Monday, June 29, 2009

What is proportional representation?

In Chapter 4 (Nazi Germany), we learnt that a system of proportional representation caused Weimar government in Germany to be weak. What is proportional representation?

In most countries, there is an organization called Parliament. This organization decides all the major policies of the country. Each country's parliament will have a certain number of people (e.g. 200). The people vote at elections to decide who will make up Parliament.

In proportional representation, the number of people each party send to Parliament is decided by the percentage of vote each party has in elections.

For example if:
Party A gets 70% of the votes from the people, it gets 70% of the power in Parliament.
Party B gets 20% of the votes from the people, it gets 20% of the power in Parliament.
Party C gets 10% of the votes from the people, it gets 10% of the power in Parliament.

Party A gets the most power in Parliament and it can decide the country's policies.

However in Weimar Germany this is what would happen:

Party A gets 30% of the votes from the people, it gets 30% of the power in Parliament.
Party B gets 40% of the votes from the people, it gets 40% of the power in Parliament.
Party C gets 30% of the votes from the people, it gets 30% of the power in Parliament.

No party gets over 50% of the power, so no party can decide the country's policies. As a result, there is a lot of fighting to decide the the country's policies. This fighting was not good for the country.

Proportional representation is not bad in itself, but in the case of Weimar Germany it led to weak governments.

Friday, June 26, 2009

I Live in Singapura

For a humorous summary on what Sec 2 History is all about:



Enjoy!

How did WW2 affect Singapore?



1. Why did the Japanese invade Singapore?
2. How was Japanese rule compared to British rule?

Discovery Channel on Singapore's History

Here's a 2005 Discovery Channel documentary on the History of Singapore:



Somewhere in the videos, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew says:

"Unless you know where you came from, unless you know what your ancestors had been through, you have no reference point. What makes us different from the Thais, Filipinos, or the Sri Lankans? The difference is how we came here, how we developed, and that requires a sense of History."

1. What does Lee Kuan Yew mean?
2. Do you agree with what Lee Kuan Yew says? Why?

Also,
3. What was Raffles' role in the founding of Singapore?
4. Whose role do you think was more important, Raffles or Farquhar?


Part 2 of the video:

Maria Hertogh Riots: Sec 2 Chapter 7

Here's a video on the Maria Hertogh riots:



1. What caused the Maria Hertogh riots?
2. What can we learn from this episode?


For some fun, laughter, peace and joy, watch some Sec 2's re-enact the riots:

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Was Hitler's rise to power supernatural?

Could Hitler's rise to power have been connected with occult practices? According to the National Geographic Channel, maybe:



Do note that this is NOT in the syllabus. It is for your enrichment and entertainment, so enjoy.
A good video on Hitler's rise to power.



After watching this, try answering this question.

"Hitler rose to power mainly because of his abilities." How far do you agree? Explain your answer. [13 marks]

Monday, June 8, 2009

Collectivisation

Remember that the impact of Stalin's rule on the USSR was positive and negative.

Collectivisation is one policy that both benefitted and harmed Russians. On the one hand, farm production was increased. On the other hand, many peasants such as the Kulaks suffered when their farmland was taken away.

Here is a video highlighting the negatives of collectivisation:



Do an internet search for some of the benefits of collectivisation. Do you think the human cost of collectivisation was worth it?