Ch 24

Ch 24

Wow I cant believe that we have finished the textbook already, I don’t think that I have ever read an entire textbook in my whole life. After two semesters of world history I have learned a lot of interesting information. People say that if you don’t know the history of the past then history will just repeat it self, and the same mistakes will be made. I think that this course has taught me a lot and looking and discussing in depth about very important topics of history I feel like I am more knowledgeable about the history of the world.

Chapter 24 opens up talking about Barbie and Ken. I think that this topic is very interesting as I used to play with barbies when I was younger, I had never really realized the debate over the dolls before. I had both ken and Barbie along with other dolls of other ethnicities. Some don’t like barbies because they say that she has a negative influence over young girls. Arguing that barbie’s body is unrealistic and that girls will try to have that body when the chances of having that body type is 1 in 100,000. Also, the fact that Barbie is so much into her looks and her style, many people argue that it does not matter whether she is beautiful or ugly, but what matters is how her personality is and what iconic things she does for young girls. While others, say that Barbie is beautiful and smart and that this is encouraging for young girls, especially because Barbie has had many great jobs for example a doctor, a vet, a teacher, a paleontologist etc. Those who argue that Barbie is a positive influence over young girls say that Barbie allows girls to use there imaginations, to dress Barbie however they wish, they can make Barbie walk and talk how they wish. However one looks at Barbie, the toy is still a multi-billion selling industry and will remain that way for a long time.

            Another debate about Barbie is the one that concerns ken. Barbie and ken, Ken and Barbie, these names are known almost all over, but is this relationship healthy? Sure, some parents in America like the relationship, it shows that Barbie can be independent and stand on her own feet, because she is not married. But others in countries like Iran for example people believe Barbie is not a good role model because she has an unmarried companion. So instead of having the big Barbie ken phenomenon in Iran they have Sara and Dara, sister and brother twins. They teach values like helping each other problem solve, and looking to their parents for guidance. This relationship is totally different than that of ken and Barbie, the values are the opposite; the way they dress is opposite. This is an example of how values differ all across the world, and how industries like that of Barbie have to alter their products in order to sell in different parts of the world. I really liked how the textbook used this example in order to make the concept of the chapter clear.

           

          Another important aspect of this chapter was the paragraphs concerning feminism. In the 1960 feminist organizations came out with strong opinions. They argued that they no longer wanted to be seen as the “other” or deviant. Women are human just like men; we are not some alien forces that should be viewed differently than men. Women began to speak out and fight for their equality. Also women wanted to be able to control what happens to their bodies. That’s where the big debates of abortion really began. Whether I agree with that issue or not, I understand where women were coming from with the start up of this debate. Women were also fighting for equal rights in employment and education. I think that its kind of sad that it was roughly only 50 years ago when women were beginning to be looked at as equal to men! 

            

Ch 23- The roles of influential people

Chapter 23

         As I opened up and began reading chapter 23 I realized how inspirational this chapter is. It talks about how countries fought for and attained their independence and who were the motivational and inspiring people who helped in the process. Right when I opened the textbook the first page of chapter 23 is a large picture of Nelson Mandela. Even before reading the first paragraph I felt inspired, just from the picture. As I began reading the chapter I learned about the enormous effect that he as one individual had in South Africa. Nelson Mandela went through many hardships in order for his voice to be heard. Imagine spending 27 years in prison for no reason at all, imagine that you did nothing wrong except speak out against your government. He was imprisoned for treason, sabatage, and conspiracy. This just shows what kind of government south Africa and many other countries as this time had. Nelson spent his nights sleeping on the floor because that is all he had for a bed, a cold stone hard floor, and if he wanted to use the bathroom… he had a bucket! That’s not even the  worst part of it, the more I read the worst it got. While in prison, Nelson Mandela was allowed one visitor a year for 30 minutes, and was allowed to write and receive one letter every six months! Scientist have proven that people need the company of others. That the body and especially the mind can go crazy with out other people around, that is why so solitary confinement is such a horrid place, and why prisoners dislike it so much. 

