Missile site 1.bmp \BOne of the first images of missile bases under construction shown to President Kennedy on the morning of October 16, 1962.\b \Sh Preface Over forty years have passed since the hottest moment of the Cold War: the Cuban missile crisis. U.S. forces around the world were placed on alert. More than 100,000 troops deployed to Florida for a possible invasion of Cuba. Additional naval vessels were ordered to the Caribbean. B-52s loaded with nuclear weapons were in the air at all times. The United States had caught the Soviet Union building offensive nuclear missile bases in Cuba, just 90 miles from U.S. soil, and the two superpowers were now joined in the first direct nuclear confrontation in history. Reconnaissance flights over Cuba had begun in the summer of 1962, and surveillance photographs taken on October 14 showed the beginnings of a Soviet medium-range ballistic missile base near San Cristobal. Two days later, the President called together his most trusted advisers to serve as an Executive Committee of the National Security Council (ExComm). They discussed several courses of action -- everything from doing nothing to invading Cuba. After much debate, a naval blockade of the island emerged as the leading choice. In a televised address on October 22, 1962, President John F. Kennedy informed the people of the United States of the Soviet missiles and of the "quarantine" placed around Cuba by the U.S. Navy. Tensions mounted over the next few days as the world wondered if there could be a peaceful resolution to the crisis. On October 24 several Soviet vessels turned back from the quarantine line, though construction at the missile sites continued. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev wrote a long letter to the President on October 26 proposing a settlement. He declared that ships bound for Cuba did not carry armaments and added that if the blockade were lifted and the President gave assurances that the United States would not invade Cuba, the missile sites would be removed. The next day, in a response to Khrushchev, Kennedy called the proposals "generally acceptable as I understand them." On October 28 the Soviets agreed to dismantle and withdraw the missiles from Cuba. Negotiations for final settlement of the crisis continued for several days, but the immediate threat of nuclear war had been averted. On November 20 Kennedy announced, "I have today been informed by Chairman Khrushchev that all of the IL-28 bombers in Cuba will be withdrawn in thirty days .... I have this afternoon instructed the Secretary of Defense to lift our naval quarantine." Subsequently, the United States dismantled several of its obsolete air and missile bases in Turkey. The Cuban missile crisis was perhaps the greatest test of John F. Kennedy's Presidency, and while he and Khrushchev were able to achieve a peaceful resolution, the crisis had a number of far-reaching historical consequences. Within a year, Kennedy and Khrushchev signed the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the first disarmament agreement of the nuclear age. Also in 1963, the first "hotline" between Washington and Moscow was installed. To observe the 40th anniversary of Cuban missile crisis, in October 2002, the John F. Kennedy Library presented a series of forums associated with the 13 days of the crisis. The forum series, "On the Brink: The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Nuclear Threat," feature prominent historians, policy makers, and journalists. The panelists included former Kennedy administration officials, such as Theodore Sorensen, Robert McNamara, and Arthur Schlesinger; Khrushchev's son, Sergei; and Dagoberto Rodriguez, chief of the Cuban Interests Section in the United States. \IText and pictures credit: http://jfklibrary.org/jfkl/cmc/cmc_intro.html.\i \IPlease select the first link below to go to the start of the title. Alternatively, select any Chapter link to go to that Chapter.\i 2008-03-21T08:18:18+11:00 false 71 11 2008-06-10T16:36:38+10:00 Kennedy & C Rights.jpg \BPresident Kennedy meets with the Leaders of the Civil Rights March On Washington. Includes Secretary of Labor Willard Wirtz, Mathew Ahmann, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lewis, Rabbi Joachin Prinz, Rev. Eugene Carson Blake, A. Philip Randolph, President Kennedy, Vice President Johnson, Walter Ruether, Whitney Young, Floyd McKissick, White House Oval Office, 8/28/1963.\b \ICredit: http://www.jfklibrary.org/wh_photos3.html.