Unit 1,

Absolutism, Lesson 1, The Sun King. A French philosopher named Jean

Baudin claimed that God appointed kings and queens to their position. He also
claimed that they had a divine right, a power given by God. This was absolute
power. and it meant nobody could tell kings or queens what to do. In the 1600s,
some European monarchs embraced this idea and accepted their new role as
absolute rulers. The period of absolutism began in Europe. During the period of
absolutism, European governments became well organized. European armies
became larger than ever before. Furthermore, the states of Europe made colonies
all over the world. The rulers of European states were stronger than ever before.
No king represented absolutism more than Louis XIV of France. He came to the
throne in 1643 when he was only five years old, and he ruled the country until
1715. Louis XIV was known as the Sun King because he resembled a perfect king.
He was tall and he always dressed in magnificent clothing. Louis himself truly
believed that all French people had to obey him. Although Louis looked and spoke
like a perfect king, he had many flaws. Louis was suspicious of the noblemen in
his country. He did not trust them, so he kept them all at his palace in Versailles,
where he could watch them. These noble courtiers did very little in the palace.
except Flatter the King. Louis spent enormous amounts of money to support his
lifestyle. At the same time, the ordinary people of France suffered from hunger and
high tax. During the reign of the Sun King, French explorers made maps of North
America. In the 1680s, enormous French colonies were established there. They
were called New France, and Louisiana. However, back in Europe, France started
to lose its wealth and power because of constant wars. Louis fought against the
Habsburgs, Dutch, and English, mostly because he wanted glory and fame.
However, the wars resulted in very few changes. From 1701 to 1714, Louis fought
his final war. the war of Spanish succession. It was very expensive to pay for
armies and fortresses, so France became bankrupt. At the end of his life, Louis
realized he had made a mistake by chasing glory. He told his great-grandson, the
future king of France, that he loved war too much. In the 1700s, many people said
openly, that European monarchs abused their power. On the other side of the
Atlantic Ocean, the British colonies of North America decided that they no longer
wanted to be ruled by a king. They fought a long war to free themselves from
British rule.

Lavish Life of a Monarch Louis XIV must be the king who lived the most
lavish life of all time. My teacher showed the class a picture of the Palace of
Versailles. It was a huge magnificent building that Louis XIV built. It was so big
that it took almost 50 years to finish. In the palace, artists painted pictures which
always flattered the king. They would always paint him as a Greek god or
conquering hero. The famous French playwright, Molière, was a visitor at
Versailles. He wrote plays about what a fair and skillful ruler Louis XIV was.
Everyone said, that he was the perfect king. There was a huge price to pay for the
king's lavish lifestyle. During the reign of Louis XIV, the common people of
France suffered from hunger, high tax, and wars. However, the king did not seem
to be interested in their problems. Every year, He demanded more money to finish
constructing his palace and win his wars. My teacher told us that people were not
allowed to question monarchs in those days. Common people were told that kings
and queens received their power from God. I think it is a really unfair idea. But for
100 years, this idea was accepted by a lot of people. It was during Louis XIV's
time that the power of the monarch was boundless. By the time he died, France
was bankrupt and a huge number of French people had died from hunger. My
teacher told us that these problems later led to a big revolution in France.