      When he was finally released in 1990 from growing domestic and international pressure he gave his first speech and battling through many more hardships he eventually came South Africas first black president. The fight that Mandela endured was incredibly inspiring to many other countries around the world. Take a moment to look at the date that he was released from prison, 1990, that was only 21 years ago, a man who spent 9,828 days being brutally treated spent his years as a free man fighting for the lives and freedom of the people in his country. 

      Other people were just as inspiring as he was, which lead to the freedom of other countries. For example, Mahatma Gandhi, he did so much for the freedom of india from british rule. Before the 1900’s many who lived in india did not see themselves as “Indians”, the cultural identity of India was mainly that of the locals and diversity was enormous. The British rule promoted a growing sense of Indian identity, unlike foreign rulers, the British didn’t assimilate, and rather, Indians shared more similarities to each other than to the rulers. I think this was beneficial for the people of India because they got to keep pieces of their cultures. The influence and role that Gandhi had, most believe, encouraged the freedom of india. He was originally suppose to be  a lawyer but that profession did not lead him far, and in 1893 Gandhi traveled to south Africa where he joined the fight against racial segregation. Later, he developed a  political philosophy of satyagraga meaning, truth force, a nonviolent approach to political action. When he went back to india he became the leader of the INC. he made movements to get rid of colonial rule and also the mistreatment of indias untouchables and the evils of modernization.

              Many supported ghandi and his struggle for independence india, however many had issues with what he was doing. There was a growing muslim/hindu divide and in 1906 an all india muslim league was created. Also, some Hindu politicians defined the nationalist struggle in religious terms. Finally in 1947, india finally gained its independence, however, india was divided and Pakistan was created. Pakistan was mainly the home of many muslims where india remained the home of many hindus. This new separation sparked much violence, around 1 million died, and roughly 12 million refugees relocated. Sadly, in 1948, a year after ghandi finally achieved the independence he spent his life trying to achieve he was assassinated by a hindu extremist. To think that any ordinary man or women can achieve and influence so much in one lifetime is amazing. Although I did not talk about all the influential people who dedicated there lives to gaining independence for those of there country and for future generations, there were many! 

intro paragraph

After reading and doing research on the region that is currently in turmoil, it would make anyone realize how fortunate he or she is, especially those who live in the United States. We live in a country where we have the opportunity to choose those who govern over us, and what we want to do with the life we are given to live. Some of those in the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa are rebelling from their government and are seeking freedom. The Webster definition of oppress is “to keep someone in subservience and hardship, esp. by the unjust exercise of authority”. Millions of people are living in a society where they have no control over their lives, where the government controls them, they are living in a society where the richer stay rich and the poor become poorer. Imagine living a life where one’s voice has no meaning when it comes to government, and those in power decide the outcome of one’s life. Finally, after years of oppression people are beginning to fight back, the countries in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula are echoing from one another, and the fight for equality is happening. 

