The Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that

took place mostly during the 1930s, originating in the United States. The timing of
the Great Depression varied across nations; in most countries it started in 1929 and
lasted until 1941. It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of
the 20th century.
 What were some of the major causes of the Great Depression?
- Thousands of American banks and over 100.000 businesses failed
- Industrial production was cut in half, wages decreased 60 percent
- One out of every four workers was unemployed
 What was the New Deal in the US? What were the key contents of the New
Deal?
- The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects,
financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D.
Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939
- Three key contents (3R): relief for the unemployed and poor, recovery
of the economy back to normal levels, and reform of the financial
system to prevent a repeat depression

World War II 

World War II (often abbreviated to WWII or WW2), also known as the
Second World War, was the most widespread war in history, and directly involved
more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The war led to the formation
of two opposing military alliances, the Allies and the Axis, and a new world order. 
 In what years was the war fought?
1939-1945
  How did the UK enter World War II?
Britain was forced to declare war on Germany after the invasion of Poland in
1939
 Who was the British Prime Minister during the war?
Winston Churchill
 How did the US enter World War II?
The bombing of Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii by the Japanese brought
the US into the war
 What happened to the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August
6 and 9, 1945, respectively?
The US dropped 2 atomic bombs down to these cities causing nearly
200.000 civilians dead
 Name the conference where the International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (IBRD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were
established.
The Bretton Woods Conference
 Name the conference where the United Nations was formulated and
negotiated among international leaders.
The Dumbarton Oaks Conference

UK Decolonization
 Describe the UK’s policy towards its colonies after World War II.
The British empire was gradually dismantled, first granting independence to
India and Pakistan, then to other Asian, African and Caribbean colonies.
Cold War 
 What does Cold War refer to?
The Soviet-America cold war
 When did the Cold War start and end?
1947-1991

American Second Red Scare

 What does the American Second Red Scare refer to?

The red flags that the communist use

Vietnam/American War
 By 1969 the US forces in Vietnam totaled almost 550,000 individuals. Who
was the US president during the escalation of the War from 1963 to 1969?
John F. Kennedy
 Who was the US president that pursued a policy of Vietnamization, which
gradually replaced American soldiers with Vietnamese?
Richard Nixon

Jim Crow Era

What were Jim Crow laws?
Jim Crow laws were state and local laws that enforced racial segregation in
the Southern United States.
American Civil Rights Movement
  What were the goals and achievements of the Civil Rights Movement that
happened between 1954 and 1968 in the US?
- Goals: Black Americans gain equal rights under the law in the
United States
- Achievement: abolished slavery
Second-wave Feminism
 As a period of feminist activity, when is the wave thought to have first
begun in the US? How did it differ from the first-wave feminism?
- First wave: the late 19th century and the early 20th century
- Difference:
+ the first: women’s right to vote
+ the second: women’s equal legal and social rights

War on Terror
 According to US President George W. Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony
Blair, what was the mission of the 2003 invasion of Iraq?
To disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam Hussein's
support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people
 The Iraq Inquiry (also referred to as the Chilcot Inquiry) was a British public
inquiry into the nation's role in the Iraq War in 2003. What are some of the
key conclusions of the inquiry?
- Blair blindly went along with U.S. war plans
- Britain failed to exhaust peaceful options
- War based on 'flawed intelligence'
- Plans for post-war Iraq 'wholly inadequate'
National Beliefs and Values 
 What does the phrase “a city upon the hill” refer to?
A symbol of moral aspiration for generations to come.

 What is the American Dream?

The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, the set of
ideals (democracy, rights, liberty, opportunity and equality) in which
freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, as well as an
upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard
work in a society with few barriers
 What is American exceptionalism? What are some examples of American
exceptionalism?
American exceptionalism is one of three related ideas.
- The history is inherently different from that of other nation.
- The US has a unique mission to transform the world.
- The US history and mission gives it a superiority over the nations.

