- Intelligence - To solve the problems facing humanity.
- Selflessness - To think of the greatest good without concern for gains.
- Creativity - To see the world and its problems in a way to bring change.
- Empathy - To understand and relate with your fellow person.
- Benevolence - To act in kindness towards your fellow person.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
What does the world need from us?
What does the world need from us in five words?
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
WW Part 6: Ch 22 (End of Empire), Ch 23 (Capitalism & Culture)
Ch 22 (End of Empire)
It was the beginning of the end for the established empires of the world.
During the 20th century numerous Empires dissolved or were reformed:
European colonial rule ended for several reasons: these Empires had been severely weakened during the World Wars discrediting these nations and the legitimacy of their rule, self-created Empire-like nations (United State / USSR) opposed the older regimes, the United Nations created a platform to rally against anti-colonialism, and internal nationalist movements made independence possible.
Influential nationalist movements began around charismatic and intellectual leaders who mobilized the people into peaceful, and guerilla military forces to take action:
In Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk repealed remnants of the old empires as he attempted to modernize his country under a new secular nation. Islam was relegated to the private life, while all forms of government were modernized to reflect European Enlightenment thinking, and modernized European dress and actions for men and women.
Ch 23 (Capitalism & Culture)
The end of World War II saw the capitalist victors setting up the infrastructure to prevent future Depression-era conditions in the form of the World Bank and the International Monetary FUnd [IMF]. The purpose of these institutions were set rules for commercial and financial dealings among other capitalist nations while promoting free trade.
During the postwar reglobalization efforts, money and goods became globally accessible in three ways.
A pattern of globalization is the migration of people from developing, or third world, nations to industrialized nations in Europe and North America.
Economic globalization helped to create the largest economic growth in recorded history. This had tremendous impact to the world nearly everywhere, as infant mortality declined, literacy increased, and life expectancies expanded. This rapid increase in wealth also created an enormous gap between the poor and wealthy, as never before seen.
The U.S. is seen as an “American Empire” which uses economic penetration, political pressure, and military action to create compatible systems of government with with c to interact with without directly governing.
Liberation from oppression was a key concept in the post Cold War world. In the U.S. civil rights demands of African and Hispanic Americans created a culture of resistance to the unjust U.S. system. Across the world, a feminist resurgence focused on:
In the wake of enlightenment, religious belief and practice had declined dramatically as science became the dominant religion of industrialized world. In the pre-industrialized and developing nations (China, Latin America, and Africa), conversion to Christianity and Islam spiked in contrast.
Fundamentalism was the reaction the pious took against scientific scrutiny of religion. In the west, a return to a literal interpretation of scriptures and their fundamental truthfulness was at the core of this fundamentalist movement, which created a rift with more modern ideas such as homosexuality and abortion rights. In Islam, to combat secular influences on society, a stricter return to Quran based laws and government were established in many Muslim nations, and many revolutionary movements were established to create Islamic states
Humanities ability to impact the planet is a distinctive feature of the Anthropocene Era. Wars and civilizations have come and gone since humanity's early years, but the environmental impact seen since early civilizations were formed can still be seen across the planet.
Environmentalism took shape in the early 19th century as poets identified the impact of industrialization of the surrounding countryside. In the 20th and 21st century, environmentalist approaches were abound bringing more direct widespread visibility the plight of the planet.
It was the beginning of the end for the established empires of the world.
- In the 18th and 19th centuries the Americas had become independent of the British, French, Spanish, and Portuguese colonizers.
- In the 1940’s, the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Burma, Indonesia, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel had all achieved independence. Between the 1950s and 1970s, 50 African colonies had achieved the same independence.
During the 20th century numerous Empires dissolved or were reformed:
- The Austrian and Ottoman Empires collapsed as a result of World War 1, creating a series of independent nations throughout Europe and the Middle East.
- The Russian Empire collapse and was reformed as the USSR.
- The German and Japanese Empires collapsed after World War 2.
European colonial rule ended for several reasons: these Empires had been severely weakened during the World Wars discrediting these nations and the legitimacy of their rule, self-created Empire-like nations (United State / USSR) opposed the older regimes, the United Nations created a platform to rally against anti-colonialism, and internal nationalist movements made independence possible.
