The Maginot Line Failed because it was never finished. It was not finished because of a lack of funding. Also, because the line stoped near the Adreian Forest, which was thought of at the time to be too dense fo tanks to get through. The wall and the forest gave the French a false sense of security. According to the map on section one, the French cocentrated their forces in the north and left the Adrean Forest lightly defended. When the tanks came through the forest the poorly trained soldiers fled instead of tring to slow the tanks down. This allowed the tanks and the German army in the north encircle the French and British armies. With that the Allies were driven off the contenent for the next couple of years.
Paper Assignment, History 308, Paper 3
Choose one of the assigned books for the course. Research and find out where it fits into the HISTORIOGRAPHY of the American Revolution. Where does it fit into how historians see the American Revolution? What point of view does it take? How widely is it used?
There are two ways to do this effectively.
1. First, find book reviews of the book you have chosen and read them to find out what they think of the book. Proquest and America: History and Life will be particularly useful for this.
2. Go to Amazon.com and search on the author name and title. What you are looking for is not the book listing itself, but the listings of books that mention your book inside. Click on those links and see how they use the book. We will go over this in class.
Paper Form:
12 point font, 1 inch margins all around, page numbers.
5-7 pages
Citations (Turabian for history, poli sci, or social studies majors, MLA for non-majors)
Due: November 4th.
The horrors of World War I left a lasting impression on the people of France. No longer would the French tolerate another loss similar to World War I, yet they would instead better prepare themselves for a future German attack. It was clear that after 1933 that Nazi Germany was the greatest menace facing France. As a result, the security of homeland became predominant in the French strategy. With the shift in focus of the strategy in the French military, the fruits of their strategic planning are observed in the contracts for construction of the Maginot Line. The principle fortifications of the Line were constructed in East France with a view to protect the industrially rich providences of Alsace and Lorraine and thereby to shutting off one main key invasion route into France. With the completion of the Maginot Line, the French felt a sense of security against any future attack from Germany, or any other power.
3. What is the Maginot Line Syndrome and what is its connection to the United States?
Let us first quote Lens: “Basing themselves on false assumptions and projections, these people have fashioned a foreign policy that has the opposite effect of what they desire and that, if continued, will lead to unparalleled catastrophe.” With that said, in the period between 1919-1940, the French held on illusions of false securities of the effectiveness of their defense strategy. In the opinion of Lens, the United States is “building useless lines of fortifications to defend itself against a Soviet invasion…we are focusing on the wrong enemy and relying on weapons and strategies that were made for another kind of war.” In basic terms, the United States relied on false assumptions that the atomic bomb and other military forces would keep them immune from attacks and invasions.
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Declaring Independence: Drafting the Documents