Political Systems
 Describe the political systems of the UK & the US in terms of constitution,
form of government, branches of government, political parties, and election.
1. The UK
- Constitution:
+ has a constitution but there is no written document
 + the principle and procedure come from a number of different
sources
- Form of government: constitutional monarchy and parliamentary
democracy
- Branches of government:
+ the executive: crown + government
 formulate and implement policy
+ the legislature: crown + the house of commons + the house of lords
+ judiciary: the judges in the courts of law
- Political parties:
+ Labor Party
+ Conservative Party
+ Liberal Democrats
- Election:
+ two-party system
+ first-past-the-post
2. The US
- Constitution: defines the powers of national and state governments,
the functions and framework of each branch of governments and the
rights of individual citizens.
- Form of government: representative democracy
- Branches of government:
+ legislative branch: representatives elected to Congress => make
laws
+ executive branch: administer the laws
+ judicial branch: headed by the Supreme Court => determine
whether laws and actions violate the Constitution
 - Political parties: Democratic and Republican
- Election:
+ two-party system
+ presidential election: every 4 years, the first Tuesday after the first
Monday in November, 3 requirements, begins on January 20th.
 What is a constitution?
An aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that
constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity and
commonly determine how that entity is to be governed
 What is a constitutional monarchy?
A country governed by a king or queen who accepts the advice of parliament
 What is a parliamentary democracy?
A country whose government is controlled by a parliament which has been
elected by people.
 What is a representative democracy?
All government power rests ultimately with the people, who direct policies
by voting for government representatives.
 How are powers divided in American federalism?
Authority is divided between the national government and state government
 What does ‘separation of powers’ refer to?
The idea that the major institutions of state should be functionally
independent and that no individual should have powers that span these
offices.
 What is a bill?
A proposal for a new law
Economic Systems
 What is a free enterprise system?
An economic system in which individuals depend on supply and demand
and the profit margin to determine what to produce, how to produce, how
much to produce, and for whom to produce. The quest for improvement
financially and materially motivates consumers and producers.
 Name four or five economic activity sectors that are usually present in
descriptions of a nation’s economy.
- Agriculture
- Forestry
- Fishing
- Industry
- Service
 What can be said about the shift in the growth pattern of economic sectors
during the end of the 20th century in the UK and the US?
Growth in service industries and a decline in industrial and manufacturing
trades.
 In the context of the UK, the decline of which sector is a major concern? 
Manufacturing
 Describe the shifts of how the government in the UK has intervened in
economic life.
All British governments has intervened in economics life in attempts to
manage the economy and stimulate demand and growth, particularly as
global competition has grown and domestic needs have become more
complex.
 When did the state become much more involved in economic planning and
nationalize industries?
 From 1940s
 Describe the current pattern of mixed economy of public and private sectors
in the UK.
The public sector works alongside the private sector, but may compete for
the same limited resources
 Describe the situation of budget deficit in the UK and the US.
1. The UK: P.72
2. The US: P. 92

 What does the devaluation of a country’s currency mean?

Reducing the exchange rate
 When did the global financial crisis happen?
2007
 What have been some of the symptoms/ consequences of the global financial
crisis?
- the failure of key businesses, declines in consumer wealth estimated
in the trillions of U.S. dollars, substantial financial commitments
incurred by governments, and a significant decline in economic
activity
- a complete collapse of the financial system
- depressed wages, austerity and deep political instability
Education Systems
 What is educationalization?
The general concept to identify the overall orientation or trend toward
thinking about education as the focal point for addressing or solving larger
human problems.
 According to David Labaree (1997), what are the three goals of the
American education system? Illustrate each goal with examples of
educational practices in the US.
- Democratic equality: supports the idea that education is a public good,
necessary for creating informed citizens
- Social efficiency: also sees education as a public good, but one
designed to create workers to fuel a healthy economy
- Social mobility: sees education as a private good, meant to help
people enjoy successful and fulfilling lives
 How did the 1944 Education Act change the education system in England
and Wales?
State schooling became free and compulsory up to the age of 15 and was
divided into three stages
 Progressive education is a pedagogical movement that began in the late
nineteenth century and has persisted in various forms to the present. What
was/were characteristic of progressive education?
- Each school adopted an activity program
- Each school operated on the assumption that education was something
that should not be imposed upon the child from the outside but should
instead draw forth the latent possibilities from within the child
- Each school believed in the democratic concept of individual worth.
 What is the significance of the Brown v. Board of Education case?
It was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court
ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are
unconstitutional, even if the segregated schools are otherwise equal in
quality
 In the US, what is affirmative action in education?
A set of laws, policies, guidelines, and administrative practices "intended to
end and correct the effects of a specific form of discrimination" that include
government-mandated, government-approved, and voluntary private
programs.
 What are the features of No Child Left Behind?
- states must test students in reading and math in grades 3 through 8 and
once in high school
- States were required to bring all students to the “proficient level”
- states must report the results, for both the student population as a
whole and for particular “subgroups” of students
- schools are kept on track toward their goals through a mechanism
known as “adequate yearly progress”
- states ensure their teachers are “highly qualified”