Introduction to Part 6: The Most Recent Century (1914 - 2015)
I was excited when I saw the more recent, colorized photographs on page 872 because it meant that we would get to explore history from a more current perspective that would be more relatable and understandable. This section provides a nice preview of the world's major events which include World War I, World War II, world communism, and the fall of empires with the fight for independence of colonized regions. Though the length of this era is controversial, the major event of the most recent century was World War I. Because this conflict grew out of European rivalry and failure to achieve a unified civilization, it demonstrates that the events of the most recent century stemmed from older patterns and emerged with new ones. Along with these major social and political events, economically, the nineteenth century experienced a large population growth made possible through advancements in medicine and the soaring of industrialization, production. These features lead to increased environmental damage as well as the process of globalization. I have realized in my sociology, anthropology, and history classes that the discussion of globalization always seems to be the focus of the end of textbooks, yet it is always a conversation that is left as an unanswered question because we just don't know yet what is to come.
The First World War: European Civilization in Crisis, 1914 - 1918
A mnemonic I'm sure many of our schoolteachers taught us for the causes of World War I, that Strayer calls "An Accident Waiting to Happen," was MAIN: militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism. Though the direct and immediate cause of WWI was the assassination of Austro-Hungaria's Franz Ferdinad by a Serbia-nationalist, historians point to other factors that initiated the war as well. For militarism, Europe's armed rivalries experienced a growing arms race made possible through advancements in military technology that encouraged competition and resulted in more casualties. Alliances had a large role as well, for Europe's Triple Alliance (Germany, Italy, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire) and Triple Entente (Russia, France, and Britain) was a fragile system making Europe vulnerable to war. Though these alliances were formed to establish national security, it meant that if one country was attacked, the entire alliance would make effort to defend them. Imperialism was a further contributor, as it brought other countries into the war. Finally, as Strayer puts it, "Slavic nationalism and Austro-Hungarian opposition to it certainly lay at the heart of the world's beginning" (884). European nationalism fostered competition and rivalry.
I always wondered why it was called a "world" war. It's because the aftermath of World War I brought changes throughout the world in the political, social, cultural, and economic contexts. In Europe, there were many casualties, of course made possible through military industrialization. Also, the government made efforts to integrate veterans back into society that significantly changed women's roles. Casualties promoted social mobility and women's suffrage, but there was also a rise in consumerism and materialism as well. New independent states rose as empires fell. World communism launched as Russia revolted, unable to deal with the strains of war. The Treaty of Versailles ended the war, but resulted in large resentment in Germany. It basically said that Germany was responsible of the war, and they had to pay the winners and lost its colonial empire. Strayer doesn't focus only on the European impacts, noting that the Chilean Communist Party rose as its war demands for products declined and led to unemployment. Asian and African men observed and gained military skills and had less respect for their own leaders. World War I placed the U.S. at the center of global power for its manpowers helped defeat Germany and its financial resources helped Europe.
Capitalism Unraveling: The Great Depression
The failure of capitalism can be noted in the Great Depression when the American stock market crashed. People lost their money, businesses couldn't sell products, unemployment soared. This wasn't the only cause. American factory supply exceeded global demand and ability to purchase products in the postwar era. The Great Depression was not only an American phenomenon, but a global one. Global colonies that thrived on the export of their products to America and Europe diminished. Latin America sought to move toward developing their own industries and relying less on export. As a result, President Franklin Roosevelt initiated the New Deal that didn't end the depression, but aimed to benefit the poor and elderly such as through the Social Security system and create employment.
