Symphony of Sorrowful Songs

Please listen to: The Symphony of Sorrowful Songs by Henryk Gorecki

The 20th century was one of the darkest periods in human history. Henryk Gorecki, a polish composer, experienced much of the worst that the century had to offer. In 1992 a recording of his third symphony was released which became one of the most important recordings of contemporary classical music to ever be released. This term we have discussed the many wars, coups, and other tragedies that marked the last half of the 20th century. Please take this time to reflect, read through the symphony's texts, and listen.

If at all possible, please listen to this piece in one sitting (ideally in the dark, with headphones on!)

First Movement: 

My son, my chosen and beloved
Share your wounds with your mother
And because, dear son, I have always carried you in my heart,
And always served you faithfully
Speak to your mother, to make her happy,
Although you are already leaving me, my cherished hope.

Lamentation of the Holy Cross Monastery from the "Lysagóra Songs" collection. Second half of the 15th century

Second Movement:

No, Mother, do not weep,
Most chaste Queen of Heaven
Support me always.
"Zdrowas Mario." *

Prayer inscribed on wall 3 of cell no. 3 in the basement of "the Palace," the Gestapo's headquarters in Zadopane; beneath is the signature of Helena Wanda Blazusiakówna, and the words "18 years old, imprisoned since 26 September 1944."


* "Zdrowas Mario" (Ave Maria)—the opening of the Polish prayer to the Holy Mother
Third Movement:

Where has he gone
My dearest son?
Perhaps during the uprising
The cruel enemy killed him

Ah, you bad people
In the name of God, the most Holy,
Tell me, why did you kill
My son?

Never again
Will I have his support
Even if I cry
My old eyes out

Were my bitter tears
to create another River Oder
They would not restore to life
My son

He lies in his grave
and I know not where
Though I keep asking people
Everywhere

Perhaps the poor child
Lies in a rough ditch
and instead he could have been
lying in his warm bed

Oh, sing for him
God's little song-birds
Since his mother
Cannot find him

And you, God's little flowers
May you blossom all around
So that my son
May sleep happily

Folk song in the dialect of the Opole region of Poland

The End of History and The Clash of Civilizations

The End of History

The Clash of Civilizations

Oxford Union Debate Information

Please review the Oxford Union Rules

Additionally, please note the following:

1. If at all possible, please bring a plate of treats to share.
2. Suits, white or light blue shirts, dark solid ties for gentlemen. Dresses for ladies; black or navy blue
3. Speakers, please arrive by six; non-speakers by six-thirty.
4. We will need several volunteers: we need a timekeeper, two to four tellers (who will take votes at the division), and a handful of non-speakers willing to set up the refreshments table. 

Notes on the debate itself: 

1. Members for the proposition will sit on the Chairman's right and the opposition on his left.
2. Speakers should remain on their side of the table at all times and should not move away from the table.
3. The audience will vote by exiting on the side they favor. (Ayes on their own right, Nays on their own left). The tellers will stand outside their door and count voters as they leave. 

The Wall Comes Down

The August 1991 Coup in Moscow, 20 Years Later

Document 1.  “Three Days in Foros,” excerpt from Anatoly Chernyaev Diary.

Document 2.  Rodric Braithwaite, “Moscow, August 19:  The First Day of the Coup,” Telegram of 20 August 1991.

Document 3.  George Bush-Felipe Gonzalez Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, August 19, 1991.

Document 4.  George Bush-Vaclav Havel Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, August 19, 1991.

Document 5.  George Bush-Jozsef Antall Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, August 19, 1991.

Document 6.  George Bush-Boris Yeltsin Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, August 20, 1991.

Document 7.  George Bush-Boris Yeltsin Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, August 21, 1991.

Document 8.  George Bush-Mikhail Gorbachev Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, August 21, 1991.

Document 9.  Transcript of the First Extraordinary Session of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation, August 21, 1991

Presentation Guidelines: 

1. Summarize the document.
2. Find one interesting quotation from the selection, share the quote, and explain it.
3. Explain the importance of your document and its relationship to the fall of communism.
4. Sum up your findings and describe what you learned from reading the document.
5. If you share a dialogue document, your quote should include portions of the dialogue read together with your partner.

Note:  Your presentation should use note cards. These will not be handed in.

Essay Final Questions

Essay Final Prompts

Please answer the question: 1-2 pages

Compare and contrast Huntington's, Fukayama's, and Bobbitt's perspectives on the post-Cold War world.


