Chapter 21: The Collapse and Recovery of Europe (1914-1970s)

Though both World War I and World War II brought depression, death, and defeat, women were given more rights in the result of the war. It may seem hard to believe, but there can be some good in the result of war…besides winning against the opponent.

During the “Great” War, many men were sent to fight in the war. Because of this, the women were sort of forced into work. “In factories, women replaced the men who had left for the battlefront, while labor unions agreed to suspend strikes and accept sacrifices for the common good (630).” As the caption for the image on page 630 mentions, women were indirectly contributing to the war like manufacturing war munitions. After the Great War, women continued to be “free”. Young women showed up at nightclubs engaging in dancing, drinking and smoking. They cut their hairs shorter than what was the norm, and wore more revealing clothing. Probably the most important part however, is that women gained the right to vote. Though the Great War was not so great (positively), without the occurrence of this war, I would not have the right to vote.

[Why was World War I referenced as the “Great” War? The word great, I think, denotes positivity, as a synonym for awesome…the “Awesome War”.]

The section about the Great Depression kind of scared me, just because the situation during this time is similar to what is going on today. This contributes to the infamous quote about how history tends to repeat itself. Of course, I hope for the betterment of the economy, but I could not but help notice the similarities. Right now, the unemployment rate in the United States is roughly about 10 percent. According to the graph on page 635, the highest rate of unemployment during the Great Depression was between 1932-1933 around 30%. “Vacant factories, soup kitchens, bread lines, shanytowns, and beggars came to symbolize the human reality of this economic disaster.” It’s rough knowing that the current situation is much better today. Many people have been laid off, business are going out of business, and people cannot afford as much as could/used to. It’s funny though, I admit, my spending habits are still the same, but maybe it is because I haven’t been directly affected.

Chapter 20: Colonial Encounters

Wooooooow. Talk about power hungry. As if the takeover of the Americas wasn’t enough in the 16^th and 17^th century, a second wave of European conquests occurred between 1750s and 1900s. Though the later race involved different competitors and different countries of interests, the theme of power and colonial rule still parallel.

The text hardly speaks of the Asian countries of colonial empiricism, but instead that the Europeans sought more of the African countries. Map 20.2’s caption states that by the early 1900s, all the different parts of Africa were conquered by different European countries: France, Britain, Germany, Italy, among others.

On page 594, under Under European Rule, it says, “In many places, incorporation into European colonial empires was a traumatic experience. Especially for small-scale societies, the loss of life, homes, cattle, crops, and land could be devastating.” Could be? In what ways would it not be devastating? How can losing your home and land be a good thing? The most disturbing part of this chapter is the image on page 600. The young boys have lost their hands, not as a direct effect of forced labor, but as a crude punishment for not obtaining an abundance of materials that the Europeans ordered. They have no footwear; the boy on the left doesn’t even have a shirt on. It seems like the body of the boy on the left has developed improperly, which could have been an effect of the forced labor he was put through.

It is hard to believe, but some good did result from these colonial encounters. One of these benefits was education. More opportunities of literacy were available via missionary and government schools. And these opportunities gave access to actual jobs, like government bureaucracies and business firms, versus the horridness forced labor. Having the abilities to read and write gave people higher social statuses compared to those that were not literate.

The textbook implies that the natives became literate in the European languages, French, or English. Why hadn’t the Westerners also encouraged literacy of native African languages? Also, what if the reverse occurred in terms of colonial rule: What if it had been the Africans and Asians who colonized the European countries? Would Europeans be speaking Asian and/or African languages? Now that would be interesting. English is spoken almost everywhere, like a universal language. It may not be the primary language for every country, but when translations are given in foreign countries, an English one is most likely to be given. I don’t think you can expect a Japanese translation in an African country (unless of course, there is a Japanese tourist attraction). With that said, imagine if the “universal language” was Swahili? Or Vietnamese? Or Arabic?

Chapter 19: Internal Troubles, External Threats

The introduction of WW Chapter 19 was quite disturbing. People make mistakes, and it is normal to be ashamed of them, but the important thing is to move forward and learn from these mistakes. Japan is basically lying to the world by publishing textbooks that “…distort history and attempt to cover the truth [of Nanjing Massacre].” Japan can no longer change what happened in Nanjing, but the least they could do is admit to their wrong doing by speaking the truth, allowing textbooks to hold factual information.

