Thursday, February 27, 2014

The Russian Revolution

Respond with a substantive comment on the following question. Then, before class begins tomorrow (2:15 pm), respond to at LEAST two (2) of your peers. The more you engage, the more credit you will receive for the assignment.

What were the substantive changes to the Russian government which Lenin made? What were the root causes of Lenin's Bolshevik Revolution? Compare and contrast with Marx's original Communist ideology: what similarities or differences exist?

Friday, February 14, 2014

International Tensions

Read today's textbook assignment and answer the following question in a detailed post. Before 12 noon on Saturday, respond to AT LEAST 2 of your peers, engaging in debate and discussion. The more you engage, the more credit you will receive.

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The further along we go in the course, the more we encounter globalization in every facet: international politics, society, economics, culture, etc. We are about to embark on a heretofore unexplored part of globalization: global war. Based on your interpretation of the reading, how were the colonial conflicts in Africa between European powers a primary cause of twentieth century global war? Were they more or less important than European-based conflicts such as France vs. Germany, Liberalism vs. nationalism/conservatism, or East vs. west (think about the Crimean War)?

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

The Paris Commune, 1871

Read the PDF on the Commune and answer the following question in a detailed post. Before class begins on Friday, respond to AT LEAST 2 of your peers, engaging in debate and discussion. The more you engage, the more credit you will receive.

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Analyze the connection between the Paris Commune of 1871 and the French Revolutions of 1848 and 1871, using the PDF reading (as well as the textbook if necessary). Was the Commune the foretold Marxist Revolution from the Communist Manifesto? Why or why not? Should we consider the Commune a revolution of oppressed peoples or a civil war between upper and lower class in France?