1. Students will understand the main policital and economic systems of the world.
Capitalism: People own and run businesses themselves. Some examples of countries with type of economic system include the United States, Sweden, Denmark, and Romania.
Socialism: Opposite of capitalism. The government has control over the businesses and is designed to make people more equal.
Mixed Ecomony: Blend of capitalism and socialism. Some businesses are run by individuals/private owners and some others are owned and controlled by the government. Very few countries DO NOT have this type of ecomony.
Direct Democracy: People as a whole make direct decisions, rather than have those decisions made for them by elected representatives. Some countries with this type of democracy include Switzerland, Colonial America, and Ancient Athens.
Representative Democracy: People elect representatives to make decisions for them. Some countries with this type of democracy includes the United States of America, Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Dictatorship: One person has complete and absolute control/power over a country. An example would be Adolf Hitler.
Anarchy: Opposite of dictatorship. It is a country that has no official form of government or person ruling them. They are usually very chaotic and disordely. Example of a country with this government is Somalia.
Absolute Monarchy: A form of monarchy that isn't limited by its laws. The monarch (king or queen) holds all the power. Some countries with this form of monarchy include Brunei, Oman, and Saudi Arabia.
Constitutional Monarchy: A form of monarchy that is limited by its laws. The monarch (king or queen) is more of a figure head while the parliament holds all of the power. Some countries with this form of monarchy include the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Japan, and Belgium.
The Theory of Communism: Getting rid of all private property and treating everyone equally, meaning that everyone would share everything. Karl Marx was a German man who despised capitalism and believed that the common or poor people should overthrow the rich and powerful and create a system where everyone is equal.
The Practice of Communism: The theory of communism developed by Karl Marx has never actually been practiced. It would never really work because eventually someone would have to step up and take responsibilty so common people would be taking orders from a leader which would make the country more of a dictatorship. Some countries run by communism include China, the Soviet Union, Cuba, Vietnam, and North Korea.
2. Students will understand the differences between the major political parties in the United States.
Republicans are conservative and religion based. They favor a limited role for government in society and believe that people should help themselves instead of relying on the government.
Democrats are liberal and want a change in society. The also oppose government intervention on a person's personal and social life. They think that the government should have an active role in society and believe that environmental regulation against pollution and anti-discrimination laws could improve people's lives.
Here are some views that Republicans and Democrats have on important issues in today's society:
Abortion: Democrats think that it is a woman's right to choose what she does with her body. Republicans think that abortion is be considered as murder of an unborn child and should be outlawed.
Flagburning: Democrats believe thad flag burning is a form of free speech and is protected by the Constitution.
Republicans believe that flag burning should not be considered as free speech because it is spiteful and disrespectful to our nation and the people who died fighting for our independence.
Gun Control: Republicans think that Americans have the right to own guns according to the 2nd Amendment and the right to bear arms. They oppose tighter regulations on gun control because they believe that people need them for personal protection/defense and also for hunting. Democrats are in favor of gun control and believe that there should be tighter regulations on it.
Environmental Laws: Democrats are "tree huggers" or "pro-environment" and want stronger regulations and laws to protect the environment. Republicans are more "pro-business" and will do what it takes to help the economy. They say that environmental laws hurt the economy and are not all that necessary.
Racism/Discrimination/Affirmative Action: Democrats believe that strong anti-discrimination laws are needed and are in favor of affirmative action. Republicans believe that affirmative action laws are no longer needed because people these days are not as racist and we actuallly have reverse discrimination. When a white person and an African American are both applying for the same job, many employers these days would hire the African American even though the white person may have had a better resume/interview and be better suited for the job. This is because they don't want to get accused of being racist against the African American when really they are kind of being unfair towards the white person instead. This is called reverse discrimination.
Minimum Wage: Democrats want to increase the minimum wage to help workers so that they have more money to help them get by. Republicans are opposed to the increase because they believe that it will just hurt businesses and the economy.
Health Care: Democrats believe that everyone should have access to afordable health care and the government should require that every person has it. Republicans say it would be better for people to buy health care from private insurers rather than to have the government controlling it.
Taxes: Democrats want to raise taxes for the more wealthy people because they would have more money to spend than the poor or middle class. Republicans think that increasing taxes for wealthy people would be unfair because they work hard for their money just like anyone else. They also say that Americans are already overly taxed and that we should have tax cuts for everyone because it would boost the economy.