\i \ShPreface Though he received strong support from black voters in the 1960 election, John F. Kennedy moved cautiously in trying to address problems of racial discrimination in the United States during the first two years of his presidency. But a series of civil rights demonstrations and crises prompted JFK to take a more active stance and to introduce comprehensive new legislation in 1963. Messages sent to the President and members of his administration by civil rights leaders document the intensifying struggle for freedom and justice during the Kennedy years. \ICredit: http://www.jfklibrary.org/index.htm.\i \IPlease select the first link below to go to the start of the title. Alternatively, select any Chapter link to go to that Chapter.\i 2008-03-21T11:00:41+11:00 false 74 11 2008-04-23T08:15:45+10:00 Mercury.bmp \BPresident Kennedy inspects Mercury capsule with Astronaut John Glenn, 23 February 1962. ST-A13-60-62\b \ShPreface Against the backdrop of the Cold War conflict, a new kind of rivalry took shape in the early 1960s between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Russians appeared to be ahead in the so-called "race for space" as they followed their launching of the first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957 with the history-making flight of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in April, 1961. The following month, Alan Shepard became the first U.S. astronaut in space in a fifteen minute sub-orbital flight. Three weeks later, President Kennedy called for the landing of an American on the moon by the end of the decade as he sought a major mobilization of the nation's resources to catch up with and surpass the U.S.S.R. in the space race. By February 20, 1962, when John Glenn returned safely after orbiting the earth three times aboard Friendship 7, the U.S. space program clearly had moved into high gear. This document contains speeches and remarks by President Kennedy regarding America’s endeavors to win back the space race lead established by the Russians in 1957 and 1961. \IText and picture credit (unless otherwise noted): http://www.jfklibrary.org/index.htm\i \IPlease select the first link below to go to the start of the title. Alternatively, select any Chapter link to go to that Chapter.\i 2008-03-21T11:29:03+11:00 false 77 11 2008-04-23T08:15:55+10:00 Capitol toLincoln Memorial.jpg \B A view of Washington DC from The Capitol to the Washington Monument through to the Lincoln Memorial.\b \ICredit: http://teachpol.tcnj.edu/amer_pol_hist/thumbnail509.html.\i \ShPreface This title provides an in-depth study of American history from early periods through to the end of the 20th Century. Read about the early North American peoples, the first European explorers and the first 150 years of rule by the British. Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 after the War of Independence (1775-83) and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America, following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65) and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology. \IText Credit: US Dept. of State http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/histryotln/order.htm\i \IPictures Credit: http://teachpol.tcnj.edu/amer_pol_hist/ unless otherwise stated.\i \IPlease select the first link below to go to the start of the title. Alternatively, select any Chapter link to go to that Chapter.\i 2008-03-21T12:38:58+11:00 false 78 11 2008-04-23T08:14:47+10:00 Palais des Nations.jpg \BThe Palais des Nations in Geneva.\b \ICredit: League of Nations Archives, UNOG Library.\i \ICredit: The text for this title has been kindly provided by The United Nations Office at Geneva, Library Archives.\i \Ihttp://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006AC19C/(httpPages)/17C8E6BCE10E3F4F80256EF30037D733?OpenDocument\i \ShPreface On 15 November, 1920, an enthusiastic crowd welcomed the delegates of the First Assembly of the League of Nations at Geneva. A ceremony, at the foot of the statue of Jean-Jacques Rousseau on the same day, recalled that the choice of Geneva as the headquarters of the first political international organisation in history is not insignificant, and refers to the famous ‘Spirit of Geneva’ that the first years of existence of the League of Nations have praised. Having installed its Secretariat in the Palais Wilson, the League of Nations made a durable mark on the urban landscape of Geneva by constructing the Palais des Nations in which the League was installed in 1936. The efforts of the League of Nations did not however succeed in removing the major obstacles to peace, which occurred in the early ‘30s, and it was powerless in the face of the Second World War. The concept of an international organisation was however firmly embedded in people’s minds and on the 1st January, 1942, the President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, announced the term “United Nations”. On 26 June, 1945, the Representatives of fifty countries