Assignment

Step 1: Read the sections of the textbook on World War I, "The Age of Anxiety," and "Nationalism and Political Identities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America," (Second Edition of Traditions & Encounters/ Bentley, Ziegler & Streets-Salter)These readings provide important background information which you will need in order to complete this assignment.

Step 2: Read each of the documents listed below. All of these documents are available on Moodle.

· Sigmund Freud, Selections from Civilization and its Discontents

· V. I. Lenin, Selections from State and Revolution

· Benito Mussolini, Selections from The Doctrine of Fascism

· Mohandas Gandhi, Selections from Indian Home Rule

· Hassan Al-Bana, "The Tyranny of Materialism over the Lands of Islam"

Write one paragraph for each of the above documents, summarizing the major idea or ideas of the author. Make sure to explain how and why each document questions or rejects aspects of "modernization" and/or "Western Civilization."

Step 3: Write a 2-3 page imagined conversation between yourself and one of the authors above in which you discuss the good and bad aspects of life in present-day America. Here are some questions to get you started: How would you explain life in the modern world to this person? What do you think the response would be? What things do you think you might agree about? What things do you think you would disagree about?