Influential nationalist movements began around charismatic and intellectual leaders who mobilized the people into peaceful, and guerilla military forces to take action:
- Gandhi and Nehru in India
- Sukarno in Indonesia
- Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam
- Nkrumah in Ghana
- Mandela in South Africa
- Britain ruled India without integration into their society, and inadvertently provided the motivation and means by which to rebel. By governing from a position of racial superiority, and through repeated attacks of the Muslim Ottoman Empire, they helped to create a single Indian identity distinct from Britain. Through creation of infrastructure necessary to expedite trade and communication (railroads, schools, printing press, etc.) they created the means by which native Indians could step up and begin asserting the will of the people. Initially the Indian National Congress (INC), formed of English-educated Indians, was treated with little regard, though in order to acquire support for the War Effort the British gave way to INC reforms.
- After establishing himself in South Africa as an organizer for racial and political rights for Indian Muslims, Gandhi returned to India during a period of British repression and antagonization. Upon his return Gandhi became a key player in the INC; his mass-campaigns, support for Muslims, and incorporation of Hindu themes, found support from all castes and religions throughout India. His goal was not steered towards social revolution, rather a moral change in all Indians. To this end, he worked to raise up the lower castes and women, scrutinized the caste system, and sought a return to self-sufficient local governments over Industrialization.
- A growing divide between the nations Muslim and Hindu people threatened India’s unity. During the British declaration of their intent to leave, these religious and ideological differences led Gandhi and the INC to partition the country into Muslim (Pakistan) and Hindu (India) nations.
- The struggle in South Africa was not from an oppressive nation leagues away; rather it was an internal, almost civil conflict, between the Dutch Boers and the 80% black South African majority.
- Unlike India, South Africa had a complex industrial economy based initially on gold and diamonds, but also stele, chemicals and heavy engineering. This white-dominated economy created a dependence for those employed in farms, mines and factories.
- During the Apartheid, the white-controlled economy attempted to separate the races in every way possible while retaining their workforce.
- The African National Congress (ANC) as an organization of male, educated, professional Africans who sought to change the existing order through peaceful protests and petitions. While the ANC fought for African rights and a change to the social order, this was still denied to women who organized under unionized protests.
- During the 50’s the ANC broadened its support and attempted non-violent civil disobedience, similar to Gandhi. This existed in the form of boycotts, strikes, and pass burning. The result was an armed response and shooting of unarmed demonstrators, the imprisonment of the ANC leadership (including Mandela), and a restriction of major political parties.
After the demonstration restrictions began, more guerilla methods were employed to sabotage and assassinate key targets. Additionally women and youths were incorporated into the struggle, coming to a head during a bloody conflict in the neighborhood of Soweto.
External pressures were also imposed on South Africa during this time, which isolated it from the global community. The restrictions materialized in the form of exclusion from international sporting events, refusal of artists to perform in the country, and restricted private investments.
The combination of internal and external factors led the abolishment of apartheid policies, and the release of Nelson Mandela from prison.
- Communism: China, Vietnam, and Cuba
- Democracy: India, South Africa, Mexico, Tanzania, and Senegal
- Military Regimes: Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East
- Dictatorships: Uganda and the Philippines
In Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk repealed remnants of the old empires as he attempted to modernize his country under a new secular nation. Islam was relegated to the private life, while all forms of government were modernized to reflect European Enlightenment thinking, and modernized European dress and actions for men and women.
Ch 23 (Capitalism & Culture)
The end of World War II saw the capitalist victors setting up the infrastructure to prevent future Depression-era conditions in the form of the World Bank and the International Monetary FUnd [IMF]. The purpose of these institutions were set rules for commercial and financial dealings among other capitalist nations while promoting free trade.
During the postwar reglobalization efforts, money and goods became globally accessible in three ways.
- Foreign Direct Investment - A firm in one country sets up facilities in another country.
- Short-term Movement of Capital - Purchase of foreign currency and stocks for quick turnaround.
- Personal Individual Funds - Credit Cards which eased the transfer of money cross borders.
A pattern of globalization is the migration of people from developing, or third world, nations to industrialized nations in Europe and North America.
Economic globalization helped to create the largest economic growth in recorded history. This had tremendous impact to the world nearly everywhere, as infant mortality declined, literacy increased, and life expectancies expanded. This rapid increase in wealth also created an enormous gap between the poor and wealthy, as never before seen.
