Samuel Katama Ngumbau

Discussion Instructions Discussion 1 Socialism and Communism  Discuss all of the following questions using examples from the text and providing your own original analysis How are socialism and communism alike? How are they different What accounted for the rising popularity of both Socialist and Communist ideals How did strike actions affect European societies during this period What did the average European think of socialism and communism What role did socialism and communism play in the First World War What effect did socialism and communism have on European society during this period Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite reference used. In Chicago style Discussion 2 First World War  Discuss all of the following questions using examples from the text and providing your own original analysis: What were the causes of the First World War? What role did Empire and Imperialism play in the First World War? What was life like for soldiers in the trenches? How was it similar for soldiers from opposing sides? How was it different? In a war characterized by attrition and the vicious nature of modern warfare, one where scores were killed and wounded daily, why did soldiers continue to fight rather than surrender or desert their posts? What was the role of women in the war effort? How did the First World War end? What effect did the war have on European society and culture? Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any reference used in Chicago style. Pick book from the list Readings To successfully complete this week’s assignments, read the following chapters from the text, Twentieth-century Europe: Chapter 1 – Europe, 1900 to 1914 Chapter 2 – World War I, 1914 to 1918 To successfully complete this week’s assignments, read the following chapters from the text, Ten Days That Shook the World: Reed, J. (1919). The fall of provisional government. In Ten days that shook the world (Links to an external site.) (pp.74-111). New York: Boni and Liveright. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=8MwNAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false To successfully complete this week’s assignments, read the following excerpt retrieved from Internet Archive:  (Links to an external site.)Remarque, E. M. (n.d.). All quiet on the western front (Links to an external site.) (excerpt). Retrieved from http://web.archive.org/web/-/http:/pluto.clinch.edu/history/wciv2/civ2ref/aqwf.htm Recommended Readings To help you complete this week’s assignments, it is recommended that you read the following poems retrieved from Representative Poetry Online: Owen, W. (2009). Anthem for doomed youth (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poems/anthem-doomed-youth Owen, W. (2011). Dulce et decorum est (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poems/dulce-et-decorum-est McCrae, J. (2009). In Flanders' fields (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poems/flanders-fields Sassoon, S. (2011). The dug-out (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poems/dug-out SOCIALISM AND COMMUNISM Student’s Name Course Number Date Discussion 1 How are Socialism and Communism Alike? How are they Different? Socialism and Communism are founded on the guiding principle that individuals contribute to societal development based on their potential. They have a complimentary argument that institutional centralization is controlled by the government and collective agencies, thus, effectively removing private business entities as manufacturers and producers of goods and services. There is a substantial variance between Socialism and Communism, where Communism advocates territorial ownership of factories, agricultural lands, and residential properties as proprietary state ownership without private sectoral ownership entitlement1. In contrast, Socialism conceptualizes that ownership of industries, land, and agricultural land is attributed to the private sector or persons. Socialism supports a democratic and religious framework while Communism lacks democracy and religion besides the state. What accounted for the Rising Popularity of both Socialist and Communist Ideals? Communism promoted the Russian revolution in 1917, which resulted from the fall of the Tsarist government and the foundation of the Bolshevik Party as a ruling power that radically offshoot the Social Democratic Labor Party in Russia. That was due to repressive and autocratic Tsarist regimes which ruled Russia majority of the population survived under chronic socioeconomic conditions. Socialism's positive impacts were developed due to international politics, which predetermined the democracy and communism power blocs in political ideologies in the U.S. and allies and Soviet Union communism bloc1. Between 1946 and 1947, the USSR power bloc enabled European and Asian countries to transition into communist government political power. How did Strike Actions Affect European Societies during this Period? In 1940, strike actions enabled reform movements that ended Communism in European states where solidarity, social movement, and anti-communist trade association forced the communist governments to recognize Socialism which gained international attention1. Although Russia pressured some European states like Poland's communist units to enforce martial law, sanction the democratic trade association, and incarcerate Solidarity leaders. What did the average European think of Socialism and