Aim: How can we prepare for the thematic essay on the Regents Exam?

Do Now:• Look over the thematic essay questions.

1. Circle the Theme for each essay 2. Read over the Task3. Then, read the suggestions. Circle which topics you feel

confident to write about for each essay

Question WordsIn developing your answers to the thematic essay, be sure to address

the task by keeping these general definitions in mind:• analyze means “to determine the nature and relationship of the

component elements” • compare and contrast means “to discuss similarities and

differences” • describe means “to illustrate something in words or tell about it” • discuss means “to make observations about something using facts,

reasoning, and argument; to present in some detail” • evaluate means “to examine and judge the significance, worth, or

condition of; to determine the value of” • explain means “to make plain or understandable; to give reasons

for or causes of; to show the logical development or relationships of”

Today’s themes are…

1) Belief Systems (influence/conflict)

2) Change/Turning Points (political/non-political/leaders)

3) Conflicts

1. Belief SystemsHinduism: Hinduism is based on the concept of reincarnation. The soul moves

up or down in the caste system depending on their behavior in life. Founder: There is NO founder Sacred Text/Book: The VedasGeographic Location: India Teachings & Beliefs: Reincarnation, Karma, Dharma

1. Karma – the idea that each person is rewarded or punished by fate according to that person's actions.

2. Dharma – the moral balance of all things.3. Reincarnation – being “born again” into a new life cycle4. Polytheistic- The belief in more than 1 god

Caste System: a social class structure . It is believed that if one leads a good life, following good dharma (actions/duty), then they will be rewarded with good karma (results) by being reincarnated as a person belonging to the next highest level in the Caste System However, if one is wicked during their life, they will be demoted. (Lower caste) An orderly society results from the fear that people who do not follow their dharma will receive poor karma and be placed into a lower caste.

Confucianism (China 500 B.C.E)Confucius lived when there was mass disorder and confusion and degrading moral

standards. He believed that the only cure was to stress a sense of social order and mutual respect.

• Founder: Confucius Sacred Text/Book: The Analects• Geographic Location: China/Asia Teachings & Beliefs: The 5 Key

Relationships1. father and son2. elder brother and younger brother3. husband and wife4. older friend and younger friend5. ruler and subject

Confucianism teaches that there is a natural social order to society which can best be explained through the Five Relationships

All were taught that if everyone knew their place in society, then order would prevailFilial Piety-One should respect their elderscivil service exam: an exam that was used to select people for various government

service jobs in the bureaucracy (qualified)

2. Change /Turning PointsNeolithic Revolution

Paleolithic Age: Nomads, Hunters and Gatherers, Simple Tools and Weapons Neolithic Age: Farmers, Domesticated Plant and Animals, Establishment of Villages

From the beginnings of human life, people were nomads. nomad : A person who moves from place to place seasonally in search of

food and water (hunters and gatherers)

They started to domesticate crops and animalsChange: The Neolithic Revolution was a fundamental change in the way

people lived. The shift from hunting & gathering to agriculture led to permanent settlements, the establishment of social classes, and the eventual rise of civilizations.

Effects: people could stay in one place. This resulted in the rise of the great civilizations in Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, and India River Valley civilizations increased population/food

Industrial RevolutionIn 1750, most people in Europe lived on small farms and produced most

of their needs by hand A century later, many people lived in cities and most of their needs were produced by complex machines using steam power

Causes: The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain because of access to raw materials coal, iron, water, people

Agrarian Revolution: was a change in farming methods that allowed for a greater production of food

The results of this revolution if farming was a population explosion due to the higher availability of food. These people would provide the workforce of the Industrial Revolution

Technology & Energy: The steam engine was the power source of the Industrial Revolution

Effects: Mass Production (lower prices on the goods produced) Big Biz!!!Urbanization/imperialism/working conditions-Karl Marx: communism

3. Conflict/Turning Pts/ Leaders/Human Rights Violations• WWII: The rise of the fascist Adolf Hitler and the formation of German

totalitarianism is directly related to the Treaty of Versailles (blamed Germany for WWI) Without the negative influence of the Versailles Treaty, Germans may not have supported the oppressive regime (rule) of Hitler

• The Nazi Party quickly came to power in the early 1930's and used terror to achieve its goal of a strong German nation (killing Jews)