The U.S. is seen as an “American Empire” which uses economic penetration, political pressure, and military action to create compatible systems of government with with c to interact with without directly governing.
Liberation from oppression was a key concept in the post Cold War world. In the U.S. civil rights demands of African and Hispanic Americans created a culture of resistance to the unjust U.S. system. Across the world, a feminist resurgence focused on:
- In the West, equal employment and rights rather than voting rights brought attention and action against the gender divide.
- In the South (Latin America, Asia, and Africa), colonialism, racism, and independence were interconnected with women's struggle.
In the wake of enlightenment, religious belief and practice had declined dramatically as science became the dominant religion of industrialized world. In the pre-industrialized and developing nations (China, Latin America, and Africa), conversion to Christianity and Islam spiked in contrast.
Fundamentalism was the reaction the pious took against scientific scrutiny of religion. In the west, a return to a literal interpretation of scriptures and their fundamental truthfulness was at the core of this fundamentalist movement, which created a rift with more modern ideas such as homosexuality and abortion rights. In Islam, to combat secular influences on society, a stricter return to Quran based laws and government were established in many Muslim nations, and many revolutionary movements were established to create Islamic states
Humanities ability to impact the planet is a distinctive feature of the Anthropocene Era. Wars and civilizations have come and gone since humanity's early years, but the environmental impact seen since early civilizations were formed can still be seen across the planet.
Three of the key factors impacting the environment during the 20th century:
- Population explosion, longer life expectancies, and reduced death rates.
- Incorporation of new energy sources fossil fuels, hydroelectric, natural gas, nuclear, etc.)
- Economic growth or development
Environmentalism took shape in the early 19th century as poets identified the impact of industrialization of the surrounding countryside. In the 20th and 21st century, environmentalist approaches were abound bringing more direct widespread visibility the plight of the planet.
Monday, July 4, 2016
WW Part 6: Intro, Ch 20 (Collapse at the Center), Ch 21 (Rise & Fall of World Communism)
Intro
This section posits that the beginning of World War I (1914) was the introduction to a new age of human civilization. There are many arguments by historians regarding the brevity of the period, and it’s recency to modern times affecting our view of events. Considering the monumental events and social upheaval which transpired, I find it a hard topic to argue when compared to previous years; World War I, World War II, Communism, the development of nuclear technology, and the end of traditional empires all occurred during this era. During this period of war and strife, the global population boomed as the spread of American crops (corn and potato), and scientific improvements in medicine and sanitization all increased the average life expectancy. In additional to life expectancy, the international trade infrastructure now reflected a more modern form of silk road where technology furthered trade.
Ch 20 (Collapse at the Center)
The “Great War”, referring to World War I, was in essence a European civil war which was spurned by the Scientific and Industrial revolutions. This modernization of society galvanized nations such as Germany and Italy, while old European powers (England, France, and Russia) maintained uneasy control.
The beginnings of WWI and the division of European powers, were sparked by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire by Serbian Nationalists. This event split Europe into two camps and started the outbreak of war; The Triple Alliance (Germany, Italy, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire), and The Triple Entente (Russia, France, and Britain). While the assassination was the catalyst for war, it was the industrialized militarism (large technologically advanced standing armies), and Slavic nationalism (which Austro-Hungarian’s opposed) which had begun the bubblings of conflict.
Battles occurred all over the world, due to the colonial reach of the European powers. While Europe was the primary battleground, French, English, and Japanese forces fought in Africa, China, and South-East Asia to take German colonies. Other nations were brought into the fray as either ally or enemy, with the Ottoman Empire siding with Germany, and America siding with France and England.
Trench warfare created huge casualties and prolonged what was expected to be a brief war, as each side fought for and ceded inches and yards.
During this period, governments expanded their reach either thru social propaganda or through mobilization of entire populaces to fight or manufacture for the war effort. The aftermath of this war brought equally significant social and cultural changes; new programs were established to support returning veterans, women were driven back into their homes and families, and the loss of life allowed for social mobility. Additionally, the cost of war had led to the collapse of the German, Russian, and Austro-Hungarian empires, creating independent Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and a plethora of smaller nations, and a new communist Russian government.
