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fandomhigh2006-10-26 03:44 pm
harringtongreen.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2006-10-26 03:44 pm
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War Theory, Thursday, 4th Period
As was usual by now, Honor sat on the front edge of the desk at the front of the room, with the treecat, Nimitz, stretched out on the desk behind her. Her attention was focused closely on the minicomp in her hand as she reviewed her notes for the class today. The recent research had been very enlightening – she’d drawn many parallels between the Cold War and the current situation with Haven – and trying to figure out exactly what she wanted to use in the lecture had been difficult. So difficult that she was still trying to decide on a few other key facts. For not the first time, she wished Hamish were available to provide the lecture for this class; he knew American history even better than she did.
The usual snacks were set out on a table near the front. Still reading from her minicomp, she prepared a cup of hot chocolate without looking up. She sipped from it carefully as she resumed her place at the front of the room. After a long moment, she looked up. “Okay, everyone; let’s be about it.
“Last week, discussion centered on the Declaration of Independence – the reasoning behind it, the charges it leveled at the monarchy, and whether or not the charges were appropriate justifications for war. Today, we’re stepping a bit out of the ‘hardware’ war and looking at wars of ideology – the clash of ideas or sometimes even cultures. Can anyone tell us what they know about the end of World War II and what Winston Churchill called ‘the Iron Curtain’?”
Arching a brow, she folded her arms across her chest. It was clear from this stance that she intended to wait until someone spoke up. She prodded the discussion a bit, and eventually resumed the lecture.
“So, what we basically have is a line drawn in the sand between the West – embodied by the United States and England – and the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin. During this time, research into bigger and better nuclear weaponry continued. The United States refined its previous efforts while the Soviets created and, on 29 August 1949, tested their first nuclear weapon.
“Two strategies emerged: mutually assured destruction and countervalence. Mutually assured destruction – or MAD, as it’s called – assumes that there is a threshold for destruction, that there is a point at which the enemy will surrender with a percentage of its cities and population standing – or not standing as the case may be – in ruin. Countervailing strategy instead focuses on identifying and targeting military assets. Can anyone tell me what ‘side’ adopted which strategy? What are the pros and cons of each one?”
Honor stepped back a bit and allowed the discussion to continue. The end of class approaching, she decided it was time to begin wrapping things up. She moved to her desk, withdrawing a set of papers from her bag. They were placed on the corner of the desk as she turned back to the class. “Next week, we’ll be discussing the changing attitudes about warfare. On the way out, I’d like you to grab one of these packets, on the history of submarines. Taking into consideration what we’ve discussed in the past, I’d like two pages justifying – or not – the use of submarine warfare. This will count as your midterm, so treat it as such, please.”
She paused, regarding them briefly with a critical eye. “All right, then. Dismissed.”
[OCD threads up. Thanks!]
The usual snacks were set out on a table near the front. Still reading from her minicomp, she prepared a cup of hot chocolate without looking up. She sipped from it carefully as she resumed her place at the front of the room. After a long moment, she looked up. “Okay, everyone; let’s be about it.
“Last week, discussion centered on the Declaration of Independence – the reasoning behind it, the charges it leveled at the monarchy, and whether or not the charges were appropriate justifications for war. Today, we’re stepping a bit out of the ‘hardware’ war and looking at wars of ideology – the clash of ideas or sometimes even cultures. Can anyone tell us what they know about the end of World War II and what Winston Churchill called ‘the Iron Curtain’?”
Arching a brow, she folded her arms across her chest. It was clear from this stance that she intended to wait until someone spoke up. She prodded the discussion a bit, and eventually resumed the lecture.
“So, what we basically have is a line drawn in the sand between the West – embodied by the United States and England – and the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin. During this time, research into bigger and better nuclear weaponry continued. The United States refined its previous efforts while the Soviets created and, on 29 August 1949, tested their first nuclear weapon.
“Two strategies emerged: mutually assured destruction and countervalence. Mutually assured destruction – or MAD, as it’s called – assumes that there is a threshold for destruction, that there is a point at which the enemy will surrender with a percentage of its cities and population standing – or not standing as the case may be – in ruin. Countervailing strategy instead focuses on identifying and targeting military assets. Can anyone tell me what ‘side’ adopted which strategy? What are the pros and cons of each one?”
Honor stepped back a bit and allowed the discussion to continue. The end of class approaching, she decided it was time to begin wrapping things up. She moved to her desk, withdrawing a set of papers from her bag. They were placed on the corner of the desk as she turned back to the class. “Next week, we’ll be discussing the changing attitudes about warfare. On the way out, I’d like you to grab one of these packets, on the history of submarines. Taking into consideration what we’ve discussed in the past, I’d like two pages justifying – or not – the use of submarine warfare. This will count as your midterm, so treat it as such, please.”
She paused, regarding them briefly with a critical eye. “All right, then. Dismissed.”
[OCD threads up. Thanks!]
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