Frexit with Marine Le Pen?

Le Pen during a rally

Marine Le Pen is the current presidential candidate in France, who many compare to Americas very own Donald Trump. She is the youngest daughter of former leader and founder of Frances National Front Party (FN) and convicted racist Jean-Marie Le Pen. Le Pen was Born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France in 1968 and grew up around controversy due to her fathers political career, mainly his comments on the holocaust. When she was just 8 years old she survived a bomb attack on her family home, carried out by enemies of her outspoken father. She graduated with a masters degree in criminal law from University of Paris in 1992 and began working as a public defender.

Le Pen showed an early interest in politics as she accompanied her father to rallies at a young age and at the age of 18 joined the National Front. She was first elected to a regional post in 1998, marking the first step on her political career. As she became leader of the National Front in 2011, she sought out to purge the party of its most overtly anti-semantic and racist overtones. This ultimately led to her and her fathers fall out in 2015 as she expelled him from the party.

Some of Marine Le Pens policies are:

• Lowering taxes and increasing welfare payments for the working class
• Cutting migration by 80 per cent to 10,000 people a year
• Making it more difficult to become a French citizen
• Ending access to free basic healthcare for illegal migrants
• Reinstating border checks and expelling foreigners on the watch lists of intelligence services
• A possible Frexit, having praised Britain's Brexit

Le Pen has taken a strong stance on immigration in France, as she looks to make a massive reduction in legal immigration. As for illegal immigrants, they "have no reason to stay in France, these people broke the law the minute they set foot on French soil". Before the attacks on Paris in 2015, Marine linked islamic terrorism to immigration. This is one of the main reasons people are in favour of her for this upcoming election. She has also promised a frexit under her leadership showing her views as anti-EU. If some how France was able to leave the European Union, it would be the end of the European experiment as we know it.

With the election ongoing it will be interesting to see the outcome and the aftermath if Le Pen does become the President of France!


https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2165140/marine-le-pen-french-french-presidential-election/
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38321401
http://news.sky.com/story/marine-le-pen-who-is-national-front-candidate-in-france-election-10759211

Vladimir stop, your Putin everybody in a awkward situation!

Vladimir Putin, One of the worlds leading superpowers of today has a very interesting story of his rise to power. He was born in Leningrad (now St.Petersberg), on October 7, 1952. After Putin graduated from Leningrad State University with a law degree in 1975, he joined the KGB as a intelligence officer. The KGB was the main security agency for the Soviet Union from 1954 until its break-up in 1991. He was stationed mainly in East Germany, where he stayed for 15 years before retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel. 

In 1991 the Soviet Union dissolved into 15 new independent countries, including the new Russian Federation. In Putins eyes Russia had just lost 200 square miles of territory, he later called this the "Major geographical disaster of the century". Putin then developed an interest in politics and in 1991 he became deputy major of St.Petersberg. By 1999, President at the time, Boris Yeltsin who was widely unpopular due to his cooperation with the west, appointed Putin as Prime Minister of Russia. A few months later Yeltsin resigns and appoints Putin as Interim President. Putin was then elected to his first term in 2000, with 53 percent of the votes. 

Vladimir did not take likely to those who opposed him, Russian billionaire Mikail Khordokovsky got involved in opposition politics and was later sentenced to 14 years in prison for embezzling oil, but ultimately this was a vendetta settled by Putin. Some believe that Putin was responsible for a number of assassinations carried out against several prominent opposition voices. 

After his first two terms had ended, A new President was elected. Putin retained his position as Prime Minister of Russia but many believed he was still the prominent power in the heart of the Russian Government. After 4 years, Putin was re-elected President in a landslide victory with 63.6 percent of the votes.

Putin has put together one of the most effective cyber armies in the world and he using it to terrorise the west. These hackers have stolen classified U.S information, hacked politicians email accounts, shut down Georgia internet while Russian troops invaded and finally they tried to sabotage Hillary Clintons presidential campaign.