The official end to the war occurred in 1919 with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty led to:
Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal (1933-1942) was the US government's attempt to address the continuing Depression. The Deal was based on the principle that by creating social spending programs (roads, dams, etc.) that it would reduce unemployment and moderate the recession. The social aspects of such programs also created the beginnings of the Social Security system, minimum wage, and welfare programs aimed at assisting the poor, unemployed and elderly, as well as subsidizing farmers.
In contrast to communism, Fascism also took hold in the aftermath of The Great War. Fascism was focused on increased nationalism, purification, and mobilization of its citizens headed by a charismatic leader The fascist movement had a lasting impact in Austria, Hungary, Romania, and more significantly in Italy (Mussolini) and Germany (Hitler). Under this new form of government, Mussolini created a unified cultural identity through state run infrastructure, and established the Catholic church the religion of Italy as it established a new “Roman Empire”. The Nazi party, under Adolf Hitler's guidance, reflected the Italian form of nationalism and used violence as a political tool to enforce its ideals. On a platform of racial superiority, hatred of Jews, and a opposition to communism, the National Socialist party took hold after the onset of the Great Depression, and quickly solidified its power through outlawing of conflicting government parties.
At the same time as Communism and Fascism were taking hold, Japanese Authoritarianism was established and attempted to reduced democracy at home. While Japan was on the winning side of The Great War and initially began establishing many democratic programs at home (male suffrage, two-system party, etc.), the Great Depression created a chaos similar to that of the Russian revolution. Social unrest and a general sense that democratic officials were unable to address the situation, led to tighter and tighter control of local affairs. While no charismatic leader appeared, as in Italy and Germany, a Nationalist movement did take hold focused around a cultural uniformity and fealty to the Emperor.
Word War II began in Asia, with Japan’s capture of Manchuria as a result of reduced influence caused by Chinese Nationalism, eventually became an all out conflict with China in 1937. Japan’s dependency on American goods, isolated location, and increasing US hostility towards their expansion led to attacks on French, British, Dutch, and American colonies in the south pacific islands to end its dependency on foreign powers. As America perceived Japan as aggressive, oppressive, and a threat to US interests, an oil embargo was imposed which led to the attack on Pearl Harbor, and ultimately America entering the fray of World War II on the allied side.
On the European side of World War II, Nazi Germany played on the perceived injustices of the Versailles treaty to galvanize its citizens and begin re-militarization. Expansion began slowly as Hitler’s forces entered the Rhineland, and began annexing Austria, parts of Czechoslovakia, and its ultimate attack on Poland triggered WWII and a European coalition response by England and France. France was quickly defeated, and Britain was under continued aerial attack, while Germany began an attack on the Soviet Union. German forces, focused on blitzkrieg (lightning war) tactics to rapid push throughout Europe, North Africa, and the western Soviet Union. While Germany was wildly successful, America's contribution of people and resources helped to bring an end to the war by 1945.
World War II was the most costly war in human history, with an estimated 60 million lives lost (combatant and civilian). The Soviet Union represented 40% of the total losses, as Hitler perceived the conflict as an ideological one in which soldiers were granted a pardon for breaking international law. This new “total war” style warfare allowed nations to forgo morality in order to win, and America was not immune. The nuclear bombs dropped on Japan showed the extent to which America had become invested in the conflict, as a single bomb wiped out tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians alike. Likewise it was this approach towards warfare, and perceived inferiority of other races that led to the Holocaust in which German’s enthusiastically attempted the extermination of Jews and other undesirables to create a racially pure society.
In many countries, as in the United States and Soviet Union, women took on more prominent roles in industrial production to fund the war effort.
With the war concluded, the European nations were weekend, with Western Europe being protected by the United States, and Eastern Europe under Soviet control. The virtues of communism began to seep into China, and eventually helped to ceed control from the Japanese through unification.
Ch 21 (Rise & Fall of World Communism)
Modern Communism was inspired by the ideas brought forth by Karl Marx during the Industrial Revolution. Communism reflected what Karl Marx described as the final stage in which from revolution social equality would spring. Following the events of WWII and the forming of the Soviet Union, Communism spread to China, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Cuba, and eventually in Afghanistan. Though communism did spring up globally, the type of socialist utopia envisioned by Marx did not; as none of these budding nations experience the advanced industrial capitalism he saw as a prerequisite to social upheaval. One would argue that without industrialized capitalism, those societies lacked the infrastructure and experiences necessary to bring them into the socialized golden age they envisioned Communism to be.
