Monday, 27th of May

Hello! Today it was my turn to do the journal. At first Paqui has talked about the trip to Madrid. She has spoken in Spanish! Tomorrow we have to be at 8 a.m. in the CUM. If there isn’t much traffic we are going to arrive at 10 a.m. At first we are going to go for a walk from the Real Palace to Alcala Gate. Paqui has said that we have to wear comfortable footwear. From 12.30 to 15.15 we will have free time in the Retiro Park but you can move where you want because there are people who are going to go to the Bernabeu Stadium. Paqui has said that the best plan is to get on the small boats. Then we are going to go to the Prado Museum. We have to divide into two groups. At 6 p.m. we will come back to Criptana.

Paqui has explained the rules of the museum. It is forbidden to take photos and we can’t have big bags. Paqui has said that we have to have a good behaviour.

Source:http://www.3viajes.com/fotos-prohibidas/

Then Paqui has explained the origin of the Prado Museum and also that Picasso wanted to shown the Guernika  in this museum but the authorities treasoned Picasso's memory, because they wanted to open a new museum and as it hadn't got much content, they decided to move the Guernika there. 

Source:http://www.mallorcaweb.net/mamiranda/obrascomentadas/guernica.htm

After that some partners have complained about the exam because the unit is too long. Paqui has said that we are always complaining.

Then we have continued with the unit. Paqui has reviewed for the persons who weren’t in the lesson last Friday. We have finished with Stalinism. We have copied some notes about the period under Stalin’s government.

Stalin changed the orientation of the economic policy. He imposed:

-          Collectivization of all the private properties.

-          Centrally planned economy.

-          Priority to heavy industry.

The results were the quick industrialization of the USSR but permanent lack of consumers’ goods and consolidation of the black market.

Paqui has explained that the products were stolen or hidden  and sold in illegal markets.

Then she has said that in Spain there was contraband of books during the Modern Era.

Paqui has explained that the peasants who resisted collectivization were sent to Siberia.

After we have copied some notes about cult of Stalin’s personality: Propaganda presented Stalin as a big leader.

Source:http://hmcontemporaneo.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/culto-a-la-personalidad-de-stalin-desestistalinizacion/

Paqui has told us about Stalin's Purges:

Constant repression against anyone suspected of criticizing the regime. The Communist Party was purged several times and many of the leaders were killed.

The members of the communist party who had fallen from grace were eliminated from the official pictures.

Paqui has told that there were others dictators that manipulared pictures, such as Franco.

Source: http://tejiendoelmundo.wordpress.com/2010/01/17/el-photoshop-en-los-tiempos-de-lenin-y-stalin/

This is a link of a post put by Paqui last year about the manipulation of pictures:

http://todayinsocialsciences.blogspot.com.es/2012/05/vanishing-bolsheviks-and-other.html

Then she has explained the Gulag, which were forced labour camps across the USSR and millions of people were confined there, accused of being enemies of the country. During WW2 the number of prisoners in the Gulag decreased, because they were needed to fight and they were sent to the war. They didn’t kill them. It was very difficult to escape because the camps were in the middle of nowhere. They worked as slaves.

Source: http://elbauldejosete.wordpress.com/2008/02/22/gulag-destruyendo-ideologias/

With this we have finished the unit.

These are some words that I have added to my glossary:

-          Treason: traición

-          Hickup: hipo

-          To prioritize: priorizar

-          To lack: carecer de

-          Purge: purga

-          Gulag: forced labour camp

Bye! And remember we have to be in time tomorrow!