Period 6: The contemporary Era (1900-present)
Accelerating global change and realignments
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DICE (1900-today)
Decolonization Innovations and Integration Conflicts and Communism Environmental Issues/Economic Integration |
BIG IDEAS:
- The 20th Century was a time when the world got “smaller.”
- Communication and transportation made it possible to connect to every part of the globe and even into outer space.
- The United States came to dominate the world during the 20th century and our culture spread everywhere (McWorld) Not every part of the globe felt comfortable with the Americanization of the world. American values can be interpreted as being based upon consumerism, greed, sex, and violence (remember our movies and music are everywhere). Many societies viewed this as in direct violation of their traditional values.
- The United States dominated the world economically and politically. We became the richest country in the history of the world. In many cases our multi-national corporations used cheap labor and cheap natural resources from the underdeveloped world to become extremely wealthy.
- The 20th Century has been the most violent century in history:
QUESTIONS OF PERIODIZATION - Major characteristics that distinguish the time period 1900 - present include:
- Redefinition and repositioning of the west - During the 20th century, the term "west" came to have a new meaning. In the early part of the century, the west was centered in Europe. Although the United States and Australia were considered to be western nations, they were more or less off-spins from the European colonial powers. After World War II the western center moved to the United States, and by the end of the century, the phrase "western dominance" was a clear reference to U.S. power. Even so, power centers in other parts of the world challenged the west: Japan in the 1930s and 40s, and the Soviet Union during the Cold War era. The United States emerged as the dominant world power after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, but significant checks on that power appear to be emerging in the early 21st century. Birth control has meant that the west currently has a smaller percentage of the world's population than even before, a fact that adds to the question of whether or not the west will continue to dominate the world.
- Increase in international contacts - International trade and communication burgeoned during the 20th century, creating the phenomenon of globalization. Technological advancements were central to the swift, gigantic changes. Technological connections allowed the spread of culture and science to occur much more quickly than ever before. The century also saw the development of international organizations, starting with the League of Nations in 1918, and continuing with the United Nations, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization. Migrations from Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean headed toward the leading industrial centers from the 1920s, leading many people to question whether or not regional identities were being lost.
- The democratic transition -Very few countries had the same type of government in 2000 that they had in 1914. Monarchies all over the world were replaced by democratic governments or authoritarian regimes, and by the late 20th century, many authoritarian regimes were being replaced by democracies. Western democratic governments were often used as models, not only for newly independent countries, but for former powerhouses, such as the Soviet Union.
- Changes in belief systems - For most of world history, organized religions in all parts of the globe have been important influences on almost every other area of life, including government, family life, and culture. Many scholars see a 20th century trend away from religion toward a new reliance on non-religious philosophies such as liberalism, nationalism, and communism. Furthermore, by century's end, people in western nations, as well as some in the east, appeared to be relying less on religious explanations for social and natural phenomena than on new and rapidly developing scientific explanations.
- However, Questioning of systems of inequality - Although people had challenged social inequalities for many years before 1914, widespread reforms characterize the 20th century. Industrialized countries had abolished slavery in the 19th century, but major civil rights movements for racial and ethnic minorities shook the social systems around the globe in such countries as the United States, South Africa, and India. Women's rights movements also have their roots in the 19th century, but only in the 20th century did women in industrialized countries win the right to vote. Likewise, people in lands conquered by imperialist powers in earlier eras challenged international inequities, although they were far from successful in their goals for equality by the end of the 20th century.
Ch. 26: the new power balance, 1850-1900
Key Terms + People: Commodore Matthew Perry · railroads · submarine telegraph cables · steel · electricity · Thomas Edison · Victorian Age · socialism "separate spheres" · labor union · Karl Marx · anarchists · nationalism · liberalism · Giuseppe Garibaldi · Otto Von Bismarck · Meiji Restoration · Empress Dowager Cixi · Yamagata Aritomo
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ch. 27: The New imperialism, 1869-1914
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Key Terms + People: Suez Canal · New Imperialism · colonialism
Battle of Omdurman · "Scramble" for Africa · Henry Morton Stanley King Leopold II · Savorgnan de Brazza · Berlin Conference · Afrikaners Cecil Rhodes · Asante · Menelik · Emilio Aguinaldo free trade imperialism · Panama Canal
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ch. 28: The Crisis of the Imperial Order, 1900-1929
Key Terms + People: Western Front · Faisal · Theodore Herzl
Balfour Declaration · Bolsheviks · Vladimir Lenin · Woodrow Wilson Fourteen Points · League of Nations · Treaty of Versailles · New Economic Policy · Sun Yat-sen · Yuan Shikai · Guomindang Chiang Kai-shek · mandate system · Ataturk · Margaret Sanger Max Planck · Albert Einstein · Sigmund Freud · Wright Brothers
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Ch. 29: The Collapse of the Old Order, 1929-1949
Key Terms + People: Joseph Stalin · Five Year Plan · Benito Mussolini
Fascist Party · Adolf Hitler · Nazis · Chiang Kai-Shek · Mao Zedong Long March · Stalingrad · El Alamein · Pearl Harbor · Battle of Midway Hiroshima · Auschwitz · Holocaust
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