Love him or hate him, it’s hard to deny that Putin has made a huge impact on his country and the world.



https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/06/vladimir-putin-15-ways-he-changed-russia-world
http://www.biography.com/people/vladimir-putin-9448807
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxMWSmKieuc

Hitler Youth

Hitler Youth Illustration (1936)

During the 1920's, Adolf Hitler created a variety of youth organizations throughout Germany. The idea behind these organizations was to attract young men who could be trained to become members of the SA (Storm troopers). Hitler believed that since the youth was the future of Germany, he needed to manipulate their minds into supporting his ideologies. However, Hitler Youth didn't only target the minds of young men, it was also geared towards young women. The goal for Hitler was to attract young men and women, and use their minds to "build" these children into his ideal society. This way, when the children became adults, they (men) would either be fighting for Germany, or they (women) would be raising their children in the views of Nazism.

By 1939, it was mandatory for children ages 10-18 to join Hitler Youth. By this time, over two million children were now members. The daily routine for boys in Hitler Youth involved them getting mentally and physically ready for war. "In addition to military-style marching, the daily routine also included learning marksmanship, the use of bayonets, and how to throw grenades. They even covered the basics of trench warfare" (Hitler Youth). Even participating in these activities, the leaders of the groups tried to make them fun and enjoyable. This was used as a tactic to get the young men to further their support for Hitler. "The Hitler Youth (Hitler Jugend) wore uniforms and  attended meetings and rallies where they were indoctrinated with Nazi views" (Wheeler). The goal for the Hitler Youth involving boys, was to create a mindset within every generation to follow Hitler's ideologies and adopt the same views of the Nazi's.

Hitler Youth Membership Book, owned by Paul Briscoe (1940)

Hitler Youth wasn't only intended for boys. Hitler created a variation of Hitler Youth that was created for girls named, Young Maidens. Young women would be part of this organization from the age of ten till twenty-one. The purpose of Young Maidens was to teach girls how to be good mothers, and have them teach their children the views of Nazism. Young women weren't taught to fight in the war, but to teach future generations about the goals and ideas that Hitler had for Germany.

League of German Girls in the Hitler Youth (1936)

This is a break down of what each age group (for both boys and girls) learned in Hitler Youth:

Boys aged 6 – 10 years: Joined the Little Fellows and mainly participated in outdoor sport activities such as hiking, rambling and camping.
Boys aged 10 – 13 years: Joined the German Young People. They still participated in sporting activities but these had a more military emphasis such as parading and marching as well as map reading. They also learned about Nazi views on racial purity and anti-Semitism.
Boys aged 14 – 18 years: Joined the Hitler Youth. They were prepared to be soldiers by doing military activities.
Girls aged 10 – 14 years: Joined the Young Maidens, where they were taught good health practices as well as how to become good mothers and housewives. They also learned about Nazi views on racial purity and anti-Semitism.
Girls aged 14 – 21 years: Joined the League of German Maidens, where they were further prepared for their roles as the mother of future Germans. (Wheeler)


Image:
John Simkin. "Hitler Youth." Spartacus Educational. Spartacus Educational, Feb. 2016. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. Images


Sources:
"Hitler Youth Summary & Facts – Nazi Paramilitary Organization." Totally History Hitler Youth Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. Summary


Wheeler, Heather. "Nazi Germany - Hitler Youth." History on the Net. HistoryOnTheNet, 05 June 2014. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.  Hitler Youth

Lawrence of Arabia: The Story of T.E. Lawrence and the Arab Uprising in World War I

Lawrence of Arabia, Colombia Pictures

December 10, 1962

$15 Million Budget, $70 Million Box Office

Original Poster

Drama

The central historical message of the film, Lawrence of Arabia is to share the story of T.E. Lawrence, played by Peter O'Toole, a British Officer and his experiences as a member and leader of the Arab Uprising in the Arabian Peninsula during World War I. The film follows Lawrence's time in the Arabian Peninsula, his involvement in the Arab Uprising and the Arab National Council, and the issues Lawrence experiences and issues with his time in the war, including his changing attitudes towards the violence of war, finding his own identity, and balancing the relationships he develops with the Arabs and his duty to his country as an officer. 