Unit 2, The American Revolution Lesson 1, The Declaration of

Independence Great Britain's territory in North America became the most
important part of the British Empire in the 1700s. What started with a small group
of pilgrim settlers grew into 13 wealthy colonies. About 3 million colonists were
living there. The people of the thirteen colonies spoke English and were ruled by
King George III of Great Britain and his parliament. A parliament is a group of
politicians who make laws for their country. Over time, the colonists started to
resist the king and parliament. In the 1770s, the British parliament demanded new
taxes, which angered the colonies. In Boston, colonists protested by damaging
British ships and throwing British tea into the ocean. This was known as the
Boston Tea Party. The King worried that the colonists wanted independence.
British soldiers were sent to the colonies to suppress a possible rebellion. However,
the colonists prepared for war by training armies of citizens. Soon, fighting started
between the British and American soldiers. In 1776, a number of American
politicians and wealthy landowners met together and wrote the Declaration of
Independence. This document was sent to King George III. It said that the
Americans were fighting for their freedom and rights. They did not want to be
ruled by the King of Great Britain. George Washington became the general of the
American Army. During the War of Independence, his army was defeated many
times by the experienced British Army. American cities like Boston and New York
were captured by the British. Some Americans started to think that they would lose
the war. Fortunately for the Americans, Britain had many enemies. The French
allied with the American rebels and sent their strong navy to help. In 1781, the
Americans and the French trapped their enemy at a place called Yorktown. It was a
decisive victory. The British army surrendered. In 1783, the British knew they had
lost and signed the Treaty of Paris. The United States of America was declared
independent. George Washington became a hero to the Americans. They asked him
to become the president of their new nation, and he accepted. The United States
became a democracy in which the Americans were free to elect their leaders. Back
in France, people were inspired by the American Revolution. They started a
revolution against their absolute monarch, Louis XVI.

Unit 2 The American Revolution Lesson 2 A long road to freedom My

teacher said that North America became known as the land of opportunity for new
settlers. For the British Empire, it was a new source of enormous wealth. However,
Britain had a rival in North America. It was France. In 1763, there was a war
between the British and French armies for control of North America. The British
won the war, but it was a very expensive victory. In order to get the money back,
the British Parliament demanded high taxes from the colonies. The colonists
protested against the British Empire. They said, The new tax was illegal and unfair.
Some of them even wanted to be independent from the empire. In 1775, the leaders
of the 13 colonies agreed to train soldiers. The Americans were preparing for a
coming battle with the British. In 1776, the leaders of the colonists wrote the
Declaration of Independence, which stated that they were now free of British rule.
They called their nation the United States of America because the colonies united
to be one country. The British thought that it was only a few mobs that were
protesting, so they only sent a small army. However, the resistance got stronger.
and more soldiers were sent. After the colonists won the war, George Washington
became the first president of the United States of America. It's amazing how a
simple disagreement led to the birth of a country. Imagine what the world would be
like today if the British had treated the colonists fairly.

Unit 3 Revolution in Europe Lesson 1 The French Revolution France played

an important role in the American Revolution. The French army helped the
Americans win their independence from the British. However, it caused problems
in France. Helping the Americans cost the French a lot of money and they ended
up with enormous debt. In order to pay the debt, the king Louis XVI, raised taxes.
In France, common people were so poor that they could not even afford to buy
bread and milk. Many French citizens said that their country needed to change.
They were angry at their king and queen, who lived in luxury, while most people
had nothing to eat. In 1789, French citizens refused to pay any more taxes. To
solve this problem, Louis XVI called for a meeting in Versailles. He summoned
representatives of the nobles, the clergy of the Catholic Church, and the common
people. However, the king only wanted nobles and leaders of the church to make
decisions. He locked out the representatives of common people when it was time to
vote. The common people were very angry and created a new group to govern the
country called the National Assembly. A new constitution was made by the
National Assembly. A constitution is a set of laws. It protected the rights of French
citizens from the king. When Louis refused the new constitution, people began
rioting. Mobs attacked the Bastille. a royal prison in Paris. Peasants broke into the
houses of nobles and killed many of them. An angry mob surrounded the king's
palace. Louis XVI finally gave in and agreed to share his power. The French
people had brought an end to absolutism in France. They were filled with passion
about the future of their country. Liberty, equality, and fraternity. for all people
became the ideals of the French Revolution. fearing revolutions in their own
countries. The monarchs of Britain, Austria, and many other countries invaded
France in 1792. That same year, Louis was arrested because he requested help from
those monarchs to stop the revolution in France. Later, he was executed in front of
a huge crowd by a machine called the guillotine. Then his head was held up for the
cheering people to see. The hated queen, Marie Antoinette, died the same way.
After Louis' death, there were more problems in France. The National Assembly
was divided into three factions, and they disagreed on everything. As the factions
fought, many more people went to the guillotine. It seemed like the French no
longer had any government at all. Finally, this chaos ended when a general named
Napoleon took power.

