Why did you find this topic interesting?
I found the topic “World War 1” interesting because of the dissimilar facts that it entails. Initially, the war occurred from 1914 to 1918, it caused the social, political, and cultural order of the contemporary period to change. This led to the disappearance of old countries and emergency of new ones together with invention of international organizations such as League of Nations. Through the topic, it came to my realization that Germany was the initial country to use flamethrowers to fire flame jets from a long distance. As well, more than 65 million people participated in the war leaving over 10 million dead(Conlinand Carl 112). During the war, dogs played the role of messengers, whereby they carried orders, while attached to their bodies to the targeted destination. Consequently, it was interesting to discover that Rittmeister Von Richthofen was the most powerful man of the war, since he shot down over 80 planes. Additionally, the topic World War 1 was interesting because it enabled me in understanding that it played a significant role in defining the contemporary history by turning the western society in different ways. For example, it led to the end of age of empires, resulted to the implementation of movements of ethical national self-determination, and reformed communism into viable government among others(Norton, Katzman&Steven 892).
Did you learn something new?
Through the topic World War 1, I learned many new things. This is because the topic enabled me in understanding that there were different things that fueled the war, the most popular ones being the mutual defense alliances. This occurred because European countries established a mutual defense agreement, which pulled them into the war. The aim of the formed bound was to defend any attacked country. Therefore, before the beginning of the war, there were dissimilar alliances including Russia and Serbia, Germany and Austria-Hungary, France and Russia, as well as, Japan and Britain among others. Consequently, the alliances enabled the occurrence of war because Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, thus Serbia getting involved. Germany thus decided to declare war on Russia, and France came in to fight against Germany and Austria-Hungary(Conlinand Carl 117)
Notably, I also learned that nationalism played a significant role in the war. This is because it was the major cause of tension in Europe by leading to dissatisfaction since the Vienna congress in 1815. This resulted into Germany and U.S existing as divided states making each of them working hard towards proving dominance power. Moreover, through the topic, I realized that militarism was also a contributor of World War 1. This is because by the beginning of the 20th century, arm race had begun with Germany having the greatest military. As well, countries such as Russia, Britain and Serbia also increased their military, and this made them have a great impact on public policy. Consequently, it is through the increase in militarism that pushed the countries to participate in the war(Norton, Katzman&Steven 897).
Remarkably, the topic enabled me in understanding the different impacts of the war. For example, before the war, England was the center of great British Empire, but after the war, the empire declined resulting into many nations demanding for independence throughout Europe. As well, the war was beneficial to women because it equipped them with the rights to vote since they could not do this prior to the war. The war enabled fully employment of working class individuals, which improved their statuses. The distribution of income among the population also favored the poor unlike before the war, where it only focused on the rich. It further resulted into formation of new countries, equal distribution of land and loss of power. Economically, the war increased the rate of inflation. Socially, it improved equality among different classes, and women had rights to work and vote(Conlinand Carl 132).
Did the teaching style of using pictures, music, and study guides aid in learning, and if so, how?
The teaching style of using pictures, music and study guides used in class aided learning in the following ways. Initially, the application of pictures was beneficial since it translated abstract information into real forms thus fostering understanding of the concepts. Thereafter, pictures were essential in learning about World War 1 because it was easy to obtain them from textbook, newspapers and online. Through the pictures, it was easy to understand what exactly happened during the war, since most of them indicated weapons that the military applied. Additionally, music was also advantageous in learning because it set positive mood in the class thus equipping students with positive attitude towards the lesson. As well, music raised the energy level of students thus enabling them to participate during the lesson. Music was vital because it sustained attention and concentration during the lesson and it acted as a source of inspiration. Finally, study guides were imperative in learning by supporting the ways in which I reflected on the topic and comprehended the concepts. The guides also diverted my ego and equipped me with a permanent reference(Norton, Katzman&Steven917).
Did the class change or influence your views about history?
The class was imperative because it changed the manner in which I used to view history. This is so because before the class, I used to think that World War 1 only had negative impacts on the affected countries. However, after this class, it came to my realization that the war had some positive impacts such as formation of peace conferences, equal distribution of land, formation of new countries, equalization of social classes, and equipping women with rights to vote and work among others.
Works Cited
Norton, Mary., Katzman, Andrea., Steven Jacobson.,Katzman, Eric Katzman., Henry W. Katzman., Julie Stephens Katzman., SharynKatzman&ArielaKatzman. A People and a Nation: A History of the United States. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co, 2001. Print.
Conlin, Joseph R, and Carl H. Peterson.An American Harvest: Readings in American History. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1986. Print.
