Post on 10-Jul-2015
1945-2000
60 million deaths (military & civilian) Millions of refugees
Soviet Union China Eastern Europe Japan (Hiroshima & Nagasaki)
New mentality about civilians as “casualties of war” Shifting of “western” power to the United States and
“eastern” power to the Soviet Union De-colonization of Africa, India & SE Asia A commitment to internationalism
No more isolationism Commitment to the United Nations
Housed in New York City Forum for resolving international disputes Has political rights
Active in creating the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to prevent world depression and stimulate economic growth globally
After 2 horrendous wars, Europe bounced back as a prosperous region by 1970. Why?
3. An industrial society is a resilient society.4. Nationalism was set aside in favor of international
economic cooperation5. The United States was not touched physically by the
wars, and it was far away from communist countries1. Oh…and the US had…
$12 billion “gift” from the US (the Marshall Plan) Help rebuild war-torn Western Europe Prevent a depression Keep Europeans buying American goods Prevent Europeans from seeing communism as a viable
option Encourage European Economic Cooperation (common
trade policies, reduced tariffs, easier travel) 1957 – the EEC is created (Common Market) 1994 – EEC is renamed “European Union – EU” 2002 – 12 member nations adopt the Euro
Americans wanted Europe to feel protected from another German resurgence and the spreading of communism:
1949 – North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) USA commits to using its nuclear arsenal, if necessary,
to protect members of this alliance Ensures that West Germany is a capitalist ally
1955 – Warsaw Pact allies communist countries with each other
US military occupies Japan from 1945-1952 Unbelievable economic growth (10% per year) $2 billion in American aid US bought materials & supplies from Japan to fight
the Korean War (1950-1953) A democratic constitution is forced on Japan They aren’t allowed to have a self-sufficient military
Therefore they have more $ to invest in production of goods
1921-1991
1970s – 1/3 of the world’s population lived in a communist-run country
Soviet Union China North Korea Vietnam Laos & Cambodia Cuba Afghanistan But…it was supposed to be a global revolution!
Karl Marx = Father of Communism 1848 – “The Communist Manifesto” A response to industrial wealth & exploitation of workers Calls for violent overthrow of existing society Workers overtake factories & government All wealth & power is distributed equally within society No private ownership of land, goods, etc “Classless Society” will emerge This revolution has no nation…it spreads worldwide.
Serfdom ends in 1861 Free peasantry is a miserable life
Tsars fear industrialization Nicholas II begins industrializing in 1890s Loses war to Japan in 1905 People are ignored; Nicholas does what he wants Makes alliance with Britain & France Fights WWI – more losses than anyone Workers and soldiers abandon the tsar Communists gain support (Bolsheviks)
Vladimir Lenin admires Marxist socialism (communism)
Supports “soviets” of workers to resist the tsar and then the provisional government
Bolsheviks claim power in 1917 Lenin signs Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany to
get Russia out of WWI Bolshevik Red Army fights a civil war against non-
communists until 1921 Support comes from workers and farmers
Lenin is victorious – renames Russia (Soviet Union or USSR)
Qing Dynasty fell in 1911 New Republic was elite and urban while the
population was mostly rural poor 1921 – very small Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is
founded to help the small working class By 1927, Mao Zedong became the leader of the CCP
Very charismatic & a natural leader Began seeking support of the rural peasants
Promises to redistribute land, lower taxes & educate Civil War erupts between Nationalists & Communists
Aggressively fights against Japanese imperialism Fights against the Japanese in WWII Nationalists were more concerned with defeating the
communists than defeating the Japanese! 1949 – Communists claim full victory Nationalist government flees to Taiwan US will only recognize the Taiwanese group as the
legitimate government!
Modernization and industrialization Rejection and hatred of capitalism Class and gender equality! Collectivization of agriculture & industry Cultural values of selflessness Creating a single-party system Total control over every aspect of citizens’ lives
“Totalitarianism” Lots of propaganda Secret police Outlawing of religion!
Political equality Abortions legal Divorce legal Women in factories Maternity leave Men hated this! Stalin repeals most of it
Freedom of marriage Easy divorce Attack on Confucian
principles of marriage End of child marriage Property rights Women in factories Men hated this!
China
Communism started in the cities
Redistributed land Russian peasants did this
automatically Many landlords killed Violent collectivization
of agriculture
Communism started in the fields
Redistributed land Confucian peasants had
to be convinced to attack social superiors
Many landlords killed Peaceful collectivization
of agriculture
China
Unprecedented economic growth 1930s Stalin’s 5 Year Plans
Massive, forced labor in factories
Technology improved Rural areas exploited Corruption and elitism
continues throughout the time of the USSR
China Unprecedented economic
growth 1950s Massive forced labor in
factories Technology improved Rural areas exploited Urban elites emerge Mao tries a backlash
against elitism (Great Leap Forward)