NAME
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DBQ
THE PATH TO WORLD
WAR II
Directions:
1: Read the following documents and
answer ALL questions following the documents completely.. Only the answers
appearing immediately beneath the questions will count for score. Make sure you
answer every question (completely) to the best of your ability. There is no
reason to lose points on scaffolding questions.
2: Formulate a thesis statement
that directly answers the question. Then write a well-organized essay that
proves your thesis. The essay should be logically presented and should include
information from at least 7 of the documents and your own
outside knowledge of the topic.
Historical Context
Even though the 1920's began with a favorable outlook for peace, toward
the end of the decade and throughout the 1930's the clouds of war were forming.
Dictators arose in countries that were dissatisfied with the results of World
War I. Actions were taken that moved Europe towards war. The debate over the
events leading to World War II provides different perspectives.
Task
ü
Define appeasement.
ü
What were the arguments for and against appeasement
of the Germans by the rest of Europe?
ü
Based on the arguments and the results explain why
appeasement was a good or bad policy.
ü
Suggest 1 alternate approach the other European
nations could have taken.
Document 1
In this excerpt from Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler explains some of his
ideas.
One blood demands one Reich.
Never will the German nation have the moral right to enter into colonial
politics until, at least, it includes its own sons within a single
state….Oppressed territories are led back to the bosom of a common Reich, not
by flaming protests, but by a mighty sword.
What does Hitler suggest is needed for Germany? (1)
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Document 2
After Italy attacked Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, emperor of Ethiopia,
asked the League of Nations for help in stopping the invasion. He asked for
military sanctions but the League of Nations' response was ineffective. Haile
Selassie used these words to the League of Nations:
'God and history will remember
your judgment …. It is us today. It will be you tomorrow.
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What will happen if the aggressors are not stopped? (1)
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Document 3
Hitler promised to tear up the Versailles Treaty. Specifically, the
treaty forbade German troops from entering the Rhineland, a buffer zone between
Germany and France. The texts of two headlines and articles from The New York
Times of March 8, 1936, explain this issue from the German and the French
points of view.
HITLER SENDS GERMAN TROOPS INTO
RHINELAND
Berlin, March 7--Germany today
cast off the last shackles fastened upon her by the Treaty of Versailles when
Adolf Hitler, as commander-in-chief of the Reich defense forces, sent his new
battalions into the Rhineland's demilitarized zone. . . . "After three
years of ceaseless battle." Hitler concluded, "I look upon this day
as marking the close of the struggle for German equality status and with that
re-won equality the path is now clear for Germany's return to European
collective cooperation:'
PARIS APPEALS TO LEAGUE
Paris, March 7-France has laid
Germany's latest treaty violation before the Council of the League of Nations.
At the same time the French Government made it quite clear that there could be
no negotiation with Germany ….
as long as a single German
soldier remained in the Rhineland in contravention [violation] of Germany's
signed undertakings [agreements] …. What is essential, in the French view, is
that the German government must be compelled by diplomatic pressure first and
by stronger pressure if need be, to withdraw from the Rhineland.
What action did Hitler take in defiance of the Versailles Treaty? How
does he explain this? (2)
1 ________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What was the reaction in France to Germany's actions? (1)
1 ____________________________________________________________________________________
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As German aggression continued in 1938, Britain, France, and Italy met
with Hitler to discuss his demands for the Sudetenland, a section of
Czechoslovakia. This radio
broadcast by William Shirer describes what happened at this meeting.
William Shirer: It took the Big
Four just five hours and twenty -five minutes here in Munich today to dispel the
clouds of war and come to an agreement over the partition of Czechoslovakia.
There is to be no European war… the price of that peace is… the ceding by Czechoslovakia
of the Sudeten territory to Herr Hitler's Germany. The German Fuhrer gets what he wanted … His waiting ten short
days has saved Europe from a world war … most of the peoples of Europe are
happy that they won't have to go marching off to war … Probably only the Czechs…
are not too happy. But there seems very little that they can do about it in
face of all the might and power represented here.
What happened at the Munich Conference, according to Shirer? (1)
1 ________________________________________________________________________________________
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What does Shirer feel will be Czechoslovakia's reaction? (1)
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How does Shirer feel the rest of Europe will react? (1)
1 ________________________________________________________________________________________
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Document 5
In this speech to Parliament, British Primer Minister Neville
Chamberlain explains why he favored a policy of appeasement in dealing with
Hitler at Munich in 1938:
With a little good will and
determination, it is possible to remove grievances and clear away suspicion… We must try to bring these four nations
into friendly discussion. If they can settle their differences, we shall save
the peace of Europe for a generation.
