Responses to Conflict in the Twentieth Century

Nonviolent Resistance

Three main figures:

  • Mohandas Gandhi
  • Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • Nelson Mandela

Mohandas Gandhi

  • Promoted nonviolence and civil disobedience for Indian independence.
  • Became leader of the Indian Congress by 1921.
  • Led nonviolent resistance against British imperial policies in the 1930s.
Homespun Movement
  • Boycotted British-made textiles to protest Britain's economic dominance.
  • Gandhi wore a traditional dhoti instead of Western-style suits.
Salt March
  • Protested the British salt monopoly, which made it illegal for Indians to harvest their own salt.
  • Gandhi led followers to the sea to harvest salt.
  • Gandhi was arrested for defiance.
  • Gandhi's efforts helped break Britain's colonial hold on India.
  • After World War Two, Britain lacked resources and public support to resist Indian independence.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

  • A black Baptist minister in the United States, inspired by Gandhi.
  • Leader of the civil rights movement for equal rights for black Americans.
  • Resisted unjust laws through civil disobedience.
Montgomery Bus Boycott
  • Black Americans boycotted the city's public transportation system in Alabama.
  • Caused economic distress in Montgomery and elsewhere.
  • King was arrested on several occasions.
  • Political change occurred as the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed racial discrimination in schools in the 1950s.
  • Congress passed anti-discrimination laws in the 1960s.

Nelson Mandela

  • Initially promoted nonviolence but later adopted violence as necessary.
  • Led black South Africans in nonviolent resistance, including boycotts and strikes, as a member of the African National Congress.
  • South Africa, after independence from Great Britain, introduced legalized racial segregation under apartheid.
Shift to Violence
  • The Sharpville massacre, where police fired on a nonviolent protest, killing 69 people, led Mandela to adopt violence.
  • Mandela was jailed for over two decades for his connection to violent acts.
  • Released in 1994, he ran for president and won, ending South African apartheid.

Violent Responses to Conflict

Augusto Pinochet

  • Led a military coup to overthrow Salvador Allende, the democratically elected Marxist president of Chile.
  • Received help from the United States.
  • Ruled Chile as a dictator and violently suppressed opposition.
  • The military conducted raids, executions, and torture against political enemies, including members of leftist parties, labor unions, and the Catholic Church.

Idi Amin

  • Assumed power in Uganda through a military coup in 1971.
  • Responded to ethnic conflict with violence.
  • Demonized the South Asian population, claiming they took jobs from Ugandans.
  • Known as the "butcher of Uganda" due to frequent campaigns of violence against his own people and rivals.
  • Violence targeted ethnic groups, political enemies, and seemingly random individuals.
  • Estimated deaths ranged from 80,000 to 500,000.

Military-Industrial Complex

  • States built up their military due to fear and economic pressure.
  • The United States and the Soviet Union stockpiled nuclear weapons.
  • Increased military spending led to more jobs in the industry, creating a self-feeding cycle.
  • The military-industrial complex increased violence worldwide because it was economically profitable to produce and sell weapons.

Terrorism

Al Qaeda

  • Founded by Osama bin Laden, a Saudi Arabian billionaire.
  • A militant Islamic group with grievances concerning the involvement of the United States and Middle Eastern states, including Iran, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.
  • Responded with acts of terrorism against civilians.
  • The September 11th attacks on the United States killed over 2,000 Americans.
  • The attacks intensified U.S. involvement in the Middle East.