Contemporary World History 1914-Present AP World History.

Contemporary World History

1914-Present

AP World History

Major Themes

• Global Conflict

• Independence and Nationalist Movements

• Revolutions

• Political Reform and Economic Changes

• Demographic and Environmental Issues

• Societal Changes

Global Conflict

• World War I– Long-term causes:

• Alliances, imperialism, militarism, nationalism

– Immediate cause:• Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

– New kind of war:• Machine guns, gas, trench warfare (western front only), air

combat, barbed wire, u-boats … all produced significant increase in casualties

• Heroic notion of war was gone … All Quiet on the Western Front (Remarque)

Global Conflict

• World War I (cont.)– Treaty of Versailles

• Italy, Britain, France, & USA (“Big Four”) called the conference to settle the issues

• France would not allow a generous peace that President Wilson envisioned

• Instead, harsh treaty crushed Germany

• European map was redrawn– Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Yugoslavia created in 1919

• Wilson’s “Fourteen Points”– Self-determination, peace without victory, disarmament, fair treatment of

colonial peoples, & establishment of the League of Nations … most rejected except League of Nations

– US Senate did not approve treaty & US did not join L.O.N.

Global Conflict

• World War I (Cont.)– Outcomes of the war:

• Britain = lost large % of youth, economy strained, its empire looked more like a burden, native movements for independence in Africa & Asia underway, large debts

• France = devastated by the war, high % of casualties, economy ruined

• Japan = fought on the allies side in against German possessions in China, was not allowed to “keep” all these possessions, postwar economic downturn led to hard times

• Italy = switched to allied side and provided leadership in postwar Europe, wanted large pieces of the former Austrian empire but only received a few small pieces, postwar economic downturn was perfect for Mussolini’s rise

Global Conflict

• World War I (Cont.)– Outcomes of the war (cont.)

• USA = elevated to world power status but wasn’t interested in that role … return to isolation, provided loans to western Europeans to help rebuild.

• China = entered the war late on the allies side, hoped for support of their democracy, Japanese concessions from treaty upset many Chinese … May Fourth Movement, Chinese Confucian traditions were challenged and they looked towards Western ideas.

• Russia = was in shambles as their revolution led to civil war after 1918, did not participate in the treaty talks, Bolsheviks (reds) fought the Mensheviks (whites, supported czar) … “Reds” claimed victory and shot the last czar

Global Conflict

• World War I (Cont.)– Outcomes of the war (cont.)

• Germany = economically, socially, and politically wrecked; lost millions of men, war reparations, lost all of its overseas empire, a weak democratic Weimar Republic formed in 1919 with a President and Chancellor created, ripe for Hitler’s Nazi’s to exert control

• Middle East = Ottoman Empire collapsed in 1918, Turkey declared independence under Ataturk’s leadership followed up by modernization and westernization programs, Arab nationalism emerged with Mandate System (British & French), Palestine became the center of attention with Zionists wanting a homeland … Britain played both sides of the fence

• India = fought with the British in return for promised independence, little change occurred, M.K. Gandhi led surge in Indian independence

Global Conflict

• Global Depression– US economy critical to the health of the global markets

– Stock Market Crash of 1929

– Causes of the global depression:• Overdependence on American loans and buying• Increase in tariffs and protectionism• Industrial and farming surpluses led to deflation• Poor banking management

– Great hardships led to political instability & the rise of political extremism (fascism)

– Communism blamed global depression on capitalism

– Italy, Germany, and Japan embraced fascist-style governments

– Japanese invasion of Manchuria (1931)

– Italian invasion of Ethiopia (1935)• Both challenged the integrity of the L.O.N. and world peace

Global Conflict

• Rise of Fascist and Totalitarian States– Italy

• Benito Mussolini (1922)