ch 21

This chapter is filled with many major points in history. The chapter starts off talking about World War I, or also known as the Great War. It lasted from 1914–1918. After WWI, the Great Depression hit, followed by the rise of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, and then World War II. All of these events proved to be sad in one way or another. The death total of all of these historical events is just horrendous, and if one were to take a moment of there day to think about how many people, all around the world died in these horrific events, it would bring any person down. I just thought about how many people died in two major wars, the great depression, and during the holocaust, and this feeling of sadness just overtook me. To think that not only did millions and millions of people die during these years, but for each life that was taken, a family member of friend also suffered the loss. Now that I’m talking about such sad, horrific thoughts I think that I am going to talk about the Holocaust. I wanted to originally talk about the entire chapter, and summarize the major events of history, but it only feels right to dedicate most of this blog to the holocaust. I think that we have learned about the holocaust every year in school since the 6^th grade, or at least I have. Every time that the subject of the holocaust comes up, I think that its one of the saddest moments in history, and people often get very emotional over the subject. One of the most famous names in history, Adolf Hitler, one of the biggest communist the world has ever seen, became chancellor of Germany in 1933, and immediately outlawed other political parties, arrested opponents, censured the press, and assumed police power. Hitler succeeded in bringing Germany out of the depression, and he invoked rural and traditional values, and by the 1930’s had the majority of the support from his people. In my opinion, Hitler is the worst, most cruel, and heartless person that I have ever learned about. I don’t think that any other person in the world has made me so mad and depressed. How can one man do that? This is one question that puzzles my mind every time the subject of Hitler or the Holocaust is brought up. I think that many people around the world feel the same way that I do. For example, a middle school in Tennessee started this project, where one paper clip represented a person who died in the holocaust. It started off as a small project; the school had no idea about how many paper clips they actually needed. The paper clip project ended up being national project, and they received paper clips from people all around the country. The total number of paper clips they collected ended up being over 30 million. Just let that number sink in for a minute. It is truly sad. Following the holocaust, even more lives were taken during World War II. This Second World War was an even more global conflict, it is recorded that an estimated 60 million people died due to WWII, and roughly about half of those who died were civilians, the line between civilians and those in the military was blurred. The USSR suffered about 40% of the total number of deaths and Chinese civilians undertook massive attacks, in most villages at least one human and one animal was killed. China also suffered the Rape of Nanking, from the years of 1937-1938, it’s estimated that 200,000-300,000 civilians of china were killed, and countless more women were raped. World War II left Europe in ruins, and they no longer had the power or the strength to hold onto their Asians and African colonies.  Coincidently, WWII brought on feelings of internationalism, and the United Nations was created in 1945, and the Unites States became a superpower. I think that this chapter was filled with a lot of very important information, and I believe that it is one of the most chapters in our book and I’m glad that I got to reflect on it through this blog.

Ch 20

Colonial rule ended up disturbing the way of life that people had, and the concept of racism was becoming more widespread at an extremely fast rate, especially in places like Africa. The cultural identities that people had were being altered, and cultures were changing due to colonial rule. One aspect where change can be seen is in the way people viewed education. The idea of education was enlightening to many people, especially the illiterate. They saw it as a chance to move up in society, and attain better jobs, to escape from former obligations that they had, such as forced labor.  Along with embracing education, many people embraced other European ideas, for example the way that building and houses were designed, and the little girl fantasy of getting married in a white dress. Many people saw the colonial rule progress as a path to a better future, hoping to achieve a better life for themselves and their families. In India many reforms were taking place, people sought to change the Indian culture that was free of idolatry, child marriages, caste, and discrimination against women, while keeping their mindset along the texts of Hinduism. I think that while I was reading this, this particular section stood out to me because it mentioned the country that my ancestors are from. I may have not been born in India, or grown up in a traditional Indian household, and I think that has a lot to do because of the reforms that started years and years ago. For example, all of those horrid practices that took place, like child marriages, and the discrimination against women, were still part of the Indian culture today, I don’t think that I would be the person that I am today. Especially the part that has to due with discrimination against women, everyone knows that people do not see women equal to men in the society that we live in today. Especially in foreign countries outside of the U.S. like India and the middle east for example. Imagine what it was like before the reforms and colonial rule took place. So, I am glad that these reforms took place, and people became educated because it opened up new doors for many people, who previously were naïve to the rights they had as human beings. 