Unit 3 Revolution in Europe Lesson 2 Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity In

class today, our teacher told us that there were many reasons why the French
Revolution happened. One reason was that the French government had spent
enormous amounts of money to help the Americans fight the British. The
Americans won their independence, but France was left with a huge debt. Another
reason was the feudal system in France. It divided people into three classes called
estates. The first estate was the clergy of the Catholic Church, and the second
estate was the nobles. The third estate was the common French citizens. they made
up 98 % of the population. The problem was that they had to pay the majority of
the taxes while struggling to pay for food. Even though the common people
suffered greatly, they were not helped. Finally, in 1789, they got together and
formed the National Assembly. Now, they could express their opinions about the
government. Of course, King Louis XVI opposed the National Assembly.
However, before the king could suppress it, the citizens of Paris started to riot.
They attacked a royal prison called the Bastille. This was the start of the French
Revolution. The citizens armed themselves with guns they found in the Bastille.
They also used the Bastille as a fortress. The citizens of France could no longer be
controlled. Louis XVI asked for help from other European monarchs to stop the
crisis. The French people saw this request as the act of a traitor. He was arrested
and executed in the center of Paris, not far from the royal palace. It was the end of
a long line of monarchs in France. I think the French Revolution showed other
European monarchs what common people can do when they are united.

Unit 4, The Napoleonic Wars Lesson 1, Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon

Bonaparte was born in 1769 on the small island of Corsica, close to Italy. He was a
teenage military officer in Paris when the French Revolution began. The young
man's leadership helped France during the time of chaos. He suppressed many
rebellions. and fought against the enemies of France. In Italy, he commanded a
small army that defeated the more powerful Austrians. This made him a national
hero. In 1799, he returned to Paris and took over the government by force. In
1804, Napoleon was crowned Emperor of France by the Pope. Napoleon was a
skillful ruler with many ideals. He made a number of reforms in France. He
introduced new schools for children. He also got rid of the old French feudal laws
and created a new set of laws called the Napoleonic Code. Many of these laws are
still used today in France and other countries. Napoleon had made many enemies.
They included the powerful monarchs of Great Britain, Austria, Russia, and
Prussia. Prussia was a state that later became modern Germany. These monarchs
did not accept Napoleon as a leader because he was not from a royal family. They
made an alliance to overthrow Napoleon and put France's old royal family back on
the throne. However, they suffered crushing defeats. In the Battle of Austerlitz in
1805, Napoleon defeated Austria and Russia with his Grand Armée. It was
Napoleon's greatest victory. Such battles showed that Napoleon had much more
skill at commanding armies than his opponents. His enemies began to think he was
invincible. Slowly, Napoleon conquered most of Europe. By 1811, his empire
included nearly all of Europe except for the Balkans. Napoleon's downfall started
in 1812 when he tried to conquer Russia. He captured Moscow, but strong enemies
and the cold Russian winter forced the Grand Armée to retreat. Upon retreating, his
enemies allied again. and invaded France. Napoleon fought his final battle in 1815
against the British and Prussians at Waterloo, Belgium. He was defeated and exiled
to the tiny island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. He died a few years
later. All the countries of Europe were exhausted from years of war. The
representatives of the major countries of Europe met in Vienna, Austria. they
established a balance of power to stop one country being stronger than another.
Instead of fighting each other, European states made colonies on other continents.
This made Europe peaceful and prosperous for much of the 1800s. Across the
Atlantic Ocean, the United States was also becoming very prosperous. However,
people there were divided. and arguing about the problem of slavery.

