Ivan the Terrible

Ivan the Terrible

MLA Documentation

"Ivan IV biography." bio. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.

Link

Ivan the Terrible

Summary

This site has useful information about Ivan IV. It tells about his personality and how he had outbreaks of rage. There isn’t much about his earl life, however. Though it does tell about his parents and that they died when he was young, leaving him in the hands of the nobility who neglected him. There is also useful information about how his he established the Russian territory and government during his reign.

Main Evidence

Evidence indicates Ivan was a sensitive, intelligent boy, neglected and occasionally scorned by members of the nobility who looked after him after his parents’ death. The environment nurtured his hatred for the boyar class, whom he suspected of being involved in his mother’s death.

Upon the death of his first wife in 1560, Ivan IV went into a deep depression. His suspicion that she had been murdered by the boyars only deepened his paranoia. He left Moscow suddenly and threatened to abdicate the throne. Leaderless, the Muscovites pleaded for his return. He agreed, on the condition that he be granted absolute power of the region surrounding Moscow, known as the oprichnina. He also demanded the authority to punish traitors and law breakers with execution and confiscation of property.

Ivan IV would conduct terror and destroy the boyar families for the next 24 years. He beat his pregnant daughter-in-law and caused her to have a miscarriage. His son found out that he was responsible for her death so they got in an argument and it ended with Ivan killing his own son.

In 1584, with his health failing, Ivan IV became obsessed with death, calling upon witches and soothsayers to sustain him, but to no avail.

He died on March 18, 1584 of a stroke.

Fallacies

None

Source Quality

This was a good source because it had the information I needed about Ivan and what he created and that he punished people. I would have liked to find out more about what he did to gain followers and what some of his reasons were for punishing all those people. I would suggest this site to other people because it was helpful and well organized.

Questions about Hitler

 

 

Questions about Hitler

 

Q: When and where was Hitler born?

A: He was born April 20, 1889 in Braunau am Inn, Austria.

Source: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/Adolf-hitler.htm

"Adolf Hitler." History Learning Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.

Analysis: N/A

Q: Who were his parents?

A: His parents were Alois Hitler and Klara Pölzl.

Source: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERhitler.htm

"Adolf Hitler: 1889-1924." Spartacus Educational. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.

Analysis: N/A

Q: Did he have mental problems?

A: It has been concluded that even though Hitler had some psychiatric problems, such as paranoia, he did not truly have any illnesses.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/17/science/insane-or-just-evil-a-psychiatrist-takes-a-new-look-at-hitler.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

Goode, Erica. "Insane or Just Evil? A Psychiatrist Takes a New Look at Hitler." The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 Nov. 1998. Web. 06 Mar. 2013.

Analysis: Because there were no real illnesses found, I do not think this is a reason for his insanity and hatred toward the Jews.

Q: Was he abused or bullied?

A: Hitler’s father was very strict with his kids. It has been documented that Alois had hit Adolf Hitler quite frequently when he was growing up. He did not have many friends in school.

Source: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/Adolf-hitler.htm

"Adolf Hitler." History Learning Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.

Analysis: I truly believe that the bullying and abuse Hitler experienced as a child caused him to do all of the horrible things he did.

Q: What started his hatred towards Jews?

A: Hitler’s hatred towards Jews most likely started when World War I was lost and when Germany was having financial problems. He blamed the Jews for everything.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1194194/Has-historian-finally-real-reason-Hitlers-obsessive-hatred-Jews.html

Hall, Allan. "Has Historian Finally Discovered Real Reason for Hitler's Obsessive Hatred of Jews?" Mail Online. N.p., 19 June 2009. Web. 06 Mar. 2013.

Analysis: To me, neither of these events are a good reason to cause all of the hatred he felt towards the Jews. The Jews didn’t technically cause any of it he just chose to blame them.

Q: Was he a Jew?

A: There were saliva samples taken from 39 relatives of Hitler and it was found that he may have had Jewish ancestors. Though this information was found, Hitler himself is not Jewish.

Source: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/hitlerjew.html

"Adolf Hitler: Was Hitler Jewish?" Jewish Virtual Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2013.


Analysis: I think that this can help to explain why Hitler hated Jews. He blamed them for everything. What doesn’t make sense is that he looks like a Jew, not German, like how he said the “perfect” German person should look.

Q: How did he convince other German’s to follow him?

A: Hitler was appointed president of Germany and did many great things to bring the economy back up. He gained followers because of all the great things he did for Germans.

Source: http://www.aish.com/ho/o/48954116.html

"Hitler In Power." Aish.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2013.

Analysis: Because Hitler did great things for the Germans such as, making their economy prosper and gaining their trust, it helped him to gain followers and eventually get them to help him with his evil plots.

Q: How did he come up with the ways of killing Jews?

A: Hitler tried getting rid of the Jews by telling them to move out of the country, but that didn't work very well. He then created death camps, like Auschwitz, where mass murdering of Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, Slavs, and mentally ill or elderly, would be sent to die. At first, the only way to kill them was by shooting them, but later the gas chambers were created.

Source: http://library.thinkquest.org/trio/TTQ03068/finalsolution.htm

"Holocaust- Final Solution." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.

Analysis: I don't know how he decided to come up with a gas chamber, but I think it's disgusting. He tricked them into thinking they were going to be taking a shower only to be killed. That is awful.

Q: How many Jews did he kill?

A: It is estimated that around 6 million Jews were killed.

Source: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081202152008AA4jgqo

Analysis: N/A

Q: How many people did he kill that were non-Jews?

