rise to power (authoritarian)
to what extent does propaganda play a role in the establishment of an authoritarian state?
it can be argued with a fair amount of certainty that propaganda plays a small role in the establishment of an authoritarian state. in particular, Fidel Castro did not use propaganda as a campaign strategy. rather, he used his message of socio-economic equality and great speaking skills to persuade the people of Cuba.
describe the importance of having a charismatic leader while maintaining power in an authoritarian state.
the main element of maintaining power in an authoritarian state includes having a charismatic leader. or, at least, a leader that the population connects with and devoutly follows. Kim Il-sung had very much garnered a personality cut. known as the “Great Leader” in North Korea, he would visit schools and nurseries, taking pictures with children to further authenticate his position as a leader people wanted. portraits of Kim have his face in the sun, immortalizing his image as something that brings life and happiness like the sun.
evaluate the reach of control two authoritarian leaders had over their civilians’ lives
For the longest time, organized religion was banned in North Korea, just as political parties were banned in Cuba. nevertheless, organized religion later became permitted under strict supervision. it is a cultural norm to bow when passing a picture of Kim Il-sung in Korea, therefore not necessary, but one would be regarded as the opposition if they did not pay their respects. in Cuba, Castro aimed to create equality for all but banned those who were homosexuals. if one showed any connection to Batista’s rule before Castro, they would almost immediately become imprisoned.
evaluate territorial changes and their eventual cause for war, using one 20th C war as support
in Algeria, the Wilayas were 6 different areas. there was a lot of tribal and ethnic infighting. although the structure itself was ineffective, the Wilayas had a structure that supported guerilla warfare. the FLN (liberation national front, side of Algeria) wanted to unite people, rather than territory, making it a catalyst for Algerian independence.
define guerrilla warfare with reference to one 20th C war
guerrilla warfare is considered non-traditional, as it does not use soldiers from an established army. rather, civilians are the ones fighting, relying on stealth and mobility since there is no formal training. in Algeria, the guerilla tactic was a big factor in the decision for independence
examine the social division that created a platform for authoritarian figures with reference to one.
WWII led to the 38th parallel border being made between the Soviets running the north and the Americans running the south in Korea. the division between the north and south caused Kim Il-sung’s rise to leadership in the north, and then the Korean War between the two states.
explain how censorship was a big method of control in two authoritarian states
Before deciding whether censorship was a big method of control in authoritarian states, a range of perspectives must be considered. take, for example, Fidel Castro of Cuba. Castro censored anti-revolutionary media, or media that was opposed to his revolution. although plenty of media was produced in opposition of Castro, such as journalists or professors, they were threatened with arrests and having their businesses shut down.
examine the political end goals of one authoritarian state and its foreign impact.
Kim Il-sung had the goal of making North Korea entirely self reliant under a one party system. it preached against anti-imperialism, which garnered the attention of the black panther party. (yes mrs. mason, THE black panther party). the BPP took from Juche to encourage self-reliance and used North Korea to promote their cause internationally and bring attention to the US government’s eye. children's education was administered in North Korea, just as it was in Cuba. Castro wanted socio-economic equality for all. in both countries, people from western countries (with the US in particular) were depicted as imperialists.
analyze the ideological issues that led to two 20th C wars
certain themes are fundamental to our understanding of how ideological issues can lead to war. in both Vietnam and Algeria, ideas of nationalism were spreading because of the end of WWII. colonies sought independence and leaders of these states sought to create a nation for their people. French colonization in both Vietnam and Algeria led to wars, respectively.
compare and contrast the involvement of foreign powers in two 20th c wars
both the Vietnam war and the Algerian war share certain elements of foreign involvement which will be examined. first is the spread of nationalism that arose from the western states. after WWII, colonies from all over the world had been inspired to create an independent and sovereign nation. in Vietnam, the Viet Minh and Ho had this goal. it was the Algerian forces in Algeria. the other element would be that of French colonization causing social, political, and economic unrest.
discuss the use of force in the establishment of two authoritarian states
There are many reasons comprising how the use of force aided to authoritarian states establishment. North Korea was (un)officially established during the conclusion of the Korean War. Kim Il-sung used this war to further establish his communist governmental style. the force was used as a method to garner civilians' loyalty. in Cuba, Fidel Castro used force as his method to win power, rather than establish it. Castro staged a revolution over the Batista government, one that had the course of many years with a lot of violence.
justify the role of propaganda in securing power and gaining civilians' trust as an authoritarian figure
the choice to use propaganda is justified in a historical context if we consider that civilians in North Korea were not exposed to much, if any at all, opposition to Kim Il-sung, meaning that there was no widespread reason to be against propaganda. Kim used propaganda to further promote his Juche ideology of nationalism and patriotism. the people of North Korea had been exposed to anti-American propaganda, turning them away from South Korea. without propaganda, there would likely be more civil wars between the two Koreas.
compare and contrast two authoritarian states and their treatment of opposition to their government
how Kim Il-sung treated opposition to his government in North Korea had more differences than differences in comparison to Fidel Castro’s Cuba. for instance, it is reported that people who disagreed with Kim Il-sung were either sentenced to prison or killed. one reason was the misprinting of Kim’s portrait in a newspaper. Or, people would be reduced to the lowest rank of the songbun caste system. Castro’s treatment was less severe, but he did ban political parties to reduce the chances of having a revolutionary against him. people from Batista’s regime were imprisoned as well.
examine the short and long-term political causes of one 20th C war.
