Title: Holiday Class
Date: Thursday, June 11, 2009
Time: 6:42 PM
Alright everyone needs to decide on a date to come back to school on the third week of June (from 15-19). Hopefully you can decide on a date that the majority - if not all - of you can come. If you dont have the contact numbers of everyone, please use this blog to communicate (it's why we created this site, isn't it...)
Anyway, since nothing has been discussed yet so far, allow me to inform you about what is going to happen:
- We are going to clean up the classroom. It's more a removing-and-rearranging the furniture than spring cleaning. We're working with Major to remove all the extra tables and chairs so that the room looks less cluttered.
- We are going to decide as a class what posters we want to take down and what kind of posters we need to get to replace the old ones.
- We are going to decide on the time-line placement in the classroom (and how to go about doing the time-line in the first place), as well as possible decorations to the room as well.
I am going to bring a camera along so that pictures can be taken. A digital portfolio of the ideas that can be implemented will be made on the day itself.
P.S. Girls once you have decided on a date to meet, the default timing is 9 a.m. and the default location is the history home room.
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Title: See this space for the June Hols
Date: Monday, June 1, 2009
Time: 5:37 PM
Apologies to the 3/3 girls for coming all the way to school on Monday m(__)m
I was held up by the invigilation for the 'O' Levels.
Anyway, to all the girls in the class please watch this space for any updates on what we are planning to do for the History Room.
In addition, I need all of you to hand up your history files during the holidays as well. Nothing much needs to be done actually (it won't be graded). Just three things I want to see in the file:
1. Exam papers
2. Assignments (both graded and ungraded, I think I only gave a few)
3. Notes given to you for content lessons
No content page is needed. However, if u are missing any thing write it down on a piece of foolscap and file it in your file. I will help you get it. But if you are missing assignments (done in the class or otherwise), you need to redo them. Files should preferably be in by 12 June. Just bring your file with u whenever u're in school.
Ok if u girls have any questions, feel free to use this space or send me an email.
Happy Holidays!
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Title: Powerful Rasputin??
Date: Thursday, March 5, 2009
Time: 7:13 AM
The picture below shows a cartoon showing Rasputin with the Tsar and the Tsarina, published in 1916. The words on the cartoon mean “The Russian Tsars at home”.
What I feel about it
The picture published is trying to convey the message to the people that sees this that Rasputin had full control over the Tsar and the Tsarina. This makes Rasputin even more powerful than the Tsar and the Tsarina put together. The way the artist drew this cartoon creates an impression that the Tsar and the Tsarina are ignorant about how Rasputin is “using” them.
Personally, I feel that the people makes this kind of assumption about their Tsar and the Romanov Family or people like Rasputin, is mainly because they cannot understand what the Tsar is doing for them. An example would be when people see Rasputin enters the palace as and when he likes. Common folk that does not know of what that is happening in the palace, and would mistake that Girgori Rasputin is the Tsarina’s lover; but in actual fact, Rasputin was sent there to treat Alexei, the Tsarevich, who has hemophilia inherited from Queen Victoria, from the pain he suffers from due to his injuries.
If Alexei did not suffer so much for his medical condition, Rasputin would not have gain as much power as he had. It was due to the fact that Rasputin was the only one that could relief Alexei of his pain and sufferings that none of the other doctors could do, that the Tsar and the Tsarina close a blind eye to his unruly actions.
It is also that Rasputin convinced the Tsar to lead the army in the war, that led to the downfall of the Romanov Family. As the Tsar was busy fighting the war, he became the Tsarina’s personal adviser.
Power often brings destruction, and Rasputin was murdered by a group of nobles soon after. I think that it is rather unfair to other people like the Tsarevich, as Rasputin was the only one that has the ability to reduce the pain he is suffering from, from his injuries.
Xingyi :) 3e5
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Title: QuestionS About Russia...
Date:
Time: 6:43 AM
Questions...
1. In the book Animal Farm, the animals are afraid of humans - how does this relate to the Russian people - are they afraid of foreigners? why?
2. Communism originated from Karl Marx, a GERMAN thinker. So, why wasn't communism spread in Germany first, instead of Russia? And How was Karl Marx's "communism thoughts" spread to Lenin?
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Title: hitler- Nevine Mae
Date:
Time: 6:15 AM
GOD BLESS HITLER???
WHY ARE THE MUSLIMS REMEMBERING HIM????
This picture was taken on February 19,2006. Though Hitler died long time ago, a lot of people still remember him as of today.
Following his imprisonment after a failed coup in 1923, he gained support by promoting nationalism, antisemitism and anti-communism with charismatic oratory and propaganda. He was appointed chancellor in 1933, and quickly established a totalitarian and fascist dictatorship. Hitler pursued a foreign policy with the declared goal of seizing Lebensraum ("living space") for Germany, directing the resources of the state toward this goal. His rebuilt Wehrmacht invaded Poland in 1939, leading to the outbreak of World War II in Europe.
Though he killed thousands of lives to support his idealism people still remember him and honor him fro the good things he had done to Germany. Germany was suffering after world war 1 because of the Treaty of Versailles but when he rose up to power Germans were not living in poverty but a better life than they had before Hitler rose up to power.
I think this picture was taken because the believer of Allah who are the Islamic people admire Hitler as he killed the Jews and the Jews killed Muslim children. Thus, the Muslim admired him because of the action he did to the Jews as the Muslims hated them as they killed the Muslim people.
