Reflections on the Treaty of Versailles

Assignment: Your assignment is to reflect on the consequences of conflicting national interests at the Paris Peace Conference. You'll need to first summarize the conference and treaty before giving your opinion of whether the conditions of the treaty were sustainable in their efforts to end war. You will be marked out of 10. 2 marks for the summary of the conference and treaty and 8 marks for the analysis and how sophisticated your response is.

Summarizing the Paris Peace Conference and the Treaty of Versailles:

The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the losers (defeated countries). It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from many countries. These diplomats met, discussed various options and developed a series of treaties for the after WWI world. One of these treaties was The Treaty of Versailles which was created by the Allied victors. The Treaty of Versailles was signed in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles on June 28, 1919. This treaty was forced upon the Germany by the Allied powers after the end of World War I which demanded reparations from the Germans. Furthermore, German's military power was also suppressed and some of their land was given to other countries such as France. This Treaty, The Treaty of Versailles, consisted of the following:

  

• Creation of a League of Nations
• Demilitarization of the Rhine; Germany forbidden to maintain, or construct anything on the Rhine
• Germany has to acknowledge and respect the independence of Austria
• Germany is adhered to recognize the independence of Poland
• Germany renounces all her rights and titles over her overseas possessions.
• Construction or acquisition of any submarine is forbidden in Germany.
• Armed forces of Germany must not include any military or naval air forces
• Germany was to adhere to the Annex. 
• War Guilt Clause; Germany and her allies must accept the responsibility of causing all the loss and damage, especially Germany.
• Germany must compensate for all damage done to the civilian population of the Allied and Associated Powers and to their property.
• The German army must not exceed more than 100,000 men. The army is devoted to only maintaining the order within German territory and to the control of the frontiers. 

  

My Response:

 

 In my opinion, the conditions of the treaty were NOT sustainable in their efforts to end war. The conditions of the treaty were very harsh towards the Germans, conditions such as blaming Germans for the war and reducing their military size. Also, they were forced to sign the treaty. Due to all these harsh conditions the people of Germans were very angry and when Hitler showed up they were willing to embrace him. Basically,  we can see that the conditions of The Treaty of Versailles were the root behind the WWII, this treaty in a way united the people because all the people fell hatred towards those who created the treaty and imposed it on them. I believe that the ’fourteen points' plan should have been followed and not changed at all.

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Unit One Blog Entry

This was my parent’s perspective at first... Since they pratically hate technology but after a while they got used to this 'blog thing'!

 

Unit Reflection:

1) In this unit I learned that there is such a term as 'contending loyalties'. It means that you have loyalties to two different entities that might not be on the same side of an issue. I also learned many other things. I learned things such as what a nation-state is, what patriotism is, what a civic nation is, what collective conscience is, and what inflation is.

2) I found it really interesting that Michaëlle Jean is a Francophone from Quebec and is Haitian by birth. Another thing I found interesting was that when she became Canada's governor general she voluntarily renounced her French citizenship.

3) I can connect what I have learned in class to my Calm class because in that class we talked about what makes a person, and because we saw a movie in that class in which the main character felt different from other people due to financial reasons (he didn't believe he belonged to a nation). Also, Mr. OBrien is rather patriotic towards Australia.

4) What surprised me this unit was that there are actually some sovereignists who want Quebec to become an Independent nation-state.

5) One concept that I am still having difficulty with is 'reconciliation'. My teacher has done a great job on explaining everything but I still seem to be having difficulties with this term.

6) One question I still have is regarding Contending Loyalties in Quebec. I want to know that: "Why do some Quebecois want to separate Quebec from Canada?"

7) One skill or learning strategy I found helpful was the "Analyzing Sources" sheet because I found that I made it easier for me to interpret the sources. Also, it has a list of different types of things to interpret in the source (The 5ws), I found this really helpful. If I was to teach someone how to use this, I would tell them to first take out this sheet and your sources. Then, read the first question on the "Analyzing Sources" sheet after look at the sources carefully, and answer the question on a separate piece of paper. Finally, keep doing the previous step for all the sources and keep writing the answers down on a separate piece of paper. This will help them learn how to interpret sources better when they need to analyze the sources.

Rise of Nationalism:

1) Consider the case study that you researched. Provide a short summary of the rise of this nationalist movement. Comment on the differences and similarities between your nationalist movement and the rise of nationalism in France after the French Revolution.  

Answer: The case study I researched was the Indian Independence. The Indian Independence Movement was somewhat affected by a historical event but mainly by Ghandi. In India, Ghandi was the person who united the people and made them go against the British in peaceful protests; he was the leader. Indian people were treated poorly, they were starving, the British were taking advantage of them and all that these Indians needed was a push. Ghandi provided this push and soon enough with Ghandi in charge the Indians reclaimed that, which was rightfully their own. We can find a similarity between the French Revolution and Indian Independence since in both events the people were the ones who brought upon the change. Also, in both cases the monarch lost power. A difference would be that the Indian’s didn’t kill their monarch while the French did. Also in both cases the people created a nation with the same goals.