Collapse

          For this weeks blog we had to read Collapse by, Jared Diamond. I thought that the reading was really interesting; it really touched some points that are important to our world today. At the end of the reading there was quote that I would like to state again. Jared wrote “ I introduced this section by acknowledging that there are important differences between the ancient world and the modern world. The differences that I then went on to mention- today’s larger populations and more potent destructive technology, and today’s interconnectedness posing the risk of a global rather than a local collapse- may seem to suggest a pessimistic outcome.” I chose to talk about this quote because I think that it really connects everything that this last chapter was about. He talked about the different ways that our world is destructing itself and or losing its natural resources. I think that everyone has there own opinion when it comes to choosing which of the 12 would be the most important to preserve or work towards preserving. In my opinion, the most important thing to preserve would be destroying our natural habitats. By destroying the natural homes of animals we are breaking the cycle of life and eventually that is going to catch up to us humans today or to future generations, who will undoubtedly suffer because of us. Aside from hurting the natural habitats of animals, we are also depleting the natural resources like trees and plants. This therefore has a negative impact on our environment. Yes, paper and such is important, but people should recycle. I don’t think that people understand the importance of the world’s natural habitats, and it is a very bad thing because these natural resources are very important! Aside from this, I think another important thing off the list of 12 is depletion of fresh water. Water is obviously one of the most important resources in life. For humans, for animals, for plants, water is a basic essential. Yes, people could argue that fresh water is not that important because there are water cleaning systems and such things that could easily clean the water we drink and we would be able to keep living. But, it is not that simple for the millions of animals living in the world’s oceans and seas etc. The natural water that we pollute are polluting is wrong. Its not fair for the animals that are trying to survive, and its not fair for the words future population. All together, this reading was very eye opening and it made me realize how important our world is and not to take it for granted. 

ch 22

Communist Feminism

            As Communist countries began to develop a lot of their effort when into liberating and mobilizing the women of their countries, Western countries adopted these ideas later. These movements were largely state directed. In Russia or the USSR, women were declared full legal and political equality. After years and years of inequality women were now able to divorce easily. Before this became easier, women who were in abusive marriages or were unhappy for some reason were no able to leave, with these new freedoms women could now be happier and gained more freedom. Also, abortion was not allowed. Whether people were for or against it, women now had the opportunity to choose what they wanted to do with their bodies. During the industrial revolution, we learned that working conditions were very bad, and no special treatment was given to anyone even those who were pregnant. However, laws were now made to help these women. Pregnancy leave was now available to women who were expecting. Even though it took many years for these types of laws that were beneficial to women to flourish, I am happy that people began to notice that women are just as equal to men, and that we should of received the same rights as men from the very beginning. Lastly, women were now encouraged to work, and support their family. As all of these ideas were taking place in communist areas, the western world was beginning to pick up on these ideas. Thankfully, today women are just as equal as men. I am able to go to school, work, and have laws that protects me if I were ever to get into a troubling situation. I feel bad that women were once prone to such hard life conditions, it is just unfair and it makes me sad to think about it. In communist China, things began to look better for women there as well. The marriage law of 1950 allowed women to marry the man of their choice, and made divorce easier. Also, it was finally an end of concubines and child marriage. Along with all of these other laws, property rights were now given to women. Lastly, in communist china, women became much more active in the workforce.

Ch 19

Europe’s golden age of expansion was in the nineteenth century. Europe became the center of the world’s economy, many people were moving out of Europe and living in new lands, explorers and missionaries were reaching almost everywhere, and much of the world became part of Europe’s colonies. Europeans now had new motives and new means. With the Industrial Revolution fueling them, they felt like they had much to do. They were in demand for raw materials and agricultural products, they had a need for markets to sell their products, European capitalists often invested money abroad, and foreign markets kept workers inside Europe working. As Europe was doing all of this, nationalism was growing on all of them, this then lead to imperialism. Places like Italy and Germany unified, who were always competitive against each other. Colonies were becoming a symbol of “great power” for the Europeans, even if the land did not have much economic value. The developments from the industrial revolution made overseas expansion possible, from steamships to he underwater telegraph, to breech-loading rifles and machine guns, and the discovery of quinine, which prevented Malaria, which then reduced death rated in Europe. Europe was moving fast, and as they were making new discoveries and fighting of disease, and boasting about all they had they began to perceiver people and the world differently. Historically, Europeans had always defined others on a religious basis. But, they were now adopting many foreign techniques and ideas, communicated more freely with high class Africans and Asians. Europeans were growing more arrogant as the days went by. They felt superior because of religion and mixed with everything they already had. They were increasingly despising other cultures. In the eyes of the Europeans African societies had lost status, and a new type of racism formed which was based in terms of modern science. The Europeans were so arrogant that they felt a need to help “weaker races”, they felt responsible to help them, wanting to civilize them. To bring them education, health care, Christianity, good government, etc. They thought that they were helping them “progress” as societies and were making them more “civilized”. Reading this actually makes me kind of annoyed because of how arrogant the Europeans once were. But, I cannot classify all Europeans as being arrogant. Even though a lot of them felt superior, it would be unfair of me to say that all Europeans were, because that would very rude and unjust of me. I’m sure many of them, like those working in missionaries and etc, were not feeling a sense of arrogance.  