Unit 4 The Napoleonic Wars Lesson 2 The Little Corporal Napoleon won
many victories against enemies with much larger forces. His soldiers called him
the Little Corporal because he was not very tall and he had once been a low-rank
commander. He was a man who did not believe in impossibilities. Today in class,
my teacher told us a story about Napoleon crossing the Alps like Hannibal. He
asked his soldiers if it would be possible to cross the mountains into Italy in order
to defeat the Austrians. One officer said that it would be almost impossible to
cross them. Regardless, Napoleon led his army across the Alps and defeated the
enemy. My teacher told us that Napoleon is compared to Alexander the Great.
They were both such great commanders on the battlefield. Like Alexander,
Napoleon was a very confident person and he believed in himself. During battles,
he made decisions that his enemies never expected. Furthermore, His army was
very swift to follow his commands. Even when he fought the most powerful
countries in Europe, he never thought he could lose. He would calculate everything
that could happen in a battle, and he always outsmarted other generals. For a long
time, his opponents thought that he was invincible. However, Napoleon's downfall
came when he tried to conquer Russia. The cold weather and Russians killed most
of Napoleon's soldiers. Soon after retreating from Russia, his enemies united and
attacked him. Napoleon had his last defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. In the end, the
man who had once been surrounded by thousands of loyal soldiers and died almost
alone on a tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Unit 5 American Civil War Lesson 1 North and South In the mid-1800s, the
United States of America was a divided country. In the northern states, there were
many big cities. Thousands of immigrants arrived from Europe to work in the
factories. The economy was growing. By contrast, in the southern states, Most
people lived in the countryside. There was a much lower population and fewer
immigrants. The most important product of the South was cotton. Millions of
Africans were brought as slaves to the cotton farms. They were treated very
harshly. The people in the North disapproved of slavery and wanted to stop it.
However, the farmers in the South said they did not have any other workers to pick
cotton. They said that the South would be poor without slaves. This dispute
between the North and South became a very serious problem. In 1860, a new
president named Abraham Lincoln was elected. He had the nickname of Honest
Abe because he always kept his promises. He said that slavery was not ethical. and
should be stopped. People who owned slaves in the South were worried that the
President would end slavery. So they declared their independence from the North.
They called their new country the Confederate States of America. Lincoln was
determined to keep the United States together as one country. So he was willing to
conquer the South. In 1861, fighting started between the United States and the
Confederate states. The North was not only wealthier and more populous, but its
army had better equipment. However, the Confederate army was led by a brilliant
general named Robert E. Lee. He won some battles against the North in the early
years of the war. When Lincoln heard of the North's defeats, he knew it was going
to be a long war. In 1863, Lincoln made a new law to give the slaves in the South
their freedom. This law was called the Emancipation Proclamation. That same
year, Lincoln's forces won a major victory at the Battle of Gettysburg. After a few
more years of terrible fighting, Lee and his army surrendered in 1865. The war
destroyed the South, and over a million people were casualties of war. However,
the slaves were freed after centuries of slavery. Sadly, Lincoln did not have much
time to enjoy his victory. He was assassinated by a supporter of the South only five
days after the war ended. Lincoln had kept the United States together. Following
his death, the country expanded across the continent. Americans started migrating
west. There, a new conflict began with the people whom the Americans called
Indians.

Unit 5. American Civil War. Lesson 2. A Slave's Story. In class today, we

watched a TV show about a former slave named Frederick Douglass. He grew up
on a farm in the southern United States before the American Civil War started.
Frederick said that on his farm, slaves wore the same clothes every day for a whole
year. And they only had one blanket that they used as a bed. Sometimes they were
beaten by their master too. It was clear to see that slavery was not ethical at all.
The slave masters disapproved of slaves who learned how to read and write. They
did not want their slaves to be well educated and get different ideas. Frederick
Douglass, however, learned how to read. The wife of his master taught him to read
when he was a child. Frederick read many books and learned a lot about the world.
He even realized that there were a lot of people in the United States who opposed
slavery. When Frederick was older, he decided to escape to the north. It was very
dangerous for slaves to run away from their masters. They got punished badly if
they were found and caught. Frederick overcame his fear and ran away from his
master's house. He settled in New York and got married. Later, he wrote books and
started an anti-slavery newspaper. his writings were very popular. Many Americans
were surprised that a man who was a slave could write so well. I think that at the
time, Frederick Douglass showed that it was wrong to treat slaves badly, and they
deserved a better life.