Algerian war was the native Algerian people having little to no say over the happenings in their society. there were breakouts of diseases, economic inequalities, unemployment, and illiteracy rates. the short term political causes were the 1945 conflicts/ massacres after Algerian flags were risen during a demonstration.
Examine the failures and successes of peacemaking in two 20th C wars.
the Algerian war concluded with the French accepting the success of the Algerians, earning them independence. however, the OAS was formed, causing terrorist attacks in an attempt to stop Algeria from gaining independence after French colonial rule. when the Viet Minh realized that negotiations wouldn’t work, they brought back their regular forces. at Geneva meetings, unification attempts were made but to no success.
evaluate the weaknesses of the political system that two authoritarian figures used to their advantage during their rise to power
Kim Il-sung was appointed as the leader of North Korea after the end of WWII. after japan left, the Soviet Union gave Kim the position on the account that he supported the communist movement. Castro took notice of the social unrest that Batista was causing in Cuba and took advantage of this to gain support for his revolution. both states saw the flaws in the previous system and worked to fix those political weaknesses.
describe how speeches are a tool used by authoritarian leaders.
the main element of a good authoritarian leader is their ability to persuade an audience, their population. Fidel Castro, long before he even had power, was delivering speeches to rally people together for a cause. take, for instance, the speech delivered at the trial of the invasion of the Moncada barracks. known as the “History will absolve me” speech, this speech defined Castros platform and brought attention to him, a pivotal point in his political career. Kim Il-sung delivered his Juche speech which was essentially a speech emphasizing Korea’s independence and strength. although it did not initially garner a lot of attention, this became part of Kim’s image.
justify one policy change that two authoritarian states created for social equality and its efficacy
The choice of having an educational social policy change can be justified in a historical context if we consider that education for women was limited. in North Korea, Kim Il-sung worked to implement more schools, promoting female equality. however, males were taught more about physical education while women learned more about homemaking abilities. while this did work, it only emphasized the favoritism of having male heirs, especially if they were the first born. but in Cuba, Fidel Castro implemented free universal education. literacy level rose a lot and the population had access to education up to and potentially including university level
to what extent did WWII escalate the fight for nationalism in two 20th C wars?
WWII caused a lot of independence movements for native states under governance from external states. for both the First Indochina War as well as the Algerian war, the conclusion of WWII was a short-term catalyst for nationalist movements to fight towards independence.
analyze the territorial changes caused by two 20th C wars
Algeria was no longer under French control, it became an independent country. there were still internal conflicts between Algerians and French supporters but the territory of the country remained the same. Ho was fighting for a united Vietnam. instead, the country was divided at the 17th parallel, leaving the North and South apart again.
compare and contrast persuasion and the role of leaders as methods to establish authoritarian states. describe one state in particular.
There are more similarities than differences in the methods of persuasion and a leading figure in the establishment of an authoritarian state. Kim Il-sung used his role as a leader to persuade people into trusting his establishment of an authoritarian state. Persuasion can come in many forms: verbal, written propaganda, and force, among others. however, it is only possible to persuade people towards a cause if there is a leader that can be trusted. therefore, there are not any contrasts between the role of a leader and persuasion since one depends on the other.
describe cultural and religious factors in the maintenance of two authoritarian figures
when Korea was under Japanese rule, people were to pay respect to Shinto shrines, which belong to the Japanese culture. when Kim Il-sung came to power, there was no longer a religion. in fact, because there is no data indicating otherwise, North Korea is regarded as atheist. furthermore, Kim Il-sung
discuss the foreign impact that two authoritarian states had as a result of their policies.
After the Juche ideology gained international interest, the Black Panther Party took notice of Kim Il-sung’s nationalism and promotion of self-reliance. this impacted the United States government’s fear of both the communist influence of North Korea and the social reform of the BPP. also, the policy of suppression of news and information impacted foreign nations’ insight into what was happening in North Korea. Castro made policies centered around the USSR’s economy. this impacted the US as they had fear for the spread of communism into the country from not only Kim but Castro too. Cuba became susceptible to a US invasion, and Americans became anti-Castro as they were anti-communist.
discuss the most frequent causes of 20th-century wars with relevance to internal and external conflicts in two regions.
internally, the most frequent cause of war was social and economic disparity caused by the external conflict of colonization. the Algerian civil war arose as a result of inequality between the generations of French colonists and the native Algerians, who were typically Arab people. as for the Vietnam war, nationalists desperately fought for independence as a result of the French colonization and civil unrest.
discuss how theatres of war can determine the outcome of two 20th C wars.
Algerian forces had a lack of weapons and a lack of funds. Tunisia and Morocco would have aided more if not for the Morice Line. but the French forces had helicopter transport to help soldiers ride into battle. the French used their air methods for search and destroy practices. FLN resorted to violent measures against French infrastructure. during the Vietnam war, the socialist group of the Viet Minh wanted to use rivers to their advantage but that did not work out due to their sluggishness of it.