Herblock Cartoons

   These are some political cartoons that were created by Herb Block.  I don't think there are many repeats from the ones Mr. Stewart has shown to us.  These cartoons are Herb's satires on communism and the Cold War, but there are also others.  If you are interested, there are links to the other archives just above the first picture.
   I thought it was interesting that you could see the notes that Herb Block had scribbled to himself on the side.  It reminded me that all of the cartoons were thought up and crafted by hand, which was something I had never really considered when Mr. Stewart showed us other cartoons in class.  Hope you find them interesting!

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/herblock-gallery/communism.html

History Matters

Personally I find the Korean war incredibly fascinating because I think that many of the issues that were settled during that time period are even  in 2014 very important. An example, would be the DMZ which still exists today and is considered the most heavily fortified border in the world. This is not only true for this war but all wars. WW2 was incredibly influential for the creation of the modern world as was the American Civil War. Essentially what I feel is necessary to explain is that when people argue that studying the past is useless I personally disagree because everything that happens in the past has an implication now as well.

 What do you guys think???

The Marshall Plan

In class today, we talked about the Marshall Plan some.  This is an approximate summary of what Mr. Stewart told us, supplemented by a few outside sources.  Hope it helps!

The Marshall Plan was established on June 5^th, 1947.  Also known as the Economic Recovery Program, its goal was stated to be to assist the European countries in the post-war world by helping to fund the recovery of any European nation that wanted help.  There was a second motive behind this, and that was to increase the confidence in a democratic and capitalist form of government.  The United States was worried that with the expansion of the Communist Party in Europe, the western countries would also eventually come under Stalin’s control.  The U.S. government hoped that by reminding the European nations how well capitalism worked, they could strengthen their alliance with the remaining democratic countries in Europe.  This is evident in the “advertising” the Americans put on their “donations” to Europe.  Everything was stamped with a reminder that it was the benevolent Untied States’ actions that were providing Europe with the necessary materials and funding.  The United States also improved their image in Europe by extending this offer to their new enemies, the Soviet Union.  Of course, the government knew that Stalin would reject their offer of help, so they had nothing to lose by putting up the pretense that they were trying to help all European nations recover from the war.

            Despite the hidden agenda of the Marshall Plan, its stated goal of assisting the European nations in post-war recovery was actually fairly thorough.  The Untied States decided to completely revive Germany, because it was determined that the best way to get all of Europe back on its feet was to help all the countries involved in the European economy, which most definitely included Germany.  The Untied Nations also extended a hand in humanitarian aid to many in Europe.  This program was pushed through the UN by the United States, who also paid for almost all of its expenses.  The donated funds of the United States helped the European countries to purchase the necessary items (from the Untied States, of course) needed for post-war recovery.

            Overall, the Untied States’ Marshall Plan was fairly successful.  Not only did it actually provide economic recovery and stability to the western European nations, it helped the Untied States in its more complex goals to contain the Soviet Union.  By increasing the popularity of the Untied States and its economic and political ways, the Marshall Plan safeguarded against the possibility of Stalin taking power in all of Europe, limiting Soviet power to the East.

In light of our upcoming subject involving "McCarthyism" you might want to check out some cartoons.  Only a few deal directly with "McCarthyism" but you might find the others entertaining.

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2008/10/06/stars-of-political-cartooning-herb-block/

50th Anniversary of G.I. Joe

Okay, this might not seem like it has anything to do with what we're doing in class right now, but I heard a bit about it on the radio this morning and decided to do a little further research.

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the GI Joe action figure! The toy was first launched in 1964 by Hasbro (not Barbie, contrary to popular belief) with the intent of honoring World War II veterans. At the time, Hasbro's staff was well-stocked with veterans. These veterans became the inspiration for (as well as the producers of) entire GI Joe sets, which eventually included not only military uniforms and small plastic guns, but also toy tanks, jeeps, and even a female GI. GI Joe was also the first ever action figure toy.

At the time, most young boys had a father or brother who had fought in World War II, so the GI action figure invoked their awe and admiration. GI Joe was immensely popular also because he exhibited strong American nationalism, which appealed to many people across generations. But as times changed, GI Joe changed too, constantly adapting in order to accurately represent an average military GI. Today, you can buy a GI Joe fully equipped with a headset and bulletproof vest.

GI Joe also serves as evidence of the post-war boom. After World War II, the Americans had so much industrial and economic strength that they could afford to mass-produce millions of plastic military toys. It also displayed the lingering warlike mentality of the United States. Even though the war was long over, the Americans continued to remember their own heroism. And as tensions increased with the Soviet Union, Americans young and old began to turn to this new idol of American virtue.

Here's the link to a news article I found if anyone wants to check it out:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gi-joe-the-worlds-first-action-figure-turns-50/

FRQs for Dummies

 The FRQ seems to be an almost insurmountable mountain to climb in just 35 short minutes. However, do not fret it has be done for the past decade by students just like you. Yes, that means you can do it too. The FRQ is really just an essay, a logical brain dump of information (now that may be an over simplification, but who cares). The FRQs are dependent on the student analyzing question, not merely regurgitating a story that is somewhat relevant to the prompt. Here are some helpful tips:

1. Have a clear argument that sounds intelligent.

2.  Restate the question in the introductory paragraph and include appropriate context to frame the question in a certain time period.

3. Define important words in the prompt.

4. Use examples strictly within the time period that the question poses.

5. Know you facts and do not mix up the difference between the 19th century and the 1900s (along with any other dates).

6. Analyze. Analyze. Analyze.

7.  Make sure to connect evidence back to the your thesis statement (i.e. randomly throwing a date, person, or event does not help if you do not relate it to your thesis)

8. Relax, it is just a short essay. You have done it before, you can do it again.


 

A Holdout in the Pacific

Recently, a Japanese soldier named Hiroo Onoda died. Nothing special right, wrong. Onoda was stationed on the Philippines and his final order was to remain on the island and continue fighting the American forces. Interestingly this order was issued in early 1945, only months before the final surrender of Japan. Onoda, who had entered the dense forests in the Philippines, carried out his final order for 29 years after the Japanese peace accord and was finally convinced to leave his post by his former commanding officer in 1974. Hiroo Onoda's case was not an exception, there were thousands of Japanese soldiers ordered to enter the jungles of the topical islands and fight a guerilla war against the American forces. These men truely represent the Japanese ideal of "death before surrender", living a life in a constant state of war, never admitting defeat. If anything Onoda is an example of the reasoning behind the United States usage of Atomic weapons. The Japanese were prepared to go to drastic measures to protect their homeland rendering amy attempt at a invasion of Japan futile. In the case of the US the usage of the bombs was a necessary evil in order prevent further deaths on both sides.

By no means am I justifying the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs, however, to completely understand the American prerogative one must understand the lengths the Japanese would attempt to defend and defeat their attackers. In the context of the war the Japanese had shown their propensity to introduce radical forms warfare, like the kamikaze and Onoda's final order, and the Americans had responded by pushing back even stronger. The Atomic bombs were the final "push" that was necessary to win the war and save countless lives. The bombings were, in an over simplification, an American attempt to save lives.