Unit 6, Native Americans, Lesson 1, The Plains Indians. As more more

settlers arrived on the east coast of North America, there was a high demand for
land. By the 1790s, most of the land to the east of the Mississippi River belonged
to the United States. The land to the west of the Mississippi River belonged to the
Native Americans. Before the American Civil War, pioneers explored the West, but
the land was mostly plains with dry soil. It was not suitable for farming. Tribes of
Native Americans lived in the West. They were called Plains Indians, and they
were nomads. They followed huge herds of buffalo across the plains on horses,
which were brought by the Spanish in the 1600s. They traded with Americans for
guns, which they used for hunting. They had a simple life, and their buffalo
provided almost all their food, clothing, and supplies. Life for the Plains Indians
changed after the American Civil War. American veteran soldiers took land from
them, and hunters killed enormous herds of buffalo. In 1869, a railroad was built
across the North American continent. More settlers headed to the west and started
making ranches. Others mined for gold. The Indians were unhappy about what was
happening to their hunting grounds. The United States government tried to solve
the problem by separating the Indians from the settlers. The Indians were forced to
live on small pieces of land called reservations. Many of them agreed to do this in
return for food. Yet, some Indians refused to go. Sitting Bull, the chief of the Sioux
tribe, was one of them. In 1876, the United States Army went to war with the
Sioux because they refused to leave their hunting grounds. The Americans were led
by George Custer, an army officer who had become famous during the Civil War.
Surprisingly, the Sioux surrounded George Custer and his men at a place called
Little Bighorn. They annihilated the American force. Americans were shocked that
Custer's modern force was defeated by tribes of Indians. Many more soldiers were
sent to the West. Little Bighorn was the last victory for the Indians over the
American army. By 1890, resistance stopped and the West was controlled by white
settlers. The United States acquired a lot of natural resources by conquering the
West. These resources were used to manufacture goods for trade with other
countries. The countries of Europe also needed natural resources for their factories
and industry. They believed the best way to get these resources was to colonize
countries in Asia and Africa. One of the first countries to be colonized was India.

Unit 6 Native Americans Lesson 2 A Lost Way of Life In class today, we

learned how the United States expanded. In the early 1800s, the American
population was growing very fast. Some Americans wanted to explore the West
and make new homes. Gradually, they acquired western territory. The American
people who traveled west were called the pioneers, and they are remembered as
brave and adventurous people. However, the Native Americans suffered from the
arrival of white settlers. Their old traditions and way of life were changed forever
by the newcomers. The natives were not really from India. In 1492, Christopher
Columbus thought the land he discovered was India, so he called the native people
Indians. They were actually people who had lived in America for thousands of
years. They were known for living in harmony with nature. When the settlers came
to the plains, They built huge farms and killed more animals than they needed. For
the Indians, the idea of owning land was strange. The natives wanted to coexist
peacefully with the settlers. But conflicts happened because the two groups had
very different ways of life. I remember my father watching old movies about
American cowboys defending their homes from Indians. My teacher told us that, in
reality, it was often the Indians who were attacked by the American army.
Eventually, natives were separated from the white settlers. They were sent to
reservations and they were not allowed to live anywhere else. These reservations
still exist today throughout North America. They are a reminder of a sad time in
history when a way of life disappeared.

Unit 7, British India, Lesson 1, The Jewel and the British Crown. In the
1600s, the powerful Mughal Empire controlled India. Emperors lived a wealthy
life in Delhi, the capital city. They collected high taxes from their people and
traded with Europeans who bought spices and cotton from India. The Mughals
were Muslim. but the people of their empire were mostly Hindu. Mughal rulers
were tolerant of different religions, so people coexisted in peace. Different cultures
and traditions blended together. However, in the 1700s, India quickly broke into
many small states. This was because a Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb, decided to
stop tolerating Hindus. Hindus rebelled all across India. As the Mughal Empire
declined, European corporations established small colonies on the coast of India to
gain control of trade. India's products were very popular in Europe, so the
European nations all competed to control the trade of cotton, tea, spices, and silk.
By the middle of the 1700s, The British East India Company defeated its
European rivals. The company had its own army with which it colonized most of
India. It trained a large force of Indian soldiers or sepoys to protect the colony. By
controlling trade, the company became extremely wealthy. The British even called
India the jewel in the crown. Because of all the colonies they had, India was the
most valuable with its rich resources. Unfortunately, there was growing resistance
toward British rule because the Indians weren't traded fairly. In 1857, unrest started
among some Indian soldiers because the Sapoys believed their equipment was
oiled with pig and cow fat. The Indians were furious because Hindus view cows as
sacred. Muslims are forbidden to touch pork. As the news spread, the Sepoy started
a rebellion. They killed their British officers and captured the city of Delhi. They
even tried to restore the Mughal Empire. The British were besieged in cities they
had once controlled. The Indian mutiny ended when British forces retook Delhi in
1858. They were very cruel to the rebels. and executed many of them with
cannons. They also reduced the amount of control that Indians had in the army and
government. After the war, the British Parliament took control of India. It was a
very valuable territory and Britain did not want to lose it. British merchants took
the resources of India to manufacture goods in England. These goods were then
sold back to Indians. at a high price. This unfair trade was the result of what was
happening in Europe during the 1800s called the Industrial Revolution.