Communism? Since the 19th century, the Soviet Union bloc instilled communist dictatorial leadership rule, which dominated European countries for over 40 years, and it utilized military intervention policies to protect the communist regimes in European states1. Socialism activists were humiliated, and solidarity initiatives were sanctioned, although, in 1989, Poland gained the first socialist government in the Soviet Union. What role did socialism and communism play in the First World War? The socialist and communist movements had limited opportunities in World War (I) to dominate the political system; hence they only existed as democratic and autocratic advocacy movements with few activists1. However, they acted as reformists to overthrow the ruling government due to the deteriorating socioeconomic status quo. What effect did Socialism and Communism have on European society during this Period? The communist European governments were existential to initiate reforms by banning competitive elections and multiparty systems; thus, promoting the dominance of communist regimes1. In contrast, the socialist rule brought political reforms through the transition of dictatorial leadership into a democratic state where citizens enjoyed their fundamental freedom of movement across European Countries. Discussion 2 What were the causes of the First World War? It led to ultra-nationalism, where supporters had extreme loyalty and devotion to the Pan-German and Pan-Slav movements in Russia, Czech, Bulgaria, Serb, Polish, and Greek. It also leads to conflict engagement between imperialist countries for interests in German territory, such as; the transnational conflict between France and Britain Vs. Germany, German ship and railway line heading Baghdad from Berlin. It also caused international anarchy, in which France and Britain signed a secret accord permitting Britain to take control of control in France and Egypt to colonize Morocco1. The Hague international conference of 1882 and 1907 failure resulted in anarchy because it wasn't accredited as an international organization. What role did Empire and Imperialism play in the First World War? The imperialism system in European nations caused competition for new territories, and imperial rivalry increased tension among them; hence it became a contributive factor in the start of the first world war. The annexation and infiltration of political pressure under imperial power and empires lead to war and military conquest in the African and European continents in the struggle for colonization and independence1. That increased genocide, gorilla war, and high mortality rates in respective colonized states. What was life like for soldiers in the trenches? The survival of soldiers in trenches duringWW1 was associated with the harsh environment, and they were exposed to inhuman treatment because most spent two weeks in the trench frontier before getting relieved. Many were exposed to waterborne diseases due to poor hygienic and sanitation conditions due to floods1. It was difficult to sleep in a noisy environment, and I had limited time to fall asleep and maintain surveillance of the neighborhood territory. How was it similar for soldiers from opposing sides? The soldier's environmental exposure in WW1 during the military operation was the same because they had to dig trenches as hideouts to store weaponry instruments and conduct tactical and operational intelligence operations to strategically organize on attacking their opponents on the battlefield. How was it different? The soldiers' survival from colonies had advanced weaponry systems like guns, canned beverages, and foodstuffs. In comparison, the gorilla war technique of African freedom fighters had arrows and sharp wooden objects to attack the enemy, although the British soldiers overpowered them with single gunshots. In a war characterized by attrition and the vicious nature of modern warfare, where scores were killed and wounded daily, why did soldiers continue to fight rather than surrender or desert their posts? Soldiers had stringent directives from their commanders and the columnist government military command systems. Therefore, ceasefire and giving up wasn't an individual decision, but their command system determined it. Soldiers were trained to follow the order in all environmental settings; hence, they fought till the last death. What was the role of women in the war effort? Women had peacekeeping, peacebuilding, and peacemaking roles that were essential in conflict resolution during the war. They also prepared energetic food for the soldiers in war and steered mediation programs to resolve atrocities between the conflicting parties. How did the First World War end? WW1 ended on 11th November 1918, when Germany formally gave in, and all nations agreed to sign peace accords and stop fighting. The treaty of Versailles was signed by Germany, Italy, Russia, and France to end the WW1 formally. What effect did the war have on European society and culture? The WW1 led to the loss of life and destruction of societal bonds and infrastructure. It also led to European government to improvise the Realm Act defense and conscription. The feminine roles changed, and political diversity and mobilization increased. 1 Reed, J. 1919. The fall of the provisional government. In Ten days, that shook the world. New York. Bibliography Reed, J. 1919. The fall of the provisional government. In Ten days, that shook the world. New York .