meeting in San Francisco adopted the Charter of the United Nations, founder of the new international organisation. The United Nations Organisation was born officially on 24th October, 1945, when the signatory countries ratified the Charter. In spite of its political failure, the legacy of the League of Nations at the same time appears clearly in a number of principles stated by the Charter and in the competencies and experiences developed in the area of technical cooperation. The majority of the specialised institutions of the United Nations system can in fact be considered the legacy of the work initiated by the League of Nations. Dissolved at a final Assembly held in Geneva in April, 1946, the League of Nations handed over its properties and assets to the United Nations Organisation, the Palais des Nations being one of its jewels. While the headquarters of the new Organisation has since been established in New York, the European Office of the United Nations was created in the Palais des Nations, becoming the United Nations Office at Geneva in 1966. It constitutes a world centre for diplomatic conferences, and an operational base for a great number of activities in the economic and social fields, and continues to keep alive in Geneva this ‘spirit’ which urged the people in 1920 to choose the city as the meeting place for nations. \IPlease select the first link below to go to the start of the title. Alternatively, select any Chapter link to go to that Chapter.\i 2008-03-22T08:05:20+11:00 false 80 11 2008-04-23T07:45:46+10:00 Wilson at Versailles.jpg \BWoodrow Wilson with the American Peace Commission in Paris to negotiate the Versailles treaty.\b \ICredit: National Archives and Records Administration.\i \ShPreface It was American President Woodrow Wilson's hope that the final World War I treaty, drafted by the victors, would be even-handed, but the passion and material sacrifice of more than four years of war caused the European Allies to make severe demands. Persuaded that his greatest hope for peace, a League of Nations, would never be realised unless he made concessions, Wilson compromised somewhat on the issues of self-determination, open diplomacy, and other specifics. Chapter 1 of this title briefly looks at the American position at the end of World War I, its opposition to the League of Nations, and its efforts to later form a new world body –- the United Nations –- after World War II. (\ICredit: US Dept. of State\i) Chapter 2 also includes comments from HG Wells from his book titled a \I“Short History of the World,”\i written just after World War I by H G Wells. \IPlease select the first link below to go to the start of the title. Alternatively, select either Chapter link to go to that Chapter.\i 2008-03-22T08:31:06+11:00 false 81 11 2008-04-23T08:15:14+10:00 cuneiform tablet HG.jpg \BThis cuneiform tablet is an illustration of some of the earliest forms of writing. This one dates to ca. 2400 BC and is held in the Jewish section of the Library of Congress.\b \ICredit: Library of Congress.\i \ShPreface This \BShort History of the World\b gives in the most general way an account of world history from the earliest times until just after World War I. It has been amply illustrated and everything has been done to make it vivid and clear. From it the reader should be able to get that general view of history, which is so necessary a framework for the study of a particular period, or the history of a particular country. It is based upon the book by H G Wells, which was published just after the end of the First World War, with updates by Dynamic Learning Online. \IPlease select the first link below to go to the start of the title. Alternatively, select any Chapter link to go to that Chapter.\i 2008-03-22T09:08:39+11:00 false 83 11 2008-04-23T08:13:05+10:00 Johann Gutenberg.jpg \BJohann Gutenberg in the 1450s invented the first movable type printing press, one of the most important inventions of its time.\b \ShPreface This title reviews Germany and treats its dominant social, political, economic, and military aspects in a concise and objective manner. The name \IGermany\i is used in three senses: first, it refers to the region in Central Europe commonly regarded as constituting Germany, even when there was no central German state, as was the case for most of Germany's history; second, it refers to the unified German state established in 1871 and existing until 1945; and third, since October 3, 1990, it refers to the united Germany, formed by the accession on this date of the \IGerman Democratic Republic\i (GDR, or East Germany) to the \IFederal Republic of Germany\i (FRG, or West Germany). The name \IFederal Republic of Germany\i refers to West Germany from its founding on May 23, 1949, until German unification on October 3, 1990. After this date, it refers to united Germany. For the sake of brevity and variety, the Federal Republic of Germany is often called simply the Federal Republic. \IText credit Tatyana Gordeeva, German Culture at http://www.germanculture.com.ua.