Dictatorships. Kinda like Social 30 Classes

This week, we will start looking at dictatorships, as a solution to the downfalls of democracy.

What is a Dictatorship?

Modern Dictatorship - Belarus

So this week, we will be starting to work on Dictatorships.  Generally, we are going to be looking at Stalin and Hitler's dictatorships, the policies they had and how and why they rejected liberalism as an ideology. However, it is important to understand that the techniques that have been used in multiple other dictatorships.

Monday

• Vocabulary words:Dictatorships
• Basics of Dictatorships
• Characteristics Activity
• http://www.cbv.ns.ca/dictator/default.html#one

Tuesday

• Rants by Kassidy and Daylan
• Stalin and Hitler's Dictatorships
• Work on project
• Communism/Fascism Study Guide

Wednesday

• Field Test     

Thursday

• Whole School Activity

Friday

• Last writing assignment with a rough draft - good copy will be due during the break.

Some articles to peruse before Friday's class:

• North Korea Conducts Third Nuclear Test
• North Korea Opens Pandora's Box
• North Korea - US Tensions Rise
• Kim Jong-Il

The Pitfalls of Democracy

Last week, we were looking at the basic aspects of democracies and how they functioned properly.  But, like all ideologies, democracies don't always work out EXACTLY like they claim to - and that is largely due to how and how much citizens get involved in their system.  For example, is Canada more or less democratic than Ukraine? Would Canadians protest for months if our government made a decision that most of us disliked like what happened in Ukraine last year? Or would we even notice or know about the government decisions? So, we will be analyzing what makes a democracy less functional.

Also, another good link to compare Canadian and American systems.

So what will we be covering exactly this week?

Monday:

• Casey's Rant
• Source Interpretation from last week's notes
• Pros and Cons of Democracy - Video and Article
• Vocabulary: Voter Apathy
• Dealing with the voting issue - notes and textbook

Tuesday:

• Vocab: Elite Theory of Democracy
• Notes
• Should everybody get to vote?
• Source Interpretation

Wednesday:

• Vocabulary: Interest groups, Tyranny of Majority, and Tyranny of minority
• What impacts the democratic process - notes
• Case Studies: Public opinion vs practicality

Thursday:

• Rants: Trevor and Carly
• Reform in a democracy - why is it essential
• One Page write up - Should the Senate be reformed or abolished in Canada?

Friday:

• How Democracy created a monster 
• Rejection of liberalism - dictatorships

How North American Democracies FUNction...because it's fun, get it?

Last week, we looked at key aspects of democracy that were fundamental parts to make it truly function.  This week, we will be looking at how political systems interpret those fundamental parts and apply them to their democratic system - not all governments view those parts exactly the same way, which is why we have different types of democracies.  We will be mainly focusing on Canadian and American democracies and how they function and were developed.

This week...

Monday:

• Vocabulary: Direct and Representative Democracies 
• Different types of democracies - Canada and the US
• Comparing Canada and the US - you will need a phone/iPod and headphones today for class

Tuesday:

• Writing those pesky essays you didn't write on Friday because of the snow day

Wednesday:

• Review Questions on Basics of democracy
• Vocab: First Past the Post and Winner Takes All 

First Past the Post - Canada

Winner Takes All - United States

• Electoral Systems - Canada vs. US

Thursday: 

• Rants by Sarah T and  Casey 
• Voting in Canada - What's Your Vote Worth
• Representation by Population
• Proportional Representation
• Review Questions on Electoral Processes
• Source Interpretation

Friday:

• Articles: Pros and Cons of Democracy and How Democracy Produced a Monster
• Does Democracy Really Work?
• The failings of the democratic System