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Stock Market Crash
The Stock Market Crash affected nearly every country in the world. This caused Germany to become more desperate in repairing their economy, causing the war to happen. -
Beginning of World War II
The events of the beginning of World War II connect to the events in Lord of the Flies. ''We was attacked!'' ''He'll be back all right.'' The fat boy shook his head. ''When we was coming down I looked through one of them windows. I saw the other part of the plane. There were flames coming out of it.'' (Golding 5). -
Invasion of Ethiopia
Italian prime minister and dictator Benito Mussolini invades Ethiopia. -
FDR
FDR goes on radio to talk directly with citizens and reassure them that banking crisis has passed. Similar to the meetings the boys have on the island to remind them of civilization. -
Violence and Dominance
Throughout the novel, we notice Jack's madness when it comes to hunting. He has a liking to being dominant. This is quite similar to Hitler because he also craved dominance and resulted to violence. -
Poland and Germany
Great Britain and France had treaties with Poland. Both declared war on Germany two days later. However, these countries could not gather troops and equipment fast enough to help save Poland. -
FDR supplied Britain and the allies with guns and materials
Germany invaded Poland. All of was Europe fighting and the United States entered the war in December, 1941.
''There was a sudden bright explosion and corkscrew trail
across the sky; then darkness again and stars. There was a speck above the island.'' (Golding 73). This quote relates to the events because we can see that WWII is happening and the word ''explosion'' gives us a description of that. -
Britain and Germany
Jack and Ralph symbolize Britain and Germany because they both fight over power. ''I ought to be chief,'' said Jack with simple arrogance.''(Golding 16). ''Who wants Jack for Chief?'' With dreary obedience the choir raised their hands. ''Who wants me?'' Every hand outside the choir except Piggy's was raised immediately.''(Golding 17).In these two quotes, this is the start of fighting over power between Ralph and Jack. -
Non Aggression Pact
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union surprised the world by signing the German-Soviet Non Aggression Pact, in which the two countries agreed to take no military action against each other for the next 10 years. Savagery in Lord of the Flies and Nazi Germany during the time the novel was published were uncertain, unsure of their future following World War II. -
World War II
World war II began when Hitler's Nazis invaded Poland on September 1, and Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. Hitler sent in 1300 planes of his Luftwaffe German air force, as well as more than 2000 tanks and 1.5 billion well-trained ground troops. -
Battle of Britain
Germany decided to take over Britain by bombing them taking over their airspace. The British won and gained a lot of power. This is similar to Jack because he gains a lot of power and controls the boys on the island except for Ralph. -
The Blitz
The Battles of Britain raged with Nazi bombings of military bases and London, known as the Blitz. Britain's Royal Air Force was ultimately victorious in its defense of the U.K. ''The plane was shot down in flames.'' (Golding 26). -
Mistreat
In the Babi Yar Massacre, Nazi killed over 33,000 Jews from Kiev in a revine in Ukraine; the killing would continue for months and involve at least 100,000 people. This is similar to Jack and Ralph mistreating piggy in the same way Hitler would mistreat the Jews. -
Bataan death March
At least 72,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war began a forced march by the Japanese 63 miles from the southern tip of the Bataan Peninsula to Camp O'Donnell in the Philippines. An estimated 7,000-10,000 soldiers had died along the way in what became known as the Bataan Death March. -
Anne Frank goes into hiding
Anne Frank and her family went into hiding from the Nazis in an attic apartment behind her father's pectin-trading business un Amsterdam. This is similar to when Ralph hides from Jack because he knows Jack will try to kill him. -
Bomb Attack
The first V-1 bomb attack was carried out on the city of London, one of two Vergeltungswaffen (retaliatory weapons) used in the campaign against Britain in 1944 and 1945. -
Operation Valkyrie
German military officers led by Claus Von Stauffenberg led Operation Valkyrie, a plot to kill German Chancellor, Adolf Hitler inside his Wold's Liar field headquarters, but failed. In chapter 12 , Jack wants to kill Ralph. Ralph believes the boys have become savages, ''Jack made a rush and stabbed at Ralph's chest with his spear.'' (Golding 134). -
End of World war II
This is when World war II and the kids are rescued and we can see thus form from the following quote. ''He saw white drill, epaulettes, a revolver, a row of gilt buttons down the front of a uniform. A naval officer stood on the sand, looking down at Ralph in wary astonishment.'' (Golding 156). -
Adolf Hitler commits suicide
Adolf Hitler and his wife Eva Braun committed suicide by cyanide and pistol in an underground bunker under his headquarters in Berlin. -
US bombs Tokyo
Operation Meetinghouse, in which the U.S. Army Air Forces bombed the city of Tokyo, was conducted. Only the first of firebombing raids against the city would continue the end of the war. -
Joseph McCarthy's Red Scare starts
By pitting Americans against each other, falsely claiming one is a Communist and therefore a fake American were shown nonsensical rivalry's can be. Something that Golding could have used for building the rivalry between Jack and Ralph. -
Color TV introduced
During 1951, colored TV was introduced. this invention may have given Golding inspiration for his novel. -
The Reelection of Prime Minister Winston Churchill
in October, Winston Churchill took the reins in Great Britain as prime minister for the first time after the close of World War II. -
U.S and Japan
After dropping two bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese eventually agreed to sign a peace treaty with the U.S., which would end WWII. This could have inspired Golding to have the boys join together just like how the United States and Japan did. -
Queen Elizabeth
Britain's Princess Elizabeth took over responsibility of ruling England at the age of 25 after the death of her father, King George VI. -
Joseph Stalin Dies of a Heart Attack
Stalin, ruler of the Soviet Union at the time, passed away from a heart attack. this may have affected Golding because the Soviet Union was allied with Britain and the United States World War II. -
Korean War ends after three years
In 1953, the Korean war finally ended after three years. This could have inspired Golding to write about how the war between the boys finally ended. ''The tears began to flow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body.'' (Golding 157). -
Civil Rights
The Civil rights movement began with the August 28 murder of Emmett Till, the refusal on December 1 by Rosa Parks to give up her seat on the bus to a white man, and the subsequent Montgomery Bus Boycott. -
Russia launches Sputnik 1
Soviet satellite Sputnik, which orbited for three weeks and began the space race and the space age. -
NORAD Radar System
Located close to the North Pole to detect missile attacks from Soviets on North America.