\i \IPlease select the first link below to go to the start of the title. Alternatively, select any Chapter link to go to that Chapter.\i 2008-03-22T11:22:05+11:00 false 84 11 2008-04-23T08:14:17+10:00 Caesar 1.jpg \BBust of Julius Caesar, Dictator of Rome from 49 BC to his assassination in 44 BC.\b \ShPreface This title discusses the history of Rome, from its beginning in the mists of myth and fable, right through to the end of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD. As one surveys this marvellous vista from the vantage-ground of the present, attention is fixed first upon a long succession of well-authenticated facts, which are shaded off in the dim distance, and finally lost in the obscurity of unlettered antiquity. The flesh and blood heroes of the more modern times regularly and slowly pass from view, and in their places the unsubstantial worthies of dreamy tradition start up. The transition is so gradual, however, that it is at times impossible to draw the line between history and legend. Fortunately for the purposes of this volume it is not always necessary to make the effort. The early traditions of the Eternal City have so long been recounted as truth that the world is slow to give up even the least jot of them, and when they are disproved as fact, they must be told over and over again as story. Roman history involves a narrative of social and political struggles, the importance of which is as wide as modern civilisation, and they must not be passed over without some attention, though in the present volume they cannot be treated with the thoroughness they deserve. The story has the advantage of being to a great extent a narrative of the exploits of heroes, and the attention can be held almost the whole time to the deeds of particular actors who successively occupy the focus or play the principal parts on the stage. In this way the element of personal interest, which so greatly adds to the charm of a story, may be infused into the narrative. It is hoped to enter to some degree into the real life of the Roman people, to catch the true spirit of their actions, and to indicate the current of the national life, while avoiding the presentation of particular episodes or periods with undue prominence. It is intended to set down the facts in their proper relation to each other as well as to the facts of general history, without attempting an incursion into the domain of philosophy. \ICredit: Based on a book by Arthur Gilman, M.A., with information added by Dynamic Learning Online.\i \IPlease select the first link below to go to the start of the title. Alternatively, select any Chapter link to go to that Chapter.\i 2008-03-22T12:09:39+11:00 false 86 11 2008-04-23T08:13:24+10:00 Gut Bible ME.jpg \BA detail from the Gutenberg Bible (Mainz, 1454-55), the first book printed with movable type. The American Library of Congress copy, acquired in 1930, is one of three perfect vellum copies of the Gutenberg Bible.\b \ICredit: Library of Congress.\i \ShPreface This title includes a range of Ancient History Timelines covering many periods of time from around 3500 BCE right through to the Middle Ages up to 1500 CE. \IIt is kindly provided courtesy of University of Evansville, 1800 Lincoln Ave., Evansville, Indiana 47722 USA. Dynamic Learning Online has also added further information.\i \IPlease select the first link below to go to the start of the title. Alternatively, select any Chapter link to go to that Chapter.\i 2008-03-22T14:04:47+11:00 false 87 11 2008-04-23T08:13:32+10:00 St Francis.jpg \BSaint Francis of Assisi.\b \ICredit: http://utopia.utexas.edu/project/portraits/index.html.\i Mecca HG.jpg \BThe Kaaba, located within the Mosque in the city of Mecca, is the holiest place in Islam.\b \ICredit: Library of Congress.\i Torah.jpg \BA Torah open for use in a synagogue.\b \ICredit: Photo by Grzegorz Niewiadomski.\i Hindu temple.jpg \BA Hindu Temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka.\b \ICredit: Tony Webster.