2) Find someone in the class who researched a different case study. Briefly (2 or 3 sentences) summarize that case study and comment on the differences and similarities between the two.

Answer: American Revolution is a different case study. American Revolution: A revolution that made America separate from its British rule and became an independent state. This case study is similar to my case study (Indian Independence) because in both events the people wanted Self-determination. Also, in both cases the British were the rulers. A difference between the two case studies would be that, the American Revolution was more violent, there was even a war, and it was called The American Revolutionary War. In the Indian Independence Movement the people showed their point in a more peaceful manner, without a war. Another similarity would be that in both case studies the people succeeded in getting their Self-determination.

3) After learning about the rise of nationalism in this unit, do you that the pursuit of nationalism is negative or positive? Provide evidence to support your answer.

Answer: I believe that to an extent the pursuit of nationalism is a positive thing but after it crosses that line it becomes negative. It becomes negative in the sense that it can lead to social injustice, hatred, and racial segregation. An example of negative nationalism would be ‘Nazism’. It can be positive because it can help people achieve freedom and also promotes national pride. Overall I find that pursuit of nationalism is a positive thing since just look at French Revolution, nationalism united them and made them achieve what they wanted.

Contending Loyalties:

1) What are 'contending loyalties'? Find 2 images online that reflect the principle of contending loyalties and explain them.

Answer:

In this picture on one side we see earth with legs while on the other side we see a tin can that has oil written over it. In this picture the earth represents the environment while the tin can represents Alberta's oil sands. In this picture there are two contending loyalties in conflict between each other: Ideological and Regional Loyalties.

 

In this picture we see a Sikh in RCMP uniform however he is not wearing the hat instead he is wearing a turban. The contending loyalties in conflict are Religious and Political loyalties. At first he wasn't allowed to wear the turban but after arguing that the turban was a religious duty he was allowed to wear it.

 2) How have nations reconciled contending loyalties? Provide examples.

Answer: There is more than one way for a nation to reconcile their contending loyalties. They can live with their contending loyalties, choose one loyalty over another, or bring about a change in the nation. For example the people who followed Falun Gong (formed a nation) were forced to choose one loyalty over another. Another example would be that you have two good friends that are both running for the same office on your school’s student council. However, you choose one friend over another, so in this case you choose one loyalty over another.

3) Summarize contending loyalties in Quebec. Use the terms: Anglophone, Francophone, Federalist, Sovereignists, Bill 101, Quiet Revolution and Referendum.
 

Answer: Contending loyalties in Quebec are Francophone and Anglophone loyalties. The sovereignists want Quebec as an independent nation-state while the Federalists want Quebec to stay with Canada. To better reconcile contending loyalties in Quebec, Bill 101 was introduced and there was a referendum on separation of Canada. Also, there was The Quiet Revolution that modernized Quebec.

4) Canada has often been described as having many nations within its nation. What challenges AND opportunities does this provide?
 

Answer: Cultural Pluralism comes to mind after reading this question. Having many nations within Canada makes Canada an unique place since it has different types of cultures within itself. The opportunities this provides is that there is more diversity and more people to meet and more cultures to learn. Also, it's always great to meet people of other cultures. Furthermore, when children grow up accepting and understanding such diversity it strips away cultural stereotypes and creates understanding towards other cultures. Challenges that this can bring is racism and also people have to sometimes change their lifestyle to better accommodate others and make everyone else happy.

 

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Chapter One Blog Entry

Chapter Reflection:

1) In this chapter I learned that there are different understandings of the concept of 'Nation'. This means that there is ethnic understanding (Pakistani, Asian, etc.), cultural understanding (Egyptian, Roman, etc.), political understanding (Liberal, Conservative, etc.), and spiritual understanding (Christian, Muslim, Jewish, etc.) of a nation.

2) I found it really interesting that nation and country (aka nation-state) are two different things. All my life I had considered the two terms being synonyms to one another. However, now I know that nation is defined by: "A group of people who hold the same beliefs/traits as other people. Also, physical borders are not necessary for a nation." Moving on, a country is defined as: "A sovereign area in the world. Furthermore, a country requires physical borders."

3) I can connect what I have learned in class to my last semester's English class because in that class we talked a somewhat about identity, and we also read a story where a person thought that he belonged to no nation at all, and this lead to him committing suicide. He did this because he felt alone and different.

4) What surprised me this unit was that there are actually some people who argue that Canada is not a nation. For example Charles Hanley who said that since Canada has no object they share, Canada is not a nation.

5) One concept that I am still having difficulty with is nothing – my teacher has done a great job on explaining everything and I don’t seem to be having difficulty with a particular concept at this time!

6) One question I still have is regarding Linguistic Understandings of Nation. I want to that: Does a same language really help create a common perspective? And can it really give people a sense of nation?

