State Power Shifts After 1900

State Power Shifts After 1900

  • The West dominated the global balance of power in the 20th century.

  • Many maritime and land-based empires fell apart, giving rise to new states.

Ottoman Empire

  • The decline of the Ottoman Empire involved political changes to align with democratic Western powers.

  • The authoritarian Sultan included demands for a parliament and a constitution.

  • The Sultan reverted to authoritarian rule, leading to the rise of the Young Turks.

  • The Young Turks called for modernization in the image of Western European nations and envisioned a Turkic state, excluding ethnic minorities.

  • In 1908, the Young Turks overthrew the Sultan, secularized schools, established political elections, and imposed Turkish as the official language.

  • Nationalistic policies alienated minorities, leading to nationalist movements within those groups.

  • After World War I, the Ottoman Empire was divided into several states.

Russian Empire

  • Russia made progress in industrialization under absolutist Czars like Alexander II and Nicholas II.

  • The growing middle class resented the Czar's authoritarian policies and demanded a voice in government decisions.

  • The working class suffered the brutal effects of state-sponsored industrialization.

  • The Russian Revolution of 1905 was suppressed, but Nicholas II accommodated some demands such as a constitution and legalization of labor unions.

  • Tensions from the 1905 revolution re-emerged.

  • World War I intensified discontent, leading to the Russian Revolution of 1917.

  • Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the Bolsheviks, seized power and established a communist state, the Soviet Union.

Qing China

  • China faced internal and external challenges in the 19th century.

  • The Taiping Rebellion caused millions of deaths and financial strain.

  • China lost the Opium Wars to Western powers and the Sino-Japanese War to Japan due to inadequate industrialization efforts.

  • The Boxer Rebellion, led by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists, targeted the Qing authorities.

  • British, French, and Japanese forces suppressed the Boxer Rebellion, imposing further demands on China.

  • A revolutionary movement led by Sun Yat-sen led to the end of 2000 years of imperial rule.

  • China was briefly led by a provisional government under Sun Yat-sen, but emerged as a communist state under Mao Zedong after power struggles and civil war.

Mexican Revolution

  • Mexico was ruled by dictator Porfirio Diaz, angering various social classes.

  • Francisco Madero, Diaz's political rival, was elected in 1910 but assassinated two years later.

  • A decade of civil war ensued, involving peasant armies led by Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata.

  • In 1917, the revolution concluded, and Mexico became a republic with a new constitution.

  • Reforms included universal male suffrage, minimum wages, and separation of the Catholic Church from political and economic power.

  • The revolution's impact was largely confined to Mexico.