Please also answer one of the following five: 1-2 pages each

     1. Please trace the long term impact of Operation Ajax from 1953 to today.

     2. In what ways did Joseph Alsop’s life experiences shape his impact on history.   
                        
     3.  In what ways did the eccentricities of the USSR’s leadership impact world order?  
                        
    4. What historical and political developments led to a rise in the number of coup d’états after World War II?

    5. In what ways did the Suez Crisis transform post-World War II politics? 

Somalia

The United States Army in Somalia 1992-1994

The True Story of Black Hawk Down

Soldiers of God

Afghanistan

Osama bin Laden with family, ObL second from right

Today, Afghanistan appears to be a very primitive society, with few of the resources available to modern states. However, between the late 1950s through the late 1970s many of Afghanistan’s urban areas were highly developed and western-style. This was in large part a result of the generous aid package that Afghanistan’s government received from the Soviet government. This involvement had a long history and dated back to Tsarist efforts in the 19th century, during the expansion of the British Empire into the region.  Increasing Soviet influence in Afghanistan eventually led to the Saur Revolution, which took place on April 27, 1978. The new, revolutionary government had close relations with the Soviet Union. On December 5, 1978, a treaty was signed between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan.

In February of that year, the Islamic Revolution ousted the American-backed Shah from Afghanistan's neighbor Iran. The United States Ambassador to Afghanistan, Adolph Dubs, was abducted and killed by Islamists associated with the Iranian Revolution. The death of the U.S. Ambassador led to a major degradation in Afghanistan–United States relations. In response, President Jimmy Carter signed the first directive for covert financial aid to the opponents of the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul on July 3, 1979.

On Christmas Day 1979, Russian paratroopers landed in Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan. Already in the grip of a civil war, Afghanistan was on the verge of collapse. Soviet troops had been brought in, at the request of Communist sympathizer Hafizullah Amin, the enormously unpopular Prime Minister. Amin, in keeping with his Marxist beliefs was seeking eliminate Muslim tradition within Afghanistan. This outraged many, more traditional, rural Afghans. Thousands of Islamic leaders had been arrested and many more fled to the mountains, in order to escape Amin's police. Thousands of Afghan and foreign Muslims joined the Mujahedeen - a guerilla force dedicated to regaining Islam’s preeminence in Afghanistan. These soldiers included a young Saudi named Osama bin Laden. As part of this effort, the Mujahedeen declared a jihad - a holy war - on the supporters of Amin. This was then extended to the Russian army which was now supporting him. The Russians claimed that they had been invited in by the Amin government and that, as such, they were not an invading army.

On December 27th, 1979, Amin was shot by the Russians and he was replaced by Babrak Kamal. His position as head of the Afghan government depended entirely on Russian military support. Many Afghan soldiers began to desert to the Mujahedeen. As a result the Kamal government requested a semi-permanent force of 85,000 Soviet troops.

The Mujahedeen proved to be a formidable opponent. They were equipped with very old weaponry but had knowledge of terrain and the weather conditions gave them the upper hand. The Russians resorted to using napalm, poison gas and helicopter gunships against the Mujahedeen - but this proved to be of limited utility. By 1982, the Mujahedeen controlled roughly seventy-five percent of Afghanistan despite the best efforts of the world's second most powerful military power. Young Russian soldiers, drafted into service, were no match against men fuelled by a belief in fundamentalist Islam. The war in Afghanistan showed the world just how badly the Soviet Army had declined. Soviet Army boots often lasted no more than ten days before falling to bits in the harsh environment of the Afghan mountains. The United Nations condemned the invasion as early as January 1980 but a Security Council motion calling for the withdrawal of Russian forces was vetoed by the Soviet Union.

America put a ban on the export of grain to Russia, ended the important treaty talks then taking place, and boycotted the Olympic Games due to be held in Moscow in 1980. Other than that, Mujahedeen fighters were given access to American surface-to-air missiles. Mikhail Gorbachev took Russia out of the Afghanistan fiasco when he realized that Russia could not win the war and the cost of maintaining such a vast force in Afghanistan was crippling Russia's already weak economy. By the end of the 1980s, the Mujahedeen was at war with itself in Afghanistan with hard line Taliban fighters taking a stronger grip over the whole nation and imposing very strict Muslim law on the Afghanistan population. Taliban leadership, established with the help of neighboring Pakistan helped Afghanistan to become a major center of Islamism. As a result of these changes, Islamic radicals were provided a safe haven from Western and Israeli efforts to capture terrorists protected by the Taliban leadership. After 9/11 Afghanistan was targeted, after it was discovered that Al Quaeda attacks had been organized in Afghanistan by figures such as Osama bin Laden.