I never thought I would be so interested in learning about world history…there is so much more I want to know. In these two chapters I learned what it meant to be a third world country, a second world country, and a first world country. A first world country is an industrialized nation or a democracy. So the United States, for example, would be a first world country. I am thinking most of the European nations are probably considered first world countries. A second world country is one that belongs to the Communist world. While Strayer indicates that Communist rule no longer is as widespread as it was, I believe Communism continues to exist in China, Korea, Vietnam, and Cuba for example. Finally, a third world country would be considered to be a developing nation, such as any one of the nations in Africa or in Latin America.
It was interesting to note the difference between Africa’s political evolution and that of India’s following colonial rule and how these nations dealt with their newfound freedom. India eventually received its independence from British rule in 1947 with the help of late Mahatma Gandhi, perhaps the most recognized individual in the global struggle against colonialism (Strayer 697). India had a Western-style democracy, with multiples political parties, regular elections, and civil liberties. The transition from colonial rule to independence was gradual in that the British began to hand over power to the Indians prior to India gaining its independence, with Indians holding positions within the administrative government at the time of its independence. India remains a developing third world country. Gandhi, unfortunately, was assassinated in 1948.
While the independence transition for India had been a gradual process that was not the case with Africa. Even though the colonial British, French and Belgian governments tried to implement democratic principles and ideologies, i.e., elections, legislatures, political parties, and parliamentary procedures in various states during the 1950s, these fragile governments soon were replaced by military coups, dictatorships and authoritative one-party systems. Some believe that Africans were not ready for their independence. According to Strayer, some believed that Africa lacked “crucial ingredients for democratic politics—an educated electorate, a middle class, or perhaps a capitalist economy (707). Interestingly, others suggested that Africa’s traditional cultures were based upon a communal philosophy rather than an individual’s philosophy, where Africans preferred to arrive at a consensus rather than a majority rule. The other issue for Africa was that they had to deal with many tribes, rather than dealing with political entities.
Another important difference existed between India and Africa. When South Africa gained its independence from British rule in 1910, that independence had been granted to a government completely controlled by a white settler minority, which represented less than 20% of the total population (Strayer 701). The black African majority had no political rights whatsoever, and the separation between blacks and whites was seen in the policy of apartheid. Apartheid allowed for the segregation of blacks from whites in every way imaginable.
By the early 20th century, South Africa had developed a stronger economy seen initially in gold and diamond mining and later in other industries including rubber processing. By the 1960s, South Africa’s economy had benefited through extensive foreign investments. Almost all black Africans were involved with the success of this economy in that they provided all the labor for the white-owned farms and companies. Apartheid still was present, and it presented an odd situation. Black Africans were dependent on a white-controlled economy, which made them vulnerable to repressive actions. However, collectively they could threaten to withdraw the essential labor, which was a powerful weapon (Strayer 701). Like India, Africa had a peaceful leader in Nelson Mandela who helped to bring apartheid to the global forefront. Like Gandhi, Mandela spearheaded nonviolent civil disobedience—boycotts, strikes, and demonstrations. He was arrested in 1960 and spent 27 years in prison. Ultimately, apartheid ended in 1994 due to intense national and international pressures. Nelson Mandela was elected and served as president of South Africa! I was an employee working at Bank of America during the apartheid era. I remember Bank of America taking a very strong stance against apartheid by withdrawing its investments from South Africa. It notified each and every employee (93,000 employees at the time) in writing of its decision to do so. I can also remember that South Africa was not allowed to participate in the Olympics! Lastly, I can remember the day that Nelson Mandela was elected president of South Africa. I knew I was witnessing history.
A possible reason for Africa’s lack of success with its initial attempts at democracy may have been due to its economic situation. Strayer indicates that African economic performance since independence has been the poorest in the developing world (707). Since the 1980s, however, there has been a resurgence of Western-style democracy. This resurgence may have been due to the failure of authoritarian governments to remedy the extremely difficult economic situation. It also may be due to the end of apartheid and the collapse of the Soviet and Eastern European Communism. That being said, I know that there remains tremendous poverty and a need for humanitarian aid in many areas of Africa.
The other interesting section that caught my eye was the discussion of the globalization of liberation and comparing the feminist movements. I never would have thought of comparing the feminist movements. However, without a doubt, the issues that I faced as a Caucasian, middle-class working mother in the United States were probably very different than that of an African woman or a Middle Eastern woman, or perhaps an African American woman in the United States. I found Strayer’s comments regarding African feminists in the 1970s and beyond resenting Western feminists’ interest in female circumcision very surprising. He stated that these interests echoed the concerns of colonial-era missionaries and that Western feminism could easily be seen as a new form of cultural imperialism (737). I am having a difficult time embracing these thoughts.
