strayer 23

Neoliberalism

Strategy for economic development that calls for free markets, balanced budgets, privatization, free trade & minimal gov't intervention.

This is significant because this was a big change in many economies that would allow for an increased amount of wealth in struggling countries.

Reglobalization

The quickening of global economic transactions after WWII.

This is significant because it resulted in the total world output to surpass that of the roaring 20s as well as allowing easy access to goods across the globe.

Transnational Corporations

Corporations located in 2 or more countries that were vital in the acceleration of globalization.

This is significant because they produce many goods or deliver services simultaneously in many countries.

North/South Gap

Growing difference between economic global North & South through incomes, medical care, availability of clean drinking water & internet access.

This is significant because it has allowed the rich to become richer & the poor to become poorer.

Anti-Globalization

Major international movement that protests the development of the global economy on the grounds that the rich get richer/poor get poorer while labor & environments are being exploited.

This is significant because it has caused protests in order to prove that the smaller, poorer countries need help recovering from this exploitation.

Prague Spring

Period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia right after much censorship of the Soviet Union was demolished leading to lots of expression.

This is significant because it allowed for unofficial political clubs to emerge publicly, victims of repression were rehabilitated, & secret ballots for party elections were put into place.

Che Guevara

An Argentine revolutionary teacher who became the icon of the third-world ideology.

This is significant because he helped Cuba in their fight for independence & tried to replicate that in Africa & Latin America.

Second-Wave Feminism

Women's rights movement that was revived in the 1960s that demanded equal rights in employment, education, the right to control their own bodies & the end of patriarchal domination.

This is significant because it allowed women to vote & do the same jobs as men with little to no arguments.

Fundamentalism

Literal interpretation of religious tradition that shunned everything not directly supported in the ideology.

This is significant because this was most seen in Protestant/Christian ideas that glorified interpreting the bible literally & rejecting the religious modernism which sought to bond religion to science.

Hindutva

Fundamentalist Hindu movement that became politically important in the 1980s through nationalism & publicly removing all efforts to accommodate other faith groups.

This is significant because it offered a simplistic lifestyle that satisfied the majority of people while resisting change.

Islamic Renewal

The reconsideration & rationalization of Islamic doctrines, institutions, beliefs & practices.

This is significant because it focused on external issues & created the Muslim Brotherhood, returned to the Sharia law, fought foreign powers, & impacted all aspects of cultural, social, political, & economic life.

Osama bin Laden/al-Qaeda

Network of Islamic extremists led by bin Laden who wanted to "keep Islam pure."

This is significant because they carried out terrorist attacks on the US embassies in Tanzania & Kenya in 1998, the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000, the World Trade Center & the Pentagon in 2001.

Global Warming

The sustained increase in average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere that causes climate change.

This is significant because some believe it while others don't, it shown that carbon emissions contribute to the greenhouse effect & can be an area of political tension.

Environmentalism

Movement dedicated to protecting the earth's national life-support systems for all of life in Earth.

This is significant because it promotes a lifestyle not so dependent on pollution caused by human activity & preserving the untouched parts of Earth.

Rachel Carson

Biologist who in 1962 wrote a book called SIlent Spring that taught about the effects pollution has on the environment.

This is significant because she was a pioneer to environmentalism & first brought attention to a growing issue in today's society.

In what ways did the Global North/South divide find expression in the past century?

There was expression of the divide between Global North & South in many of ways. There were fights to dominate the world trade & many countries found themselves in times of inflation due to this race to be on top. There was foreign aid & involvement in the less developed economies that would show the divide between the two. There was a varying representation in international economic organizations where those that were economically stable & of power had much of a say & those that were not had little to no say or were not even invited. The environmental & labor standards between the two varied greatly, showing the divide in vivid ways.

What have been the benefits and drawbacks of globalization since 1945?

Globalization has caused many benefits & drawbacks since 1945. It has brought along rapid economic growth for many through the interconnectedness of the economy now. Many countries are part of multi-billion dollar companies due to the usage of outsourcing therefore they get a part of the money. There is a downside to the outsourcing though as many of the countries are getting underpaid leaving a gap in between economic powers & those of developing countries. It leaves a money gap where the rich get richer & the poor get poorer, which is unfair as most of the labor comes from poor workers. This gap has lead to violence protesting the difference in economies & many political campaigns have be based upon this. Culture also plays a large role in globalization, there is a decrease in separation of cultures therefore it's easier for the world to communicate & get along with one another.

