Film Lesson: "Night and Fog"

"Night and Fog"was also another powerful movie about the holocaust. I found this film to be powerful when it came to describing what took place in the death camp of Auchwits.
It was very similar to the the other film called "Schindler's List". Both of these films are actually very similar. Some scenes are even almost actually alike. There was this one scene where the people were being loaded onto the train. Inboth films, we see the Jews slowly being loaded onto the train by the Nazi guards. Their faces are all filled with a sense of hopelessness. That alone was enough to simply bring tears to ones face.
As powerful as this film was, I must admit that the other film I watched was way more powerful. "Schindler's List" showed how the holocaust took place a lot more effectively. That filmed showed what happened to the Jews when they were being brutally tortured by th Nazis. Innocent people were being shot just for running away from them or disobeying a single stupid order. What really tugged at me the most was the children. They were being taken away from their mothers and families. These children didn't even know that they were being taken away to be killed. Their mother's knew this but not the children. Some children were smart enough to find a secure place to hide. Unfortunately many never made it out alive. I hope something like this will never happen again.

Film Lesson: "Schindler's List"

"Schindler's List" has to be one of the most influencial movies I have ever watched. It sends such a powerful message to those who watch it. This movie displayed the Holocaust perfectly. You saw the Nazis round up all the Jews and take them away to concentration camps. Those who were not needed or disobeyed the Nazi orders were shot on the spot. The others that couldn't work were taken away to be shot, gased, and burned. It was such a horrific sight to see.
For me, the most powerful scene was when they loaded up the useless people and children into the vans to be taken away. They never knew that this would be the last time they would see the light of day. What really pained me the most was when all the mothers saw the children being taken away from them. They desperately tried to reach their children but were held back.
I think all the images i have seen from the movie will stay with. After watching such cruelty unfold, it is really difficult to let any of those images go. Some of the very grusonme images are kind of glued to my head. Just the thought of seeing someones head getting pierced by a bullet is enough to make me want to puke.
This film is way more powerful to me than "Night Of Fog". I say this, because "Night Of Fog" was simply a documentary. It only showed us pictures of those who died and how the death camps looked like. This movie shows people getting shot, burned, and tortured. "Schindler's List" shows so much power that it's hard to even describe.

The Treaty of Versailles (ended WW I)

After the end of World War I, Germany suffered the heaviest burden. Since their side lost the war, Germany had no choice but to sign the horrible Treaty of Versailles. This Treaty declared that everything that happened during the war was Germany's fault. This meant that Germany had to pay for all the damages done to the allies. Germany also lost 10% of their land. The loss of both land and massive amounts of money completely destroyed the economy. One thing that really destroyed Germany is that all the lands they conquered overseas were taken away from them. Everything that belonged to them was taken a divided among the the allies. Since they lost so much land after the war, 12.5% of the German population found themselves outside the German border.

I think this has to be the most unfair treaty i have ever heard of. Come on people! Why the heck would you blame just one country for a whole war. Sure, Germany caused a lot of casualties to the allies and all its supporting troops but they didn't cause all the casualties. The allies also called just as much damage as the Germans. They also killed thousands of innocent German lives. I say they should both be equally punished. They both deserve severe consiquences, not just one.

They say it was the Treaty of Versailles that caused the rise of Hitler. I agree. After such a horrible loss, Germany wanted to redeem themselves. They needed a strong leader. It was Hitler who showed them that. They easily let him grab power and brought them up again but never realized how insane he was until it was to late.

Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) and the Modernization of Turkey

Mustafa was a very famous young man who led his people to victory and independence . It was him who founded the Turkish Republic and became its first president. Many of his people were surprised with how much he was able to accomplish in such a short amount of time. He was a military hero when he came back from the Dardanelles in 1915. It was then that he decided to lead his nation to liberation. A powerful leader, he crushed all those who opposed them. He put an end to the power of the Ottoman empire. He was president of his nation for an impressive 15 years.

