Unit 5: Conflict and Cooperation

Unit 5: Conflict and Cooperation

Introduction

  • SCO 13.1-14.1: From Prehistory to Imperialism
  • Humans are social animals
    • Since prehistory, humans have lived with one another to achieve both individual and collective goals:
    • Meeting basic needs
    • Providing companionship
    • Improving standard of living
    • Developing new ideas
    • Protecting against dangerous forces

General Themes

  • Cooperation vs. Conflict in Human Experience
    • General principle: human experience improves through cooperation.
    • Examples prompting conflict or cooperation for resolution:
    • Forgetting lunch without money
    • Disagreement on movie choice with a close friend or significant other
    • Work conflicts regarding extra shifts vs. personal commitments
    • Territorial disputes between countries

The Sociology of Conflict and Cooperation

  • Social Nature of Humans
    • Humans rarely exist in isolation.
    • Interactions occur in predictable forms:
    • Types of Social Interactions:
      • Exchange: giving something and receiving something in return (e.g., conversations)
      • Cooperation: working together for a common goal (e.g., teamwork)
      • Competition: striving against others (e.g., sports)
      • Conflict: opposition arising from differing goals (e.g., disputes)
      • Accommodation: finding compromise (e.g., agreeing on paint color)
      • Assimilation: adopting new practices or ideas (e.g., immigrants learning new languages)

Ideology and Its Influence

  • Influence of Ideology
    • Individuals and groups prioritize different goals influenced by their ideologies.
    • Definition of Ideology: A set of opinions and beliefs held by individuals or groups, influenced by socio-economic status and experiences.
    • Diverging perspectives on economic, social, and political decisions can lead to disagreement on priority goals and preferred methods (conflict vs. cooperation).

Factors Shaping Ideology

  • Socio-Economic Factors:
    • Definition: Measure of an individual or group’s position within a society, shaped by several elements:
    • Education
    • Income
    • Parents' occupation
    • Place of residence
  • Life Experiences:
    • Influences from ethnic background, gender, schooling, travel, and past conflict or cooperation experiences can affect views on social and political issues.

Diagram of Influencing Factors

  • Factors Involved
    • Individual Ideology
    • Socio-Economic Status: includes education, ethnic background, age, income, parental occupations, gender, and exposure to other cultures.

Unit Overview

  • SCO Goals:
    • 13.1: Explain rationale for conflict and cooperation
    • 13.2: Explore perspectives from the Paleolithic Era to early modern period

Historical Context

Paleolithic Interactions (200,000 BCE - 10,000 BCE)

  • Characteristics of Early Paleolithic Groups:
    • Nomadic lifestyles dictated by resource availability and weather, known as seasonal rounds.
    • Cooperation favored over conflict:
    • Formation of macro-bands through kin-group expansion
    • Goals achieved through cooperation:
      • Increase in food acquisition
      • Match-making for mates

Neolithic Interactions (10,000 BCE - 2000 CE)

  • Agricultural Revolution:
    • Transition to farming reduced migration for basic needs, leading to permanent settlements (e.g., Catal Huyuk).
  • Benefits of City-States (e.g., community structure):
    • Access to diverse goods and security from walled cities
    • Increased food security and new ideas with cultural richness (literature, religion).
  • Challenges of City-States:
    • Potential for conflict manifested in issues like:
    • Environmental degradation and pollution
    • Spread of disease and social inequality
    • Autocratic rule and impact of natural disasters

Cooperation and Conflict Chart

  • Paleolithic vs. Neolithic: Cooperation and Conflict
    • Paleolithic Cooperation: Gathering resources, hunting, egalitarian governance.
    • Paleolithic Conflict: Defending hunting and gathering territories.
    • Neolithic Cooperation: Agricultural advancements and trade specialization.
    • Neolithic Conflict: Territorial needs and social class emergence.

Historical Decision-Making Scenario

  • Conflict or Cooperation:
    • Hypothetical scenario of living in ancient Mesopotamian city-state under siege. Considerations include:
    • Refusal to surrender vs. negotiating terms
    • Assessing possible consequences of either decision.

Emergence of Empires

  • City-State Dynamics: Use of conflict and cooperation transformed city-states into empires through different strategies:
    • Cooperation: E.g., Phoenician trade networks.
    • Conflict: Territorial expansion (e.g., British Empire).
  • Definition of Empire: A political unit with multiple previously independent groups governed under one authority, often authoritarian.

Reasons for Territorial Expansion and Contraction

  • Territorial Expansion Causes:
    1. Economic: Need for resources, labor, markets.
    2. Political: Desire for power and prestige.
    3. Social: Cultural or ethnic superiority ideologies.
  • Territorial Contraction Causes:
    1. Economic: Resource depletion, unemployment, disrupted trade.
    2. Political: Weak leadership, civil unrest, invasions, changing priorities.
    3. Social: Disease and starvation leading to social order breakdown.

Case Study of Roman History

Roman Structures: Republic and Empire

  • Two Periods of Roman Governance:
    • Roman Republic (509 - 27 BCE): Characterized by citizen-led governance. Key elements include the voting system, consuls, and Senate.
    • Roman Empire (27 BCE - 476 CE): Transitioned to dictatorship following the instability of the Republic.

Soft Power vs. Hard Power

  • Soft Power: Non-coercive methods (diplomacy, alliances).
  • Hard Power: Use of military force or coercion.

Expansion Approaches in Roman Republic

  • Military Dominance: The organization and tactics of the Roman legions, consisting of approximately 5,000 infantry and additional cavalry.
  • Cohesion through Soft Power: Granting citizenship to conquered groups allowed integration while maintaining control, aiding the maintenance of the empire.

Challenges Leading to the End of the Roman Republic

  • Instability stemmed from increasing wealth disparity and civil unrest.
  • Key Moment: Julius Caesar's ascension to dictator in 44 BCE and subsequent assassination highlighted the volatile intersection of military power and political authority.

Legacy of the Roman Empire

  • Peak of Power: Expanded across Europe, Africa, and Asia, with governance through both military and cooperative means during its zenith.
  • Causes of Decline and Fall: Multiple simultaneous factors including social decay, economic distress, and external pressures from invading tribes.

Conclusion

  • The exploration of cooperation versus conflict illustrates the historical shifts from early human interactions to complex governance structures, shaping societal evolution and the rise and fall of empires. An essential understanding is that ideology, socio-economic factors, and historical context heavily influence interactions.

Imperialism and Decolonization

  • Imperialism defined as political, economic, and social domination by stronger nations.
  • Key motivations: resource exploitation (Gold), national prestige (Glory), cultural superiority (God).
  • The Scramble for Africa characterized European colonial motives, notably through events like the Berlin Conference, which neglected local interests in favor of geopolitical strategy.
  • Employment of imperial strategies from soft to hard power determined relationships and outcomes in colonized regions.