Ways of the World

I found the section on Hitler and the Nazis interesting because of all the things that were going on at the time. The Nazi party advocated for the use of violence as a political tool, generated a single party dictatorship, were led by charismatic figures, despised parliamentary democracy, hated communism and viewed was as a positive and ennobling experience (Strayer 997). Hitler and his Nazi party were very determined to complete the goals they set out. For example, throughout the 1920s, the Nazis were a minor presence in German politics, gaining only 2.6 percent of the vote in the national elections of 1928. However, just four years later, in the wake of the Depression’s terrible impact and the Weimar government’s inability to respond effectively, the Nazis attracted 37 percent of the vote. It is surprising to see how quick and effectively Hitler and the Nazis moved to consolidate control over Germany. The textbook also states, by the late 1930s, Hitler apparentl...

I found the section of The Laboring Classes interesting because it drew on some interesting things. The laboring class or manual workers, who worked in the mines, ports, factories, construction sites, workshops and farms of an industrializing Britain suffered the most and benefited least from the transformation of the Industrial Revolution. You would think during this time that they would have benefited more because the work they were doing helped the British aristocracy and middle classes reap rewards. The laboring classes, however, were shaped by rapid urbanization. By populations grew, and by 1851, a majority of Britain’s population lived in towns and cities. These cities were accompanied with overall bad conditions such as being overcrowded and smoky, with wholly inadequate sanitation, periodic epidemics, endless row houses and warehouses, few public services or open spaces, and inadequate and often polluted water supplies (Strayer 839). It was surprising to s...

I found the section on CH 13 The European Advantage an interesting one. It was clever how they understood and mastered air currents. It text states, once these air currents were understood and mastered, they provided a far different maritime environment than the alternating monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean, in which Asian powers had long operated   (Strayer 619). Along with this the European innovations in mapmaking, navigation, sailing techniques and ship design enabled their penetration of the Atlantic Ocean. This was interesting because rather than just sail on boat, they took sailing to a new level by coming up with these innovations to give them leverage. Furthermore, the Europeans had certain advantages in carving out empires. For example, even though they were away from home, they had effective mobilization of both human and material resources. Also, building on their Chinese and Islamic predecessors, they had better seafaring technology that helped the...

I found the section of Explaining the Mongol Moment interesting because they talked about the Mongols key to success, which lay in their army. According to one scholar, “Mongol armies were simply better led, organized, and disciplined than those of their opponents” (Strayer 524). I can tell from the reading that these Mongols were warriors who had effective and terrifying battle tactics to defeat their opponents. However, what I found most impressive about them was their discipline and loyalty to their leaders. They stressed the importance of discipline and if any of them abandoned battle, all of them were subject to the death penalty. The leaders of the Mongols shared the same hardships as their men. Chinggis Khan stated, “I eat the same food and am dressed in the same rags as my humble herdsmen. I am always on the forefront, and in battle I am never at the rear” (Strayer 525). Chinggis must have been a very strong leader to implement these qualities of discipline...