A: About 5 million were killed that were non-Jews, meaning Gypsies, homosexuals, Slavs, mentally ill and the elderly.

Source: http://www.holocaustforgotten.com/non-jewishvictims.htm

"Who Were the Five Million Non-Jewish Holocaust Victims?" Non-Jewish Holocaust Victims. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.

Analysis: N/A

Q: Why did he kill himself?

A: Hitler killed himself because he did not want to be captured and tortured. He had much rather end his own life rather than die a slow painful death from enemies that hated him.
Source: "Why Did Hitler Kill Himself?" WikiAnswers. Answers, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.

Analysis: N/A

Q: Did he ever feel regret or remorse for his actions?

A: He did not feel regret or remorse for any of the things he did to Jews and other people he killed. Instead he became arrogant in his last days, saying that the Germans weren't good enough for him.

Source:http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Did_Hitler_have_any_regrets_about_what_he_did_to_the_Jews

Analysis: N/A

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler

MLA

"Adolf Hitler." JEWISH VIRTUAL LIBRARY. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013.

"Hitler: The Commander of Logical Fallacy." Whitneyshaegully. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013.

 

Link

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/hitler.html

http://whitneyshaegully.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/hitler-the-commander-of-logical-fallacy/

Summary

This article contains useful information about Adolf Hitler's life as a child, as a soldier, and as a leader. It also talks about the rise of the Nazi Party and the terrible things he did to Jews. There is also information on Hitler's victory and what lead to his death.

Main Evidence

                Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in Braunau am Inn, Austria. At the age of sixteen  he left school because he wanted to be a painter.

In May 1913 Hitler left Vienna for Munich and, when war broke out in August 1914, he joined the Sixteenth Bavarian Infantry Regiment, serving as a despatch runner. Hitler proved an able, courageous soldier, receiving the Iron Cross (First Class) for bravery, but did not rise above the rank of Lance Corporal. Twice wounded, he was badly gassed four weeks before the end of the war and spent three months recuperating in a hospital in Pomerania. Temporarily blinded and driven to impotent rage by the abortive November 1918 revolution in Germany as well as the military defeat, Hitler, once restored, was convinced that fate had chosen him to rescue a humiliated nation from the shackles of the Versailles Treaty, from Bolsheviks and Jews. (World War I

Hitler focused his propaganda against the Versailles Treaty, the "November criminals," the Marxists and the visible, internal enemy No. 1, the "Jew," who was responsible for all Germany's domestic problems.

Hitler's first written utterance on political questions dating from this period emphasized that what he called "the anti-Semitism of reason" must lead "to the systematic combating and elimination of Jewish privileges. Its ultimate goal must implacably be the total removal of the Jews." (Hitler Becomes a Leader)

In January 1925 the ban on the Nazi Party was removed and Hitler regained permission to speak in public. Outmaneuvering the "socialist" North German wing of the Party under Gregor Strasser, Hitler re-established himself in 1926 as the ultimate arbiter to whom all factions appealed in an ideologically and socially heterogeneous movement. (Rise of the Nazi Party)

 

Fallacies

A fallacy that Hitler used was using the past as a reference of how the future should/will be.

Response

Hitler will forever be remembered throughout history for bringing Germany's economy back up and for the Holocaust.

Source Quality

This was a good source to find information about Hitler and all the things he did in his life. I would suggest this source for other people who are looking to find out more about Hitler also.

Vlad the Impaler

Vlad the Impaler 

MLA Documentation

"Vlad the Impaler." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Feb. 2013. Web. 21 Feb. 2013.

Link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler

Summary

This article includes information about Vlad III's life, family, reign, defeat, and much more. It expands on his family and what happened to his father that led to him taking over his father's throne. It also discusses how Vlad killed over twenty-three thousand which led to Sultan Mehmed II raising an arm and heading towards Wallachia.

 

Main Evidence

Vlad III was born in Sighisoars, Transylvania in the year 1431. Vlad's father, Vlad II Dracul, and eldest brother were both killed by John Hunyadi, in December 1447. Vlad III was put on the throne because the Ottomans feared the Hungarians would take over.

"Vlad III's defeat at Poenari was due in part to the fact that the Boyars, who had been alienated by Vlad's policy of undermining their authority, had joined Radu under the assurance that they would regain their privileges. They may have also believed that Ottoman protection was better than Hungarian. By 8 September, Vlad had won another three victories, but continuous war had left him without any money and he could no longer pay his mercenaries. Vlad traveled to Hungary to ask for help from his former ally, Matthias Corvinus. Instead of receiving help, he found himself arrested and thrown into the dungeon for high treason. (Defeat)

Even during his lifetime, Vlad III Țepeș became famous as a tyrant taking sadistic pleasure in torturing and killing. Estimates of the number of his victims range from 40,000 to 100,000, comparable to the cumulative number of executions over four centuries of European witchhunts. According to the German stories the number of victims he had killed was at least 80,000. In addition to the 80,000 victims mentioned he also had whole villages and fortresses destroyed and burned to the ground. Impalement was Vlad's preferred method of torture and execution. Several woodcuts from German pamphlets of the late 15th and early 16th centuries show Vlad feasting in a forest of stakes and their grisly burdens outside Brașov, while a nearby executioner cuts apart other victims. (Reputation for cruelty)

Fallacies

None

Response

Vlad the Impaler was known for the numerous ways of killing people. The one most gruesome was how he would set them on a pole and their body would slowly slide down the pole.

Source Quality

This was a good source for information about him and what he did in his life. It would have been more helpful to not have had to read through so much information that was not very important for this paper. I would suggest this source to other people because it had very useful information and it was organized well.