• Fascism:– Opposition to communism as a threat to tradition and private

property– Ultra-nationalism and glorification of the state– Militarism and glorification of war as the ultimate expression of

power– Alliances with big business and destruction of the labor unions– Rejection of liberalism and democracy, which was seen as weak

and ineffective

Global Conflict

• Soviet Union– Stalin replaced Lenin in 1927

• Centralized control of the economy

• World leadership of the international communist movement

• Forced collectivization of all farming

• Promotion of atheism and control of organized religion

• Germany– Burdened with war debts, rampant inflation, and a fear of

a communist takeover in Germany

– Adolf Hitler became Chancellor in 1933

– By 1938 he had eliminated most of his political enemies and “encouraged” the German-Jews to leave

Global Conflict

• World War II– Unresolved issues from WWI led to WWII

– Japanese invaded China in 1937; Germany invaded Poland in 1939

– 1938 to 1942 > rapid Japanese & German expansion

– North Africa, Midway, & Stalingrad > turning points

– USSR & USA industrial capabilities turned the tide in 1942 … D-Day & Hiroshima/Nagasaki

– Jewish Question – Final Solution – Holocaust

– New technologies: radar, sonar, high-powered rockets, nuclear bomb

Global Conflict

• World War II (cont.)– End of the war

• No peace conference … unconditional surrender• Allies held war trials against German & Japanese

accountable for worst war in human history• Set new precedent in international law … war was now

punishable in international courts• ~ 60 million dead, ~ 30 million refugees• Germany & Japan would be occupied by victorious allies

for nearly a decade• Marshall Plan vs. Molotov Plan … sets the stage for the

Cold War

Global Conflict

• End of the war– United Nations

• Headquartered in New York City• US, USSR, Britain, France, and China were early leaders• UN established relief agencies and peacekeeping mechanisms• Task of postwar recovery was immense• US took on many of the costs for postwar rehabilitation• General Assembly: forum fro discussing world problems and

their solutions– Cannot pass laws but can raise issues and suggest resolutions

• Three responses to military aggression:– Diplomatic protest and pressure brought to bear on the country– Economic sanctions used to pressure the aggressor nation– Collective military action by member states to defend the nation(s)

being attacked

• World War II only had two “winners” .. US & USSR

Global Conflict

• The Cold War (1945-1989)– Germany immediately became the focal point of the early stages of

the Cold War when Communist & Democratic nations divided Ger.– Berlin Blockade (1948)– 1949 > USSR detonated its own nuclear device– Features of competition between the superpowers:

• Technological – destructive weaponry, space race, space stations, SDI

• Geopolitical – vied for global influence … Korea, Vietnam, India, Afghanistan, and Angola were wars fought indirectly between the two

• Ideological – Capitalism vs. Communism … only two choices available for most nations (India & Indonesia were non-aligned)

– Russo-Sino Split (1970’s) … different views of Marxism– US & China establish relations in the 1970’s … China

becomes part of “tri-polar” world with its own nukes

Independence & Nationalist Movements• India

– British-educated members of the Indian National Congress

– Government of India Act (1919)

– MK Gandhi focused on the peasant roots and spiritual traditions of India and created a mass movement

– Ahimsa (non-violence) & civil disobedience

– Gandhi ≠ ally with Muslim leadership as the Muslim League pushed for a separate Muslim state

– Independence movements postponed by WWII

– August 15, 1947, India & Pakistan granted full independence

– India sets the standards for nationalistic movements with non-violent protests

Independence & Nationalist Movements

• Sub-Saharan Africa– By 1914, Africa was a monoculture– Ownership of the plantations & mines controlled by Europeans– Europeans drew up political boundaries based on resources, not

ethnic groups … future problems– Protests led by European-educated Africans … labor organizations,

social clubs, literary circles, and youth movements– Ghana (Kwame Nkrumah) was first in 1957– Kenya (1963) was opposite … larger European presence led to armed

revolt but eventually UK let Kenya go free– Congo (1959) when Belgium suddenly left leaving behind chaos and

civil war in their wake– Rwanda (1990’s) … civil war Hutus (majority) and Tutsis (minority who

was in charge under European influence … ~ 1 million Tutsis have been killed

– South Africa (1910) … apartheid … ANC … Nelson Mandela … UN involvement

Independence & Nationalist Movements• Zionism & Palestinian Nationalism

– Mandate system following WWI– Balfour Declaration (1917)– Arab Palestinians saw this as British imperial control– Holocaust led to increased migration to the region– Pan-Arabism movement grew and opposed Jewish state– British gave up their mandate and turned Palestine over to the

