Something more about Shintoism

Shinto Shrine

Source: http://www.zimbio.com/member/santri/articles/tp7rw3Y_gsu/The+most+common+Shinto+symbol 

Shintoism or Shinto is the traditional religion of Japan. Shinto means "the way of the Kami (gods)" and its a very old religion. It appeared around year 500 B.C. There is a mythology that explains the Kami´s lives and the origins of Japan. A couple of gods called Izanagi-no-mikoto and Izanami-no-mikoto gave birth to the Japanese islands and they also had several children. One of their daughters was goddess Amaterasu Omikami, the Sun Goddess. This goddess is considered to be the ancestress of the Japanese imperial family. Shinto followers believe in and worship different gods, but they can´t be compared with the gods of monotheistic religions. The Kami can be present in elements of nature (rivers, mountains, such as Mount Fuji), the emperor, the ancestors, extraordinary people, such as war heroes... 


There are two historical facts related to this religion that may interest you: 

- On the 15th August 1945 the Japanese people received a huge impact when they listened to their emperor Hiro Hito on the radio, announcing Japan´s surrender. Until that moment, the emperor had been a sacred figure in Japan.

- One of the most important Shinto sanctuaries is Yasukuni Shrine, a place to worship all those who have fought on the Emperor´s behalf. This sanctuary is very controversial outside Japan, because it includes many war criminals of World War 2 and it has been visited by many Japanese politicians. This has created diplomatic problems with the countries invaded by the Japanese during World War 2, such as China and South Korea. 

If you are curious and want to learn more about Shintoism, here you have some interesting links:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/shinto.htm

http://japanuptown.com/the-original-religion-of-japan-shinto-and-shintoism/

http://urantiabook.org/archive/readers/601_shinto.htm

23rd Thursday of February,2012

SOURCE:
http://histficchick.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/China_imperialism_cartoon1.jpg

Today in social sciences Paqui has explained with a little sumary about the things we learnt yesterday about the scramble for Africa, while we have seen a power point.

Daniel and Ángel have asked about why Africa was distributed and Paqui has answered them that the african people couldn´t defend because they were inferior in weapons and in technology.

In the powerpoint there is a picture where you can see people without a hand, there are also children. Then Paqui has explained us that our maps of empires are bad, because there are people that didn´t write any name and the people who wrote the names they had some mistakes. After that Ana Isabel has read a part of the big colonial empires and Paqui has explained it and later she has explained the Imperialism of the U.S.A, Japan and China.

In China Imperialism there were two opium wars between China and U.K., for this reason China reacted trained to attack and defend them.

We have spoken about some american factories as IPad and Apple, they are american factories but they products were manufactured in China because the workers works as slaves.

We also spoke about: Hong Kong, Popular democracy, Communist Party...

When Mari Luz was going to read the consequences of Colonism the bell has rung. Paqui has given us the exercises 9, 10 and 11.

New words

Scramble:carrera

Scramble: reparto de Africa

Opium: Opio

Coveted: Codiciado

Shintoism: sintoísmo

Meiji Era: modernización de Japón

Wings: alas

Bald eagle: águila calva

Martial art: arte marcial

2011-2012 Challenges. Number 21

This week´s questions will discover you some other sides of colonialism. 

Rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis)

Source:http://ecocolombiainternational.com/producto-caucho-hevea-brasiliensis-12.html 

QUESTION 1

Rubber  (Hevea brasiliensis) is a tree originary from South America. When its important properties for industry were discovered, rubber became one of the most coveted raw materials in the 2nd half of the 19th century (rubber boom). Until 1885 rubber was only produced in South America and it was forbidden to export seeds or plants to other places, in order to preserve the monopoly and the big profits of its cultivation. How did rubber start being cultivated in other parts of the world?

QUESTION 2

King Leopold II of Belgium exploited the Congo Free State as a private property. The rubber plantations became something similar to hell for the indigenous workers. The subhuman conditions and the extreme abuses workers had to bear served as inspiration for a famous book written by a Polish writer in 1899. What was the title of this novel and who was its author?

QUESTION 3

The atrocities of rubber plantations  in Congo were denounced on a report issued in 1904. The author of this report also denounced the abuses over the Putumayo Indians of Peru in 1906. Who was the author of these reports against one of the darkest faces of colonialism?

