HIS 121 Chapter 5 Part II
Dec 31, 2015
HIS 121Chapter 5
Part II
Iran
From 1794-1925 Iran was ruled by the Qajar Dynasty
When one Shah tried to reform the country, he met with resistance from the Shi’ite population
The Shah then asked Russia & Britain for protection
Those against this protection formed the Persian Nationalist Movement
In 1906 the reigning Shah was forced to give the people a constitution, but he kept the protection of Russia and Britain who proceeded to divide up the country into spheres of influence; oil had been discovered there and the profits went to Britain and Russia
In 1921 a new Shah seized power: Reza Khan
Reza Khan seized power in 1921 with the idea of
establishing a republic; he was prevented by traditional forces
so he set up the Pahlavi Dynasty instead in 1925
became an effective, modernizing ruler by creating a modern army, a new university, and a railroad
Reza Khan abdicated his throne in 1941, and his son took the throne
Mohammad Reza Shah then ruled from 1941-1979 when he was forced from power
Mohammad Reza Shah
Other areas of the old Ottoman Empire were given to France and Britain as mandates
There was an international zone around Jerusalem
In 1917 the British gave their support to the idea of an independent Jewish State; supported by the Zionist Movement led by Theodor Herzl
This support was made official in 1917 with the Balfour Declaration
Britain was given as mandates the territory that is today Israel and Jordan; Britain already had Cyprus and Egypt
France got Syria which they then divided into Syria and Lebanon
Saudi Arabia
In the early 1920s Ibn Saud united Arab tribes in the northern part of the Arabian peninsula and established the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by 1932
The Spread of Communism
Lenin believed that communism could be a worldwide movement
Many thought that communism could not take hold in places that did not have industry (the idea of the proletariat rising up and taking over the means of production)
Many third world nations did not have industry; they provided the raw materials
Vladimir Lenin
In 1921 Lenin desperately needed allies, so he tried to appeal to non-Western societies
He felt it was the raw materials that kept Western nations alive, so cut off the raw materials and the West would shrivel and die
But most nationalist leaders didn’t want all-out revolution at that time
And most of the people practiced religions that went against Marxist atheism
Lenin felt that if communist parties were formed in these societies from the working class, they could help the nationalists get rid of the colonizers
Once the colonizers were gone, the communists could push out the nationalists
So in the 1920s Soviet agents went around the world trying to make converts
To help, Lenin began the Communist International or the Comintern dedicated to world revolution
By the end of the 1920s, almost every colonial or semi-colonial society in Asia had a party based on Marxism
Later some appeared in Africa like in the Sudan and the Ivory Coast
Communism appealed to those wishing to get rid of their colonizers and to those who wanted a classless society
It was difficult for communism to take hold in places with strong religion (Muslim societies)
Communism varied from place to place because it blended with local customs
Revolutionary Marxism had its greatest impact in China
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was begun in 1921 at Peking University
The Guomindang (GMD) and the CCP tried to bring order to China in the 1920s
They were competing with one another for power
Each party tried to court the other Actually, they were using one another and
trying to take power from the war lords Sun Yat-sen died in 1925 and was
succeeded by Chiang Kai-shek Sun Yat-sen
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang moved against the communists in Shanghai in April 1927, killing thousands
Communists then started revolts in different parts of China but these were put down; their leaders were killed or forced into hiding
Chiang established the new Chinese Republic in 1928 and reunified China by 1931
Communists were forced into the mountains of North China on the Long March in 1934
Communists under Mao Zedong would later become the best movers of the Chinese masses
Mao Zedong
Chiang was able to hold onto power with the help of the United States until the late 1940s
He did have problems Few administrative controls Weak fiscal system Control was mostly in the cities Peasants got little from the GMD Japanese aggression
Japan
Until the 1920s, it looked like Japan was a full-fledged democracy
Its economy was expanding but controlled by 4 Zaibatsu (financial cliques) by 1930
Economic growth had come at the expense of the peasants who worked in industry; poor conditions
Japan had few raw materials of its own, so it began taking over other territories
Japan
They did try Shidehara Diplomacy (using diplomacy ) but it didn’t work very well in Asia
In the 1930s Japan also had to deal with the Great Depression, conflicts with China over Mongolia, and the rise of fascism
These added pressures brought the military into power with its authoritarianism
Japan’s aggression in China and the expansion of its navy upset relations with the U.S. and Britain who sold them scrap metal
Japan moved more and more towards fascism , like that found in Italy and Germany
Japan joined in an alliance with Italy and Germany (the Axis Powers) which helped bring them into World War II – although they had their own reasons
Latin America
Latin American countries primarily exported food and raw materials
They were very dependent on that income
The U.S. invested a lot of money in some Latin American companies
To protect U.S. interests, it would support a leader who might not be good for the people
There was growing hostility towards the U.S. because of this
Latin America
The U.S. even sent troops in to some Latin countries to protect our interests there
We were then seen as an aggressive, imperialist power
Franklin D. Roosevelt tried to improve relations in the 1930s with the Good Neighbor Policy rejected the use of U.S. military force in the
region ex: FDR removed U.S. troops from Haiti in
1936
Since Latin American countries made most of their money from exports, the Depression was at first a disaster for them; no one was buying
But the situation forced them to start their own industry
At first they produced the products they imported the most; this is called import substitution
Then they began other industries They invested in themselves and emerged
from the Depression sooner than Western nations
Move towards authoritarianism:
Colonies
Republics by1830 -- dominated by elites and military
Tried democracy
Authoritarianism took hold in 1930s
Mexico
Porfirio Diaz (r. 1876-1910)
allowed U.S. investments had hacienda system 95% of Mexicans owned no land wages went down overthrown by Francisco Madero
Francisco Madero (r. 1911-1913)
idealist upper-class wanted democracy moderate well-educated assassinated by Victoriano Huerta
Victoriano Huerta (r. 1913-1914) , overthrown with help from the United States
Venustiano Carranza (r. 1914-1920) set up constitution that wasn’t enforced called for land redistibution Mexico for Mexicans but allowed U.S.
investments assassinated
Obregon and Calles governed in the 1920s – made some positive changes
Lazaro Cardenas became president in 1934 had wide support of peasants redistributed 44 million acres of land and broke
the hacienda system seized U.S. land and mineral holdings in Mexico Obregon Calles
offered to reimburse Americans for their losses
Americans didn’t want to accept their low offer
FDR finally accepted Mexico’s offer because things were heating up again in Europe, and FDR remembered his history and the Zimmerman Telegram; if war broke out, he wanted Mexico on our side
Cardenas
Culture: Mexico supported its artists Their work was used to promote their new
stronger nation Ex: Diego Rivera who produced
monumental murals showing Mexico’s past and present
Conclusion
World War I and its resultant Great Depression brought turmoil to nations worldwide
Nations were no longer isolated from one another
What happened in one nation affected others