Last week, we examined what was necessary for an ultranationalist leader to take power. For ultranationalism to occur, there needs to be pre-existing stereotypes to lead to discrimination of a particular group. The thing to remember is that there are multiple understandings of nation - for discrimination and prejudice to occur, it doesn't necessarily have to be targeting another country, but some understanding of a nation, which can include ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, language and so on.
- Some kind of crisis, usually economic or a safety risk, usually occurs that leaves the citizens in a desperate state - they are looking for any kind of solution to the crisis they are in.
- There needs to be a fanatical, charismatic leader who can convince the people that they hold the solution to their problems. This leader often bases their solutions on the pre-existing stereotypes of the nation.
- Ultranationalist, or superiority, views need to be common place within the society. This is what draws the people to the fanatical leader and gets them to follow him.
This week, we are going to look at how those stereotypes can change into legal discrimination, and eventually crimes against humanity. Crimes against humanity include the inhumane treatment of people, in a variety of different ways. Following World War II, there seemed to be the need to classify what these are. For this class, we will be looking at segregation, displacement, discrimination and genocides. Crimes against humanity have long term consequences, but it is hard to hold those involved responsible. (Read the quick article below)
What's going on this week...
Monday:
- Finish going through the case studies from Thursday; this should only take about half an hour
- Notes: Discrimination in Nazi Germany in the 1930s
- Comparison: Nazi Germany to 1880s Canada - Residential schools, Indian Act, Chinese Head Tax
Tuesday:
- Vocabulary: Crimes against humanity and Genocide
- 8 Stages to Reaching a Genocide
- The Holocaust - notes, experiences of people
- Case Studies
Wednesday :
- Complete going through the case studies of the three different genocides
- Second half of class: Work on projects
Thursday:
- Rants by: Corbin, Neela and Mackayla
- How do other countries react to ultranationalism?
- Appeasement
- War
- Peacekeeping
- Righteous People - Who stands up to ultranationalism?
Friday:
- Writing Assignment - to be completed in the computer lab WITHIN CLASS TIME. The assignments will be handed out to you on Tuesday, and you can do as much prepping and planning as you want but you will need a full copy by the end of the block. If you are absent, it needs to be emailed to me by Friday at midnight.
