Reference no: EM132503069
Question 1: The years between the First and Second World Wars are often referred to as the "Age of Anxiety". A second, more deadly, global conflict would be a result of the changes seen in the 1930s. Describe how one of the following countries would militarize society prior to World War II:
Stalin's Soviet Union
Nazi Germany
Imperial Japan
- In what ways did democracies attempt to mobilize society as well during the 1930s? In what ways was this militarization put into effect against civilians during the Second World War and how did "soldering" become a common feature of global culture during this time period. In your essay you will wish to discuss one of the above totalitarian or imperial states, the type of legislation put forward by democracies in the 1930s (social welfare programs), collaboration and resistance in the Second World War, and the ways in which different social classes had different experiences in "soldiering".
Question 2: How was the Second World War a more global conflict than the First World War? What were some of the key military turning points of the war? How did the Allies attempt to construct a new international order that would preserve peace and how was this undermined by the beginning of the Cold War? In your essay you will wish to discuss the Battle of Stalingrad, the rise of the power of the Allies in the Pacific, the origins of the United Nations, and some of the ways in which the Cold War began in Europe. (pages 971-990)
Question 3: The Cold War dominated much of global politics from 1945 until the collapse of the Soviet Union. Within the realm of global power, it has been argued that a North-South conflict replaced that of the East-West conflict. What are some of the reasons why the Cold War came to an abrupt end? How did politics in the Western nations change with the rise of stagflation? In what ways did the nations of the global south and the global east begin to reassert their economic power in global history? In your essay you will wish to discuss a least two reasons for the collapse of the Soviet Bloc (including the Soviet Union), the difficulties of stagflation, some of the successes seen in the developing world by the twenty-first century including the rebirth of the economic power of China. (pages 1031-1044)
Question 4: From the beginning of our course we have discussed the process of interaction between civilizations. Indeed, this is much of what makes the modern world different from the ancient age. At the same time, traditional nation-states have been seen by many of begin under pressure from the growing institutions of global society (globalization). How have global institutions and livelihoods changed in the over the last two generations? What are some of the new (or revived) challenges the world faces with the expansion of global culture? In your essay you will wish to discuss the rise of nongovernmental organizations, how the map on page 1048 reflects the rise of a global age, how either literature and popular music reflect expanding globalization, and how one modern global challenge (environmental, population growth/migration, terrorism, or ethnic strife/political splintering) shows the difficulty in the creation of more durable contacts between civilization.