UN– UN divided up the area into two states– 1948 … Israeli War of Independence … Israel officially a state– Continued fighting off and on through early 1970’s– PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) led by Yasser Arafat

Independence & Nationalist Movements• Vietnam

– French colonial rule since the mid-19th century

– Japanese occupation during World War II

– Vietnamese nationalists under Ho Chi Minh fought first against the Japanese and then next against France …

– France pulled out in 1954

– US turned their back on Ho Chi Minh

– Geneva Conference (1954) … French Indochina divided up into four zones > North Vietnam, South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia

– Both superpowers got involved with weapon support and training of native troops

– 1965 to 1975 … US presence escalated … US defeat … South Vietnam fell to North Vietnamese communists soon after

Revolutions

• Russian Revolution– Russo-Japanese War, Revolution of 1905, World War I all were

significant– Duma (legislative body) forced the czar to abdicate in March of

1917 … provisional government established– Food shortages, revolts, and strikes led to more disorder– Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolsheviks, promised “Peace, Land,

Bread”• 1917 – Lenin’s Bolsheviks seized power• 1918 – signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk• 1918-1920 – Russian Civil War (2nd Phase of Revolution) fought with

the Communists defeating the Republican forces

– Lenin immediately seized banks, land, and industries– NEP (1921) allowed peasants to sell their products but the

government would control banking, trade, and industry– Stalin replaced Lenin; Five-Year Plans; Great Purges

Revolutions

• Chinese Revolution– Nationalist Party (Guomindang) … Sun Yat Sen; Chiang Kai Shek

– Chinese Communist Party (1921) … Mao Zedong

– Civil war broke out in the late 20’s … CCP was driven to the brink of destruction … Japanese invasion of China in 1931 & 1937

– Both sides fought against the Japanese during WWII & resumed fighting each other immediately after Japanese surrender

– By 1949, Mao’s CCP won and proclaimed the PRC (People’s Republic of China)

– C.K. Shek’s forces retreated to Taiwan

Revolutions

Chinese Revolution (Cont.)– Mao’s Initial Changes to China

Economic • all businesses were nationalized• Land was distributed to peasants• Peasants were urged to pool their land and work more efficiently on cooperative farms

Political • A one-party totalitarian state was established• Communist party became supreme• Government attacked crime & corruption

Social * Peasants were encouraged to “get back” at landlords

* Communism replaced Confucianism

* Schools provided political education

* Health care workers sent to remote areas

* Women won equality but extended family was weakened

Revolutions

• Chinese Revolution (cont.)– Great Leap Forward … all life would be a collective … 1950’s …

failed

– Cultural Revolution … 1960’s … re-revolutionize China … Red Guards … entire generation of educated people wiped out

Revolutions

• Mexican Revolution– Porfirio Diaz (late 19th to early 20th century) … dictator … 95%

of the people owned no land … 25% of land owned by foreign investors

– 1910 … mestizos rose up against the creole elite and won the civil war that took Diaz out of power

– Villa & Zapata lead them and advocated land reform– Eventually Venustiano Carranza became president in 1916 …

Mexican Constitution of 1917 … land reform, restrictions on foreign economic control, minimum wage, maximum working hours, allowed unions & striking, placed restriction on the Catholic Church (property), and education reform

– 1928 … PRI (Party of Institutionalized Revolution) gained control and ruled until early 21st century …. Land redistribution & standing up to foreign companies