My last comment for this blog pertains to the globalization of religion. Whatever religion one believes, I truly believe that to ensure a peaceful, global co-existence, we need to work together to gain tolerance and understanding of the various religious traditions. While I am not quite sure where religions actually began in our world history timeline (probably during the Ancient era), I always have wondered how it was that so many different religions came into existence. Much like I have learned that probably Homo sapiens evolved in Africa, perhaps religion had its evolution in just one tradition, whatever that may be.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
The Most Recent Century, Chapters 21 and 22
It was odd reading about world history and realizing that I am living and was living within the timeframe of some of the occurrences that are considered significant events in world history. I was a child during the Cuban missile crisis. I can remember the tremendous concern my parents had about the Soviets, as their warships were heading towards Cuba. I recall there was a lot of discussion regarding the blockade and how everyone in my family circle was very ready to defend this country. I did not understand at the time the devastation that would have resulted had a “nuclear-tipped missile” been launched against this nation. I am truly grateful that the late President John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev were able to reach a compromise that resulted in Cuba removing the nuclear missiles in return for America’s promise not to invade Cuba.
I wish that this class was a bit longer than 10 weeks. I find myself wanting to learn so much more about the various events in history, especially about World War II. I did not realize that the total death toll was estimated at 60 million people, approximately six times the deaths in World War I (Strayer p 648). While the extermination of six million Jews seemed horrible, a death toll of 60 million is horrendous. Strayer indicates that 50% of those deaths were civilian casualties (p 649). Strayer also conveys that the German military personnel fulfilled Hitler’s instructions knowing that “soldiers guilty of breaking international law…will be excused” (p 649). How is it that these rulers/leaders think so little of human life?
In my mind, World War II began with the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. However, the other fact that I learned in this reading is that World War II actually began in Asia rather than in Europe, specifically in China in 1939. In the late 1920s and the 1930s, Japan’s military became more powerful and its expansion ambitions more prominent. Japan had acquired Manchuria, a large area in northeast China, after the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. However, Japan felt threatened by China’s increase in its nationalism. So Japan’s military, acting independently, seized control of Manchuria in 1931 and renamed this state Manchukuo. This action military angered the Western powers, and Japan withdrew from the League of Nations. This action resulted in Japan distancing itself from its Western allies, and aligning itself, instead, with Germany and Italy. Japan attacked China in 1937 and this conflict, the beginning of World War II, lasted eight years.
Interestingly, as the war with China unfolded, the worldview of Japan had hardened (Strayer p 645). Because of a series of international agreements in the early 1920s that curtailed Japan’s naval force in comparison to Britain’s or the United States’ force, plus the anti-Japanese immigration policies in the United States, Japan became convinced that European racism prevented the West from acknowledging Japan as an equal power. This sentiment, coupled with Japan’s dependence on foreign goods (especially American goods such as iron, machine tools, oil and copper), the British, French and Dutch colonial presence in southeast Asia, and the Soviet Union’s presence in northern Asia, Japan felt that its national survival was at stake. In 1940 and 1941, Japan began its military operations in the French, British, Dutch, and American colonies of Indochina, Malaya, Burma, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and the building of the Japanese pacific empire began. While Japan insisted that it was “creating an Asia for Asians” and freeing the continent from European dominance, Japan clearly was interested in Asia for its resources.
I now have a better understanding as to why the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 6, 1941. Strayer indicates that” Japanese authorities undertook the attack with reluctance and only after negotiations to end American hostility to Japan’s empire-building enterprise proved fruitless” (647). He also indicated that an American oil embargo was imposed on Japan in July 1941. With American opinion of Japan as an aggressive, oppressive, and a threat to US economic interests in Asia, Japanese leaders felt that they had two choices: accept America’s terms which would probably reduce them to a second or third ranked world power, or go to war. Japan chose war.
The other fact I learned was just how close Hitler and Nazi German came to bringing all of Europe and much of the Mediterranean basin under its rule. I learned that the United States joined the war against Germany in 1942, rather than my initial impression of 1941. Strayer indicates that war was central to the Nazi phenomenon. “Nazism was born out of World War I, the hated treaty that tended it [the Treaty of Versailles], and the disillusioned ex-soldiers who emerged from it [war]” (p 648). The Treaty of Versailles, which officially ended World War I, stated that Germany undergo the following: Lose its colonial empire and 15% of its European territories; was required to pay large reparations to the victors; had to accept sole responsibility for the outbreak of the war. This treaty resulted in immense resentment in Germany. It was one of the disillusioned soldiers who stated, “It cannot be that two million Germans should have fallen in vain…we demand vengeance“ (p 632). The soldier’s name was Adolf Hitler. At the same time that Japan was launching its attacks against China in 1939, Hitler and Germany launched its attacks on Poland. So began World War II in Europe.
I read with interest Chapter 22 and its discussion regarding communism. I remember always having concerns regarding communism and the threat our nation faced. I remember well in 1989 how delighted I was for the peoples of East and West Berlin as the wall that prevented the residents of communist East Berlin from escaping to the West was torn down. I remember reading in the newspapers how peoples of Berlin took pieces of the wall with them as souvenirs.