During the end of World War I, social upheaval was underway as working class men and women protested food shortages and for peace. During this time communists came into power, ending the three century reign of the aristocracy in Russia. The provisional government was unable to establish order with the war still ongoing, and political infighting preventing real change. The more radicalized Bolsheviks, headed by Lenin, promoted Marx style social reforms which resonated with people in the larger cities. During an evening coup, Lenin’s party seized power, sparking a civil war between the “communist” Bolsheviks and their supporters, and officials, landlords, regional nationalist forces, and some western powers (Britain, United States, France, Japan). Against all odds, the communist party held it’s own, and with a peace treaty signed between itself and Germany, were able to remove itself from the global conflict to focus on its current civil war. Through an authoritative approach, they created a strange hold on resources and people, helping to end the war within three years; the aftermath being the formation of the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or Soviet Union).
Stalin, the leader of the USSR through World War II, saw the need to prevent western invasions. Using the occupied territories from WWII (Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria), Stalin created puppet communist governments loyal to him as a barrier between the West.
With the collapse of the Chinese imperial system, chinese working class formed the small Chinese Communist Party (CCP), without the guidance of Karl Marx’s teachings. Led by Mao Zedong, the CCP was forced out of the urban centers by the Nationalist Party headed by Guomindang. The Nationalist Party proposed modernization of the nation through public works initiatives, in part due to the support of Western powers, and remaining elites and landlords within China. As China lacked the industrialization or middle-class necessary to start a Marxist revolt, Mao recruited from Chinese peasants and began a form of guerrilla warfare to take back lands. With the promise of reforms towards women's rights, women’s associations flocked to join the CCP ranks, but were quickly adjusted to placate traditional males within the armies. With Japan’s invasion of China, and the subsequent breaking of the Nationalist Party, the CCP numbers swelled as they focused their attacks on the Japanese invaders. The CCP now actively addressing foreign imperialism and peasant exploitation, created a platform to take control over the Nationalist Party once WWII ended.
Socialism in Russia (Stalin) and China (Mao) had the daunting task of building a modern society with socialist views at it’s core. The governments led with absolute authority, but were expected to be representatives of socialist reforms. With totalitarian control, no conflicting parties were allowed, and all ways of life influenced by thought must be along the socialist lines.
Feminism experienced a surge of support from the Lenin run USSR, as equality was government mandated, and programs such as Zhenotdel were created to educate and train women to be equal citizens. This lasted 10 short years and was abolished during the Stalin form of USSR due to pressures from male citizens. Likewise, China instituted a similar, but far less authoritative system to the Zhenotdel which gave women some control over marriage and divorce, and control over property.
In the countryside, both forms of socialism had sought to restructure the land into an equitable system. In the USSR, the peasants had done this spontaneously and was supported the new government. In China, groups were created by the CCP to directly address the inequities with the landowners, usually through peaceful means.
Industrialization was a single fundamental need identified by the USSR and the CCP. The precursor to this industrialization require massive mobilization of the population and land resources creating an economic boom. The outcome of this industrialization on both cultures were: a rapid urbanization, exploitation of the land to support industry needs, and the creation of privileged elites to oversee.
Mao Zedong became aware that this Soviet influenced industrialization was creating the inequalities that the CCP had fought against. To combat this, he initially responded with the Great Leap Forward, which promoted small-scale industrialization in rural areas over cities in order to spread the technological knowledge beyond city elite. Unfortunately this led to massive famine, which temporarily discredited the CCP. The next attempt made to steer society away from capitalist tendencies, was the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. This campaign attempted to bring health care and education to the countryside, and create a gender neutral government approach; although corruption and opposition allowed this little success.
The Cold War was very chilly *buh dum bum*. This military conflict consisted of largely voluntary American influenced group (NATO) and an imposed Soviet influenced group (Warsaw Pact). The divide stemmed from a western desire for open democratic societies influenced by a capitalist world economy. With a very Capitalist vs. Socialist standoff occurring, several wars between these groups tethered on creating an all out global war.