QUESTION 4

What was the Fashoda incident? How did it end?

QUESTION 5

South Africa became part of the United Kingdom colonial empire, but inside this territory there were two independent republics called Orange and Transvaal until the last decades of the 19th century. What was the origin of these republics and who were their inhabitants? How did these republics finally become part of the British Empire?

Source: http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?t=40693

QUESTION 6

The origin of modern concentration camps is closely related to colonial conflicts. Colonizers created the structure of modern concentration camps to confine those who opposed their authority. They were used  in two different colonial wars which took place at the end of the 19th century, one in the Caribbean Islands and another one in Africa. Where did modern concentration camps appear?

Speeches on colonialism

Caricature of  Jules Ferry  and the consequences of the conquest of Tonkin

Source: http://cessenon.centerblog.net/6569430-jules-ferry-le-tonkinois

Here you have the two texts I have read today in Spanish. They belong to a debate in the French National Assembly, which took place in July 1885. The debate was about the consequences of the French defeat at Tonkin, in Indochina. Jules Ferry was France´s former prime minister and he tried to defend the colonial policy his government had followed. Georges Clemenceau was the head of the Radical Party and he criticized Ferry´s arguments on colonialism 

This is what Jules Ferry said: 

Gentlemen, it is necessary to speak higher and more truth! it should be said openly that indeed, the higher races have a right with respect to the lower races... I repeat that there is for the higher races a right, because there is a duty for them. They have the duty to civilize the lower races... (...) "

And this is what Georges Clemenceau answered:

The Hindus, an inferior race? The Chinese, an inferior race? (...) Not there is no right of the nations known as higher against the lower nations. There is the struggle for the life which is a fatal need, that as we rise in civilization we must contain within the limits of justice and the right. But let us not try to cover the violence of the hypocritical name of civilization. Let us not speak about right, to have. The conquest that you recommend, it is the pure and simple abuse force which the man gives scientific civilization on rudimentary civilizations to adapt, to torture it, to extract from it all the force which is in him with the profit of alleged civilizing. It is not the right, it is the negation. To speak on this subject about civilization, it is to join to violence hypocrisy.

Wednesday 22th of February 2012

Today in social sciences Bea A. and Carmen have made the exam of last unit. While we have corrected some exercises about colonialism:

• Dani has corrected exercise 4 about the main causes of colonialism: 

                 -Economic reasons: cheap raw materials
                 -Demographic reasons: high increased of population
                 -Polithical reasons: control of estrategic places

• Afterwards Mariluz have corrected exercise 5 about the justification of colonialism: They said they have a responsability of civilizating the last developed territories of the colonies. It was racism. Yolanda R. have said that are people are equal , we have the same gens. In the 19th century Charles Darwin in the theory of evolution said: that survivals were the oné of the most  adapted species. This is calles Social Darwinism wich was applied by the nazis to express their superiority  against other races. In translation of the theory of species to societies the most educated societies were superior and white people were superior than other people in the colonies. 
• Races eugenics: eliminating all the human beings with physical or mental disabilityand sterilized people with this problem.

• Andrea have corrected exercise 6 about axtitudes about colonialism:

                    -Most of the population didn´t have an actitude towards colonialism

                    -Most of the politicians were in favour ofd colonialism as Jules Ferry (France) and Benjamin Diesraeli (U.K.) 

                    -Trade unionist and some socialist politicians were against colonialism defending the right of  people deciding by themshelves George Clemencau (France) and Lenin were against it.

After that Paqui has read two texts in Spanish one in favour and one against colonialism we have to deduce them.

•  Sara has corrected exercise 7 about types of colonialism: 

                  -Colonies of explotation: They totally depend to the metopolis with no goverment

                  -Colonies of settlement: they have an autonomous goverment but the exterior policy was correspond to the metropolis 

                  -Protectorates: They were independent in theory but really they were someted by the metropolis laws

• I have corrected exercise 9 about the Berlin conference: In 1885 a convention proposed by Otto Von Bismarck was celebrated in Berlinto stablished some rules about coloniasm and avoid some problwms btween european countries. This conference meant a scramble for Africa:

                  -They created the Congo free state

                  -Rivers were free for navigation

                  - The countrie that ocupied the coast could also go to the interior

They give a place in Africa to the king Leopold the II. In this place the king exploid people to take out rubber as if it was a private property and if they didn´t collect the quantity of rubber he said the cut the hands.