China was obviously furious, for they were the victims in the massacre. I too would be furious if our textbooks had not mentioned the bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, or how Spain took over the Philippines. Koreans also expressed anger with Japan, for they started sexual slavery for militants. This situation reminds me of the Holocaust and how some still insist that it did not happen, despite the pictorial evidences and survivor stories.

This chapter focuses on Europe’s imperialism and how European countries tried to influence and pressure China, the Ottoman Empire, and Japan. Because Europe was seen as “the center of the world’s economy” with its global expansion, they kind of put themselves on a pedestal. They thought highly of themselves and saw other races as inferior. They came with the conclusion that whites’ skulls were larger, and therefore, they possess more knowledge than those of other races. This gives the implication that intelligence is based on the size of one’s skull. I’m pretty sure that most no longer think this way, but it’s funny. There are kid geniuses that have college degrees that probably have developing skulls.

Another disturbing topic of this chapter is China and Britain’s trade of Opium. Europe just destroyed China with the smuggling of Opium into the country. First off, because it was illegal, there was an uprising of corruption. To pay for the opium, China had to give up a good amount of silver, which led to economic problems. This imbalance of trade resulted in many addicts.

When the Emperor expelled opium imports from China, Britain went against them and called it a violation of property rights. This resulted in the Opium War and the Chinese signing treaties that did not benefit them at all. They had a $21 million debt to Britain, were forced to open ports for trade, lower taxes, and Britain even destroyed the emperor’s summer palace for more ports after the second Opium War.

The world hasn’t changed much though, people are still power hungry.

Oh, and another side note! It’s quite sad, but I’ve always been confused about the exact location of the Ottoman Empire. Thanks to map 19.2 found on page 572, I now know this information (or at least its boundaries in 1800).

Chapter 17: Atlantic Revolutions and their Echoes

Had the multiple echoes of feminists movements NOT occurred, where would I be? Certainly not at NDNU or any other university for that matter. I'd probably be illiterate, and spend all day back at home, doing chores with my mother. I wouldn't be able to read the history text book, type out this blog, or even operate, let alone turn on my macbook. Now wouldn't that be a devastating life? :D

Though there were/many feminists, the one mentioned in the text, Olympe de Gouges (France) wrote the "Declaration of the Rights of Woman". I wonder what triggered these feminists in the Modern Era to 'demand' equality between men and women. In the "Declaration of the Rights of Woman", de Gouges wrote: "Woman, wake up; the warning bell of reason is being heard throughout the whole universe; discover your rights." Whoever the first feminist was, what evoked her to begin such a movement that eventually travelled across the Atlantic?

However it started, I'm glad it did. Despite the fact we still deal with a degree of gender inequalities, it has improved. (It's the same with slavery. It still exists in many parts of the world, but it was a lot worse.) Today, women can attend universities, manage businesses, be employed, and even vote. I wasn't of age at the time of the 2008 U.S. Presidential elections, but it is difficult to imagine a time when women were prohibited to vote. How would America's presidential offices differ had they still only allowed men to vote?

Criticisms against the Feminist movement were numerous. "...feminists were viewed as selfish, willing to sacrifice the family or even the nation while pursuing their individual goals (522)." Wow. They weren't selfish, they were sick and tired, sick and tired of being considered the weaker race and looked down upon. They only longed for change, equality.

Chapter 16: Religion & Science

If the Nobel Peace Prize existed at this time Nicolas Copernicus and the many other discoverers/scientists would have probably been the firsts awardees.

Nicolas Copernicus was one of the very first to contribute to the Revolution of Science. The medieval idea of astronomy was that the Earth was at the center of the universe, while the sun and other planets revolved around us. Copernicus argued against this and proposed instead that the sun was at the center of the universe, while Earth and other planets revolved around it. This act of straying away from the old belief was seen as going against the church, and god. Therefore, religious authorities were not in favor of Copernicus’s ideas. Little did they know that he was absolutely right.

It’s kind of funny how medievalists came up with the theory that the Earth was in the middle of the universe. Apparently, it was a spiritual influence and was parallel to the purpose of the Catholic church in that the Earth was the center of attention.

Medieval everything revolved around theology and spirituality. Everything was explained in the light of God. If asked, “why does the sun rise and set?” A typical medieval answer would be because God likes to nurture the crops and bring his peoples warmth. As opposed to medieval answers, modern answers would look at science to identify the reasoning. A modern answer would include the Earth’s rotations around the sun.

