe. It is also not a commercial site. However, no sources for the articles are given.

IRL 14

http://reds.linefeed.org/bios/castro.html

The above is a biography of Fidel Castro. He was a main player in the Cuban Missile Crisis which we learned about in class. The source adds information about previous attempts for revolution and Castro's and Cuba's history in the Communist Party. It is limited because no sources are cited and the site seems outdated. However, it is valuable because it is a non-for-profit (.org) site.