Unit 7, British India. Lesson 2, Englishmen in India. In class today, we

talked about the time when India was a British colony. It surprised me to look on a
map and see that India is much bigger than Great Britain. My teacher explained
that it was not easy for Britain to colonize it. There were hundreds of languages
and there were hundreds of millions of people in the country. Also, the Muslim and
Hindu groups were often in conflict with each other. My teacher told us that the
British made a lot of changes to the country. Some of those changes were good and
some were bad. The British introduced modern hygiene and hospitals. They made
new laws to create a fairer, democratic society. British police reduced crime in the
countryside. Maybe most importantly, the British built railways all across the
country. However, the British used the same railways to take resources from India.
On top of that, the British manufactured expensive goods and sold them to the
Indians. This made India depend on Britain for basic products like clothing.
millions of people died from famine during British rule. Indian culture was
permanently influenced by the British. Indians today play cricket, a popular
English sport. Also, English is still one of the official languages of India. The
English people who lived in India were forever changed too. Rudyard Kipling, an
English writer who was born in India, wrote many famous stories about India, such
as the Jungle Book. He said, ever came back.

Unit 8, The Age of Imperialism Lesson 1, Colonization of Africa Humans

were interested in the power of steam since ancient times. Many scientists searched
for ways to use its power. In 1769, a Scottish inventor named James Watt made the
first successful steam engine by improving old designs. Steam engines are
machines used to move machinery by heating water. Many factories used Watts
technology to make goods. Furthermore, new inventions like steam ships and
steam trains were produced. The century following James Watts' is known as the
Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution changed British technology very
quickly in the early 1800s. During this time, goods were manufactured in a much
faster and efficient way. This meant that more products could be made than ever
before. Millions of people relocated from the countryside to the cities to work in
the factories. The Industrial Revolution which started in Britain, quickly spread to
Europe and the United States. The evolution of industry made Europe very
wealthy. Mass production meant that more goods were manufactured than
Europeans needed. So they searched for new trading partners. Furthermore, mass
production of goods required more natural resources and they were found in
Africa. England and France began to make colonies on the continent and also
established trading posts there. Other European nations like Belgium and Germany
scrambled to make colonies. By 1884, almost all of Africa was colonized by the
Europeans. The Europeans were often brutal in their conquest of Africa. In the
Congo Free State, the local people were forced to work as slaves, wearing chains
around their necks. Half of the population of the country died within about 30
years. Many Africans resisted and fought the invaders. In 1879, the Zulu nation of
South Africa fought against the British. The Zulus were brave warriors, but their
simple spears were no match for modern British machine guns. Although many
African countries were colonized in the 1800s, only one successfully defended its
independence. The Ethiopians defeated Italian invaders at a place called Odoa in
1896. European countries competed. not only for natural resources, but also for
military power. Britain and France were worried about the new country of
Germany, which had been formed from Prussia in 1871. In the early 1900s, the
British and the Germans competed by building battleships, and they almost went to
war. In 1904, Britain and France made an alliance against Germany. in case war
did begin. In the search for more trading partners, European traders traveled to
Asia as far as China and Japan. Japan opened up to Western traders and began to
develop into a modern industrial country.