7) One skill or learning strategy I found helpful was the "Analyzing Relationships" sheet because I found that I made it easier for me to understand the different types of relationships better. Also, it has a list of different types of relationships that might occur in the sources, I found this really helpful. If I was to teach someone how to use this, I would tell them to first take out this sheet and your sources. Then, read over the sources carefully, and look for any similarities. Next once you find a similarity between the sources look at your "Analyzing Relationships" sheet and find the type of relationship and look at the types of words you can use. Finally, keep doing the previous step for all the relationships and write them down a separate piece of paper. This will help them learn how to interpret sources better when the need to find relationships between them.

Nationalism and Personal Identity:

 

1) Revisit the List of 10 events that contribute your nationalism and identity. Create a visual to represent the relative significance as a percent of each of the three sources (national, state or non-national) of your identity. This can be a pie graph (use excel) or something else a bit more creative. 

2) Below, provide a brief description of why you believe this to be the case. Why do you think your identity has such a mix? 

Answer: My graphs look like above because that is how my identity is, that’s where my pride is focused on. My graphs show that I am mainly influenced by non-national focus because I am more about me, my personal preference. National focus comes in second place because I take pride in my ethnic background. Also, state focus is the last factor since like I said before, I am more about me, which includes my ethnic background (national focus). Also, for state focus I take pride in what Canada accomplishes in science or politically wise.

 

Canada as a Nation:

1) Based on what you have learned, do you think that Canada is a nation? Defend your answer. 

Answer:Yes, Canada is a nation, a great one if I may add. Canada is not a Linguistic nation, Ethnic nation, Cultural nation, religious nation, geographic nation, nor a political nation. However, Canada is a Civic nation. Civic nation doesn't require one religion, one language, ethnicity, or culture. All that is required for a civic nation is the agreement to abide by shared laws. This brings us to Charter of Rights and Freedom, something every Canadian agrees to. 

2) Canada is considered a civic nation. If you were to create a new Coat of Arms for Canada, based on this concept, what 5 symbols would be included? (Hint: what connects members of a civic nation?) Find 4 symbols and post them. Each must include a description of how this connects Canada.

Answer: If I were to create a new Coat of Arms for Canada, the five symbols I would include would be: the maple leaf, snowflake, hockey puck, lacrosse stick, and a beaver. The reason I would choose these symbols is based solely on the fact that these are the first things that come to my mind; and I am sure these symbols would to mind first for all other Canadians.

Following are the images of 4 symbols:

I would include a maple leaf. The maple leaf goes back all the way to the very beginnings of Canadian history. The maple leaf began to serve as a Canadian symbol as early as 1700. Also, the maple leaf is located on the Canadian flag. Everyone in Canada knows that the maple leaf is one of our symbol.

I would include a hockey puck.  The hockey puck symbolizes hockey. Ice hockey was invented in Canada. Therefore, this makes us very proud. Hockey is the official winter sport of Canda. All Canadians have tried hockey at one point in their live, and most of them love the sport. Also, hockey is a  sport that has been played in Canada for a really long time. Furthermore, Canada has really good sport teams. Finally, Hockey is a sport that identifies us Canadians.

 

I would also include a beaver. The main attraction for early European explorers was the beaver population, which was in millions! They used the beavers for fur trade. The beaver is the part of Canadian history. Also, there is a picture of a beaver on the Canadian nickel. Furthermore, whenever I see a beaver I think back to the Hudson Bay Company, and thus Canada.

 

 I would also include a snowflake on the coat of arms. The snowflake represents snow. Ask anyone in the world what they think of Canda and they will tell you: "A really cold place". Many people in other countries believe that Canada is all about snow. Ask anyone in another country of Canada and they will think of a place that is full of snow. For example, when  my dad was in Pakistan he imagined Canda as a really cold place, so he actually brought winter clothes including really thick jackets from Pakistan (specially ordered). 

Following is the image of the completed coat of arms:
(Made using Adobe Illustrator)

* The motto 'Hock gentis nostae', which is in Latin stands for: 'This is our nation'.

 

Nationalism in the Media:

1) Find one current events article/news story that relates to nationalism. Remember: there are many understandings of nation (ethnic, civic, linguistic etc.) Provide a link to this on your blog with a description of how it connects to what you have learned. You must clearly connect it to terms and concepts you have learned.

Answer: As of now Greece is going through riots because the people dont like the way the government is running things.The country is suffering deeply and the people belive that it's the governments fault. In this case everyone who is against the goverment creates a nation because they all have a common goal which is to replace the government of the nation-state. This event is a example of nationalism because the people are only rioting because they care for their country and want to see it as a great country.

Link for article: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/riots-over-greece-spending-cuts/story-fn7x8me2-1226268406385

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Welcome to my blog!

The purpose of this blog is to reflect upon my learning and share with my classmates, teacher and my parent what I have been learning in Social 20-1.

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