During the Cold War, the United States became the defender of Western capitalism against the encroaching communist movement. Thru support of other nations, participation in defense alliances and treaties, and secretive approach toward protection established the US as a “national security state”. With the only surviving industrial and military complex after World War II, American maintained a booming economy by which to combat the growing communist movement. In contrast, the Soviet Union created its own version of the military industrial complex, in which citizens were subjected to incessant government propaganda to garner support. Regardless, Eastern Europeans rejected Soviet communism in favor of more direct Marxist socialism. Furthermore, significant ideological difference caused a divide between the Soviet Union and China, with the Soviets removing all support from the Chinese government with hints at larger conflict.
The end of communism came with a pop rather than an explosion.
This section posits that the beginning of World War I (1914) was the introduction to a new age of human civilization. There are many arguments by historians regarding the brevity of the period, and it’s recency to modern times affecting our view of events. Considering the monumental events and social upheaval which transpired, I find it a hard topic to argue when compared to previous years; World War I, World War II, Communism, the development of nuclear technology, and the end of traditional empires all occurred during this era. During this period of war and strife, the global population boomed as the spread of American crops (corn and potato), and scientific improvements in medicine and sanitization all increased the average life expectancy. In additional to life expectancy, the international trade infrastructure now reflected a more modern form of silk road where technology furthered trade.
Ch 20 (Collapse at the Center)
The “Great War”, referring to World War I, was in essence a European civil war which was spurned by the Scientific and Industrial revolutions. This modernization of society galvanized nations such as Germany and Italy, while old European powers (England, France, and Russia) maintained uneasy control.
The beginnings of WWI and the division of European powers, were sparked by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire by Serbian Nationalists. This event split Europe into two camps and started the outbreak of war; The Triple Alliance (Germany, Italy, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire), and The Triple Entente (Russia, France, and Britain). While the assassination was the catalyst for war, it was the industrialized militarism (large technologically advanced standing armies), and Slavic nationalism (which Austro-Hungarian’s opposed) which had begun the bubblings of conflict.
Battles occurred all over the world, due to the colonial reach of the European powers. While Europe was the primary battleground, French, English, and Japanese forces fought in Africa, China, and South-East Asia to take German colonies. Other nations were brought into the fray as either ally or enemy, with the Ottoman Empire siding with Germany, and America siding with France and England.
Trench warfare created huge casualties and prolonged what was expected to be a brief war, as each side fought for and ceded inches and yards.
During this period, governments expanded their reach either thru social propaganda or through mobilization of entire populaces to fight or manufacture for the war effort. The aftermath of this war brought equally significant social and cultural changes; new programs were established to support returning veterans, women were driven back into their homes and families, and the loss of life allowed for social mobility. Additionally, the cost of war had led to the collapse of the German, Russian, and Austro-Hungarian empires, creating independent Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and a plethora of smaller nations, and a new communist Russian government.
The official end to the war occurred in 1919 with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty led to:
- Germany to lose its colonial empire, was required to pay heavy reparations, and it’s military forces were restricted.
- The Armenian genocide by the Ottoman empire.
- End of the Ottoman empire, and the establishment of independent Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine states.
- Revolt in Chile as reduced exports to support the war led to mass unemployment and starvation.
- United State became a global superpower.
Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal (1933-1942) was the US government's attempt to address the continuing Depression. The Deal was based on the principle that by creating social spending programs (roads, dams, etc.) that it would reduce unemployment and moderate the recession. The social aspects of such programs also created the beginnings of the Social Security system, minimum wage, and welfare programs aimed at assisting the poor, unemployed and elderly, as well as subsidizing farmers.
In contrast to communism, Fascism also took hold in the aftermath of The Great War. Fascism was focused on increased nationalism, purification, and mobilization of its citizens headed by a charismatic leader The fascist movement had a lasting impact in Austria, Hungary, Romania, and more significantly in Italy (Mussolini) and Germany (Hitler). Under this new form of government, Mussolini created a unified cultural identity through state run infrastructure, and established the Catholic church the religion of Italy as it established a new “Roman Empire”. The Nazi party, under Adolf Hitler's guidance, reflected the Italian form of nationalism and used violence as a political tool to enforce its ideals. On a platform of racial superiority, hatred of Jews, and a opposition to communism, the National Socialist party took hold after the onset of the Great Depression, and quickly solidified its power through outlawing of conflicting government parties.
At the same time as Communism and Fascism were taking hold, Japanese Authoritarianism was established and attempted to reduced democracy at home. While Japan was on the winning side of The Great War and initially began establishing many democratic programs at home (male suffrage, two-system party, etc.), the Great Depression created a chaos similar to that of the Russian revolution. Social unrest and a general sense that democratic officials were unable to address the situation, led to tighter and tighter control of local affairs. While no charismatic leader appeared, as in Italy and Germany, a Nationalist movement did take hold focused around a cultural uniformity and fealty to the Emperor.
Word War II began in Asia, with Japan’s capture of Manchuria as a result of reduced influence caused by Chinese Nationalism, eventually became an all out conflict with China in 1937. Japan’s dependency on American goods, isolated location, and increasing US hostility towards their expansion led to attacks on French, British, Dutch, and American colonies in the south pacific islands to end its dependency on foreign powers. As America perceived Japan as aggressive, oppressive, and a threat to US interests, an oil embargo was imposed which led to the attack on Pearl Harbor, and ultimately America entering the fray of World War II on the allied side.
On the European side of World War II, Nazi Germany played on the perceived injustices of the Versailles treaty to galvanize its citizens and begin re-militarization. Expansion began slowly as Hitler’s forces entered the Rhineland, and began annexing Austria, parts of Czechoslovakia, and its ultimate attack on Poland triggered WWII and a European coalition response by England and France. France was quickly defeated, and Britain was under continued aerial attack, while Germany began an attack on the Soviet Union. German forces, focused on blitzkrieg (lightning war) tactics to rapid push throughout Europe, North Africa, and the western Soviet Union. While Germany was wildly successful, America's contribution of people and resources helped to bring an end to the war by 1945.
World War II was the most costly war in human history, with an estimated 60 million lives lost (combatant and civilian). The Soviet Union represented 40% of the total losses, as Hitler perceived the conflict as an ideological one in which soldiers were granted a pardon for breaking international law. This new “total war” style warfare allowed nations to forgo morality in order to win, and America was not immune. The nuclear bombs dropped on Japan showed the extent to which America had become invested in the conflict, as a single bomb wiped out tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians alike. Likewise it was this approach towards warfare, and perceived inferiority of other races that led to the Holocaust in which German’s enthusiastically attempted the extermination of Jews and other undesirables to create a racially pure society.
In many countries, as in the United States and Soviet Union, women took on more prominent roles in industrial production to fund the war effort.
With the war concluded, the European nations were weekend, with Western Europe being protected by the United States, and Eastern Europe under Soviet control. The virtues of communism began to seep into China, and eventually helped to ceed control from the Japanese through unification.
Ch 21 (Rise & Fall of World Communism)
Modern Communism was inspired by the ideas brought forth by Karl Marx during the Industrial Revolution. Communism reflected what Karl Marx described as the final stage in which from revolution social equality would spring. Following the events of WWII and the forming of the Soviet Union, Communism spread to China, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Cuba, and eventually in Afghanistan. Though communism did spring up globally, the type of socialist utopia envisioned by Marx did not; as none of these budding nations experience the advanced industrial capitalism he saw as a prerequisite to social upheaval. One would argue that without industrialized capitalism, those societies lacked the infrastructure and experiences necessary to bring them into the socialized golden age they envisioned Communism to be.
During the end of World War I, social upheaval was underway as working class men and women protested food shortages and for peace. During this time communists came into power, ending the three century reign of the aristocracy in Russia. The provisional government was unable to establish order with the war still ongoing, and political infighting preventing real change. The more radicalized Bolsheviks, headed by Lenin, promoted Marx style social reforms which resonated with people in the larger cities. During an evening coup, Lenin’s party seized power, sparking a civil war between the “communist” Bolsheviks and their supporters, and officials, landlords, regional nationalist forces, and some western powers (Britain, United States, France, Japan). Against all odds, the communist party held it’s own, and with a peace treaty signed between itself and Germany, were able to remove itself from the global conflict to focus on its current civil war. Through an authoritative approach, they created a strange hold on resources and people, helping to end the war within three years; the aftermath being the formation of the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or Soviet Union).
Stalin, the leader of the USSR through World War II, saw the need to prevent western invasions. Using the occupied territories from WWII (Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria), Stalin created puppet communist governments loyal to him as a barrier between the West.