The bell has rung and there were no homework

Source:

http://isedphistory.wordpress.com/ww-i/causes-of-ww-i/timeline-causes-of-ww-i/

Thursday, 16th-2012

Source: :http://www.eastpenn.k12.pa.us/teacherpages/marsthea/Unification%20Webquest.html

Today in Social Sciences, Paqui has explained the Italian and the German Unification again, because we only read the things and we did the exercises but it wasn´t explained.

The things that we have learnt today have been the following:

Before the Congress of Vienna, Italy wasn´t a country. It was divided into states, in total seven states and the most important was Piedmont Sardinia. The Count of Cavour looked for help to oppose against Austria and he got France´s help. They declared war to Austria. In 1859 Lombordy was annexed to Piedmont Sardinia. But Lombardy-Venetia, Parma, Moderna and Tuscany, were states under the control of Austria, and it was its main enemy. In 1870, the Papal States were annexed to Italy and Rome became the capital city of Italy. The Pope excommunicated the Royal family. In 1929, the Letran Agreement took place, and it led to the creation of the Vatican city. Nowadays the Vatican city has its own tv channel, laws and it´s included in Italy, there isn´t any border between the Vatican city and Italy. Italy became a constitutional monarchy ruled by Savoy dynasty, from 1861 to 1946.

After the Unification of Italy we have talked about the German unification. Germany was formed by 38 states before the Congress of Vienna and the most important were Prussia and Austria. Prussia led to the creation of a customs unions and the main figures were Wilhem I king of Prussia and his prime minister Otto Van Bismack. He was called “Iron Chancellor” which means : Canciller de hierro. He though that Unification was only possible through war. Germany Unification was achieved with three wars: War against Denmark in 1864. Denmark was formed by two duchies-ducados- Schleswig and Holstein. Prussia and Austria declared war to Denmark. Prussia decided to annex some of these duchies, the logic was to annex to Holstein but it decided to annex Schleswig and this led to the Austrian war in 1866. And the last war was the French- Prussian war in 1870, and this war caused, the second Empire disappeared and the third republic was proclaimed in France, France lost Alsace and Lorraine, all the German States became united and the second German empire was proclaimed. The French resentment against Germany remained for many years and the consequences of this war were one of the causes of the First World War. A man called Bismark considered that was necessary a solution to join all the German States, and he looked for a reason for war against France. Paqui has explained us wiht some classmates and every one was a character. Bismarck manipulated a dispacth about the conversation between Kaiser Wilhem I and the French ambassador at Ems Spa. Their conversation was about Leopold Hohenzollern, who was the German candidate to the Spanish throne. Bismarck changed the French ambassador´s words as unacceptable. France declared war to Prussia and all the German States united against France.

Finally Paqui has explained a little about Colonialism and we have seen a picture about Bejanmin Disraeli. He was as an octopus seizing colonies all over the world.

As we didn´t have time to check the exercises, next day we are going to check them.

See you J

2011-2012 Challenges.Number 20

Source: http://blogs.sapiens.cat/socialsenxarxa/2010/12/11/europa-sota-el-%E2%80%9Csistema-bismarck%E2%80%9D-1871-1893/

Otto Von Bismarck, the "Iron chancellor", had an important role not only in the unification of Germany, but in the history of Europe during the last decades of the 19th century. Here you have some questions to learn something more about his policy in different fields: 

QUESTION 1

What was Kulturkampf in Germany?

QUESTION 2

Why is Bismarck considered to be the ruler who put the basis of the Welfare State? What did this policy have to do with Bismarck´s policy against the Socialists?

QUESTION 3

What type of economic foreign policy did Germany follow under Bismarck´s rule? What differences did this policy have with the principles on which Zollverein was based?

QUESTION 4

What was Bismarck´s opinion on colonialism? Why did he change his mind?

QUESTION 5

What colonies did the German Empire seize in the last decades of the 19th century? What international conference was called on by Bismarck to organize the colonization of Africa?

QUESTION 6

What was the main objective of the Bismarckian diplomatic system? Can you remember a similar policy we studied in the Modern Age period?

QUESTION 7

What does this cartoon refer to?