Ch17- Revolution

Feminist Beginnings

From the beginning of time women have had it more difficult then men. The rights that women have today had to be fought for, they were not just handed to us like it was for most men. Europe and North America are known for having started the feminist movement, because those were the two places where the movement really developed. Even thought it took years for people to start focusing on the rights of women, at least it was becoming apparent that the treatment towards women was unfair. As the middle class began to grow so did the amount of women who were becoming educated. Also, women began to “step out of the house” more, joining in such things as temperance movements, charities, abolitionism, missionary work, and socialist and pacifist organizations.  Many women liked that women were finally starting to get a say in their own life, they were making choices that affected them outside of the household. Although, on the other hand some women still believed that they were on the earth for one main thing, motherhood. I know that raising children is an important aspect of life, but so is being independent, and having rights. So thanks to many women who suffered and stood up to the oppression they faced, women today have the same rights as men, the way it should have been from the very beginning. As time went on, more and more women joined the forces of the women’s movement, especially those women in the middle class. Feminist movements began to really impact daily lives of many, and causing attention to the realities of the tough life of women. Some women even went to extremes, for example, a women by the name of Emily Davidson, was trampled to death after she threw herself in front of her kings horse during a race in Britain in 1913. It is crazy to think that women actually had to go to these extremes in order to gain some sort of attention. Also, to think of the date 1913, that was only 98 years ago! Wow that’s just amazing, to think that women barely just got out rights. But oh well, at least we have them now, and are just as equal to men. 

Ch 18- The Industrial Revolution

The next sentence might sound like the biggest cliché ever, but it holds a lot of truth. The Industrial Revolution was literally the start of something new. I think that before the Revolution life was generally a lot slower and more relaxed. Once the Industrial Revolution began life began to pick up at pace that people were waiting for. Countries went from Agricultural societies to Industrials one's. Life went from small farming cultures, which were very family oriented, to fast pace factory, city life.  I think the Revolution had its benefits but at the same time it had many drawbacks. For starters, some of the positives that came out of the revolution would be that everyday items became easier to attain. Through inventions like the assembly line, and mass production, Items like cars became more affordable. People also had a better chance at living a more fulfilling life. Rather then spending their days working in the fields, people were able to find jobs in an easier manner, because many jobs were available and needed filling. Through working outside the family farms, people were becoming more independent. With independence come many responsibilities, another clichéd sentence, though nonetheless proven true during the industrial revolution. When people left the confines of their home, they had to find work, a place to live, food, and the basic essentials of life on their own. If something to were to go wrong they did not have their family right by their side in order to help and support them. Other drawbacks were more serious to one’s health. The factories didn’t have health and safety codes at this time, and factory owners did not care about the safety of their workers, since they were easy jobs to fill, and many were willing to take over these jobs. Factory owners did not know the concept of excessive work, some people worked for 10-14 hours. These terrible working conditions were in no way healthy or safe. Reports have even proven that some women would have go through labor in the factories, because they would not want to miss work and lose their jobs. Also, once these children were able to start working, they would. Another very concerning situation to many, young children working in these unsafe conditions is just heartbreaking. Its one thing for adults to go through this, but to think of children having to go through all of these terrible things is just depressing. Luckily, people came to their senses and made health and safety codes, and legal working ages. 

