TOK 2

What do you understand by George Orwell’s comment that “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past”? To what extent do you agree with it, and its implications?

Those who have power in the past by controlling land or politcs control the present. They have gained up power to put into texts books and their accomplishments are discussed and learned. Because of all the power built-up they can control the future as well.
For example the USA became a super power and now hass the ability to control the future and how countries deal with each other. They have leverage on the global level to control and dicatate what happens. The textbooks are written by the 'winners' or countries that have control. An example could be Stalin and Hitler when they had global power. Hitler made the schools teach Nazi idealogy and altered the textbooks in order to engrave into the young scholars heads his ideas of how the World should be. Stalin had people cut out from text books and completly altered textbooks to show his power and just like Hitler, engrave into his comarads heads 'socialism in one country' and all his ieadlogies beat out capitilism. Oppostion was cut out of the textbooks as well to show no other view point can be thought of.

IRL 23

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE656171201006
This is a website that discusses the issues arising between Israel and Turkey over a blockade. This adds value to what we are learning because it adds to present day pressures because of the past events we learned about. The bordering Arab countries alliances against Israel is repeating itself between Turkey and Syria against Israel. The limitation of this article is that it's a blog which is often times solely based on opinion. However, the purpose of showing the Syrian and Turkey collaboration.

IRL 22

http://anjameulenbelt.sp.nl/weblog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/080408-kasrils-zapiro.jpg

This is a poltical cartoon that caused much debate since it critizes the Jewish hypocrisies in terms of propagenda taught about the Jewish opression side of becoming idependent and this side shows hwo the Palestiants suffered. Thiss adds value to what we are learning because it adds to the Deir Yassin idea of massacre of Palestians due to Jewish agression and it shows a differeing viewpoint. However, the limitations are that it only shows one viewpoint of what happened in Deir Yassin and doesn't show the Jewish struggle for a homeland. This cartoon was created by a man from South African cartoonist Zaprio who later got 'attacked' by David Saks of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies.

IRL 21

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/britainatwar/4968167/Stalins-four-point-foreign-policy-Mar-11-1939.html

This news article from telegraph.co.uk is a saummary of events of Stalin's foreign policy and gives it gives value to my history IA beecause iy gives me a summary of what he felt to be the most important policies or issues neeeded to be talked about. The limitations on this articlefar surpass the value since it doesn't show who wrote the article and the newspapers are often times misleading inreagrds to quotes or facts.

IRL 20

http://www.sturgischarterpublicschool.org/
This is a viewpoint essay found in the Gale Resource Data BAse and could be of greate value tomy history IA since it discusses Stalin's foreign policy with the US and could add insight on how the US felt towards his policy. The YAlta Confernace is a big part of Stalin's foreign policy, as in spheres of influence. The idea that the US didn't hold Stalin to his commitments was an idea that could be added in part B to add value to it as well. The fact that this source is a topic essay can lead to limitations but also display both viewpoints of a certain topic. The limitation of this source is it's in the west's perspective of the Yalta Conferance and not the USSR's but overall this source is helpful.

IRL 19

http://www.theomahaproject.org/module_display.php?mod_id=72&review=yes

The poltical cartoon that I did was the one of Kennedy and Khrushchev holding down the nuclear weapons or monster tryin gto come out. This is relevant to my IA for history because Khrushchev and the US in terms of foreign policy reached a tension but resolved and it and worked together to keep nuclear war at a standstill. The INF after the Cuban Missile Crissis which is being displayed in this cartoon made sure that missiles and warheads were scrapped and nuclear war would be less possible. This could add to my IA because it shows the struggle in which the US and the USSR had to go through in order to not go to nuclear war and work together and later on forming a 'hot line' so it wouldn't happen again. There are certain limiations to this source since their is no link for the poltical cartoon however the author is on the poltical cartoon so it was most likely used in a magazine.

Causes of the Six Day War

By using the sources and my own knowledge the conclusion that the Israeli's were the main causes of the Six Day War were eminent. The Arabs did provake attacks but the Israeli's were always the first to strike which causes the world view and public opinion to shift in their oppostion. Granted in sources C and E it states that Syrians and Egyptians will never give up the fight but Israel is the one fighting back and taunting the attacks. For example in Source B, the tractor incedint and the Defense Minister stating they kept pushing the boundaries till they got shot at. Another incident is when the Arabs decided to join together in terms of armies and Israel put the general in charge, with this move the general decided to create an airstrike on all the Arabs' airfields, totally demolishing them. Many may think that Arabs started it, for example Egpyt barring off the Gulf of Agaba to Israeli ships. However one must take into consideration that the Israeli's had troops on the border ready to fight so it was in terms of defense. That incident led to the Arabs unifying their forces BECAUSE of Israeli troops being at the ready. Source C with the Syrians learning how to use a gun, well Israeli already had those weapons and the Arabs are just trying to defend themselves. So it may be stated that the Arabs started it but on further assement it can be seen that it was in terms of defense against the Israeli's whom always striked first and taunted, and provaked the fight. Provacation and taunting is always a cause for war but the one who strikes first is always eminemt in the general publics eye and Israeli did strike first so therefore they were the main cause for the Six Day War.