Do the years since 1914 confirm or undermine Enlightenment predictions about the future of humankind?

The years since 1914 have confirmed the predictions made by enlightenment through using ideas but changing them ever so slightly. There is the continued feminist effort that maintained the same basis of ideas, yet took it another step to demand even more equal rights. There is also the idea of technological advancements being made that is proven by the progress in which the world has progressed, especially in the global market since 1914. There are ways that enlightenment was undermined such as through what was seen as progress to a more democratically led world when fascism & communism were introduced. The growing environmental issues that came along with progress after 1914 undermined the enlightenment idea of progress alongside of nature. There also has been a large increase in the gap between the poor & the rich.

"The most recent century marks the end of the era of Western dominance in world history." What evidence might support this statement? What evidence might contradict it?

To support this statement you could refer to the fact that Europe was devastated after the world wars, leaving the eastern countries to pick up the slack. There is globalization that takes place, allowing for eastern countries to gain some power in the global economy. In terms of culture, many eastern countries rejected all attempts of westernization. To contradict this statement, the US maintains strong politically, economically & through their military, especially after WWII takes place as they are left unchecked by a rival power. Democracy eventually won after beating out the more eastern idea of communism. Finally, the cultural influence of western countries prevails despite attempts to destroy it in eastern countries.

To what extent did the various liberation movements of the past century-- communism, nationalism, democracy, feminism, internationalism-- achieve their goals?

Communism achieved a lot until it fell at a significant rate since the 1970s, leaving it fairly unsuccessful. Nationalism has almost always achieved its goal in one way or another. More often times than not though there's a twist to achieving the goal it was set to accomplish. Democracy was able to see mixed results as it failed for the most part in eastern countries as the cultures were't set up for that type of govt, but in the west it flourished. This means it was only half as successful as what it was intended to be. Feminism was able to achieve a large amount of its goals though there are a handful left unsolved to this day. It was extremely successful for the context of the century. Internationalism increased with globalization shown in the creation of the United Nations. This was fairly successful at what it set out to do.

Looking Back: To what extent did the processes discussed in this chapter (globalization, feminism, fundamentalism, environmentalism,) have roots in the more distant past? In what respects did they represent something new in the past century?

Globalization showed roots in the distant past, even as far back as the Silk Road. Even then many countries relied on goods from one another to succeed economically. It was only a matter of time as technology developed that products were made possible only by the involvement of several countries. Feminism can be argued that there was roots in the distant past, & that it's an entirely new idea. During hunting & gathering times, women played a significant role in the tribe that wasn't seen as weak therefore women sought to reclaim that. Though one could argue that because women did the gathering they were meant to do the easier, less dangerous tasks such as being a housewife therefore not being in need of the feminist movement & this being a new idea. Fundamentalism was not seen to have roots in the past because often times there weren't many copies of scripture available & not many people could read. By the time people could literally interpret scripture, it was near this century anyways leaving it to be a new idea. Environmentalism was not seen in the past because there was little concern for what the actions of humans would do to the environment. We mined & created new things without a care in the world, meaning that this was a new idea as well.

Primary Source

Document 23.5: Mexican Zapatista Feminists

How would you describe the issues that these documents articulate? How do they reflect class, ethnic and gender realities of Mexican life?

The issues being articulated in this document revolve around those of social, political and economic concerns. They all reflect the women's struggle to take care of her family, become educated, have a say in the law, and make sure that those who abuse women are punished appropriately.

Should these documents be regarded as feminist? Why or why not? Why might Zapatista women be reluctant to call themselves feminists?

These should be regarded as feminist documents because they demand respect from men not to beat women, they demand to have equal abilities to be educated as well as a say in the law of the land. Women were demanding to become more equal to men. The Zapatista women may have been reluctant to call themselves feminists because it may have been too restrictive as not everything they were advocating for was for women alone. They wanted to benefit their children and families as well.

Which of these demands might provoke the strongest male resistance? Why?

The demands of holding a position of law would have provoked the strongest male resistance because this would show that women could be decisive and powerful. The tradition in Mexico has been that women were weak and existed to do the bidding of men. This demand of holding a position in the law would have caused men to go crazy and spew just as insane reasons on why women cannot govern because of the social tradition.