Nahla Moqaid by Nahla Moqaid https://padlet.com/mnamwas2000/kcdmhgi7x45951ls عددي أقسام الجغرافيا. ارسمي خريطة مفاهيمية لأقسام الجغرافيا وفروعها. en-us 2020-09-25 17:26:51 UTC 2024-05-31 03:36:31 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f6e9.png Sun Tzu, the Art of War mnamwas2000 https://padlet.com/mnamwas2000/kcdmhgi7x45951ls/wish/780146763 Important quotes:
"The art of war then, is governed by five constant factors...These are 1) The Moral Law; 2) Heaven; 3) Earth; 4) The Commander; 5) Method and discipline."

"All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attach, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near."

"There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare."

"It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on."

"Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy's troops without any fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field. "

"In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack--the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers."

"With regard to precipitous heights, if you are beforehand with your adversary, you should occupy the raised and sunny spots, and there wait for him to come up. "

"Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for every kind of business."

Takeaways:
  • Sun Tzu provides both practical and philosophical advice about how to approach warfare; mindset is just as important as actual actions in the field
  • Argues for a kind of ruthlessness echoed by Machiavelli - find your opponent's weak spots and capitalize on them
  • His suggestions about ground hold true through WWII - high ground is always advantageous in typical combat. 
  • Sun Tzu's writing is deeply rooted in Taoist philosophy and idealizes a leader in spirit as well as action. 
  • The Art of War is a popular favorite on many CEOs' bookshelves. They use it as a template for business strategy, competition, and negotiations.
]]> 2020-09-25 17:26:51 UTC https://padlet.com/mnamwas2000/kcdmhgi7x45951ls/wish/780146763 1066 - Norman Conquest mnamwas2000 https://padlet.com/mnamwas2000/kcdmhgi7x45951ls/wish/780146766 The year 1066 is significant in the history of war because:
  • It was the year William the Conquerer of Normandy defeated Harold Godwinson in the Battle of Hastings, claiming the throne of England. 
  • It marked a shift from territorial self-rule by Saxon tribes to total monarchic rule
  • It set up a feudal system of landowning in England, recorded in the Domesday book - the first census

The Bayeux tapestry depicts the events of 1066. 
]]> 2020-09-25 17:26:51 UTC https://padlet.com/mnamwas2000/kcdmhgi7x45951ls/wish/780146766 The American Civil War mnamwas2000 https://padlet.com/mnamwas2000/kcdmhgi7x45951ls/wish/780146767 The Killer Angels - fictionalized version of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Main characters:
Robert E. Lee - Confederate general
Pete Longstreet - Confederate general. Lee calls him "my old war horse"
John Buford - Union general. Holds off Confederate army so that Union troops can reach the high ground at Cemetary Hill. 
See many of Sun Tzu's tactics deployed here. Blurred lines of heroism between Southern and Northern characters; Shaara builds sympathy and admiration for both.

]]> 2020-09-25 17:26:51 UTC https://padlet.com/mnamwas2000/kcdmhgi7x45951ls/wish/780146767 Achilles in Vietnam by Jonathan Shay mnamwas2000 https://padlet.com/mnamwas2000/kcdmhgi7x45951ls/wish/780146772 Vietnam was the first time PTSD was recognized and diagnosed in soldiers returning from war. What was called "shellshock" in WWI, was now a certifiable psychological condition. Dr. Shay examines the experience of Vietnam vets through the lens of emotionally crippled Greek hero Achilles. ]]> 2020-09-25 17:26:51 UTC https://padlet.com/mnamwas2000/kcdmhgi7x45951ls/wish/780146772 Blood Rites by Barbara Ehrenreich mnamwas2000 https://padlet.com/mnamwas2000/kcdmhgi7x45951ls/wish/780146775 In this book Ehrenreich argues that the reason we go to war is to recreate man's transformation from hunted to hunter. This is the "central trauma" that we ritually reproduce. She makes her case with evidence from the Aztecs through the second world war.]]> 2020-09-25 17:26:51 UTC https://padlet.com/mnamwas2000/kcdmhgi7x45951ls/wish/780146775 The Machine Gun mnamwas2000 https://padlet.com/mnamwas2000/kcdmhgi7x45951ls/wish/780146776 Civil War - Gatling gun. Hand cranked weapon that fired multiple rounds at once.
1884 - Maxim gun introduced. First truly automatic weapon - employs smokeless powder, only needs to be reloaded. It was a natural advancement made during Industrial revolution - Industrialized warfare.
Maxim gun remains relatively unchanged throughout WWI and WWII.]]> 2020-09-25 17:26:51 UTC https://padlet.com/mnamwas2000/kcdmhgi7x45951ls/wish/780146776 Chemical Warfare: World War 1 mnamwas2000 https://padlet.com/mnamwas2000/kcdmhgi7x45951ls/wish/780146780 Chemical warfare at a large scale was introduced during WWI. 
Apr 22 1915 - Germans unleash chlorine gas on Allied troops in Ypres, Belgium (Second Battle of Ypres)

