Friday, May 28, 2010

Bosnia genocide















What made this genocide so much more memorable than any other genocide’s? Even though The Holocaust was one of the most tragic genocide’s and mass murdering time period, The Bosnia genocide was one of the “greatest failures in the west since 1930,” according to U.S. Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke. The Bosnia genocide was a conflict between three ethnic groups, The Serbs (Orthodox Christians), The Croats (Catholics) and the Muslims, which resulted in the genocide committed by the Serbs against the Muslims. Bosnia, a mostly Muslim country, only 32 percent were the Serbs made up the population. Sarajevo, the Bosnia capital, soon became known as the city where Serb snipers continually shot hopeless civilians in the streets, including 3,500 children. Muslims became outgunned; as Serbs gained ground they used the same techniques as the Nazis did in World War II. This included mass shootings, confinement of men and boys in concentration camps. They also sent them on buses and trains like Hitler did to the Jews during the Holocaust. They also terrorized Muslim families fleeing villages by using rape as a weapon towards woman and girls. These actions were later labeled as “ethnic cleansing.” Throughout 1993, confident that the United States and the European Community would not take military action, the Serbs kept freely committing the mass murders towards the Muslims. What made other people in this country finally realize what was happening during this horrific time period in Bosnia? On February 6, 1994 the genocide turned global as the world’s attention was faced toward Bosnia. The U.S. under Bill Clinton issued a challenge through the NATO demanding that the Serbs with draw their weapons from Sarajevo. The Serbs failed to stop attacking Muslim villages so the Safe Heavens were established by the U.N. The U.N. Peace keepers guarded six Muslim towns. The Serbs still didn’t stop they not only attacked the Muslims but also the peace keepers. NATO forces then launched air strikes on the Serbs ground positions. The U.N. peace keepers stood by as the Serbs slaughtered 8,000 men and boys between twelve and sixty. Finally, on August 30, 1995 The United States military led a massive NATO bombing campaign in response to the killings of the Muslims. The bombardment continued into October. At the end of 1995, over 200,000 Muslim civilians were murdered. More than 20,000 were missing and feared dead, while 2,000,000 were refuges. What a tragic outcome. Having the United States finally come and take charge of the crisis was a big help to the Muslims and Bosnia citizens. If the United States and the U.N. had not taken a stand many more people could have been killed or raped or sent to concentration camps. The Serbs would have done anything to kill the Muslim civilians. This is a terrible thought; because how can people like this be so mean to wipe out a whole ethnic race. It’s surprising to me that a group of people would want to hurt and kills others because they don’t like what they believe in or the color of their skin.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

yugoslavia and soviet union split











How did Tito, the leader of Yugoslavia, keep the split somewhat separate from the Soviet Union and Stalin? What made the separation such a success? If he had done something different would the split not have come out to the same result? Did Tito succeed in what he wanted to accomplish? Tito was formally an ally to Stalin, so Stalin set up a spy in Yugoslavia party as soon as Tito’s leading role in Yugoslavia strengthened his position and gave him the opportunity to give Yugoslavia more room to have its own interests than other leaders and their countries. A couple years before World War II Tito had survived Stalin’s purge of Yugoslav communists in the Soviet Union. In 1946 Tito made his own constitution that resembled the soviet constitution. Tito also refused to make his country like the Soviet bloc; however, Stalin ejected Yugoslavia from the Communist Information Bureau. For the time being, it gave Tito political leadership that soon moved away of the state domination of Stalinism. The conflict between the two leaders Stalin and Josip Brav Tito resulted in the Yugoslavia expulsion from the communist information in 1948. It was also known as the first to break from Stalin’s communist bloc in 1948. Some evidence states that the conflict was because of Josip Brav Tito’s national pride and because he wouldn’t commit Stalin. This had already made some friction between the two countries before World War II. The friction led to a split, eventually leading to Tito’s refusal to Moscow as the supreme communist authority. Stalin was also angry that Tiot wanted to merge Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, an idea that he accepted in theory but then took place without prior Soviet discussion. During 1952 The Sixth Communist Party Congress held a meeting that needed to prove that Yugoslavia could create a form of socialism superior to the Stalinists version which recently split. In the meeting, liberal forces created a constitution the separated party and political functions. They restored political rights to republics and civil rights to individuals. In my opinion the split wasn’t very subtle. The separation was a success because it gave Yugoslavia an opportunity to establish their own party. It gave them the ability to not fallow in the eyes of Stalin and to have their own rights. They are able to experience being their own country. Other than that, what’s the whole point of separating? In my opinion he could have made it more subtle and not get so many people involved, but if he didn’t get people involved would he be as successful? I don’t think so. I think he needed other people to do what he wanted to do. The expulsion eventually banished Yugoslavia from the international of association of socialist states. Between 1948 and 1952, the Soviet Union encouraged its allies to rebuild their military forces especially Hungry which was to be the leading forces in an eventual war against Yugoslavia. Tito got Yugoslavia involved in the Non- Aligned Movement, in which Yugoslavia was the leading force. The event was significant to Yugoslavia and Tito, but also for the global development of socialism, since it was the first major split between communist states.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