The film was based on the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, written by T.E. Lawrence himself. The film was directed by David Lean, produced by Sam Spiegel, and written by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson. The score was written by Maurice Jarre, and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. 

The film reveals the view reveals the viewpoints of the war over 40 years after it occurred, and shows the views of heroism in World War I. It exposes the problems that these so called war heroes encounter and experience as well. The film was a critical and financial success upon its release, and won a number of awards, including best picture and best director at the 35th Academy Awards. In 1991, the film was called, "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant," and was placed in the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry. The film is still well received today.

The look of the film, especially in newer remastered versions, is breathtaking. The open landscapes provide an idea of how vast the deserts that Lawrence lived and worked in must have been. The areas selected for filming were clearly chosen carefully and utilized intentionally. Because of the available camera technology when Lawrence of Arabia was filmed, some scenes and movements appear choppy or broken, but the landscapes, production, sets, costumes, and writing make up for these filming issues time and time again. The editing allows the film to flow smoothly over its 200+ minute run time, and the score provides emotion and helps set scenes throughout the film in an outstanding way, and creates a real life Indiana Jones feel. 

The films provides strong historical context, and gives a great understanding of the relationship that Lawrence and the Arabs had. There are some parts of the film where the art of the film took away from true historical accuracy, such as the the battle at Aqaba, the taking of Damascus, and Lawrence learning about the Sykes-Picot agreement, which would divide the Arab world between the British and French after the war. T.E. Lawrence knew of the agreement but was not at liberty to share the information with the Arabs as a British officer. 

Overall, the 1962 film provides an incredible look into the Arab and British fight against the Ottoman Empire during World War I and allows viewers to grasp an idea of the tactics, battles, and relationships that developed, and produces an image of heroism from the life of T.E. Lawrence. 

Leni Riefenstahl

Leni Riefenstahl was born August 22, 1902 in Berlin, Germany. She was a director and producer of a popular 1930’s documentary film called the Triumph of Will. Riefenstahl started out her career as a ballet dancer, however, upon receiving a knee injury, she stopped dancing and became an actress. She started doing “mountain films” which is a German genre of film that focuses on nature, mountains in particular. She soon formed her own production company in 1931 and wrote, directed and starred in The Blue Light which came out in 1932. This is when she gained support from the Nazi party and made the film Triumph of Will in 1935. 

In Triumph of Will, the documentary studies the Nazi Party at a Nürnberg convention in 1934 that was to show the unification of the Nazi party, as well as introduce leaders. It also shows speeches given by Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders. Because of the fact that her film supported the Nazi cause she ended up being detained after World War II. She tried to complete other productions afterwards but was never able to bounce back.

References:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/09/obituaries/leni-riefenstahl-filmmaker-and-nazi-propagandist-dies-at-101.html

http://www.leni-riefenstahl.de/eng/bio.html

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leni-Riefenstahl#ref182318

The Human Cost of a War

World War One had a huge human costs, people in the combatant nations struggled to deal with the results of the war. It is estimated that 8 million soldiers died on the battlefield, with Russia in the first place with around 2 million military deaths. France had the highest proportionate number of losses with the record of death being one out of every ten adult male. Around 8 million civilians died because of the war and another 20 million people died in the worldwide influenza epidemic that followed the war. 

The nature of the war made proper burials very difficult, soldiers were usually interred where they fell. When the remains were gathered, due to the chaos of the war, it was difficult to make an accurate identification, and hundreds of thousands of death soldiers remained unidentified. Memorials were built on the main battlefields of the war, to express the general need to recognize the great sorrow and suffering caused by it. Europe also raised public memorials to honor the dead and held ceremonies on important anniversaries such as November 11, the day that the war ended, and July 1, to commemorate the Battle of the Somme. 

Reference 

McKay, John P. A History of Western Society. 12th ed. Vol. 2. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2017. Print.