• The immediate cause of WWII was the policy of appeasement Allied powers gave in to Hitler’s demands for part of Czechoslovakia (war did not start until Hitler invaded Poland)

• One of Adolf Hitler's main goals once taking control of Germany was the extermination of all European Jews (Holocaust) Human rights violation

• As World War II progressed, Hitler began forcing them into concentration camps, where they were murdered or put to work

• The Nazis that were captured were held accountable for their war crimes in the Nuremburg Trials. The atrocities of the Holocaust would come to light, resulting in the execution of Nazi Party officials and ending the darkest segment of human history (effect)

Russian Revolution

• Terrible living and working conditions and the embarrassing loss to Japan in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 resulted in massive riots throughout Russia (Czar Nichoals II)

• The Bolshevik party used the problems in Russia to undermine the authority of the government and spread the ideology of communism (Karl Marx). The Bolshevik leader, Lenin, promised “peace, land, and bread" to the working class of Russia. Lenin and the Bolsheviks violently seized power in 1917 and immediately got out of WWI to focus on solving problems at home

• Stalin became leader of the Soviet Union after the death of Lenin. He set up a totalitarian state where his government attempted to control every aspect of their people's lives. In the late 1920s, he started a policy called Russification, which was to transform the various ethnic groups in the Soviet Union into good Russians. He forbade the use other cultural practices and languages, and denied non Russians many basic human rights. He imprisoned or executed millions of people, many of them prominent figures from the ethnic republics. (Great Purges)

Aim: How can we prepare for the thematic essay section of the Regents Exam?• Today’s themes include:

1) Geography:2) Economic Systems

1. GeographyGreece: Mountains• Mountains are areas of land with steep sides that rise sharply

from surrounding land.Mountains present both positive and negative aspects to human existence. (isolation, barriers, limited farmland)

• In Greece, the mountainous terrain prevented the development of a unified society. As a result, the Greeks formed city-states (POLIS) with a variety of government systems, including the first democracy. (Athens and Sparta) *DISCUSS THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ATHENS AND SPARTA*

• Another result of the mountainous terrain of Greece was the reliance on the sea as a source of food, and later trade.

• Effect on C/D: The barrier can have negative effects. Cultural diffusion is often hampered (stopped) as trade and other peaceful contact cannot occur.

Rome: Geographic feature: Location• Location: A particular place or position. A place where something

is. Rome is located near the center of Italy (Europe) a peninsula located in the Mediterranean Sea.

• peninsula : An area of land surrounded on three sides by water• Due to it’s location and extensive road system, Rome was a center

for trade. “All roads lead to Rome.” TRADE= $$$$• Extensive trade occurred throughout the Roman Empire during the

Pax Romana. Products such as, Egyptian grain, African ivory and gold, and Indian cotton and spices moved freely across the empire. The Roman Empire also traded with the Chinese through the use of the Silk Road.

• Cultural diffusion took place during this period due to trade• Rome is regarded as a Golden Age (a positive time in history) the

Byzantine Empire and the Renaissance relied on Roman achievements

2. Economic Systems (Industrial Revolution/Capitalism)

It was a fundamental change in the way goods were produced, and altered the way people lived.

Laissez-Faire: No government interference /”Supply and Demand”Feature: Capitalism and Market Economies are based on trade and

capital, which is money for investment. Higher demand for a product means higher prices and higher profits for traders and merchants. Lower demand means lower prices and lower profits

Feature: The Factory System and Mass Production: The use of the Factory System allowed for mass production of textiles and other goods

Effects: Working Conditions: Factory workers worked very long hours, for little pay, under harsh conditions. Workers included young children. (Evaluate the impact this had on society)

Big Business (Corporations/Stocks) Urbanization

R u ssian R evo lu ti o n (C o m m an d Eco n o m y)

• Causes: Throughout the 19th century, Russian Czars attempted to westernize and industrialize. They were mostly unsuccessful, and many Russian liberals called for reform.

• The peasant class, composed of both farmers and urban workers, were mostly poor, overworked, and hungry, which would lead them to support liberal ideas that promised better living conditions. (Bolsheviks/Communists) led by Lenin (Peace, Land, Bread)

• Effects: Russia became the first country to base its government on the writings of Karl Marx: Communist Manifesto (book)

• Lenin instituted the New Economic Policy where government controlled most banks and industry, but did allow some private ownership.

