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.
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