Ch 16

Well, since most people were not doing their blogs on time, we got assigned a distinct section to blog about, and that is the Conversion and Adaption in Spanish America.  As I began reading this section, it kind of depressed me because of the way that Europeans forced Christianity on the Native Americans. Honestly, whether the Native Americans were reluctant to follow Christianity or easily accepted the new culture, I strongly believe that it was not the Europeans choice to make. Forcing a religion on people is just outright wrong, and to think that Europeans thought that they could just convert people in any way is just disgusting. The Native Americans had their own beliefs and faiths before the Americas were discovered. They were living in peace and harmony. Its funny how at first people took their land, like that is not bad enough, next let’s just convert them to Christianity. That is just ridiculous that people can actually do things like this. The idea of blending two religions together makes a lot more sense to me. I mean it is still bad that people did not get to simply keep their own religions. But, at least when you blend two religions together it is sort of a meeting point, which in life seems more like a compromise then being forced to follow a certain religion. One quote in the textbook on page 469 is “ In Mexico as well, an immigrant Christianity was assimilated into patterns of local cultures”. Now reading that made me a lot happier. At least some people had the decency to accept that people had local cultures and beliefs before the arrival of the invaders. I’m sure that this kept the local people much happier as well. Assimilating two cultures and religions gives people the ability to make more choices. 

Slavery- The Atlantic Slave Trade

Numbers, we use them everyday, sometimes a number can have a strong effect on us and at other times a number is simply just a number. But, when you think of a number in terms of slavery, what comes to mind? The number of people captured, sold, beaten, branded, the number of families torn a part, the number of HUMAN LIVES gone forever due to slavery. In a span of about 336 years, from 1500-1866, “the Atlantic Slave Trade took an estimated 12.5 million people from Africa and deposited some 10.7 million of them in the Americas”. Just think about how many people that is. The average football stadium holds about 70,000 people. Imagine every person who was brought as a slave took a seat in a football stadium, they would fill it up about 179 football stadiums. Let that thought simmer in your mind for a while. How does that make you feel? When I think about those numbers, it makes me sick to my stomach. Thinking about all the people, each and every one of those human lives that went through so much pain and suffering. Its just sad to think that other humans can do this to others. Now from the 12.5 that were captured only about 10.7 made the journey over to the American. Which leaves about 1.8 million people. What happened to them? Those 1.8 million died during the transatlantic crossing. People taken from there families and then gone forever. Numbers, we use them everyday, but how much meaning to they have, hopefully in the case of slavery they have some sort of impact on you.

            I used this quote earlier “the Atlantic Slave Trade took an estimated 12.5 million people from Africa and deposited some 10.7 million of them in the Americas”. When you read this sentence does anything odd cross your mind? What about the word deposited. When someone refers to HUMANS as something you deposit, it is such a depressing thought. You deposit money into a bank account; you don’t however use the world deposit to describe people. But I guess the whole idea was about money. Capture innocent lives and sell them, that equals money. Have people work for free, another way to make some easy cash right? The whole idea of slavery is just so sickening, and to imagine that it went on for years, and is STILL going on today, just in different forms, like Human Trafficking is terribly sad :(

Chapter 14

          From reading the introduction to part four, the modern era seems like it will be very interesting to read and learn about because it relates to present day more than the ancient civilizations do. The role that geography played in the development of the western hemisphere was amazing. The oceans that lead to the western hemisphere helped with trade, and lead to further settlement in the Americas. This, however had a negative impact on the Native Americans who were already settled here. Diseases brought over from Europe and Africa lead to a major decline in the native population. Reading of the great dying is very saddening because it hurts to read about how many people had to suffer and die for the world to be where it is today.

            The Columbian Exchange, or the network of communication, migration, trade, and the transfer of plants and animals helped the world diversify in the way people ate, farmed, communicated etc. it opened up windows for the world to experience different types of life. This was always meant to happen; it was just a matter of when. Since resources of transportation were available at this time, the Colombian exchange occurred.

            Reading about all the different Empires was very fascinating because they were all different in the way they had established and presented themselves. Just like settlers brought disease to the Americas the Russians did the same thing, especially to those in Siberia. The Asian Empire was regional and not global, and therefore did not lead to massive epidemics.

            On another note, the slave trade developed from the European Empires. Although, slaves helped on plantations, which therefore helped with the worlds food supply, I wish that it could have been avoided, because thinking about the large amount of people who suffered is poignant.