How successful were the Paris Peace Treaties

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The Korean War

The Korean War (1950-53) was an example of when the Cold War turned hot, with the US and its allies fighting against North Korea and China, who were supported by the USSR. At least 1.5 million Korean civilians, and around 33,000 US, 217,0000 South Korean, 406,000 North Korean and 600,000 Chinese troops are estimated to have died. A ceasefire was agreed on 27 July 1953, but as South Korea would not sign up, the two Koreas are technically still at war.
For an overview of the war, have a look at this BBC webpage. The BBC World Service has two fascinating podcasts about the war: The Korean War and The End of the Korean War.
There is a full length episode on the Korean War in the excellent Cold War documentary series which is worth watching:


Here is a link to a news report on the investigation into the American massacre of civilians at No Gun Ri and a BBC report on the same incident. While finally here are two videos by historian Bruce Cummings on the war:

America in the 1920s

American society in the 1920s has always grabbed the attention of historians and the public at large because of the changes that took place during the decade, but there has been an even greater focus on this period in recent years. This is partly because of the subsequent economic collapse and, inevitably, parallels have been drawn between the causes of the Great Depression and the current economic crisis. Here are a selection of resources which might help you gain a better understanding of this period in which new liberties and greater independence were combined with excess, consumerism, speculation, unequal distribution of wealth and prejudice to create a period known as the Roaring Twenties.


Have a look at the first part of this three-part documentary on 1920s as a good introduction to the period; you can find the rest of the series on this site's You Tube channel.



The History Learning Site has a good introduction to the topic, while the BBC Bitesize webpage has sections on the Roaring Twenties and other aspects of the 1920s in the USA as well as on racism and intolerance.

Why Appeasement?

Appeasement remains an emotive subject to this day, but it is important to understand why the policy was adopted and to realise that it was not just Neville Chamberlain that followed it. Try and understand the historical context and not to use too much hindsight when analysing it. Take a look at the links and resources from a previous post and then make your own comments about whether or not it was justified on the Wallwisher below.

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Cuban Missile Crisis

Just over 50 years ago the world was teetering on the edge of nuclear war as the Cuban Missile Crisis unfolded following the USSR's decision to deploy nuclear missiles on the Caribbean island. The BBC produced three Witness podcasts to commemorate the Cold War Crisis, follow the links to find them:

The Photos, the Missiles, the Showdown.

The John Kennedy Library has some interesting resources and a microsite on the crisis called World on the Brink. You can also try out the Schools' World TV site, BBC Bitesize and J.D. Clare for further resources and information.

Here is the video from the BBC History 20th Century series on Cuba (Mr Kennedy and Mr Khrushchev)


 Have a look at the previous post on Cuba for some other resources and videos.

The New Deal

Introduced by US President Franklin Roosevelt, the New Deal was designed to revive the country's battered economy and restore her shattered morale after the devastating impact of the Wall Street Crash and the ensuing depression. FDR instituted a series of measures, including the setting up of the so-called "alphabet agencies", which aimed to ameliorate the worst effects of the economic depression on farmers, factory workers and the unemployed. The New Deal's achievements were significant and its agencies left their mark on the USA for decades to come, but the programme also met with considerable opposition from the American Right and its economic impact remains a subject for intense debate in the USA today. Have a look at the following resources about the Great Depression and then make your comments about the success of the New Deal on the Wallwisher below.

First-hand accounts of the Wall Street Crash in the BBC Witness podcast.
Another excellent Witness podcast, this time on the effects of the Great Depression.
The History Learning Site
BBC Bitesize and the Bitesize Higher site
A short BBC podcast, including extracts from FDR speeches outlining the problems faced by the USA.
A series of resources from the History Channel on the New Deal, including some good video clips.

The Causes of the Second World War

Following up on the previous post, take a few minutes to add your thoughts to the latest Wallwisher I've put up on the blog. This time add your thoughts as to what were the most important causes of the Second World War. Was it the legacy of the Treaty of Versailles, the failure of the League of Nations, US isolation, the policy of appeasement of Hitler's foreign policy? Outline your arguments below and remember you can add an image or a video to support your case.

 

The Second World War

There are probably more books written about the Second World War than about any other topic in History, so it is often difficult to find a new angle on this epic conflict. Journalist and military historian Max Hastings has tried to look at some lesser studied aspects of the war in his new book "All Hell Let Loose: The World at War 1939-45". For a taster of the book, listen to the excellent BBC History Extra podcast that can be heard via this link (just look for the podcast dated Oct 21st to listen or download).

The League of Nations in 1920

The League of Nations was set up after the First World War in an attempt to avoid future conflcit by encouraging nations to resolved their differences peacefully. But what obstacles did this new organisation face in its first decade of existence. Look at the Wallwisher and the video and add your own ideas based on your knowledge of the period.

The Decision to drop the Atomic Bomb

The decision to use the atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaski in August 1945 is one of the most controversial and emotive issues in modern history. Truman's decision to use the weapons has been a matter of fierce debate ever since the Second World War. Did it save hundreds of thousands of Allied and Japanese lives by bringing the war to a rapid conclusion or was it a cynical demonstration of American power designed to intimidate the Soviet Union with an eye on the post war world?

