1.4 International Involvement Slideshow

You have just finished learning about the Spanish Civil War. You have learned that Spain was once a powerful country that had been relegated to the sidelines by the early 20th century. The country had a host of problems. Wealthy landowners lived off the backs of peasant farmers who lived on the edge of starvation. The Catholic Church was powerful and was in need of reform. Rival ethnic groups sought to control their own affairs.

It was against this backdrop that the democratically elected Republican Party was challenged by the Nationalists led by Franco. Franco's Spanish brand of fascism was the match that lit the fire that burned from 1936-39.

For this assignment, you will create a slideshow in which you answer a question about the Spanish Civil War. The slideshow has a similar structure to an essay in that it has an introduction, a section in which you develop your ideas, and a conclusion. The main difference is that the slideshow requires you to communicate primarily through images. You will use text, but it will consist of concise, bulleted phrases, not sentences or paragraphs. Aim for a maximum of three points per page. 

Below is a good example of a slide. Visuals and text clearly support one another.

The slide below is too busy. There is too much text, it is hard to read over the graphic, and the graphic does not add to the message.

Assignment Topic

The Spanish Civil War was a "civil war", meaning that it was contained within the borders of one nation, yet international involvement impacted the outcome of the war.

You may use one of the example questions below or create your own. 

  • Why was there so much international involvement?
  • Did international involvement help to appease the conflicts or make them worse?
  • Which countries were involved and in what capacity?
  • Should other countries have involved themselves or not?
  • Did some countries not take action when they should have?

Thesis

Your thesis is your response to the question. It might sound something like this:

  • There was so much international involvement in this civil war because...
  • Other countries should have not have involved themselves because...
  • Some countries should have become involved because...

Format

Your slideshow can be created using a variety of software including but not limited to PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides, and LibreOffice Impress.

It will include the following:

  • Concluding Slide
    • wraps up your slideshow by reinforcing points
  • Bibliography
    • lists all sources in alphabetical order
    • you must list the source of the photos that you found
    • if you conducted any other research that you used, you must cite that also

This will be marked according to the presentation rubric.