And, in The Times (London): I
shall not give up the hope of a peaceful solution… We sympathize with a small
nation faced by a big and powerful neighbor. But we cannot involve the whole
British Empire in war simply on her account. If we have to fight, it must be on
larger issues than that …. I am a man of peace … Yet if I were sure that any
nation had made up its mind to dominate the world by fear of its force, I
should feel that it must be resisted. . . . But war is a fearful thing.
Why does Chamberlain suggest appeasement? (1)
1 ________________________________________________________________________________________
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Under what conditions would Chamberlain fight? (1)
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Document 6
Winston Churchill disagreed with Chamberlain's policy of appeasement. In
this speech to Parliament, Churchill warned England about following a policy of
appeasement.
I have always held the view that
keeping peace depends on holding back the aggressor. After Hitler's seizure of
Austria in March, I appealed to the government. I asked that Britain, together
with France and other powers, guarantee the security of Czechoslovakia. If that
course had been followed, events would not have fallen into this disastrous
state … in time, Czechoslovakia will be swallowed by the Nazi regime. … I think
of all the opportunities to stop the growth of Nazi power which have been
thrown away. The responsibility must rest with those who have control of our
political affairs. They neither prevented Germany from rearming, nor did they
rearm us in time. They weakened the League of Nations … Thus they left us in
the hour of trial without a strong national defense or system of international
security.
What strategy did Churchill suggest for keeping peace and stopping the
growth of Nazi power? (1)
1 ________________________________________________________________________________________
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In Churchill's opinion, what opportunities had been lost in the quest
for peace? (1)
1 ________________________________________________________________________________________
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Who is responsible for these lost opportunities? (1)
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Document 7
In this excerpt from Russia and the West Under Lenin and Stalin,
George F. Kennan offers another critical view of the Munich Agreement (Boston:
Atlantic Little Brown, 1961).
The Munich Agreement was a …
desperate act of appeasement at the cost of the Czechoslovak state, performed
by Chamberlain and French premier, Daladier, in the vain hope that it would
satisfy Hitler's stormy ambition, and thus secure for Europe a peaceful future.
We know today that is was unnecessary … because the Czech defenses were very
strong … and because the German generals, conscious of Germany's relative
weakness at that moment, were actually prepared to attempt to remove Hitler …had
he continued to move toward war.
What are 2 reasons Kennan felt the Munich Agreement was unnecessary? (2)
1 ________________________________________________________________________________________
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2 _______________________________________________________________________________________
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Document 8
In this excerpt adapted from British historian A. J. P. Taylor's The
Origin of the Second World War (New York: Atheneum, 1965, p. 291), another
point of view on appeasement is presented.
Can any sane man suppose … that
other countries could have intervened by armed force in 1933 to overthrow
Hitler when he had come to power by constitutional means and was apparently
supported by a large majority of the German people. The Germans put Hitler in
power; they were the only ones who could turn him out. Also the
"appeasers" feared that the defeat of Germany would be followed by a
Russian domination over much of Europe.
What were 2 reasons Taylor used to justify appeasement? (2)
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2 ________________________________________________________________________________________
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Document 9
In this excerpt by Keith Eubank from Origins of World War II, the
author argues that the discussion about stopping Hitler prior to 1939 was not
an issue for several reasons.
… neither the people nor the
government of [Britain and France] were conditioned to the idea of war. …
Before September 1, 1939, Hitler had done nothing that any major power considered
dangerous enough to warrant precipitating [starting] a major European war. Nor
was there any existing coalition that could have opposed Hitler's massive
forces. For Britain sought to appease Hitler [and] the French feared a
repetition of the bloody sacrifices of 1914-1918. Stalin wanted an agreement
with Hitler on partitioning Europe and the United States rejected all responsibility
for Europe.
What were 2 reasons Eubank suggested that Hitler would not be stopped
prior to 1939? (2)
1 ________________________________________________________________________________________
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2 ________________________________________________________________________________________
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ESSAY
Historical Context
Even though the 1920's began with a favorable outlook for peace, towards
the end of the decade and throughout the 1930's the clouds of war were forming.
