Monday, February 28, 2011

Nationalism

  • Greece
    • was occupied by the Turks
    • the rise for Greek independence was a nationalist movement
    • supported by British intellectuals
    • relations between Turkey and the west had never been good
    • in 1827, England, France, and Russia signed the Treaty of London
      • they're going to take the side of Greek independence
      • if needed, they would send their military against Turkey
      • Russia had ties to Greece via the Church
      • Holy Roman Empire states to the North and East of Austria were very weak
        • Russia's mission is to help free Greece, they move down to occupy the old principalities
        • Russia wasn't supposed to expand, Greece was supposed to become independent
    • Greece becomes independent in 1832
  • Russia remains an absolute monarchy under the czars
  • Belgium becomes its own country
    • they take Louis Philip as their king
      • gives the throne to his brother
  • Germany had been completely fractured
    • it was essentially not a nation, but collections of principalities
    • with the turn of the century in the 1800s the German people feel like they have been left out of the equation
    • Herder and Fichte have an idea of the volkgeist
      • the spirit of the common people
    • they don't want outside interference in Germany; they don't want Germany to become cosmopolitan
    • the results of this were the Brothers Grimm who went around to collect folklore for a German tradition
    • Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
      • interested in the ways in which history happens
      • the Hegelian system; the dialectic
        • history does not merely progress from one thing to another; everything that happens is influenced by other things
        • thesis, antithesis meet with synthesis; the new thing created is a new thesis
        • this will be the structural model that Karl Marx uses in describing history in the industrial age
          • Marx will prove to be extremely influential as a counter to capitalism
          • strong middle class = strong country; weak middle class = weak country
    • Von Ranke and List both argued that Germany had not fully developed into a nation state and that is needed to
      • wages lowered so that production would be increased.
      • believed Germany needed to catch up to the other countries
  • 1848: France revolted from Louis Philip
  • the rise of newspapers has changed
    • news travels much faster
    • Germany is greatly threatened by riots in the streets of Berlin inspired by the protests in France
    • King Wilhelm agrees for a new German constitution
    • The Frankfurt Assembly gathers to debate about unifying Germany
      • two large Germanic states have enormous power: Prussia and Austria
        • Prussia was controlled as a proxy of Russia
        • Austria was independent from the rest of Germany
          • oligarchy lead by the Hapsburg family
      • political groups were completely against German unification
        • the Junkers; Prussian nationalists
        • Prussia is part of Germany, but Germany does not exist at this time
  • the Berlin Assembly is held by the Prussians
    • in result of the Frankfurt Assembly
    • this assembly actually turns out to be anti-Junker
      • anti-the east Prussians
  • The Assemblies offer Wilhelm a constitutional monarchy
    • Germany ends up in a holding pattern in which the politics of the country is confused because there are different regions
    • the industrialization of the country is booming
  • Italy
    • Northern Italy wound up being controlled by Austria
    • secret police and spies were found in the principalities
    • Naples was in France's possession
    • nationalist movements wanted to expel Austria and France
    • the Carbonari
      • Joseph Manzini, the leader
        • argued for Italian unification and independence
        • founds Young Italy; a revolutionary voice
        • only lasts for a few months
    • the Pope gathers French forces
      • he doesn't care about Italy at all
  • Austria
    • directly influenced by what happened in France
    • there are anti-Hapsburg Austrians
    • Louis Kossuth gives speeches in Vienna against the Hapsburgs
      • one of his speeches is printed in the newspaper and spreads quickly
      • Metternich flees Austria in fear
      • the eastern part of Austria separates and becomes Hungary in 1848
        • Austria is referred to as Austrial Hungary
    • the Hungarian Diet declares independence from Russia
    • Austria sees that in Bohemia there could be a similar thing happen like what happened in Hungary
    • Austrians are ethnic Germans
  • Prague holds another assembly
    • All-Slav Conference
    • animosity between the Slavs and the Germans
  • 1848: Slavs revolt
    • after the conference in Prague
    • King Ferdinand of Austria sends troops to shut down the conference
    • the situation in Bohemia will be the root cause of WWI
  • Hungary
    • there is a group called the Magyars they create a new capital, Budapest
    • attempt the Magyarization of Hungary
    • Croatians revolted under Jellachich
    • the Magyars think that if they can keep the Croats at bay there is no way that the king of Austria will come try to kill them

Sunday, February 27, 2011

First Draft of Outline for Term Paper

Thesis: Although Stalin protected Russia by fending off the Nazis, he was an extremely oppressive leader in Russia’s history in the sense that he killed three million Russian people and caused their suffering for many years, which is why Stalin was ultimately more harmful to Russia than beneficial.