Democracy Denied: Comparing Italy, Germany, and Japan
Italy, Germany, and Japan formed the Axis Powers before World War II as they challenged the Soviet Union and international communism. Fascism is a political ideology headed by a dictator that controls commerce, emphasizing violence and nationalism and opposing democracy, communism, socialism, and even free market capitalism. Mussolini came to power in Italy and found support through promising social reforms. This is a difficult section because of Hitler's inhumane decision, but Strayer tries to take an unbiased approach in order to explain the political causes of Nazi Germany. Hitler came to power and demonstrated German fascism as leader of the Nazi Party, founded in opposition of communism, Jews because they "betrayed Germany", and the requirements of the Treaty of Versailles. It was distinct over Mussolini's control of Italy because it was more established in terms of power and control. Hitler found support because his policies brought Germany out of the depression and his appeal to pre modernization society. Racial purity and revolution became a central feature of Nazi Germany because Hitler made Jews the symbol of becoming distant with German culture (anti-Semitism), a true expression of "scientific racism." Japan's experience during the 1920s and 1930s resembled both Germany and Italy for moving toward an authoritarian, anti-democratic, racial purifying government known as the radical movement of Radical Nationalism. Military rose in Japanese political life and emphasized conquest and empire building that would lead to World War II.
A Second World War, 1937 - 1945
It started in Asia and was a real global conflict. Japanese imperialism opposed and was threatened by Chinese nationalism. Japan grew in tension with the West, sought to become independent of its dominance, thus tried to acquire more Asian resources. America placed an embargo (ban of commerical activity) on Japan seeing it as a threat to the U.S. economy, so Japan attacked the U.S. at Pearl Harbor, and U.S. entered the war. Germany, Italy, and Japan formed the Axis Powers. The United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union formed the Allies. In Europe, Nazi Germany saw war as central but was defeated. Because of this war, 60 million died. Governments moved to mobilization. Women were driven into military and industry, and were victims. The worst outcome was the Holocaust caused by the anti-Semitic tradition of Nazi Germany, the perishing of around 6 million Jews and millions of "inferior" minorities. Europe weakened in all aspects, and the United States became the dominant presence.
The Recovery of Europe
Europe's tragedy (falling economy, the Holocaust) was self-inflicted, but they rebuilt. This is because their knowledge of an industrial society remained intact, they were able to integrate their economies, and because Western leadership passed to the United States, which became the heartland of the West and global superpower. The U.S. generously gave Europe $12 billion through the Marshall Plan.
I was excited when I saw the more recent, colorized photographs on page 872 because it meant that we would get to explore history from a more current perspective that would be more relatable and understandable. This section provides a nice preview of the world's major events which include World War I, World War II, world communism, and the fall of empires with the fight for independence of colonized regions. Though the length of this era is controversial, the major event of the most recent century was World War I. Because this conflict grew out of European rivalry and failure to achieve a unified civilization, it demonstrates that the events of the most recent century stemmed from older patterns and emerged with new ones. Along with these major social and political events, economically, the nineteenth century experienced a large population growth made possible through advancements in medicine and the soaring of industrialization, production. These features lead to increased environmental damage as well as the process of globalization. I have realized in my sociology, anthropology, and history classes that the discussion of globalization always seems to be the focus of the end of textbooks, yet it is always a conversation that is left as an unanswered question because we just don't know yet what is to come.
The First World War: European Civilization in Crisis, 1914 - 1918
A mnemonic I'm sure many of our schoolteachers taught us for the causes of World War I, that Strayer calls "An Accident Waiting to Happen," was MAIN: militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism. Though the direct and immediate cause of WWI was the assassination of Austro-Hungaria's Franz Ferdinad by a Serbia-nationalist, historians point to other factors that initiated the war as well. For militarism, Europe's armed rivalries experienced a growing arms race made possible through advancements in military technology that encouraged competition and resulted in more casualties. Alliances had a large role as well, for Europe's Triple Alliance (Germany, Italy, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire) and Triple Entente (Russia, France, and Britain) was a fragile system making Europe vulnerable to war. Though these alliances were formed to establish national security, it meant that if one country was attacked, the entire alliance would make effort to defend them. Imperialism was a further contributor, as it brought other countries into the war. Finally, as Strayer puts it, "Slavic nationalism and Austro-Hungarian opposition to it certainly lay at the heart of the world's beginning" (884). European nationalism fostered competition and rivalry.
