Cold War unit Lesson 4 paragraph structure

1. Cold War unit Lesson 4paragraph structure

2. Instructions • Boot your computers

3. Paragraph Structure - PIE • Point (topic sentence) • Information/Evidence (information/evidence from text/presentation/source supporting topic sentence.) • Explanation (explanation about information/evidence, how it supports topic sentence and main idea of essay.

4. Our Thesis • Germany and the Soviet Union had a number of similarities and differences. Both countries were led by totalitarian regimes that used propaganda in an attempt to achieve total control over society. Common characteristics among both countries included the suppression of dissent and absence of individual rights as well as the creation of a cult of personality behind each leader. One key difference was that Germany had a fascist system of government, whereas the Soviet Union had a communist system of government. • These colors represent the separate paragraphs my essay will discuss.

5. Point or Topic Sentence • The point is the overall idea or opinion that gives us the topic of the paragraph. • For this reason, the point is often called the “topic sentence.” The point should be stated directly. • Nazi Germany used a variety of methods to suppress dissent and individual rights. • This topic sentence is clear and lets the reader know what will be discussed: methods used to suppress dissent and individual rights in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. • Every sentence in the paragraph should deal with the subject in the topic sentence; in this case, methods used to suppress dissent and individual rights in Nazi Germany.

6. Information/Evidence • The information/evidence in the paragraph supports the topic sentence. For instance, if my topic sentence is about the suppression of dissent and the absence of individual rights I might support it with the following information: • The Nazis used a Secret Police force to stamp out dissent and violate individual rights. Source #4 is an excerpt from the Reichstag Fire Decree, which gave the Nazis and their Secret Police, the gestapo, legal authority to search homes without a warrant, arrest people at will, and censor the press: “It is therefore permissible to restrict the rights of personal freedom [habeas corpus], freedom of (opinion) expression, including the freedom of the press, the freedom to organize and assemble, the privacy of postal, telegraphic and telephonic communications. Warrants for House searches, orders for confiscations as well as restrictions on property, are also permissible beyond the legal limits otherwise prescribed.”

7. Explanation • My explanation ties my evidence to the overall point of my essay. This is the most difficult part of a paragraph. You must establish a connection between the information/evidence and your thesis. • Here I must tie two separate ideas in my information/evidence (secret police & Reichstag fire decree) to to my thesis: My thesis asserts that propaganda and other methods were used in an attempt to gain total control of society. • The Reichstag fire decree provides us with an example of how the Nazis used propaganda to manipulate the masses of Germany and take away their rights. They claimed that the fire was started by communists and that in order to protect Germany from communism, they must abolish these rights. This exaggeration of the truth allowed Hitler and the Nazis to become closer to gaining total control of society. Also, the use of a secret police force gave the Germans the means and ability to control people who disagreed with the government through arrest and execution.

8. My paragraph PIE Nazi Germany used a variety of methods to suppress dissent and individual rights. For instance, the Nazis used a Secret Police force to stamp out dissent and violate individual rights. Source #4 is an excerpt from the Reichstag Fire Decree, which gave the Nazis and their Secret Police, the gestapo, legal authority to search homes without a warrant, arrest people at will, and censor the press: “It is therefore permissible to restrict the rights of personal freedom [habeas corpus], freedom of (opinion) expression, including the freedom of the press, the freedom to organize and assemble, the privacy of postal, telegraphic and telephonic communications. Warrants for House searches, orders for confiscations as well as restrictions on property, are also permissible beyond the legal limits otherwise prescribed.” The Reichstag fire decree provides us with an example of how the Nazis used propaganda to manipulate the masses of Germany and take away their rights. They claimed that the fire was started by communists and that in order to protect Germany from communism, they had abolish these rights. This exaggeration of the truth allowed Hitler and the Nazis to become closer to gaining total control of society, the very goal of a totalitarian society. Also, the use of a secret police force gave the Germans the ability to control people who disagreed with the government through arrest and execution.

9. Your Essay • You must color coordinate your paragraphs as follows: • Point – Red • Information/Evidence – Blue • Explanation - Green