"We're Clearly Soliders in Petticoats"

                   

    When people think of the classic Disney film Mary Poppins; magic, a very interesting long word, and great dance numbers come to mind. But a subplot that I want to focus on is the Suffragette movement. Winifred Banks, the mother of the household is a suffragette and participates in the movement.

    Winifred is a leader in the right for women to vote. She sings a song about how women are doing what they must now to help future generations of women. She sings “Our daughters daughters will adore us and they’ll sing in grateful chorus, Well done sister suffragette.” Winifred does not expect change to happen quickly, but is doing all she can. Throughout the film when she leaves the house it is always to do something to help “the cause”, as she calls it. Whether it is throwing spoiled eggs at the prime minister, leading the women through songs, or watching fellow peers chain themselves to buggies to show their dedication to the cause.

    In the film, even though Winifred is wanting to change women's vote she is still living a traditional lifestyle. She goes from marching around the house, at one point, even lifting up her skirt as seen above. Then when her husband comes home she listens to him and responds with “Yes dear”. It shows the harsh contrast between a modern view of the world and what could be versus the role she should have. Winifred is a fictional character but the situation could have been true in many women’s lives. Women had to go against their husbands wishes because of what they believed and I am sure it made a hard situation for the women to be in.  

    Winifred tries to keep her cause prominent but then would not bring up her stances to her husband. She even asks the maids to hide her sashes so he will not see it. Until the last scene of the movie in which she brings out a sash to make it a tail for a kite. It is the first time we see Mr. Banks understand her views and he did not reprimand her. Winifred is a smaller character in the movie and does not have a lot of main screen time but she represents a large majority of women who wanted reform. And because of real women that Winifred Banks is based off of women now have the privilege to vote.The suffragettes changed the way the world is controlled, and it was truly inspirational to see a strong female character like that in Mary Poppins.

Image source:  www.helenography.net

The French Revolution: Rights, Republics, and the Guillotine

The French Revolution, beginning in 1789, was sparked by a variety of factors surrounding the rising social and economic inequality across the nation leading up to its inception. Enlightenment ideas, along with major political mismanagement by King Louis XVI inspired the revolution and its end goal of political realignment. Various decisions made by the monarchy, along with poor crop yields left the non-elite classes in economic distress, which contributed in a major way to the beginning of the nationwide revolt. Enlightenment pamphlets and newspapers allowed resentment towards the crown to spread and inspire the dismantling of the revolution quickly and effectively. An angry population with mobilized ideas created the perfect storm for the revolution to begin.

The Third Estate, a collection of non-elite members of the voting society and represented 98% of the French population, convened in 1789 in an attempt to gain greater voting power as they could be vetoed by the stronger elite classes. The third estate took a stand against the crown, and demanded constitutional reform that King Louis XVI eventually accepted. With the new national assembly in place, and a new constitution in the works, the people of Paris took their frustrations to the streets. They stormed the Bastille fortress to take gunpowder and weapons, and this event has been widely accepted as the true start of the revolution. With the urban populace rioting, revolutionary ideas swept through the French countryside as well. Peasants turned against the feudal system that had held them down for so many years, and burned numerous homes owned by tax collectors and landlords. In August of 1789, an order was passed that banned the feudal system completely in response to these revolts. This order made waves large enough to hurt the monarchy, which allowed for the eventual overthrow by French revolutionaries.

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

In 1791, following the ratification of first French Constitution, the revolution became extremely bloody. Revolutionaries worked their way into power in the national assembly, which allowed them to make changes that worked in their favor. As time went on, the Jacobins attacked the royal palace and took King Louis XVI into their custody. The revolutionaries in power eliminated the old legislature and placed the National Convention in power. This new governing body eradicated the French monarchy and established France as a republic. King Louis XVI was sentenced to death, and was eventually killed by guillotine in January of 1793. This tumultuous time led to the Reign of Terror, where thousands of counterrevolutionaries met the same fate as their king. Napoleon Bonaparte, a young military leader who had control of the French army, was able to silence the remaining factions of the revolution, and in 1799 staged a coup that eventually led to him being named France's 'First Consul'. Bonaparte was able to bring the French Revolution to a close, and helped reestablish France as a global power.