\i \ShPreface This title covers the history of the major world religions. The religions discussed include Christianity, particularly the Church of England and the Roman Catholics, together with the more fundamentalist Protestant sects (like Puritans and Presbyterians), plus the Islamic faith from the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia. The faiths of Jews, Sikhs, Hindus and Buddhists are also included. Please note that the writers acknowledge that in the 21st century, there is a growing tendency to move from denoting the original years before and after the birth of Christ, which were BC (before Christ) and dates after the birth, AD (Anno Domini), which is Latin for the Year of our Lord. BC, in a variety of writings, is now referred to as BCE, standing for Before Common Era. AD, also, is often changed to CE, standing for Common Era. In this document, we have kept to the original BC and AD terminology, which we felt would be more appropriate for writing about the History of Religion. \IText credit: http://www.historyofengland.net/religion/, Dynamic Learning Online, plus others where indicated.\i \IPlease select the first link below to go to the start of the title. Alternatively, select any Chapter link to go to that Chapter.\i 2008-03-23T12:54:07+11:00 false 89 11 2008-04-23T08:14:38+10:00 US soldiers box.jpg \BUS soldiers in Beijing at the time of the Boxer Rebellion.\b \ICredit: National Archives and Records Administration.\i \ShPreface The Boxer uprising occurred in China during the last decade of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century. This title represents an actual eyewitness account by Arthur Judson Brown concerning much of the destruction from the Boxer Rebellion. An influential American clergyman, missionary and prolific author, he visited Asia in 1901 and 1902, and the following details were collected first hand at that time. \IPlease select the first link below to go to the start of the title. Alternatively, select the second link to go to that Chapter.\i 2008-03-24T08:16:25+11:00 false 90 11 2008-04-23T08:16:05+10:00 Classical Greece map GR.gif \BMap of Greece in the Classical period of 490-323 BC.\b \ICredit: The Department of History, United States Military Academy.\i \ShPreface This title takes an extensive look at the Greek civilisation from the early times (Bronze Age) right through to the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and, finally, the fall of Greece to the Romans in BC 146. In between, it covers all the major incursions, against and by, various parts of the Greek empire, including internal wars. Some of the major battles covered include the Persian Wars, from the Ionic Revolt to the Battle of Marathon, BC 500-490, and the Battles of Thermopylae, Salamis, and Plataea, BC 480-479. The Peloponnesian War is covered in detail, including all three periods. The rise of the Macedonians, first through King Philip and then his son Alexander the Great, are documented as well as the many battles and invasions of Alexander as he worked his way through to India. The title concludes with a summary of the History of Greek Literature from the earliest times to the reign of Alexander the Great. This title is based upon a book written by Sir William Smith, University College London. While at University, Sir William won both the Greek and Latin prizes. Dynamic Learning Online has supplied some additional information. \IPlease select the first link below to go to the start of the title. Alternatively, select any Chapter link to go to that Chapter.\i 2008-03-24T11:41:17+11:00 false 105 11 2008-04-23T08:13:16+10:00 Chile map.bmp \BMap of Chile.\b \ShPreface The information in this title covers the events leading to the election of Salvador Allende as Chilean President and his eventual overthrow by Augusto Pinochet under a military coup in September, 1973. \ICredit: Federal Research Division Library of Congress http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cltoc.html\i 2008-04-08T09:18:00+10:00 false 116 11 2008-04-23T08:13:50+10:00 dalai_lama.jpg \BDalai Lama.\b \ICredit: http://www.getreligion.org/?s=dalai+lama&submit.x=24&submit.y=22.\i \ShPreface Why is there an outcry about Tibet? Why is a nation larger than Western Europe held captive and tortured by a foreign power, while the world's leaders stand by or deny responsibility for doing business with the oppressor? Why is Tibet's situation important right now? The pages below tell how Tibet has come to the most perilous moment in its 3,000 year existence. It is a common theme of history; many ancient and peaceful indigenous civilisations have been assaulted by military powers in search of land and booty. Tibet, an independent nation until the Chinese invasion, is now faced with extinction. But it is not yet too late. It would be very difficult to oust the Chinese by armed force, and it would go against the Tibetan Buddhist belief in non-violence. Instead, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people have used diplomacy and non-violent activism in the hopes that the People's Republic of China will be condemned and pressured to withdraw its occupation forces from Tibet. \ICredit: http://www.tibet.org/Why/.