Research Question

Question:
What was the reasoning behind the intentional air raids and subsequent decimation of the cities of Dresden and London in World War II?


What I will have to learn: 
To answer my question without relying on speculation will require a fair deal of research. I will have to look at military logs, historian perspectives and really look at this situation from both sides. The trouble I foresee is not finding information on the bombings, but legitimate reasons for their occurrence. I do not believe I will get the same reason twice, so I will probably have to take their common themes and work from there. If I can find them, personal reactions and motivations concerning these events would shed light on any personal or societal vendettas, which could shed light on possible ulterior motives. I hate time consuming work Mrs. Knechel.

1. I know my fair share about WWII, and I know about the fire bombings of Berlin and London, but I have never explored them or their motives. These attacks, as well as the nuclear bombings of Japan, signify the transitions from Military to Civilian targets. The unwarranted killing of innocents IS illegal and considered a war crime, yet no one was ever prosecuted.

2.
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/blitz.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Dresden_in_World_War_II

3. What happened at Dresden? Would the early phases of the Battle of Stalingrad fit my parameters for militaristic foul play? How can I link war crimes to human rights violations?

Post Seminar Maus Question

Our seminar was pitifully short. This book was pretty straight forward to me, so I didn't have all too many questions at the exceptions for the masks. I feel that we heard opinions to justify the uses of masks, some better than others, but I definitely saw that we didn't reach a conclusion with those opinions and that we really left it there. I personally have no real clue what the masks mean, though I am sure they are significant. I have a few ideas, but nothing concrete. This issue definitely could have been addressed better and more effectively.

Modern Day issues in the Congo.

Link 1 Reuters

Link 2 CNN

Recurring issues in the Congo seem to revolve around violence and rape, with an emphasis on the latter. The Congolese government seems to either be unaware or unable to act on these issues. The UN has been acting with minimal severity among the Congo. The UN has taken up what appears to be a police role, catching a few of those responsible for various rapes and murders. Obviously, with the crime rate being so high, there is only so much the UN can legally do. Looking back, the way of life in the Congo has changed very little, even with the absence of a definite colonial power. People are still raped and murdered without repercussion, only this time there is no foreigner to blame.

Lingering Discussion Thoughts

A point that I found interesting in the discussion was the fact that Leopold disregarded his homeland to the point that at one point, in the 1890's, he was spending over 50% of the national GDP on his mercenary army: le Force Publique. How did the parliament let him get away with this? Were their powers that minimal that they had no control over Leopold's expenditures.

King Leopold's Ghost Pgs 1-32

Open ended discussion questions:

1) What do forgotten genocides such as the one described here say about the historians which recorded it as well as modern society for forgetting such an atrocity?

2) Could King Leopold II's lack of direct involvement be one of the first intentional uses of plausible deniability?

Reaction:

This book, honestly, isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The topic is interesting, primarily because it is something significant in history which is an either forgotten or unfamiliar topic among most people. What I find to be intriguing in this chapter is in the Introduction. At the time of its occurrence, it largely went unrecognized on the mainstream media until a prominent, white man brought it to light. What I find so interesting is that nearly a half-a-dozen people prior to him had either hinted at the topic or come out with it outright, only to be forgotten both by history. The difference? The ones who were never recognized were black. Now I am perfectly aware the racism was still alive and well in the 1900's, but could people really not set aside their differences when 4-8 million Congolese are being systematically enslaved, mutilated and executed? Those are holocaust-type numbers.

Imperialism: End of class thoughts.

In today's class about imperialism, I noticed some disturbing similarities concerning the production, sales and allocation of goods. Looking back into the rise of America, our exportation versus importation ratio was very similar to modern China. Our current importation and inability to produce for ourselves resembles that of Europe at the end of their glory years.