(1914- Present) Cold War, and Globalization

Unit 7: Global Conflicts ($1914$-$1945$) - Overview and Causes • World Wars I and II represent the most significant events of the early $20th$ century, specifically between $1914$ and $1945$. • The Industrial Revolution facilitated the production of advanced weaponry, making these conflicts the most destructive in human history. • Imperialism served as a catalyst that transformed European-based conflicts into global wars. ## Causes of World War I • Nationalism: Fostered a belief among Western populations that their respective nations were superior. • Imperialism: Intensified rivalries and tensions between great powers; ensured that when mother countries went to war, their global empires were involved. • Alliances: Formed to avoid isolation in a competitive environment. By $1914$, two primary systems existed: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance. • Militarism: Glorified warfare and created personal and national eagerness for conflict. • Immediate Spark: The assassination of Austrian Arch-Duke Franz-Ferdinand in the summer of $1914$ by Serbian nationalists. ## Factions and Effects of World War I • Belligerents: The Allies (Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and eventually the US) against the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire). • Environmental Impact: The movement and confined housing of soldiers facilitated the Spanish Flu, killing over $40$ million people worldwide. • Political Shifts: Traditional monarchies (German, Russian, and Ottoman Empires) were overthrown. They were replaced by: (1) The Weimar Republic in Germany (a weak liberal republic later seized by Nazis), (2) The Soviet Union (the first communist government), and (3) The Republic of Turkey (promoting westernization). • Treaty of Versailles: Imposed heavy punishments, territory loss, and reparations on the Central Powers. • New Independent Nations: Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia, and Hungary were created from former Central Power lands. • Mandates: Middle Eastern territories including Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq became mandates under British and French control. ## Social, Economic, and Cultural Consequences of WWI • Fascism: Emerged in Germany and Italy due to frustration with post-war settlements. • Totalitarianism: By the $1930s$, fascist governments in Germany and Italy, and the communist government in the USSR, became totalitarian. • The Great Depression: Economically triggered in the $1930s$ by US financial sector recklessness and German reparations; led to increased government economic management. • Women’s Rights: Total war required women in heavy industry, gaining them dignity and leading to the Women’s Rights Movement; resulted in suffrage in Britain, the US, and France. • Culture: Disillusionment replaced blind faith in progress, leading to experimentation in the $1920s$ and $1930s$. # World War II and Its Aftermath ## Causes and Political Impact • Causes: Included Fascist aggression by the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) and weakness/division among the Allies (Britain, France, USSR, US, China). • United Nations: Established to prevent genocide, civilian bombing, and torture. • Power Shift: Western Europe was devastated; power shifted to the US and the Soviet Union, the only two rivals by $1945$. • Decolonization: Weakened European mother countries could no longer maintain African and Asian colonies. • Cold War Origins: Disparate post-war objectives between the US and USSR divided Germany, Europe, and the world. ## Economic, Social, and Technological Impact • Economic Growth: Rebuilding of Western Europe and Japan with US assistance led to post-war prosperity. • Social Change: Racist ideologies were discredited and seen as unacceptable. • Technological Advancement: Led to the development of computers, jet aircraft, nuclear power, and nuclear bombs. # Unit 8: Cold War and Decolonization ($1945$-$1991$) ## The Cold War Era • Nature of Conflict: A $40$-year period of mistrust, arms racing, espionage, and proxy (surrogate) wars. • Ideological Struggle: Communism versus Liberal Capitalism. • Conclusion: The conflict ended by $1991$ with the collapse of the Soviet Union and economic reforms in the People’s Republic of China. ## The Decolonization Process • Geography: Independence gained by colonies in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. • Methods: Achieved through both peaceful means and violence. • Challenges: Decolonization often intersected with the Cold War as the US and USSR backed different factions. New nations struggled with choosing between westernization and tradition, or civil wars caused by arbitrary European-drawn borders. # Unit 9: End of the Cold War and Globalization ($1991$-Present) ## The Collapse of the Soviet Bloc • 1980s Context: Eastern Europe and the USSR lagged economically; the Soviet-Afghan War was deeply unpopular. • Mikhail Gorbachev: His reforms intended to fix the system but instead triggered popular uprisings, breaking up the USSR and toppling Eastern European communist dictatorships. • China’s Shift: Deng Xiaoping abandoned central planning for capitalist elements. ## The Modern Globalized World • Global Integration: Economic (multinational corporations), demographic (migration), cultural (pop culture), and technological (transportation and computers). • Demographics: The population soared in the $20th$ century due to the Green Revolution and medical advances. Birth rates declined in wealthy nations due to birth control and feminism. • Environmental Challenges: Urbanization and economic expansion have led to significant climate change. # Practice Assessment Materials ## Section 1: Practice Short Answer Questions (SAQs) • Image 1: "We Love Chairman Mao Unconditionally," Communist Party of China, $1967$. • Image 2: "The Gods of Wealth Enter the Home from Everywhere," Communist Party of China, $1993$. • Requirement A: Identify/explain a continuation between the images. • Requirement B: Identify/explain a change in message between the images. • Requirement C: Identify/explain a historical event accounting for the transition. • Comparison Analysis: Historians argue $20th$ century trends are continuations of the $19th$ century. Requires two supporting and one contradicting aspect. ## Section 2: Practice Long Essay Questions (LEQs) • Topic A: Evaluate the extent of global balance of power changes in the $20th$ century. • Topic B: Evaluate the extent of global economic pattern changes between $1945$ and the present. ## Section 3: Practice Document Based Question (DBQ) • Prompt: Evaluate the similarity between communist-peasant relationships in the Soviet Union and China. • Document 1 (Vladimir Lenin, Nov $1917$): Declares the proletariat/peasant revolution; abolishes private ownership of land forever; land turns over to those who till it. • Document 2 (Joseph Stalin, $1933$): Reports on the Five-Year Plan in agriculture; claims success in uniting over $60/$ of farms into collectives using modern machinery. • Document 3 (Maurice Hindus, $1931$): Describes a party organizer threatening "kulaks" (wealthy peasants) with being wiped off the earth; contrasts modern collective machinery with ruinous individual farming. • Document 4 (Mao Zedong, $1927$): Predicts a peasant uprising in China that will act as a "mighty storm" to sweep away imperialists, warlords, and landlords. • Document 5 (Edgar Snow, $1938$): A dialogue where a peasant youth defends communism to his grandfather, citing free schools, radios, and the end of starvation. • Document 6 (William Hinton, $1948$): Notes that arming peasants against Japan enabled them to challenge landlords and restore seized lands. • Document 7 (Agrarian Reform Law, PRC, $1950$): Abolishes feudal exploitation; introduces peasant ownership; state confiscation of landlord surplus grain and draft animals.