Mustafa's main goal for Turkey was to modernize his nation. He didn't want his people to follow the same old ways of the surrounding lands. He wanted to give his nation a new sense of dignity, equality and happiness. One of the most important things he did was make religion an individual conscience. Christians and Jewish people were free to practice their faith as much as they pleased. He also gave his people modern equality. Even peasants, who were greatly ignored in the Ottoman Empire, were considered important. Even the sense of style became different. They wore European hats instead of the Fez.(which was now prohibited) Citizens even got their own surnames. They even produced their own Western Calendar.

Mustafa created a secular civilization. This meant that everything was based on worldly things instead of the usual worshipping of the church. They distinguished themselves from the usual faith.

Film Lesson: "Gandhi"

Gandhi was a very important figure throughout history. He was the most important person to the Indian nation. It was Gandhi who helped India get its own independence from Great Britain. Some of the things he did to oppose british rule were always acts of non-violence. Gandhi would lead a march to some near factory of some sort. There, he would protest in a peaceful way, with his followers right behind him. Another thing Gandhi did was produce his own supplies. In India, both salt and clothes were costing the people a whole bunch. To save themselves from this, Gandhi declared that all the Indian people would make their own clothes. They should not buy them. He even marched a whole lot of miles to collect his own salt by the ocean. The trip took days but he still managed.
As written above, Gandhi was a peacemaker. He was not one to shoot back at the British with violence. All of his protest were in peace. If any of his people ended up using violence, Gandhi would fast. His people were afraid that he would die so they stopped the violence on their own. Non-violence worked very well against the British. If the British attacked them while they did their peaceful protests, it would make the British look bad and the Indians look good.
I don't think India's independence was based all on Gandhi though. If i remember right, Great Britain was also fighting in another war at the time. Great Britain was getting hammered all over the place. Eventually Great Britain would give India their independence because they had to start worrying about their own country. They could no longer worry about anyone else.

The Russian Revolution

The Russian Revolution was a time of much turmoil. The Czar, or the leader as they are more commonly referred to, was assassinated. Instead Russian was taken over by a group called the Bolsheviks. There could only be one reason that the Russians wanted a revolution so badly. It was because their government was screwed up! People don't want change unless they are desperate. All the Czars (kings) that ruled Russia were not very bright. There were famines, diseases and a whole bunch of other problems. The Russians were absolutely tired of what these "kings" had to offer. They did not want them anymore, so they all revolted.
This revolution was all about bringing back the peace and order in Russia. This meant giving back the land that belonged to the rightful people. This also meant restoring the peace by making it much easier for people to get whatever they needed. Some major causes of this revolution was the influence of WWI. Also bring in mind that Russia was a communist country (and still is). Another cause sould have been that their government was horrible and they wanted change.
The leader of this Revolution was a young man named Lenin. He had a small group of followers called the Bolsheviks. It was he who overthrew the Russian government and ecame its new leader. Like a dictator running his country, Lenin ruled and once again brought peace to the people of Russia.
The Bolsheviks also had a very famous quote called "Peace land and bread". I believe it meant the peace that Lenin wanted to make Russia have. Once Lenin was in rule, peace started to slwly flourish in the land. Famers were able to get new farm lands and property. Everyone could finally get a bite to eat. It was truely a good sign for more things to come.

Causes of WWI

World War I was an extremely deadly war. Many innocent people were killed. The improvement of machine guns, poison gas, and other deadly weapons of war contibuted to the massive killings. One of the most important questions we ask ourselves is that how did the war start? There are many answers.
One of the biggest causes of this world war, was nationalism. Nationalism was the love for one's country. Because of this love, it fueled the hatred that one ocountry had for another. Countries would make speeches or hang posters to show which side they supported. Countries who supported one another would do their best to support and defend their friends. Those who were enemies would do everything in their power to kill the other.
Another cause of the world war was militarism. It was how each country was able to keep their own military up to standards. This meant that they kept their military ready for war at all times. The european countries all had powerful armies. Each one had their own plan to dominate the other civil authorities. Before even going to war, armies would have a full scale battle plan drawn out.
Another cause of the world war was the assassination of king Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. He was killed by someone from Surbia. Austria-Hungary realized they had a right to blame Surbia for the killing of their leader. Becaus of this they decided to declare war. This event leaded to the start of World War I. One of the most deadliest wars in the world. I have to admit its hard to believe.