Dictators arose in countries that were dissatisfied with the results of World
War I. Actions were taken that moved Europe towards war. The debate over the
events leading to World War II provides different perspectives.
Task –Use at Least 7 documents to complete each part of the task (quote
and give credit to authors you summarize)
ü
Define appeasement.
ü
What were the arguments for and against appeasement
of the Germans by the rest of Europe?
ü
Based on the arguments and the results explain why
appeasement was a good or bad policy.
ü
Suggest 1 alternate approach the other European
nations could have taken.
Directions
Write a well-developed essay that addresses all parts of the task listed
below. Your essay should have (at least) an introduction with a clear thesis, 3
body paragraphs that address the tasks and prove your thesis, and a conclusion.
It should incorporate at least 7 documents and some outside knowledge.
Read carefully before you write!!
-- Have you examined every document to see if it has extra information
to help you complete the task and support your thesis statement? (you must do more than simply answer
the question below the document)
-- Does every paragraph have a topic sentence that clearly connects to
the thesis and tasks?
-- Have you given credit to each author/document you have used (for
example --- in Keith Eubank Origins
of World War II he
argues that Hitler…)
-- Do you have a good hook and a strong conclusion? There are some great quotes in the
documents that would work. Make
sure you explain your quotes and connect them to the historical context/thesis!
-- Your hook and thesis should be connected by an historical context (do
not simply restate the one given to you)
Use all the information and the historical context provided to create
something unique!
-- Have you proof read your essay out loud to a friend and an
adult? Have you allowed others to
read and critique your work? Have
you left the essay alone for a day and then read it again and made corrections?
-- Have you read the Rubric for getting a 5? Have you read
Improvements Needed section and fixed all your problems before you handed in
your essay?
-- Does each paragraph contain a minimum of at least 5 sentences?
A decent paragraph may require 10 or more!
-- Do you explain why this topic is so important in history and how it
applies to today?
Rubric - Essay
ESSAY
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5
· Contains
an introduction, body, conclusion in correct order.
· Introduction
contains provable thesis and interesting hook.
· Proves
thesis by including supportive details.
Ideas are fully developed in body.
· Shows
clear evidence of frequent primary source document use (i.e. quotes,
statistics)
· Is
both descriptive and analytical (applies, compares/contrasts, analyzes,
evaluates)
· Includes
relevant outside information
· Reader
understands why topic was important in shaping world history.
· Writing
conventions contain little or no mistakes.
· Evidence
of revision.
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4
· Introduction
contains thesis and hook.
· Body
has several proofs that are related to the thesis.
· Shows
evidence of primary some source document use (i.e. quotes)
· Essay
may be slightly off-topic at times.
· Minimal
inaccuracies
· Reader
shows some good understandings of important facts related to topic
· Some
mistakes in spelling and grammar.
· Clearly
demonstrates similarities and differences
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3
· Thesis
is stated in first part of essay.
· Writing
is a summary and makes some attempt to prove a thesis.
· Many
ideas are weak and not fully developed.
· A few
uses of primary sources
· May
lack focus; may contain digressions; some inaccuracies
· Mistakes
in spelling and grammar.
· Attempts
to demonstrate several similarities and differences
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2
· Thesis
is weak or unclear.
· Writing
is a summary and does not show a purpose. May be missing paragraphs introduction or conclusion.
· Ideas
are weak and not always related to the topic
· Several
inaccuracies.
· Shows
little evidence of primary source document use
· Many
mistakes in spelling and grammar that make it hard to read.
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1
· No
Thesis
· Lacks
parts of essay like body or conclusion
· No
paragraphs
· Few
proofs and no use of sources
· Many
mistakes in spelling and grammar that make it hard to read
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Improvements needed because of the following:
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- Parts not written in your own words
- not giving credit to your source
- Sentence structure weak or confusing
- Run- on sentences
- Needs more quotes, statistics, sources
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- Unclear Thesis
- Does not clearly prove thesis
- Does not use topic sentences
- Paragraphs off topic
- Does not give specific examples
- Not enough proof/body paragraphs (less
than 3)
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- Does not complete task requirements
- No hook
- Hook not clearly connected to topic
- Weak historical context
- Does not follow a logical or
chronological pattern
- Incomplete or weak conclusion
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-
Poor spelling
- Reader has difficulty understanding how the person or topic was important in
shaping world history
- no/few quotes from primary sources
-
turned in late
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Essay
Grade
/5
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Final
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