I always wondered why it was called a "world" war. It's because the aftermath of World War I brought changes throughout the world in the political, social, cultural, and economic contexts. In Europe, there were many casualties, of course made possible through military industrialization. Also, the government made efforts to integrate veterans back into society that significantly changed women's roles. Casualties promoted social mobility and women's suffrage, but there was also a rise in consumerism and materialism as well. New independent states rose as empires fell. World communism launched as Russia revolted, unable to deal with the strains of war. The Treaty of Versailles ended the war, but resulted in large resentment in Germany. It basically said that Germany was responsible of the war, and they had to pay the winners and lost its colonial empire. Strayer doesn't focus only on the European impacts, noting that the Chilean Communist Party rose as its war demands for products declined and led to unemployment. Asian and African men observed and gained military skills and had less respect for their own leaders. World War I placed the U.S. at the center of global power for its manpowers helped defeat Germany and its financial resources helped Europe.
Capitalism Unraveling: The Great Depression
The failure of capitalism can be noted in the Great Depression when the American stock market crashed. People lost their money, businesses couldn't sell products, unemployment soared. This wasn't the only cause. American factory supply exceeded global demand and ability to purchase products in the postwar era. The Great Depression was not only an American phenomenon, but a global one. Global colonies that thrived on the export of their products to America and Europe diminished. Latin America sought to move toward developing their own industries and relying less on export. As a result, President Franklin Roosevelt initiated the New Deal that didn't end the depression, but aimed to benefit the poor and elderly such as through the Social Security system and create employment.
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| The Great Depression |
Democracy Denied: Comparing Italy, Germany, and Japan
Italy, Germany, and Japan formed the Axis Powers before World War II as they challenged the Soviet Union and international communism. Fascism is a political ideology headed by a dictator that controls commerce, emphasizing violence and nationalism and opposing democracy, communism, socialism, and even free market capitalism. Mussolini came to power in Italy and found support through promising social reforms. This is a difficult section because of Hitler's inhumane decision, but Strayer tries to take an unbiased approach in order to explain the political causes of Nazi Germany. Hitler came to power and demonstrated German fascism as leader of the Nazi Party, founded in opposition of communism, Jews because they "betrayed Germany", and the requirements of the Treaty of Versailles. It was distinct over Mussolini's control of Italy because it was more established in terms of power and control. Hitler found support because his policies brought Germany out of the depression and his appeal to pre modernization society. Racial purity and revolution became a central feature of Nazi Germany because Hitler made Jews the symbol of becoming distant with German culture (anti-Semitism), a true expression of "scientific racism." Japan's experience during the 1920s and 1930s resembled both Germany and Italy for moving toward an authoritarian, anti-democratic, racial purifying government known as the radical movement of Radical Nationalism. Military rose in Japanese political life and emphasized conquest and empire building that would lead to World War II.
A Second World War, 1937 - 1945
It started in Asia and was a real global conflict. Japanese imperialism opposed and was threatened by Chinese nationalism. Japan grew in tension with the West, sought to become independent of its dominance, thus tried to acquire more Asian resources. America placed an embargo (ban of commerical activity) on Japan seeing it as a threat to the U.S. economy, so Japan attacked the U.S. at Pearl Harbor, and U.S. entered the war. Germany, Italy, and Japan formed the Axis Powers. The United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union formed the Allies. In Europe, Nazi Germany saw war as central but was defeated. Because of this war, 60 million died. Governments moved to mobilization. Women were driven into military and industry, and were victims. The worst outcome was the Holocaust caused by the anti-Semitic tradition of Nazi Germany, the perishing of around 6 million Jews and millions of "inferior" minorities. Europe weakened in all aspects, and the United States became the dominant presence.
The Recovery of Europe
Europe's tragedy (falling economy, the Holocaust) was self-inflicted, but they rebuilt. This is because their knowledge of an industrial society remained intact, they were able to integrate their economies, and because Western leadership passed to the United States, which became the heartland of the West and global superpower. The U.S. generously gave Europe $12 billion through the Marshall Plan.
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