Following his imprisonment after a failed coup in 1923, he gained support by promoting nationalism, antisemitism and anti-communism with charismatic oratory and propaganda. He was appointed chancellor in 1933, and quickly established a totalitarian and fascist dictatorship. Hitler pursued a foreign policy with the declared goal of seizing Lebensraum ("living space") for Germany, directing the resources of the state toward this goal. His rebuilt Wehrmacht invaded Poland in 1939, leading to the outbreak of World War II in Europe.
Though he killed thousands of lives to support his idealism people still remember him and honor him fro the good things he had done to Germany. Germany was suffering after world war 1 because of the Treaty of Versailles but when he rose up to power Germans were not living in poverty but a better life than they had before Hitler rose up to power.
I think this picture was taken because the believer of Allah who are the Islamic people admire Hitler as he killed the Jews and the Jews killed Muslim children. Thus, the Muslim admired him because of the action he did to the Jews as the Muslims hated them as they killed the Muslim people.
1 comments
Title: Lenin's coffin - LAKSHMI 3E4 (15)
Date:
Time: 5:50 AM
SummaryThats Lenin. The dead Lenin. In Moscow, Lenin's coffin lies, preserved from the 19 hundreds till now. Well, its actually a mummy. There is a tomb for him, and people have to line up (for a long, long time) just to take a glance at him, to see what he was like. [maybe we should take a history class trip there someday?] It was a real shrine for the russian people. Currently, people want to remove this mummy or body and burry it away with the past. But many others, are against this, as they are afraid of making some sheer power to the tomb. It is cleaned every few years (the body) once every few years, and it is a pretty much awful sight! There are pictures of it infact. you can find it at this site: http://englishrussia.com/?p=659
Reflections
Its amazing to know that a man, dead long long ago, has such a great impact on people of the world now. His ideas of communism still run in China up till today. His dead body is still preserved AND people flock by the numbers just to take a glance at him. I think that this shows that poverty still exists in the world. China is approximately, a million times bigger than Singapore. Yet, it is affected by communism.
Communism, i believe, is about sharing wealth equally among citizens of a country. Normally, the rich would be against this idea for they do not want to share their gold with the poor. But, the poor would be for this idea, for this means no more poverty and more money, and with hungry stomachs, they cannot think rationally - they just want to fill up their stomachs first. Therefore, if communism is still lingering somewhere in the world - it means that poverty exists, according to me. Lenin, infact is worthy of being respected by the world. I think that he did a grave mistake in trying to make Russia into a communist country. But imagine, even if it wasn't Lenin, surely some other man would do the same thing - and they may make even more grave mistakes. But from Lenin, the world learnt something, not only Russia, and still learns it - just like us Pure history students.
Lenin was a great man - yes, he did improve the country for the better, but lost many lives through it. He was one of the turning points for Russia - for better, and worse.
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Title: Shaw Li Hui Rie 3e4
Date:
Time: 5:50 AM
Joseph Stalin (1879 - 1953)Joseph Stalin, One of the most powerful and murderous dictators in history. Stalin was the supreme ruler of the Soviet Union for a quarter of a century. His regime of terror caused the death and suffering of tens of millions.
Joseph Stalin was born on 18 December 1879 in Gori, Georgia, which was then part of the Russian empire. His father was a cobbler and Stalin grew up in modest circumstances. He studied at a theological seminary where he began to read Marxist literature. He never graduated, instead devoting his time to the revolutionary movement against the Russian monarchy. He spent the next 15 years as an activist and on a number of occasions, he was arrested and exiled to Siberia.
Stalin joined the Bolsheviks in 1900. He did not play a large role in the October 1917 Revolution, but he soon rose through the ranks of the party. In 1922 he was made general secretary of the Communist Party, which gave him control over appointments and thus allowed him to build up a base of support.
After Lenin's death in 1924, Stalin promoted himself as his political heir and gradually outmanoeuvred his rivals. He used different methods to eliminate his ultimate rival-Trotsky. By the late 1920s, Stalin was effectively the dictator of the Soviet Union.
His forced collectivisation of agriculture cost millions of lives, Moreover, the population suffered immensely during the Great Terror of the 1930s, during which Stalin purged the party of 'enemies of the people', resulting in the execution of thousands and the exile of millions to the gulag system of slave labour camps.
These purges severely depleted the Red Army, and despite repeated warnings, Stalin was not prepared for Hitler's attack on the Soviet Union in June 1941. His political future, and that of the Soviet Union, hung in the balance, but Stalin recovered to lead his country to victory. The human cost was enormous but that mattered little to him.
After World War Two, the Soviet Union entered the nuclear age and ruled over an empire which included most of eastern Europe.
Increasingly paranoid, Stalin died of a stroke on 5 March 1953.
Reflection:
I feel that if Stalin did not gain power and eliminate Trotsky, Russia would not have been communist and that the people in Russia then would not have suffered that much.
After reading ths article, I feel that Stalin was very paranoid and this led to many people suffering and dying. If it weren't for him being worried about his opponents trying to overthrow him, the innocent people who have been wrongly accused, would not get sent to the gulangs and would not get executed. Then, the Russians would not have to live in fear everyday.
I feel that the way Stalin ruled Russia is very scary and i felt that it was quite cruel to treat the people like that. There was no freedom for the people of Russia. They had no control over thier own lives, Stalin was practically controlling thier lives. Killing millions of people is not right even if he is the ruler of Russia. He did not care about how many people who died because of him but he only cared about his safety.
I feel that Stalin is a true dictator and a murderer.
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