Definitions:
  • Stalinism: "The form of Marxism associated with Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.Stalinism emphasizes the repression of all dissent, often by brutalmeans; a rigid adherence to government management of economiclife; and the domination of all communist movements worldwide by the Soviet UnionIn holding to these beliefs, Stalin opposed Leon Trotsky." (American Heritage Dictionary)
  • Trotskyism: "The doctrines of the twentieth-century Russian political leader Leon Trotskywho believed that communism should depend on thecooperation of the proletariats of all nations rather than ondomination by the Soviet UnionTrotsky's ideas were opposed byJoseph Stalinthe Soviet premierwho sent Trotsky into exile, madehim a nonpersonand eventually had him assassinated." (American Heritage Dictionary)
  • Leninism: "The form of communism as taught by Lenin with emphasis on the dictatorship of the proletariat." (American Heritage Dictionary)
  • Communism: "An economic and social system envisioned by the nineteenth-century German scholar Karl MarxIn theory, under communism, allmeans of production are owned in common, rather than by individualsIn practice, asingle authoritarian party controls both the political and economic systems. In the twentieth century, communism was associated withthe economic and political systems of China and the Soviet Union and of the satellites of the Soviet Union." (American Heritage Dictionary)
  • Anarchism: "Belief in the abolition of all government and the organization of society on a voluntary, cooperative basis without recourse to force or compulsion." (Oxford Dictionary)
  • Socialism: "An economic system in which the production and distribution of goods are controlled substantially by the government rather than by private enterpriseand in which cooperation rather than competitionguides economic activity. There are many varieties of socialism.Some socialists tolerate capitalismas long as the governmentmaintains the dominant influence over the economy; others insiston an abolition of private enterprise. All communists are socialists,but not all socialists are communists." (American Heritage Dictionary)
  • Bolshevism: "The doctrines, methods, or procedure of the Bolsheviks; the principles or practices of ultra-radical socialists or political ultra-radicals generally." (Oxford Dictionary)
  • Marxism: "The doctrines of Karl Marx and his associate Friedrich Engels on economicspolitics, and society. They include the notion ofeconomic determinism — that political and social structures aredetermined by the economic conditions of people. Marxism calls fora classless society in which all means of production are commonly owneda system to be reached as an inevitableresult of the struggle between the leaders of capitalism and the workers." (American Heritage Dictionary)
  • Liberalism: "In the twentieth century, a viewpoint or ideology associated withfree political institutions and religious toleration, as well as supportfor a strong role of government in regulating capitalism andconstructing the welfare state." (American Heritage Dictionary)

Sources: For primary sources, so far, I have found biographies on Stalin, letters, pictures, speeches, and telegrams from the time period of his rule.  For secondary sources, so far, I have found timelines of Stalin's life as well as various articles about Stalin from the New York Times.  I also used the American Heritage and Oxford Dictionaries.


  1. Background on Stalin's early life
    1. Joseph Stalin was born on December 21, 1879 in Gori, Georgia.
    2. He entered a seminary, but was expelled for rebellion and decided to become a Marxist.
  2. Stalin's influence in Russia from 1917-1921
    1. Stalin's part in the Russian Revolution
    2. Stalin's part in the Russian Civil War
    3. Stalin's part in the Polish-Soviet War
  3. Stalin's ascension to leadership in Russia
    1. Stalin's position as General Secretary of the Communist Party
    2. Stalin continued to gain more and more power over time.
  4. Stalin's major alterations of Soviet society
    1. Increase of secret service in the Soviet Union
    2. Stalin created a "cult of personality" around himself in order to make himself seem like a hero to the public.
    3. Stalin executed thousands of innocent Russian people who opposed his regime.
    4. Stalin deported thousands of people out of Russia greatly shifting the demographics.
    5. There were huge famines during Stalin's rule.
    6. All aspects of culture, such as science and art, were controlled by Stalin.
  5. In 1939, Stalin entered into a pact with Hitler.
    1. The treaty divided Eastern Europe into areas where German and Soviet influence was prevalent.
    2. Hitler dissolved the pact in 1941.
    3. German forces attack Russia, but Russia is able to push the troops back.
    4. In 1945, Russian troops officially defeated the German troops.
  6. Stalin was in power until 1953 when he died.
    1. Stalin's ruling tactics were extremely harmful and devastating to Russian society.
    2. He caused there to be much struggle in the country for many years.