German Citizens







How did Germans not realize during World War 2 and The Holocaust that the Nazis were killing many Jews? The Jewish race was being eliminated and it decreased in size. Did they not care that a whole segment of their population was being threatened, dehumanized, and murdered just because Hitler did not think they deserved to live. Did they not seem to care about other people? Were they too selfish, or scared to do the right thing because they thought Hitler would have eventually killed them? Hitler probably would have killed them if they got in his way of destroying and taking over a part of the German population. Most German people trusted Hitler and thought that anything Hitler tried to do for their country was for the best. Many people in Germany loved Hitler and praised him like he was their god. They would not have guessed that Hitler could be the mastermind behind such a horrific tragedy destroying the lives of so many people. They trusted him and thought he was the best thing that ever happened to their country because he saved their country, when they needed a leader the most.
Most German citizens accepted the fact that Jews were being killed. They supported the Nazi movement of anti- Semitism. Most of the anti-Semitism popularity came from the Jewish neighbors. During the Kristallnacht “the night of broken glass,” most Germans supported this tragedy and helped with the burning. Wouldn’t they stand up for what they believed in? Wouldn’t they fight for what’s right and to stop the killing of innocent Jewish citizens? But I do agree that fighting against Hitler and the Nazis would be scary and would probably lead me to believe that what they are doing could eventually help our country. I would think eventually after a few years, Germans would realize that Hitler was killing many Jewish citizens. Wouldn’t they? Other Germans were too scared to speak their mind and didn’t want to be sent to the concentration camps if they didn’t participate in the action to kill the Jews. “The Holocaust was neither a German event nor a Jewish event. It was a human event. The same forces- racism, prejudice, fanaticism- that sent millions to the gas chambers has not disappeared.” (Lace pg. 7) Some say that the Holocaust never happened. Some say that it was the entire Germans fault and that they made it out of control. Some also say that it was the Jews fault. Many Germans claimed that they were only obeying orders when working in the death camps and participating in mass murder. Some were personally refusing what they were forced to do. The Germans would laugh when they used a specific technique to kill the Jews, like when the Jews were tied on to ropes and pulled behind trucks and fell, and then dragged across the ground. The Germans often attempted to say that the Jews and other victims in the Holocaust had brought this on themselves. The Germans also loved the idea of gassing the victims instead of shooting them to have them suffer their last moments alive. Since the Jews came to power, many German citizens had been approached with a stream of anti-Semitism propaganda. Therefore I was normal to whom killed the Jews to not think of killing humans but of exterminating vermin. Some Jews killed themselves, suicide, the Germans hated that. Most of the inmate officials were German Citizens. Many were criminals and were picked for their brutality to rule over the other prisoners. They were served and treated like royalty.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Women in Soviet Union







My topic is about the women and the difficult and exciting things they went through as a Soviet Union citizen. A Soviet Union woman had the natural action of raising up her children and a mistress of her home. The soviet people considered women with children to be “working mothers.” Most soviet women worked and did household chores, they needed to have full time jobs and take care of a huge family. Some would be a part of fighting in wars and being a part of their army. Others worked as scientists, fliers, engineers, physicians and tractor driving; there isn’t any branch of industry that women can’t do. Men and women would get an equal pay for an equal work, but of course there were different wages. Some soviet women were interested in sports and athletics. The sportswomen mainly had awards in parachute jumping and flying. Soviet women were permitted to have abortions but it was mostly very painful and brutal. During the Soviet Union era, people dismissed gender in everyday life. The category of gender was not considered important to the Soviet Union. As well as changing gender expectations, soviet women were to work hard at their daily jobs and then come home to care for their women and children. Most successful out of all the women were the ones that stayed single and childless, therefore later had the opportunity to become a manager or a boss. Later, on June 27, 1936, the soviet government established a decree, announcing prohibiting abortion, but the pregnancy could endanger the mother in her life or health. There could also be a possibility of inheriting a disease from its parents.
Most women would love to keep their babies and raise them like any mother would do. To have the government tell you that you would have to kill your baby, makes me angry and annoyed that a group of people only cared about themselves and the other percentage of society; the men. In the earlier years of the Soviet Union, right after world war one, the government stated that women were not allowed to keep their babies and must have an abortion. This would help working women to be more successful at their jobs. It’s surprising that many women turned toward abortion; an estimate of about 500 abortions a year. I believe that having abortions are wrong for the baby. It doesn’t even have a chance to live in the real world. It makes me so sad to think that an innocent human being is going to die for a mistake you made and did. I completely disagree with the abortion process. I wouldn’t be able to be happy and I would have many regrets. It would make me sick to my stomach to know that I killed my son or daughter. I would not be able to live with myself. I would also have many questions on what it would look like when it got older and what it would be like in characteristics.