Revolutions

• Iranian Revolution (1979)– Shah Reza Pahlavi (r. 1953-1979) was heavily influenced by

the West, especially the US, to modernize his country– Oppressive rule w/ secret police– Opposition to his rule:

• Religious ulama – felt traditional Shi’ism being suppressed• Students and intellectuals – felt deprived of freedom• Farmers and urban workers – hurt by inflation and unemployment

– Ayatollah Khomeini … forced the Shah into exile and established an Islamic state based on sharia

• Women placed under legal restrictions and traditional clothing• After Khomeini’s death in 1989, more moderate leaders have come to

power with the exception of current ruler

– Most of the Arab Muslim world has turned their backs on Iran because of this radical revolution

Revolutions

• Cuban Revolution (1959)– Batista (r. 1939-1959) … dictator of Cuba … less than 5% of the

people owned most of the wealth and property … similar to French Revolution?

– Fidel Castro … organized guerilla movement that initially failed but eventually prevailed by 1959

– Promised elections never materialized– Established ties with the USSR … US saw Cuba as a threat– 1961 … Castro unveils his communist plan for Cuba:

• Collectivized farms, centralized control of the economy, free education, free medical services

– Bay of Pigs (1961)– Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

Political Reform & Economic Changes

• China– Deng Xiaoping (1976) … Four Modernizations: industry,

agriculture, technology, and national defense … de-Maozation ... foreign investment encouraged … students encouraged to go abroad to study

– His capitalist reforms = economic boom … left out democratic reforms … Tiananmen Square (1989) … party leadership and political stability were the key’s to China’s success (like the Qing)

• India– Nehru … parliamentary system based on the British model …

state ownership of major industries, resources, transportation, and utilities … local and retail remained private (mixed economy)

– Nehru advocated industrialization– Non-alignment position (foreign policy)– Kashmir = disputed land w/ Pakistan … has nuclear weapons– Indira Gandhi … forced sterilization program … unpopular …

assassinated

Political Reform & Economic Changes

• Soviet Union / Russia– Krushchev (1953-1964) … de-Stalinization

– Brezhnev (1964-1982) … reversed de-Stalinization … industrial growth declined

– Gorbachev (1985-1991) … perestroika (restructuring) – beginning of a market economy and some private property … glasnost (openness) – encouraged a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the Soviet system

– Soviet problems … multiethnic population … tensions rose along with nationalistic movements … by 1989 the republics opted for independence and the Cold War ended

– Borin Yeltsin (1991) … first democratically elected president in Russian history … pushed for economic reform, fighting economic inequality and corruption

Demographic and Environmental Issues

• ~ 6 billion people … vaccines and antibiotics, along with a decline in death rates, contributed

• Environmental problems – loss of animal species and overuse of natural resources

• Internal and external migration• Rapid urbanization … slums, unemployment,

underemployment

Societal Changes

• Changing Gender Roles– Female suffrage first in New Zealand, Australia, and Finland

– Militant activists in Great Britain and US won the right to vote after 1920

– Fashion and popular culture created a new image of the modern woman … free from the constraint of traditional gender roles

– Social & economic parity was a much longer fight

– Feminist movements of the post war era in the 1970’s

– Successful female heads of state in Israel, Great Britain, and the Philippines

– Birth control = more power for women

– China’s “one child policy”

– Literacy rates ≠ men worldwide

Societal Changes

• Globalization– OPEC– GATT & WTO– ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) …. 1967– EU (European Union) … 1993– NAFTA – NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) … Red Cross,

Greenpeace

• Internationalization of Culture– Cultural imperialism “McWorld”– Cultural conformity … mega-trends: “Jihad” world resisting

• 6.1 billion people; globalization of multinational businesses such as Phillips, Microsoft, Ford Motors, Sony; electronic/satellite information; proliferation of nation-states; religious fundamentalism; rise in export economies