Nonviolent Resistance, Military Buildup, and the End of the Cold War

Nonviolent Resistance

Definition: Resisting unjust laws or oppressive regimes through nonviolent means, such as boycotts, civil disobedience, and protests.

Context: British economic dominance in India, particularly the cotton industry.
Actions:
- Homespun Movement: Encouraged Indians to boycott British textiles and make their own clothes.
  - Gandhi himself abandoned Western-style suits for traditional Indian dhotis.
- Salt March: Defied British salt laws by digging up already broken salt deposits and processing his own salt.
  - Led to his arrest, one of multiple instances of imprisonment for civil disobedience.
Impact:
- Weakened Britain's colonial hold on India.
- Post-World War II, Britain lacked the resources and public support to maintain control.
- Gandhi's efforts were crucial to India's independence from British colonial rule.

Context: Racial segregation and discrimination against Black Americans in the United States.
Inspiration: Inspired by Gandhi's methods of nonviolent resistance.
Actions:
- Montgomery Bus Boycott: Organized a boycott of the city's public transportation system in Montgomery, Alabama, due to racial segregation.
  - Caused significant economic distress to the city.
- Arrested multiple times for civil disobedience.
Impact:
- The U.S. Supreme Court outlawed racial discrimination in schools in the 1950s.
- Congress passed anti-discrimination laws in the 1960s.

Context: Apartheid in South Africa, a system of racial segregation and discrimination against Black South Africans.
Early Resistance: Initially involved nonviolent methods such as boycotts and strikes.
Shift to Violence: The Sharpeville Massacre (police firing on a nonviolent protest, killing 69) led Mandela to believe that violence was necessary.

Context: President of Uganda known as the "Butcher of Uganda" for his violent rule.
Actions:
- Demonized and expelled the large South Asian population in Uganda, who had contributed significantly to the economy.
  - Claimed they were taking jobs from Ugandans.
- Frequent campaigns of violence against his own people and rivals.
  - Targeted ethnic groups, political enemies, and random individuals.
Impact:
- Intensified violence in Uganda, with estimates ranging from 80,000 to 500,000 deaths.

Context: Fear and economic pressure leading states to build up their military.
Examples: The United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
- Raced to stockpile nuclear weapons.
Self-Feeding Cycle:
- Increased military spending created more jobs in the defense industry.
- Policymakers were hesitant to cut military spending due to potential job losses.
Impact:
- Increased violence globally due to the economic incentive to produce and sell weapons.

Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD): The threat of nuclear annihilation kept the US and Soviet Union from direct conflict.
Détente (1970s): A period of relaxed tensions.
- SALT I (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty): Signed by US President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev, prohibiting further manufacture of nuclear weapons.
Ronald Reagan (1980s): Took a harder line against the Soviets.
- Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI): A system intended to render a nuclear attack on the US obsolete.

Perestroika: Restructuring of the Soviet economy by reducing central planning.
Glasnost: Openness, allowing dissent and criticism against the government.
Non-Intervention: The Soviet Union would no longer use military intervention to support communist governments in its sphere of influence.