Take a look at some of the original documents in the Harry S. Truman Library and an excellent series of film clips from the History Channel on the debate before reaching your own conclusions.
Here is one side of the argument from Professor Richard Overy:


And here is the other side from Dr Duncan Anderson:

The End of the Cold War

The Cold War finally came to an end at the end of the 1980s with the collapse of the Soviet Empire in Eastern Europe and the subsequent disintegration of the USSR. Mikhail Gorbachev played a key role in events, but although he was the catalyst to many of the changes, there were many other contributory elements. The long term problems of economic inefficiency and corruption were compounded by the pressures of the arms race and the intervention in Afghanistan, while the bankruptcy of the system was highlighted by events such as the Chernobyl nuclear accident and the environmental crises in places like Lake Baikal and the Aral Sea.

Take a look at this video on Gorbachev and the websites below.


The Cold War Files
How 1989 brought and end to the Cold War.

You can see how quickly things changed when you look at this video featuring the former Soviet leader made in 1997.

World War Two

Although most exam courses focus on the causes of the Second World War and then its aftermath, an understanding of what happened during the waris vital if you are to make sense of the post war world. The National Archives has an excellent interactive overview of the different theatres in the war, while the BBC has a comprehensive site dedicated to the war. The British Pathé news site has a host of preview videos from the wartime newsreels which are also well worth looking at.

The Holocaust

Holocaust memorial day is next month on January 27th. It is a time to reflect on the horrific events that led to the deaths of over 6 million Jews and other minorities as a result of the Nazi extermination campaign during the Second World War. Unfortunately similar atrocities have continued to occur. This hard-hitting video looks at the issue and provides us with plenty of food for thought.



For more information on the Holocaust take a look at this series of animated maps by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

20th Anniversary of German Reunification

October 3rd, 2010 marks the 20th anniversary of German reunification with the merging of the capitalist West and the Communist East. It is also the day on which Germany made her final reparations payment imposed after the First World War.

Take a look at the following articles from the BBC which examine the story in more depth:
Anniversary of Reunification
Reparations payments

While this video takes a brief look at the events from the Fall of the Wall to Reunification.

The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was one of the most important conflicts of the Cold War era. Take a look at the following sites for an overview of the war and some thoughts on its significance.

Overview and index of key figures and events from Spartacus

The History Learning Site

BBC Web pages on the war

The Vietnam War in pictures

The National Archives
Was Vietnam a turning point in the Cold War?

Battle of Britain 70th anniversary

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain when the German Luftwaffe began a campaign to gain air superiority over Britain in order to mount an invasion of the British Isles. The Battle, which began in the summer of 1940, is remembered for the clashes between the British Spitfires and Hurricanes and the German fighters and bombers over southern England and the channel. Here are some resources which will help you find out more about the conflict and enable you to distinguish the myths from the realities.

A handy introduction is provided by Dr Chris Bellamy for the BBC and in the lengthy American wartime propaganda film shown below:



You can listen to Churchill's pre Battle of Britain speech here:




And you can hear his famous "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" speech here.

Follow these links for further information on the Battle of Britain:

The BBC Archive (an excellent resource)
The Cost
Why Germany Lost
The Few


And finally here is a nice video of BBC Radio presenter Evan Davis experiencing what it is like to fly in a Spitfire.

The Cuban Missile Crisis

The world was brought to the brink of nuclear war as the two superpowers stared each other out during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Take a look at some of these resources to get a more in-depth view of this Cold War showdown.

John Clare provides a good introduction to the Crisis on his site, while the BBC looks at events in a bit more depth.
Also worth trying out is this BBC Podcast on the Crisis, while if you want to do some real historical research, take a look at the National Security Archive documents.

You can see Kennedy's address to the nation after the discovery of the missiles below:



Here is an introduction to the Crisis from an American documentary about the Crisis:



For a Soviet perspective on the Crisis from Khrushchev's son Sergei, follow this link on You Tube.

Revision
Finally, you might want to try out this date-matching exercise from School History for a bit of revision or the Bitesize section on Cuba from the BBC. The National Archive has its usual high quality take on events.

The Early Cold War

Here are a range of resources which might help you understand the early Cold War period.

A good introduction is School History’s page on the Origins of the Cold War.


You can gain a similar overview from the History Learning site and its comprehensive index page that covers almost every event in the Cold War.

The BBC has a good page examining the role of Truman in the early Cold War, while its Bitesize section is perfect for revision. Give the podcast on this page a listen to as well.

It is also worth taking the time to listen to Winston Churchill's famous "Iron Curtain" speech made in Fulton, Missouri in the United States in March 1946:

More on the Causes of World War Two

One final post on the Causes of World War Two.
Take a look at this tongue-in-cheek Summary of the Causes of the Second World War from the BBC Bitesize revision site.

You could then try out the revision activities on the same site to check your knowledge and understanding of the topic.

The Causes of the Second World War

What were the causes of the Second World War? Start sorting out your ideas by adding some comments on the Wall below: