World History II Blog

The Transformation of the World Economy discussion of Barbie and Ken dolls showed the power of global commerce showed a reaction to values portrayed by Barbie and Ken elsewhere in the world Iran created new dolls, Sara and Dara, that displayed Iranian Muslim values and practices Sara and Dara, Barbie and Ken dolls were all made in China a dense web of political relationships, economic transactions, and cultural influences increasingly bound world together the 1990s: the process of accelerating engagement known as globalization globalization had long history upon which 20th-century globalization was built the pace of globalization increased rapidly after WWII global economic connections contracted during the time between world wars capitalist winners of WWII determined not to repeat Great Depressions 1944: Bretton Woods agreements technology helped accelerate economic globalization the 1970s: capitalist countries dropped controls on economic activity and increasingly...

Toward Freedom: Struggles for Independence Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison for treason, sabotage, and conspiracy decolonization was important in the second half of the 20th century newly independent states experimented politically, economically, and culturally faced challenges: divisions of language, ethnicity, race, class rapidly growing populations working toward stability and economic modernization influence of industrialized nations European colonial empires not as permanent as they seemed in the early 1900s the 1940s: India, Pakistan, Burma, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel won independence the 1950s-1970s: African Independence imperial breakup; novelty was a mobilization of masses around nationalist ideology and creation of new nation-states comparison to the first decolonization of the late 18th and early 19th centuries in the Americas, most colonized people of European origin common culture with common rulers fall of many empires in the 20t...

Global Communism jokes from Soviet-era highlight hypocrisy of the communist system reflect growing disbelief that the communist system could deliver promised equality and abundance the collapse of the communist regime greeted by many as a promise of liberation almost everywhere communist regimes gained power through war or revolution communist regimes transformed societies provided major political/ideological threat to the West Cold War between 1946-1991 scramble for influence in Global South between the U.S and USSR a massive nuclear arms race then it collapsed communism had roots in the 19th-century socialism inspired by Karl Marx European socialists believed they could achieve goals through the democratic process 20th-century "communists" advocated revolution "communism" in Marxist theory is the final stage of historical development 1970's: height of communism, almost one-third of the world's population governed by the communist re...

The First World War: European Civilization in Crisis, 1914-1918 Europe global power but rivalry and conflict at home the assassination of Franz Ferdinand June 28, 1914 Alliances and nationalism Industrialized militarism European empires and trade make it a global war Surprises and horrors of the war Widespread disillusionment in Europe Gender and the war mother's day vs flappers National Self-Determination in Europe Russian Revolution in 1917 Treaty of Versailles in 1919 Armenian Genocide, the Ottoman collapse, and the rise of Turkey View from the colonies Japanese expansion in China Rise of the United States Capitalism Unraveling: The Great Depression Capitalism's mixed track record Sudden unraveling of the economic system in 1929 A crisis of overproduction, international loans, and stock speculation Impact on global suppliers of raw materials and food Import substitution industrialization in Latin America Responses of the industrialized capi...

Reversal of Fortune: China's Century of Crisis In 1853: 430 million Chinese = no Industrial Revolution, no agricultural revolution = couldn't keep up The huge peasant population, unemployment, impoverishment, misery, and starvation were high. The state was unable to effectvely perform many functions: tax collection, flood control, social welfare. = corruption Gave rise to bandit gangs = peasant rebellion opposed to Qing Dynasty. = Taiping Uprising 1830s British and Americans found enormous, growing profitable market for this addictive drug: opium Chinese authorities recognized the problem: illegal trade = corruption China found itself with many millions of addicts. – Emperor decided suppression British offended by the seizure of their property in opium – sent a naval expedition to China. = First Opium War The Ottoman Empire and the West in the Nineteenth Century Islamic world represented a highly successful civilization that felt little need to learn from the “infide...

Industry and Empire New economic needs found solutions abroad. – created the need for extensive raw materials and agricultural products: Bananas from Central America Rubber from Brazil Meat from Argentina Cocoa and Palm oil from West Africa Gold and Diamonds from South Africa By 1840, Britain was exporting 60% of its cotton-cloth production, sending millions of yards to Europe. Between 1910 and 1914 Britain was sending about half of its savings overseas as foreign investment Wealthy Europeans also saw benefits to foreign markets. Industrialization society led to a serious redistribution of wealth. Growth of nationalism Colonies and spheres of influence abroad became symbols of great power, status for a nation. Imperialism appealed on economic and social grounds to the wealthy or ambitious. international power politics. The construction of the Suez Canal in 1869 to reach distant Asian and African ports more quickly. A Second Wave of European Conquests Bet...

Explaining the Industrial Revolution The global context for this transformation lies in the very substantial increase in human numbers. From 375 million in 1400 to 1 billion in the 19th century. Industrial Revolution marks a human response to that dilemma as non-renewable fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas replaced endlessly renewable energy sources of wind, water, and wood. Raw materials to feed to fuel industrial machinery- coal iron, petroleum altered landscape in many places. Some from coal-fired industries and domestic use polluted the air in urban areas, - respiratory illness. Industrial Revolution marked a new era in both human history and the history of the planet. ecological, atmospheric and geological history. Technological innovations: The Spinning Jenny Power Loom Steam Engine Cotton Gin = culture of innovation. Industrial Revolution spread beyond the textile industry to iron and steel production, railroads, steamships, food processing, and cons...

Echoes of Revolution Britains lost of North America colonies, fueled its interest in interventions in Asia – India and the Opium Wars in China Napoleon´s brief conquest in Egypt opened the way for a modernizing regime to emerge. During the 19th centuries, the idea of a “constitution” found advocates in Poland, Latin America, Spanish Philippines, British-India and China Opened ideas of republicanism, greater social equality and national liberation from foreign rule. The echos of the Atlantic Revolutions: o Abolitionists: end of Slavery o Nationalists: hoped foster unity and independence o Feminists: challenged male dominance Abolition of Slavery Enlightenment thinkers in the 18th century in Europe become increasingly critical of slavery as a violation of natural rights. Antislavery thinking increased with Quakers and Protestant evangelicals in Britain and the United States. Abolitionist movements in Britain, brought pressure on governments to close down the trade in slaves. (...

Part 5: European Centrality and the Problem of Eurocentrism Other peoples too had times of “cultural flowering”: Greeks, Indians south Asia, Arabs, Chinese, Incas, and Aztecs Western people have enjoyed their worldwide primacy for at most two centuries. The rise of Europe occurred within an international context. It was the withdrawal of the Chinese naval fleet that allowed Europeans to enter the Indian Ocean in the 16 and 17th centuries. Native Americans lacked the immunity of European diseases. Industrial Revolution also benefited from the New World resources and markets (European control of the Elite). The rise of Europe to a position of global dominance was not an easy automatic process. Europeans had to modify their policies British control in India In Africa the entering of Missionaries Peoples in the world made active use of European ideas for their own purposes. Seeking to gain an advantage over local rivals or benefits. Haitian Revolution used French ideas about ...

The Globalization of Christianity Christianity was largely limited to Europe at the beginning of the modern era. In 1500 Christendom stretched from Spain to England and West Russia. Christianity was divided into Roman Catholic of Western and Central Europe and Eastern Orthodox of Eastern Europe. Christian crusaders from their toeholds in the Holy Land by 1300 with the Ottoman seizure of Constantinople in 1453. 1529 Muslims marked an advance into the heart of Central Europe. Persistence and Change in Afro-Asian Cultural Traditions African forms of religious ideas and practices accompanied slaves to the Americas dream interpretation, visions, spirit possession found a place in the Africanized versions of Christianity Vodou in Haiti, Santeria in Cuba, Candomble and Macumba in Brazil persisted. derived from West African traditions A New Way of Thinking: The Birth of Modern Science Vast intellectual and cultural transformations that took place between the mid-sixteenth ...