Military Spending: Democrats want to cut military spending. Republicans want to increase military spending to provide better training for soldiers and to give us better defenses in the war.
Death Penalty: Democrats oppose the death penalty because they believe it is inhumane, unconstitutional, and consider it to be cruel and unusual punishment. They think that life in prison is good enough. Republicans are in favor of the death penalty because it is very effective and will make people think twice about commiting a murder or very serious crime.
Gay Rights: Democrats think that people have the right to choose who they want to be with even if they are of the same gender and that gay marriage should be allowed in every state. Republicans oppose gay marriage because they think that marriage is a special bond that should only be meant for a man and a woman. They also think that its best for a child to have a mother and a father and want there to be a constitutional amendment to ban gay and lesbian marriages.
Prayer in School: Democrats oppose having prayer in school because they believe in the separation of church and state. Republicans say that it is a religious right and should be allowed as long as teachers do not participate or lead the prayers with students.
War in Iraq: Democrats think that the war in Iraq is no longer necessary. President Barack Obama wants to set a date to have the troops out by a certain time so that we can shift our focus over to Afghanistan. Republicans as well as former President George Bush want to stay in Iraq until we have gotten the job done and have rebuilt Iraq's government which is now a democracy.
Afghanistan: Republicans think that they threat in Afghanistan is no longer there and that we have no need to feel threatened by them or the Taliban anymore. Democrats want us to focus more on Afghanistan because they think it is still very dangerous.
3. Students will understand the causes and effects of global warming.
Scientists believe that global warming is a result of many different things like volcanic emitions and continental drift. Many other scientists believe that global warming is the result of humans putting pollution into the air. Areas in the world that are the most affected include, Austrailia, Siberia, Africa, and the Great Barrier Reef. A lot things contribute to global warming including deforestation and overpopulation. With an increasing number of people in the world, there will be more cars out on the streets an a higher demand for energy and natural resources. When we drive our cars or burn fossil fuels at plants and factories, the more CO2 and pollution we are adding to the air. Overpopulation also contributes to deforestation because there is a higher demand for paper products.When trees are cut down, the CO2 naturally found in them is released into the air. Some effects of climate change/global warming include more CO2 emitions into the air, rising sea levels, melting ice caps, heavy drought in some areas, and heavy rainfall in others. In Alaska, the ice is melting, exposing vast bodies of water where there once was large glaciers. With melting snow and ice, polar bears are running out of land and are forced to swim great distances in order to find food. Many are drowning and their numbers have been reduced signicantly, putting them on the endangered species list. The Carteret Islands are also disappearing as the water levels rise. Scientists believe it to be a result of the melting ice caps in places like Greenland and the Artic. In just a few short years, the islands may be completely submerged in water. Coral reefs are becoming bleached white and are dying as a result of global warming. They can no longer protect islands from storms and provide homes for the fish, resulting in less food for the native people. Temperatures have risen all over the world because of more pollutants adding to the green house effect, which traps the heat inside the atmosphere. Average temperatures have risen only a couple degrees over the years but this is still a considerable amount. The Kyoto Protocol was a document/contract written by the United Nations that countries were supposed to sign so that they would agree to cut down on pollution and CO2 emitions. President Bush never signed it because he found too many flaws and thought that the ecomic loss would not add up to economic gain.
4. Students will understand the causes and effects of overpopulation.
Overpopulation occurs when the number of people in an area exceeds the amount it can sustain or hold. It is caused by an increase in the number of births, a decrease in the death rate because of medical advances, and a limited amount of resources/not enough for everyone. The world's population is increasing by about 74 million people each year. Right now there is about 6.7 million people. By the year 2050, the population is estimated to be between 9 to 11 billion people. The population of the United States is about 303 million people and is supposed to increase to about 400 million. The average woman has 7 to 8 children. This occurs mostly in third world countries. Some of the most overpopulated countries include China, India, and Haiti. There are many global effects of overpopulation. Animals have become endangered or extinct as the number of humans increases, resulting in the need for more land and trees. More cars equals more pollution that goes into the air and the rate of deforestation is increased. Over half of the world's wetlands are gone and the Earth's resources are dwindling. There is also a higher percentage of poverty and a high rate of unemployment in cities. There is a higher birth rate but also a lower life expectancy. With more people living in the same area, more social problems occur and people get into fights and cause crimes. Dry, insufficient farmland leads to poor diets and health which in turn leads to unhygenic living conditions.