With the collapse of the Chinese imperial system, chinese working class formed the small Chinese Communist Party (CCP), without the guidance of Karl Marx’s teachings. Led by Mao Zedong, the CCP was forced out of the urban centers by the Nationalist Party headed by Guomindang. The Nationalist Party proposed modernization of the nation through public works initiatives, in part due to the support of Western powers, and remaining elites and landlords within China. As China lacked the industrialization or middle-class necessary to start a Marxist revolt, Mao recruited from Chinese peasants and began a form of guerrilla warfare to take back lands. With the promise of reforms towards women's rights, women’s associations flocked to join the CCP ranks, but were quickly adjusted to placate traditional males within the armies. With Japan’s invasion of China, and the subsequent breaking of the Nationalist Party, the CCP numbers swelled as they focused their attacks on the Japanese invaders. The CCP now actively addressing foreign imperialism and peasant exploitation, created a platform to take control over the Nationalist Party once WWII ended.
Socialism in Russia (Stalin) and China (Mao) had the daunting task of building a modern society with socialist views at it’s core. The governments led with absolute authority, but were expected to be representatives of socialist reforms. With totalitarian control, no conflicting parties were allowed, and all ways of life influenced by thought must be along the socialist lines.
Feminism experienced a surge of support from the Lenin run USSR, as equality was government mandated, and programs such as Zhenotdel were created to educate and train women to be equal citizens. This lasted 10 short years and was abolished during the Stalin form of USSR due to pressures from male citizens. Likewise, China instituted a similar, but far less authoritative system to the Zhenotdel which gave women some control over marriage and divorce, and control over property.
In the countryside, both forms of socialism had sought to restructure the land into an equitable system. In the USSR, the peasants had done this spontaneously and was supported the new government. In China, groups were created by the CCP to directly address the inequities with the landowners, usually through peaceful means.
Industrialization was a single fundamental need identified by the USSR and the CCP. The precursor to this industrialization require massive mobilization of the population and land resources creating an economic boom. The outcome of this industrialization on both cultures were: a rapid urbanization, exploitation of the land to support industry needs, and the creation of privileged elites to oversee.
Mao Zedong became aware that this Soviet influenced industrialization was creating the inequalities that the CCP had fought against. To combat this, he initially responded with the Great Leap Forward, which promoted small-scale industrialization in rural areas over cities in order to spread the technological knowledge beyond city elite. Unfortunately this led to massive famine, which temporarily discredited the CCP. The next attempt made to steer society away from capitalist tendencies, was the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. This campaign attempted to bring health care and education to the countryside, and create a gender neutral government approach; although corruption and opposition allowed this little success.
The Cold War was very chilly *buh dum bum*. This military conflict consisted of largely voluntary American influenced group (NATO) and an imposed Soviet influenced group (Warsaw Pact). The divide stemmed from a western desire for open democratic societies influenced by a capitalist world economy. With a very Capitalist vs. Socialist standoff occurring, several wars between these groups tethered on creating an all out global war.
- North Korea invading South Korea led to Chinese and American involvement.
- A divided North and South Communist conflict in Vietnam led to American intervention.
- In Afghanistan soviet forces intervened to prevent an Islamic state from overthrowing the forming Marxist socialist government.
- Cuba earning the ire of the United States by nationalizing American assets steered them towards communism without Soviet intervention.
During the Cold War, the United States became the defender of Western capitalism against the encroaching communist movement. Thru support of other nations, participation in defense alliances and treaties, and secretive approach toward protection established the US as a “national security state”. With the only surviving industrial and military complex after World War II, American maintained a booming economy by which to combat the growing communist movement. In contrast, the Soviet Union created its own version of the military industrial complex, in which citizens were subjected to incessant government propaganda to garner support. Regardless, Eastern Europeans rejected Soviet communism in favor of more direct Marxist socialism. Furthermore, significant ideological difference caused a divide between the Soviet Union and China, with the Soviets removing all support from the Chinese government with hints at larger conflict.
The end of communism came with a pop rather than an explosion.
- The death of Mao Zedong led the CCP to abandon the Maoist form of communism while retaining governmental control of China.
- In Eastern Europe local movements toppled communist governments in succession.
- In Soviet Russia, reformist Gorbachev came to power in an attempt to save Soviet socialism; however the many infrastructure dysfunctions led to the end of the Soviet Union and the Cold War.
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