Unit 8, The Age of Imperialism Lesson 2, Imperialism Today, I found out

that the Industrial Revolution swiftly changed the lifestyles of people in Europe.
Factories were built in most cities and they started the mass production of goods.
My teacher told us that to make goods in the factories, Europeans needed raw
materials like wood and metal. They also needed groups of people who would buy
their products. This was one reason Europeans started to fiercely colonize many
other countries in the 1800s. The years from 1870 to 1914 are known as the Age of
Imperialism. My teacher explained that imperialism means one country
controlling another. During this time, European nations competed against each
other to make their empires the biggest and strongest in the world. They avoided
fighting with each other. Instead, European leaders met and agreed on how to
divide up the world. They wanted political and economic control of the world only
for themselves. This greedy desire led to the scramble for Africa at the end of the
1800s. My teacher explained that many Europeans were very proud of their
countries during the age of imperialism. After all, European countries were
becoming stronger and wealthier every year. while other countries struggled just
to stay independent. These feelings of pride may have made Europeans feel
superior to other people. They brutally colonized many countries and did not feel
guilty about it. I think they thought that they were helping other nations to become
civilized. They did not realize that it was an awful time for people who were not
European.

Unit 9, Imperial Japan Lesson 1, Land of the Rising Sun During the Edo
period, Japan isolated itself and refused to trade with other countries. However,
that changed in 1853 when American warships arrived near Osaka. The American
commander, Matthew Perry, presented a treaty to the Shogun which demanded that
American diplomats have the right to live in Japan. It also demanded that Japan
trade with America. Perry then left and expected the treaty to be signed when he
returned a year later. Japan's government felt threatened because of the powerful
ships of the American Navy. They were known as the Black Ships because of their
color. Some daimyo argued, that Japan had no choice but to agree to the treaty that
the Americans offered. In 1854, the treaty was signed after Perry returned. Japan
opened two cities to American traders. They were the cities of Shimoda and
Hakodate. Most Japanese thought that the treaty was unfair, and they saw that
Japan was vulnerable to becoming a colony. Japanese people held the shogun
responsible, which made him very unpopular. In 1868, a group of Japanese leaders
forced the last shogun to resign. They chose the Emperor Meiji to be the new
leader of Japan. The emperor and his advisors were determined to modernize
Japan. They believed that Japan had to embrace Western technology in order to
gain respect and be treated fairly by Europeans and Americans. In the next few
years, the Meiji government completely reformed Japan's society and economy.
They built modern factories, steamships, and railroads. They eliminated the
privileged samurai class and instead made a modern professional army. In 1877, a
small group of samurai rebelled against the changes but they were defeated quickly
by the new Japanese army. The leader of the samurai, Saigo Takemori, took his
own life on the battlefield. Japan had quickly transformed from a feudal state to a
modern industrialized state. The Japanese began to feel superior to other nations in
Asia, and many Japanese believed their state had earned the right to make an
empire. This led to conflict with the Russians who were also trying to colonize
East Asia. In 1904, Japan attacked Russia and won a decisive victory. This
surprised many observers in Europe. Japan saw itself as the new leader of Asia. In
1910, Korea was colonized by Japan. The Japanese then started taking over parts
of China. in building railroads in Manchuria. The people of China realized that
their country might soon become a colony of imperial nations like Japan. They
knew that it was time to reform their country.

Unit 9, Imperial Japan. Lesson 2, The Modernization of Japan. Today in

class, we learned about the modernization of Japan. My teacher told us that long
ago, Japan was ruled by warlords called Taimyo. He also said that since the 600s,
It was influenced by the culture of China and Korea. However, in the 1870s, Japan
was completely transformed. This change is known as the Meiji Restoration. My
teacher told us it was one of the most important events in the history of Japan. The
Meiji Restoration was the start of a period of Japanese power. In 1860, a Japanese
writer, Fukuzawa Yukichi, wrote that the Japanese should travel to the West and
learn everything they could. In 1871, the government sent out more than a hundred
people on a long visit to Western countries. These people were government
officials, scholars, and students. Their mission was to observe the industry and
society of countries like England, France, and Germany. My teacher asked us to
imagine how shocked these Japanese visitors must have been. I think that they
must have been astounded to see the factories and cities of the West. When the
representatives went back to Japan, The members of the group told the government
to adopt Western ways. They even said that the Japanese should eliminate some of
their traditional values. This helped Japan to modernize. However, the Japanese
kept their emperor as the symbol of their special place in the world. Within the
next 50 years, Japan reformed its politics economy and military. After the Meiji
Restoration, Japan focused on colonizing its nearby neighbors. Other nations
began to recognize Japan as an important and powerful country.