• Under Josef Stalin, the Soviet Union switched to a Command Economy, which gives control of all property and means of production to the government. Furthermore, a command economy focuses on building up industry, and produces few consumer products.

• Vocab: 5 Year Plans/collectivization: gov’t owned farms/Famine

Aim: How can we prepare for the Global History Regents exam?

Today’s Themes: 1. Movement of people and goods:

Trade2. Global Problems

Political SystemsFascism and Communism

• Communism: Karl Marx was a German socialist during the 19th century who wrote a book called The Communist Manifesto. Communist revolutions occurred as a result of this ideology. Most notably, Russia and China became communist states replacing long standing monarchies. However, communism did not developed as Marx predicted. Instead, most communist countries develop into totalitarian regimes, with a small, elite class of people running everything.

• Fascism: is totalitarian rule. Fascism appeared in Italy and Germany after World War I as both countries struggled with political and economic ruin. Benito Mussolini in Italy and Adolf Hitler in Germany used this new ideology to gain power and control over their countries. Their rise in power resulted in the greatest war in human history, World War II.

Crusades• Crusade means holy war• Muslims fight Christians for the control of the

Holy Land (Jerusalem)• Pope Urban II: started the Crusades• There were 8 Crusades (from 1096-1271)• The Christians NEVER regained the Holy Land• MOST IMPORTANT: because of the Crusades,

trade, travel and goods spread between Europe and the Middle East (CULTURAL DIFFUSION)

Age of Exploration• The Dutch, Spain and Portugal started exploration• Spain and Portugal are located on a peninsula which gave them an

advantage in exploring• They had access to West and North Africa- Slave Trade• A major result of the colonization of the New World was a vast exchange

of people, plants, animals, ideas, and technology. This is known as the Columbian Exchange, because it starts with Columbus. These products were shipped all around the world to such places as Africa, India, and Asia. The infusion of New World foods into China allowed their population to continue to grow. (PRIME EXAMPLE OF CULTURAL DIFFUSION)

Famous explorers: •Vasco da Gama: first European to sail to India•Christopher Columbus: discovered the Americas•The Spanish and Portuguese had new technology, new sailing methods, new ships, the compass, the astrolabe that made sailing easier

DeforestationDeforestation is the widespread destruction of the world's forests.

(Tropical Rainforests) These forest are cut down for the hardwood lumber, to clear space for farming, for building settlements, and for grazing animals.

Change in weather patterns, continued buildup of CO2, a greenhouse gas, and extinction of plants and animals, which will result in the destruction of entire ecosystems. Many worldwide organizations are attempting to stop deforestation, but as most of it occurs in developing nations dependent on the financial revenues from such destruction, stopping it is very hard

The destruction of the world's tropical rainforest could very well also be destroying potential cures to many diseases. Many medicines come from plants . These medicines will be gone.

Pollution

Pollution is the contamination of the environment by human acts. Pollution is harmful to all living things and can take many forms including, air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels, and water and soil pollution form the dumping of waste products and the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Pollution has caused health problems in humans including respiratory disease and different forms of cancer. Pollution is also responsible for destroying various animals, plants, and insects as it destroys their natural habitat.

Technology

• Printing Press: The use of the printing press resulted in many Europeans being exposed to different ideas and an education.

• By the 1400s, movable type was being used in Europe as Johann Gutenberg began printing the Bible in everyday languages. Soon millions of books were in circulation. This invention led to a higher literacy rate among people, and helped with the spreading of Renaissance ideas.

• Martin Luther was a German monk who was concerned about the sale of indulgences and other corruptions in the church. In 1517, he wrote his 95 theses, which were 95 complaints against the sale of indulgences. He posted it on the door of a church in protest. Luther’s ideas spread quickly throughout Germany due to the printing press..

Technology• Nuclear Weapons: Powerful weapons that could destroy

extensive amounts of territory • The late 20th and early 21st century have become a time of

technological wonders. From the end of World War II (with the creation of the Atomic Bomb) to the present with the threat of nuclear warfare.

• An event that took less than one second to unfold shaped the remainder of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. The destruction of two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with the use of atomic bombs, ended WWII. The unveiling of this super-weapon caused and Arms Race between the United States and the Soviet Union (Cold War).