In WWI, approx 1.3 million deaths due to chemical agents including mustard gas, chlorine gas, phosgene gas. 

Chemical warfare was initially used more as a intimidation factor than a deadly threat. 

Was also the introduction of super creepy, but effective, gas masks. ]]> 2020-09-25 17:26:51 UTC https://padlet.com/mnamwas2000/kcdmhgi7x45951ls/wish/780146780 World War II mnamwas2000 https://padlet.com/mnamwas2000/kcdmhgi7x45951ls/wish/780146781 Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan
Allied Powers: USA, Russia, UK, Canada

War fought on 2 fronts: Western Front, Pacific Theater

Pre-War & Appeasement (1935-39)
  • Appeasement = foreign policy adopted by the UK and France to appease Hitler and Mussolini in order to keep the peace. 
  • 1938 - Neville Chamberlain meets with Hitler, declares he has "secured peace for our time."
  • Sept 1, 1939 - Hitler invades Poland, proving Chamberlain very wrong. Appeasement has failed. Britain (along with 60 other countries) declares war on Germany. World war breaks out. 
  • The US does not. Before Pearl Harbor, isolationism was popular in the US. Isolationism has a long history - George Washington discussed staying out of European affairs in his farewell address. After WWI, isolationism rises as the League of Nations fails and Americans grow weary of suffering casualties for the purpose of solving other countries' problems. FDR refrains from joining the war, even while gesturing towards his interventionist sentiments in speeches. 

Pearl Harbor and US involvement (1941) 
  • Dec 7, 1941 - Japan invades the US at Pearl Harbor in a complete surprise attack. 2,000+ U.S. casualties, 1000 injured, 20 naval vessels destroyed, including 8 battleships. 
  • Dec 8, 1941 - US declares war on Japan with one dissenting vote - Jeanette Rankin, the first woman in Congress and a lifelong pacifist
  • Dec 11, 1941 - US declares war on Germany with 2 unanimous houses of Congress. 

D-Day and V-E Day
  • Jun 6, 1944 - Allied armies, led by general Dwight D. Eisenhower, attack Nazi forces on the shores of Normandy, France. This marks the beginning of the end of the war.
  • Apr 25 1945 - Mussolini is captured by Italian partisans and executed
  • Apr 30 1945 - Hitler commits suicide in his bunker
  • May 7 - German army surrenders unconditionally
  • May 8 1945 - Churchill declares the war officially over. US declares May 8 as V-E day. Many Eastern European countries didn't receive the news till May 9, so they celebrate then. 

Hiroshima and Nagasaki and end of the war
  • Potsdam conference - USSR, US, UK meet (Stalin, Truman, Churchill/Atlee) "The Big 3" - and demand Japan's surrender
  • Aug 6 1945 - Hiroshima bomb dropped
  • Aug 9 1945 - Nagasaki bomb
  • Aug 14-15 - Japanese forces surrender to the Allies

Post war economic impact
  • Prosperity in the US - rise of consumerism, Baby Boom
  • John Maynard Keynes - "Keynsian economics" - when national economies suffer, federal government should borrow and spend money to boost economic activity. Part of the proceeds of the resulting economic growth should then be used to repay the debt.
  • Marshall Plan - US gives Europe $12b to rebuild, relaxes trade sanctions to encourage trade. Was an effort to dampen the rise of Soviet communism and promote capitalism. 1948-1951 saw the fastest economic growth in European history.
  • Cold War - economic tensions added to the souring relationship between US and USSR


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