\i \IPlease select the first link below to go to the start of the title. Alternatively, select any Chapter link to go to that Chapter.\i 2008-04-09T09:51:27+10:00 false 125 11 2008-04-23T08:16:55+10:00 Cuban Missile sites.jpg \BThe Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest that America and the Soviet state came to nuclear warfare. This photograph show sites of Soviet missiles in Cuba in 1962.\b \ICredit: John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library.\i \ShPreface Whereas in World War II the English, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and their American Allies had liberated Western Europe from German occupation, the Russians, having defeated the Germans in Eastern Europe, remained as conquerors. Hence Europe became divided into two. In the East, including Poland, Romania and Eastern Germany, the Russians ruled an enlarged Russian communist empire. Here the state under Stalin and his secret police ruled. The economy was centrally planned under Marxist rules (equality for all, education for all and jobs for life) but where religion was banned along with freedom of speech and the press. In the west, which included France, Spain, West Germany, Italy, Holland and Scandinavia, the liberators were capitalists and returned each country to self governance as free societies. Governments were elected by the people who had freedom of speech, action and religion. Many in the East would have moved to the free west if the Russians had not closed all the borders, creating what Churchill described as an Iron Curtain. Not long after the end of World War II, the Soviet empire had obtained nuclear weapons, joining the West (America, England and France) as part of a small (in terms of nations) nuclear club. Each also developed ballistic missile capability to deliver nuclear warheads to all parts of the world. Because of the different political and cultural ideals of the East and West, there commenced a 40-year military stand off between Russia, which had annexed half of Europe and Islamic Asia. The West was headed, and indeed now dominated, not by England and its Empire but the USA. The two sides each had the capability to annihilate the other. Thus began the Cold War. \ICredit: US Dept. of State http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/histryotln/order.htm.\i \IPlease select the first link below to go to the start of the title. Alternatively, select any Chapter link to go to that Chapter. Clicking on the subheads between chapters will allow you to directly access subheads within any chapter.\i 2008-04-12T07:17:09+10:00 false 128 11 2008-04-23T08:16:20+10:00 India map.gif \BCurrent map of India.\b \ICredit: CIA.\i \ShPreface This title discusses the history of India from European arrivals to the 1990s. It starts from the arrival of the Portuguese in the late 1400s and then the English and the Dutch in the 1600s. Many struggles occurred throughout the centuries until the British started to build its Empire there in the late 1700s and the early 1800s. There were many instances of rebellions and skirmishes between different bodies (Hindus, Muslims and the British), including the major Indian Mutiny of 1857. This may have been the first Indian attempt at gaining independence. From around 1900 onwards, independence became an important issue for all parties. World War I briefly united the British and the Indians, with the latter providing over one million soldiers for the war effort. After the Great War, the independence question arose again and relationships took a very bad turn when in April, 1919, a British military commander ordered his troops to fire on 10,000 unarmed Hindu men, women and children. Mahatma Gandhi then became an influential figure in his desire for a peaceful solution to independence. During World War II, Muslims more than Hindus assisted the British during this war. After peace was declared, India gained independence and was also partitioned to include a West and an East Pakistan (later Bangladesh). Jawaharlal Nehru became India’s first prime minister in 1947 and led India until he died in 1964. A daughter of Nehru, Indira Gandhi (no relation to Mahatma Gandhi), was Indian prime minister from 1966 to 1977, and then from 1980 to 1984, when her Sikh bodyguards assassinated her. Indira’s son, Rajiv Gandhi, then became prime minister from 1984 to 1989. Sri Lankan terrorists assassinated him in 1991. \ICredit: Federal Research Division Library of Congress. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/intoc.html.\i \IPlease select the first link below to go to the start of the title. Alternatively, select any Chapter link to go to that Chapter.\i 2008-05-25T10:31:40+10:00 false 140 11 2008-05-31T13:32:06+10:00