Because many people contributed to the Science of Revolution, the Church felt under attack. They were the ones that people sought to when they wanted answers and now that new knowledge was surfacing, people also began to question the church’s authority. It’s like having a lifelong friend who turned out to be some liar. You thought you knew them, until someone comes along and tells you the truth, leading you to question your “friend”. (Not to call any church and their officials liars, just an example.)

In a way, this new knowledge of science became globally traded commodities: “…the achievements of the Scientific Revolution spread globally, becoming the most widely sought-after product of European culture and far more desired than Christianity, democracy, socialism, or even Western literature (485).” No trading was probably involved, but knowledge that was discovered in Europe was soon spread to other parts of the world like Japan and China.

Chapter 15: Global Commerce

So my Spanish-sounding last name goes back to when the Portuguese entered India?!

The Portuguese devised a plan to travel East into Asia to become somewhat leaders of global commerce: to discover and obtain the most goods and riches before any other European. The Portuguese attempt was done with the use of violence. The text states that a fair trade was not possible because of the lack of valuables they had: “…European trade goods were crude and unattractive in Asian markets.” Without their strong military, the Portuguese would have gotten nowhere.

They bombarded a few cities in Southeast Asia that were accessible. Soon, they claimed leaders of commerce in Ethiopia, Arabia, Persia, and India. However, this didn’t last long and it came to the point where the Portuguese were not able to sell their goods.

I think it was a little karma. At some point, they were somewhat leaders of Asian commerce. However, they got there with violence. “…by burning and sacking the city, killing some 1,500 people, and seizing large quantities of cotton and silk textiles, and carpets. Because they did some wrong, they paid for it by not being able to get far in their trading post empire.

In order to compete with Portugal, Spain traveled to the Philippine Islands where they soon established colonial rule, introduced Christianity, taxes, and tribute. The establishment of Spain in the Philippines was a success and soon, the Philippines became a bowl of diversity attracting Chinese and Japanese traders, artisans, and sailors. Spain invading the Philippine Islands contributes to the reasoning behind why so many Filipinos have such Spanish-sounding surnames and claim to be some fraction of Spanish descent. It was to compete with Portugal who was at the time advancing in global trade.

Side note: The text says that the “Philippine Islands” was derived from the Spanish King Phillip II. What the original name was for the archipelago before Spain invaded?

Since Portugal basically failed, the Dutch and English tried to replace the Portuguese in Asia. After reading this section, I kind of felt sorry for Portugal. They worked hard to come up with the plan to travel to India and ended up struggling to stay at the top of global commerce. However, it was an opportunity for the Dutch and English. It’s like shopping. You have a hard time deciding whether to buy this certain item of clothing…and there’s only one of these items left. For a split second, you change your mind, put it back on the rack. Then BOOM someone else seizes the opportunity and snatches it so they can purchase the item.

Global Commerce I think was just that. It was all about seizing opportunity and timing: being at the right place at the right time.

Sugar

It is quite difficult to imagine a world without sugar. We would not be able to sweeten our coffee; or, enjoy most confectionaries like cupcakes. Our ice cream would taste bland and & most importantly, teriyaki sauce could not be invented:)

I never noticed how such tiny crystals could have a huge impact on the world. In “Discovering the Global Past” by Merry Wiesener, Chapter 4 traces sugar in its journey of becoming of global importance. Sugar is a hardcore world traveler: it originated in South Asia and made its way to the Caribbean. As for the Europeans, they had yet to encounter this “secret”. I found it kind of funny when the book says, “Sugar was one of the luxury goods…(88)”. When people think of “luxury”, I highly doubt sugar comes to mind. Instead most people dream about owning extravagant mansions, fancy cars, and a massive wardrobe. Or, for some, simplicity is their idea of luxury. Either way, sugar isn’t usually mentioned. In contrast, when the New World was first introduced to sugar, in fact, it was barely available for the rich and royal.

Although sugar has served some goodness in the world, it does not justify the slavery that came with it. Because sugar required extensive labor and mass produced, many countries, including Spain, used African slaves to cultivate and process sugar. They used slaves in order to save their money. They wanted to have great results (great quantities of sugar) and at the same time, use the least amount of money. Slaves are barely, if ever, paid for the intense labor they endure.