Unit 10 The Beginnings of Modern China Lesson 1 The End of the Chinese
Empire In the 19th century, China was ruled by the Qing dynasty. It was founded
by the Manchus in 1644 when they overthrew the Ming dynasty. They were
fiercely resisted by the native people because they were not Han Chinese.
Gradually, They adopted the beliefs and traditions of the Chinese to control the
empire. Although the Manchus were tolerant of Chinese culture, they were
unpopular because they demanded people follow some of their traditions. Men
were forced to shave their heads, leaving only a single braid in the back. The
Manchus were a small minority in their new empire. but they treated the Chinese
as an inferior group of people. In order to keep their control, the Manchus occupied
important government roles. However, they also needed Chinese administrators to
manage their huge empire. In the 1700s, the Qing Empire had conquered Tibet and
Mongolia. China was the largest it had ever been. By 1800, China was the most
populous country in the world with over 300 million people. It was very attractive
to British traders who wanted to establish markets in East Asia. However, the
Chinese were not interested in British goods. Gradually, British traders started
selling a drug called opium to the Chinese. The drug was addictive, so the Chinese
continuously bought large amounts of Opium was harming Chinese society. When
the Chinese banned the sale of opium, British forces attacked China. The Opium
War was a great humiliation for China. Britain took over the island of Hong Kong,
and China was forced to open its country to more traders. These events made
ordinary Chinese people very unhappy with the Manchu government. In 1851, the
taping rebellion started in southern China. The rebels were finally defeated in
1864. By that time, between 20 and 30 million people had died. China was in
ruins. In 1894, the Qing Dynasty and Meiji Japan fought the first Sino-Japanese
war over the control of Korea. Japan, a modernized country, easily defeated China.
China had to give up land and pay lots of money to Japan as a result. After the
defeat, many Chinese wanted to modernize China. The Chinese believed the
Manchu government was responsible for China's downfall. Officials were corrupt.
and inefficient. The emperor lived in an enormous palace called the Forbidden City
and was surrounded by slaves and courtiers. The government did not actually know
what was happening in its own country. With this type of government, it was
impossible for big reforms. In 1912, the child emperor, Puyi, was overthrown by
his own people. It was the end of 2,000 years of rule by emperors. China started on
the long road to modernization.

Unit 10, The Beginnings of Modern China Lesson 2, A Hundred Days of

Reform Today in class, my teacher said that the Qing Empire suffered many
humiliations in the 19th century. After Japan won the first Sino-Japanese War,
European imperial nations scrambled for territory in China. China was going to be
colonized unless it reformed quickly. However, reform was difficult for China. The
Manchu rulers were very conservative. The government officials were scholars
who had spent most of their lives studying the writings of Confucius. They did not
want to change China's education system or give up their powerful positions. One
Chinese scholar named Kang Yue wrote a book called Confucius as a reformer. He
claimed that Confucius was not conservative. Rather, Confucius wanted to reform
society. Most officials disapproved of Kang Yue's ideas. However, the emperor at
that time liked Kang's ideas of reform. In 1898, he made Kang Yue the main
administrator in China's government. For a hundred days, Kang tried to reform
China's industry, education system, and government. He hoped that China could
quickly modernize like Japan. The emperor was controlled by a powerful woman
called the Empress Dowager, Su Shi. She and her officials were xenophobic, and
they hated to see foreign ideas influence China. She stopped the reforms and
forced the emperor to resign. Her soldiers tried to arrest Kang Yue, but he escaped
to Japan. Then, the Dowager Empress tried to expel. all the foreigners from China.
In a war called the Boxer Rebellion, the Western nations and Japan defeated the
Manchus and captured Beijing. Foreign soldiers even occupied the Forbidden City.
After that defeat, everyone saw that China needed reforms. The last Qing
Emperor's reign ended quietly in 1912.