Chapter 23

Independence and Development in the Global South

Comparing Freedom Struggles

Both India and Africa both had struggles with gaining independence from British rule. India had a political group called Indian National Congress that tried to work British rule in controlling India since they thought they could run India better since they were born there. But the British basically laughed and it didn’t change a thing. Then Gandhi showed up on the political spectrum and helped India gain independence by civil disobedience. To lots of people Gandhi possessed magical powers and produced miraculous events, “The Great Soul”. Gandhi didn’t want a social revolution but wanted the moral transformation of individuals. India gained independence but separated by religions. In South Africa it was a bigger struggle since they had an apartheid that tried to separate races in every way they can. They also had “pass laws” that tried to regulate where Africans could go. South Africa also had an important person that helped them through gaining independence, which was Nelson Mandela that followed Gandhi tactics with nonviolent civil disobedience. South Africa however, gained independence as a unity country.

Chapter 22/ Massaro Section 5 & 6

The Rise and fall of World Communism:

The famous Berlin Wall in Germany built in 1961 to prevent the residents of communist East Berlin from escaping to the West. This wall was torn down in November 9, 1989. Although, communism was openly spread to due the promise of liberation form inequality, oppression, exploitation and backwardness. Karl Marx and his ideologies inspired global Communism. During the Cold War decades the Warsaw Pact brought together the Soviet Union and Eastern European communist states in a military alliance. I guess in a way this was a smart move to make just in case one of the countries went into war with a non-communist country. The Russian and Chinese had different ways of obtaining full communism; The Bolsheviks party main audience was from workers in Russia major cities and the Chinese communist look at the country peasant villages for support. I think the reason the cold war was called the “cold” war was because usually wars are hot, bloody and violent. Whereas this war wasn’t violent but rather a more a stand still because the U.S. has nuclear weapons that can destroy a lot of things like the bombing of Hiroshima and the Soviet Union had also developed these weapons too. So it was more of waiting for one person to act first then the other retaliating. Thank fully though no one acted first. In the Catholic Social Teaching handout it talks about how the world can be shaped better if the rich were to think about the poor more and helped the poor to achieve better in obtaining social justice.

Chapter 5: Living Justice From Thomas Massaro/Chapter 21

Part one talks about the dignity of every person and human rights. This means that the catholic social teachings had a key component of “all humans are made in the image and likeness of God”. That every person was from God creation therefore he loves everyone. Since all human beings reflect God in some way they should be treated with the most respect and dignity. It also states that we all deserve the care and attention that rightful belongs to us. But in this society today attention and care aren’t always there for people and some people get more. In part seven: Colonialism and Economic Development, talks about how the world is so unfair and suffer serious and unfair disadvantages. It also talks about what we can do to attack those problems of unfair advantages like stopping the temptations of selfishness and isolation and think not only of ourselves but about everyone else when making decisions.

Chapter 21: The Collapse and Recovery

The “Great War” is known for World War 1. I was surprised to read that this great war many people of that time period thought it would be the last of wars. But sadly it wasn’t which was followed by World War 2, Vietnam War, Cold War, and many other wars. With alliances the world will probably stay having wars. In the early twentieth century there was two alliances: the triple alliance: Germany, Austria, and Italy and then the triple entente was Russia, France, and Britain. I think there will always be war because just like in today’s society if our friends get into a fight with another girl we would most likely stick up for our friends then the other girl which is just like these countries.

Chapter 20: Colonial Encounters

I thought it was pretty interesting that even after the country of Kenya gained independence from the British rule that some people still thought that racial status was still important. But then again, if we think about it some racial discrimination still exists today in the United States, maybe not as great but it’s still there. The reasons behind having racial boundaries were the fear of the natives organizing against the government and or the Europeans. There was also the reason that white woman needed protection which I find a little weird since being in the twenty-first century, woman are strong and independent without the need for protect from men. But that wasn’t only concentrated in the third world countries but also in the United States with what happen to a little black boy down in the south for picking on a white woman. So this time period had an affect throughout the world even without British control. In this chapter we also looked at the two waves of European Conquests. The first wave happened in North and South America and it was by accident by Spain, Portugal, England, and France. It happened in the sixteenth and seventeenth century and the second wave was about the mid-nineteenth century. The second wave was in Africa and Asia and it was on purpose by new players f Germany, Belgium, United States, and Japan. But the sole purpose of this wave was not to stay but rather administer the country to make sure their following along like how they’re supposed to.   

Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Revolutions of Industrialization

The industrial revolution began with new technologies innovation, which lead to a lot of goods and services being sold. The most significant was the steam engine which was produced by coal and the internal combustion engine which was produced by fossil fuels. However, although these were great discoveries in that time period no one really thought about what would happen if we run out of fossil fuels? Then how would we make internal combustion engine? Most people still don’t think about what we are going to put future generations through. With the industrial revolution came a demographic shift from rural areas to cities with the big factories. In Britain it added 2 new social classes, so instead of 1 percent nobility, 1 percent church, and 98 percent everyone else there were a middle class and a laboring class. The middle class were factory owners and the laboring class were people who worked in the factories. With so many people in the laboring class there was bound to be some competition because people need to provide for their families. There also came problems like workers wanting higher wages, health care, limited hours, etc. There are 2 ways of making changes: revolution and reform. Russia industrialization remained absolute monarchy which is the state having control over individuals and the society. This was bound to lead to a revolution and forms of unions and political parties in my eyes. Latin America wanting their country to look like Europe or United States like it was their older brothers and they wanted to be just like them in every aspect like talking they way they do, act like they do and dress the way they do.

Chapter 17 part three

The Haiti Revolution
This country was original named Saint Domingo and was thought of as the Richest colony in the world. With 8,000 plantations which in the 18th century produced over 40 percent of the worlds sugar and like half of the coffee. Slaves, of course, made up the vast majority. Then the whites who were plantation owners, bankers, and lawyers. There were also "petis blancs" which mean poor white people and "gens de couleur libres" which were free people of color and many being mixed raced. In Haiti the idea of the revolution meant different things to different people. To grands blancs- which are the rich white landowners, it meant greater autonomy, and fewer economic restrictions. However they did not like what it meant for the petis blancs, who thought they could get equality of citizenship for all whites. Both were opposed to free people of color. That right there is messed up because there basically saying that color people aren't people. Haiti Revolution made a great change in the abolishment in slavery and therefore renamed their country Haiti meaning "mountainous" or "rugged".
The Spanish Revolution on the other hand had trouble and couldn't bring the people of different races, status, and power together to fight against the British rule.
The abolishment of slavery came from the ideas and practices of the Atlantic revolutions.Without them, where would we be today? Thank you Kant and your enlightenment ideas.