Dropping the pilot, 1890

Source: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canvas-Print-Dropping-Pilot-Heritage-Images/dp/B001H11I0C

6th of February

Sorry for the great, great delay...


On the 6th of February we were with Cristina Blanco because Paqui wasn't able to work yet... For homework during the class we had:


Copy the outline of the new unit on your notebook. It corresponds to Unit 4 on the book (pages 33-43):
UNIT 5: EUROPE IN THE 2ND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY.THE AGE OF EMPIRES
1. The unifications of Italy and Germany.
2. The Age of Empires
A) Definition, causes and justification of colonialism
B) Attitudes towards colonialism
C) Conquest, organization and exploitation of the colonies
D) The big colonial empires and Berlin Conference
E) Consequences of colonialism
3. Spain in the 2nd half of the 19th century
A) Isabella II´s reign
a) The Progressive Biennium (1854-1856)
b) Alternation between the moderates and the Liberal Union (1856-1868)
B) The Glorious Revolution and the Democratic Sexenio (1868-1874)
a) The Provisional Government (1868-1870)
b) Amadeus I of Savoy´s reign (1871-1873)
c) The 1st Republic (1873-1874)
C) The Restoration (1875-1931)
- Read point 1 of the unit on page 33 and do exercises 1, 2 and 3 of page 41.


Cristina was helping us with the unit and she told us that we had to start thinking in the date of the exam of unit 3: THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND THE LABOUR MOVEMENT.


If I have forgotten something please tell me!

15th February 2012

Today it has been the first normal class with Paqui since she got injured. At the beginning of the class some students have asked Paqui the last questions about the map that we had to do for today abut the Colonial Empires in 1910. Then Paqui has told Rebeca to give the exams to the rest of the students because Paqui can't walk well yet. In general the exams were not bad. There have been marks of all types. Paqui has also told Diego to collect the maps but many people were adding things to the maps or checking some things that Paqui has told to them.
After that all people has sit down and Paqui has started explaining the contents of the exam and reviewing the Unit. She has explained a summary of the Unit using the Power Point presentation of the Unit. We have checked the exercises of the exam while Paqui was telling us contents to review. For example the explanation of the Industrial Revolution and its two stages, the agricultural revolution in Great Britain, (Paqui has explained it using two classmates, Rebeca and Silvia) the consumer society was created (that was one of the consequences of the Industrial Revolution), the capitalism (the economic model used in the industrialized countries).
From that, Paqui has passed to talk us about the labour movement, Socialism and Anarchism, that I think that for me is the most difficult part to understand well of this Unit. About Socialism Paqui has told us about the class struggle, that are the problems between workers and capitalists, and about the proletariat revolution, a revolution of the workers as the answer of their bad working conditions.
Then Paqui has explained us Anarchism, that means "without government". As example for us to understand this, Paqui has told us that in an anarchist school, we could have the subjects we want, in the hours we want, to learn what we want.

Source: http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2011/04/25/capitalism-and-class-struggle-by-prof-james-petras/

At the end of the class Paqui has explained us the International Workingmen's Association (IWA) that firstly was between Marxists and anarchists but it dissolved because there were problems between them (First International) and then it was created only by Marxists (Second International). Then Silvia has collected the exams and the bell has rung. Today we don't have homework.

Bye!

2011-2012 Challenges. Number 19

Source: http://www.unionhistory.info/timeline/Tl_Display.php?irn=3000060&QueryPage=..%2FAdvSearch.php

This week´s challenge will be useful for you to prepare the exam. The questions are related to the contents you have to study this weekend:

QUESTION 1

What was the Manifesto of the Persians? Whay was it called this way?What influence did this document have in Ferdinand VII´s rule?

QUESTION 2

Who was Juan Álvarez Méndez? What political party did he belong to? What  was its main decision?

QUESTION 3

Who were Alejandro Mon and Ramón de Santillán? What role did they have during the Moderate Decade?

QUESTION 4

Who wrote The Wealth of Nations? Why is this book so important in the history of economics?

QUESTION 5

What were the Gotha Program and the Eurfurt Program?

QUESTION 6

What thinker is considered to be the first to define himself as anarchist?

QUESTION 7

What do the following verses belong to?

Let no one build walls to divide us,
Walls of hatred nor walls of stone.
Come greet the dawn and stand beside us,
We'll live together or we'll die alone