5. Students will understand the impact of globalization.
As our technology becomes even more advanced, we are able to communicate with people from all over the world. People from the U.S. can now compete with a person from China or a person from Australia for the same job. You can give a presentation to a group of people sitting in a board room on the other side of the world, right from the comfort of your own home. With all these advances, the world becomes "flatter" and seems to shrink as if everyone was your neighbor. Globalization has leveled the economic playing field.
7. Students will be able to explain their understanding of recent current events (Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Darfur, Rwanda, Somalia).
Iraq: In 1990, Saddam Hussein became the president of Iraq. He practically turned the country into a dictatorship and tried to force everyone to have the same religion. Hussein was eventually hung in Baghdad for his poor leadership. Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990 because they accused them of stealing their oil. Saudi Arabia and the United Nations asked the U.S. to send troops to Iraq and get them to leave Kuwait alone. Many Iraqis began to hate us and terrorist groups formed. In 2003, we invaded Iraq because we heard rumors that they were developing weapons of mass destruction though that just turned out to be a plot to prevent Iran from not invading them. Now we are still fighting over there because if we leave, a civil war may break out between their people and the country is not very stable.
Afghanistan: In 1996, a terrorist group called the Taliban came to power and took over the government. On September 11, 2001, Al Queda crashed two planes into the twin towers in New York City, causing them to collapse. Hundreds of Americans were killed. Shortly after, President Bush called for war and we invaded, calling the attack Operation Enduring Freedom. Today, our soldiers are still over there fighting the war because we want to help them build up a new government so that they don't get taken over by terrorist groups again.
Iran: Momad Amadinijad is the current president of Iran. He says that he is using nuclear power for energy but we think he is using it for weapons. He also claims that the Holocaust never happened, 9/11 was just a hoax to have a reason to invade Iraq, and that Israel should be wiped off the face of the earth. Ayatollah Komeini is the supreme leader and many people think that Amadinijad is just his puppet.
Darfur: Darfur is an area in Sudan which is roughly the size of Texas. It is home to about 6 million people. The land in Sudan is becoming very dry and taken over by desert. The Janjaweed, which is a group of Arab rebels, are trying to kill off the black Africans and run them out into Chad so that they can take over Darfur's land to access their water and good farmland. Their name means "devils on horseback" and they ransack villages, rape women, and line up men to shoot at. Two black African rebel groups gained control of weapons and launched an attack against the Sudanese government for not helping them and being racist towards Darfur. Since 2003, over 500,000 people have died from these attacks as well as starvation and and disease. Now many people have either fled to Chad or moved to refugee camps. Sudan's president, Oman al-Bashir is accused of supporting the Janjaweed although he denies it.
Rwanda: The Belgians used to have control over Rwanda. There are threemajor groups of Rwandans: the Hutus, the Tutsies, and the Twa. The Tutsies had more white features like thinner lips and lighter skin and were favored by the Belgians. They recieved better education, jobs, and respect from the Belgians. When Belgium made Rwanda independent, the Hutus and the Tutsies went against each other. Everyone was given a card which specified whether you were a Hutu or a Tutsie. Sometimes these cards meant life or death for you. Rwanda's president, a Hutu, was flying in a plane which got gunned down, killing him and the other passengers. The Hutu's blamed the Tutsies for the attack and took their revenge on them, starting the genocide. In 100 days of the genocide, more than 800,000 people died and many of the Hutus fled to the Congo. This marked a win for the Tutsies and led to a cease fire to stop the fighting.
Somalia: Somalia is the number one failed state in the world because they have practically no government. Many pirates terrorize the seas by seizing any ships that come into the area and they are a major threat to International trade. There are also many terrorist groups who roam the streets including a cell group of al Quada, the Jihadis, and the al Shabaab. Al Quada is said to be the people behind the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Kenya and the Jihadis are blamed for many massacres. The al Shabaab controls much of southern and central Somalia and consider themselves to be enemies of Islam. Somalia's once beautiful streets are not reduced to rubble as a result of mortar and grenade attacks. Somalia is also suffering from a lack of leadership because they are basically an anarchy.
Well this marks the end of my very LONG semester test blog. I realize its probably a little too lengthy and I'm making it longer by writing this but I thought I did my best. Thanks Mr. Bruns for this class. I actually had fun and I learned a lot from it. I am looking forward to having U.S. History with you next year though I'm kinda disappointed that you might not be having computers:( Anyways, have a good summer!
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