Continuing Conflicts Notes

Ethnic and National Conflicts

  • Ethnic group: A group of people who share a common race, language, or culture.
  • Former Yugoslavia: Included Bosnian Muslims, Serbian Orthodox Christians, and Croatian Roman Catholics.

Yugoslavia

  • 1946: Yugoslavia became a nation under Josip Tito.
  • Tito's strong control prevented major ethnic conflicts.
  • 1980: Tito died.
  • 1991: Yugoslavia broke up after regions declared independence, leading to war.
  • U.N. Peacekeepers intervened to stop the fighting.

Soviet Union Conflicts

  • Chechnya: Attempted to break away from Russia.
  • Tajikistan and Georgia: Suffered civil wars.

Africa

  • 1960s: Most African countries gained independence.
  • Colonial powers drew political maps without considering ethnic groups.
  • Ethnic groups competed for resources, leading to conflicts.

Nigeria

  • Gained independence in 1960.
  • Experienced military takeovers.
  • 1967: Igbo ethnic group tried to form their own country.
  • Hundreds of thousands died in the civil war.
  • 2.5 years later: Nigeria reunited.

Sudan

  • Since its independence in 1956, Sudan has been at war.
  • Government controlled by Sudanese Muslims from the north.
  • People in the south and west belong to African ethnic groups.
  • 2003: War broke out in the Darfur region.
  • Competition over land and water between herders and farmers.
  • Farmers supported rebels attacking the government.
  • Herders formed armed groups attacking civilians.
  • 300,000 people killed and 2.5 million fled from their homes.

India

  • The Congress Party controlled India for decades after independence from Britain.
  • Indira Gandhi came to power in 1966.
  • 1980: Sikhs demanded independence, and Gandhi responded harshly.
  • 1984: She was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards.
  • Ethnic and religious conflicts have continued.
  • Conflicts with Pakistan over claims to Kashmir.

Fight for Human Rights

  • African Americans lived under Segregation Laws.

  • Facilities for African Americans were inferior to those for whites.

  • 1954: The Supreme Court ruled that separate schools were unconstitutional.

  • 1964: The Civil Rights Act was passed.

  • Outlawed discrimination based on race and gender.

  • White South African government forced the black population (75%) to live on 3% of the land.

  • Under Apartheid blacks were not allowed to move around freely.

  • Political privilege was given to whites.

  • In the 1950s the ANC Challenged apartheid system

  • In 1990 ANC leader Nelson Mandela was freed from prison and later elected president.

  • Tiananmen Square: thousands killed protesting for more freedom.

  • Human rights groups believe China has detained more than one million Uyghurs and placed them in "re-education camps", and sentenced hundreds of thousands to prison terms.

The Middle East

  • Important region home to 3 major religions.
  • Politically and economically important due to its oil deposits.

Clash in Muslim Nations

  • 1950s: Growing nationalism as nations gained independence from European powers.
  • Leaders like Jamal Nasser of Egypt wanted to create a self-sufficient state.
  • Under Nasser's rule, Egypt was secular.
  • Muslim Brotherhood wanted Islam to be the basis of the government.

Iran

  • Ruled by Shah Reza: brutal dictator however had close ties to the west
  • 1979: Islamic revolutionaries overthrew the Shah.
  • Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini took power.
  • He rejected Western influence and created a state based on Islamic law.