The French Revolution had global impacts, inspiring revolts in many French colonies and shifting the political landscape of Europe for years to come.

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/French_Revolution
http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1784-1800/french-rev

A Nice Hot Cup of Chocolate

This tile panel originating from Spain in the early eighteenth century depicts Spaniards brewing hot chocolate to drink at a chocolate party in the Spanish city of Valencia. This piece of artwork helps to link us to the changing habits and appetites of Europeans as a result of contact with the Americas. In particular chocolate had quite a large impact on the daily lives of many Europeans.

Originally in the New World, where it originates, chocolate had a cultural prestige attached to it and among various Native American groups it was both used as part of religious practices and a social status symbol. Due to its particular taste ,which many Europeans disliked, it took a rather long time for chocolate consumption to cross both cultures and the Atlantic. Chocolate consumption became common for Spaniards living in the New World colonies by the second half of the 1500's but did not become popular in the mainland Spain until the seventeenth century. From Spain the drinking of chocolate spread across the rest of Europe via trade routes and even the movement of religious orders until chocolate consumption was later supplanted by the arrival of tea and coffee.

 In Europe, the consumption of chocolate began to resemble elements of its Native American cultural past in that it became a status symbol for royalty and nobility. Marcy Norton in the article Conquests of Chocolate makes note that many aristocrats had special rooms dedicated to the sole purpose of consuming chocolate. Also the Native American practice of adding spices and sweeteners to chocolate became widespread among Europeans. Often added were things like vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon. Norton surmises that the practice of adding sugar to chocolate was a European substitute for the Native American practice of  adding honey to chocolate because sugar was substantially easier for Europeans to acquire due to their new colonial holdings.

Despite its initially negative reception chocolate became widely consumed in Europe and became a part of European life. Overall however, chocolate consumption in Europe opened the way for caffeinated beverages to take hold in the European diet and provides a notable example of a New World product that substantially changed life in the Old World.        


Bibliography

Mckay, John, et al. A History of Western Societies. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2017.

Norton, Marcy. "Conquests of Chocolate." OAH Magazine of History (2004): 14-17.

Pohlman. Working With Evidence: Exchange & Status in the Early Modern World. n.d. <http://pohlmanpavilion.weebly.com/portion-1.html>.

   

Devil Got Your Tongue?

Within the Enlightenment period, as well as before, faith healing was a common practice that took place. Faith healing was a type of healing that would involve collecting roots, herbs, and other plants in order to treat certain types of diseases that would infect people. However, many faith healers and their patients believed that sickness was cause by evil spirits that were lodging within them. The only way to successfully remove these spirits was to exorcise, or drive out the offending devil. This type of healing however did lose some credibility throughout the Enlightenment but did stay very popular in the countryside.

Although this practice screams lies it did allow for vast amounts of herbs, drugs, and patent medicines to be sold in towns and cities. In the eighteenth century many of these medicines were created from imported plants. The importation of these plants and spices lead to an increase in the amount of money England was spending to 100,000 pounds from 1000 or 2000 pounds in 1600. Faith healers much like clothes and food, was added to the era's new commercial culture which allowed them allowed them to spread publicity in newspapers as well as commercial circulars.

Although the Enlightenment brought about a new way of looking at science it did not change medicine all that much from the medieval age. In fact many physicians still heavily relied upon purging, and bloodletting to heal people who are suffering from an illness. Time honored tradition also played a vital role in why common medical practices did not advance through the Enlightenment. In fact, it wasn't until the late 19th century that significant medical breakthroughs would even begin to happen.

 http://www.macmillanhighered.com/launchpad/mckaywest12e/5021786
http://toonhole.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2014-03-07-FaithHealer.jpg

Introduction

I'm excited to be teaching HIST 230 noon, T/TH. Use this blog to review history films, make connections, write in first person ("auto-biography"), or analyze an image, work of art, or piece of architecture.  I look forward to reading your film history reviews and seeing you discuss history in this forum.