I was in high school during the Viet Nam era and remember several classmates enlisting or being drafted to fight the threat of communism. As I recall, Viet Nam never was declared a war by Congress. Rather, the United States provided military support in the form of a police presence. I recall being told by friends who did return home that soldiers could not initiate fire, only return it. I did not know that America was defeated at the hands of the Vietnamese…I would like to learn more about this undeclared war, as well.
I wish that this class was a bit longer than 10 weeks. I find myself wanting to learn so much more about the various events in history, especially about World War II. I did not realize that the total death toll was estimated at 60 million people, approximately six times the deaths in World War I (Strayer p 648). While the extermination of six million Jews seemed horrible, a death toll of 60 million is horrendous. Strayer indicates that 50% of those deaths were civilian casualties (p 649). Strayer also conveys that the German military personnel fulfilled Hitler’s instructions knowing that “soldiers guilty of breaking international law…will be excused” (p 649). How is it that these rulers/leaders think so little of human life?
In my mind, World War II began with the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. However, the other fact that I learned in this reading is that World War II actually began in Asia rather than in Europe, specifically in China in 1939. In the late 1920s and the 1930s, Japan’s military became more powerful and its expansion ambitions more prominent. Japan had acquired Manchuria, a large area in northeast China, after the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. However, Japan felt threatened by China’s increase in its nationalism. So Japan’s military, acting independently, seized control of Manchuria in 1931 and renamed this state Manchukuo. This action military angered the Western powers, and Japan withdrew from the League of Nations. This action resulted in Japan distancing itself from its Western allies, and aligning itself, instead, with Germany and Italy. Japan attacked China in 1937 and this conflict, the beginning of World War II, lasted eight years.
Interestingly, as the war with China unfolded, the worldview of Japan had hardened (Strayer p 645). Because of a series of international agreements in the early 1920s that curtailed Japan’s naval force in comparison to Britain’s or the United States’ force, plus the anti-Japanese immigration policies in the United States, Japan became convinced that European racism prevented the West from acknowledging Japan as an equal power. This sentiment, coupled with Japan’s dependence on foreign goods (especially American goods such as iron, machine tools, oil and copper), the British, French and Dutch colonial presence in southeast Asia, and the Soviet Union’s presence in northern Asia, Japan felt that its national survival was at stake. In 1940 and 1941, Japan began its military operations in the French, British, Dutch, and American colonies of Indochina, Malaya, Burma, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and the building of the Japanese pacific empire began. While Japan insisted that it was “creating an Asia for Asians” and freeing the continent from European dominance, Japan clearly was interested in Asia for its resources.
I now have a better understanding as to why the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 6, 1941. Strayer indicates that” Japanese authorities undertook the attack with reluctance and only after negotiations to end American hostility to Japan’s empire-building enterprise proved fruitless” (647). He also indicated that an American oil embargo was imposed on Japan in July 1941. With American opinion of Japan as an aggressive, oppressive, and a threat to US economic interests in Asia, Japanese leaders felt that they had two choices: accept America’s terms which would probably reduce them to a second or third ranked world power, or go to war. Japan chose war.
The other fact I learned was just how close Hitler and Nazi German came to bringing all of Europe and much of the Mediterranean basin under its rule. I learned that the United States joined the war against Germany in 1942, rather than my initial impression of 1941. Strayer indicates that war was central to the Nazi phenomenon. “Nazism was born out of World War I, the hated treaty that tended it [the Treaty of Versailles], and the disillusioned ex-soldiers who emerged from it [war]” (p 648). The Treaty of Versailles, which officially ended World War I, stated that Germany undergo the following: Lose its colonial empire and 15% of its European territories; was required to pay large reparations to the victors; had to accept sole responsibility for the outbreak of the war. This treaty resulted in immense resentment in Germany. It was one of the disillusioned soldiers who stated, “It cannot be that two million Germans should have fallen in vain…we demand vengeance“ (p 632). The soldier’s name was Adolf Hitler. At the same time that Japan was launching its attacks against China in 1939, Hitler and Germany launched its attacks on Poland. So began World War II in Europe.
I read with interest Chapter 22 and its discussion regarding communism. I remember always having concerns regarding communism and the threat our nation faced. I remember well in 1989 how delighted I was for the peoples of East and West Berlin as the wall that prevented the residents of communist East Berlin from escaping to the West was torn down. I remember reading in the newspapers how peoples of Berlin took pieces of the wall with them as souvenirs.
I was in high school during the Viet Nam era and remember several classmates enlisting or being drafted to fight the threat of communism. As I recall, Viet Nam never was declared a war by Congress. Rather, the United States provided military support in the form of a police presence. I recall being told by friends who did return home that soldiers could not initiate fire, only return it. I did not know that America was defeated at the hands of the Vietnamese…I would like to learn more about this undeclared war, as well.
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