Final Chapters, 23 & 24 (2009 book)

        The very beginning of chapter 23 speaks about Nelson Mandela, South Africa's nationalist

leader, who was tried for treason, sabotage, and conspiracy to overthrow the apartheid government

 back in 1964. I felt terrible for this man who spent 27 years in prison, working hard labor and

 sleeping on the floor! His living conditions were atrocious, and he suffered for many years. I was

 happy to learn of his eventual release in 1990, and his activism in overcoming apartheid and

fostering racial reconciliation. He eventually became South Africa's first black President. By the time

 of his death, Mandela had come to be widely considered "the father of the nation" within South

 Africa, and "the founding father of democracy", being seen as "the national liberator, the saviour, its

 Washington and Lincoln rolled into one". (newsweek) What Mandela was able to do in South Africa,

 decolonization, was something much of the world had to deal with following the British dominance

of Africa and Asia in the 19th century. Thank goodness that both the United States and the Soviet

 Union generally opposed the older European colonial empires when they did in history, otherwise,

 who knows how things may have ended up.

        I was interested in Mohandas Gandhi and his story. I was surprised to learn that although he

 worked to raise the status of India's untouchables(lowest caste), he launched no attack on caste.

I feel that more needs to be done to abolish this dogmatic caste system in India, but I also realize

 that India was busy just trying to gain their independence from Britain at the time.

        I liked what happened in Turkey after WWI led by general Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. He wanted

to modernize and Westernize Turkey. He gave women more rights, and his reforms represented the

most ambitious attempts at cultural transformation in the Middle East. I like how the Ataturk

revolution fully embraced modern culture and Western ways in public life and regulated Islam to the

sphere of private life. Then Iran became the epicenter of Islamic revival in the 1970's, and all hell

broke loose! Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini gained power and managed to have the shah removed.

The sharia became law of the land, and now it is a land of religious fanaticism and moral

oppression. It's too bad so many of these Islamic countries have huge oil reserves and we rely on

 them.

         Chapter 24 opens with a quote from another Islamic nut job named Masoumeh Rahimi who

has a problem with Barbie dolls. He thinks that her clothing and shapely appearance is too

revealing...can't we just boycott every single country run by these Islamic fanatics? This final chapter

 deals with global interaction and the world economy. The World Bank and the International

Monetary Fund laid the foundation for post WWII globalization, along with technological advances.



     
     

Part 6: Collapse at the Center, Rise & Fall of World Communism

The aftermath of World War I brought out substantial social and cultural changes to European and

American victors in that conflict. The war had loosened the hold of tradition in many ways. Women

increasingly gained the right to vote. They began to express themselves more openly...all good things.

However, out of all the things to come out of WWI, The Great Depression stuck out to me. The new

consumerism that was a result of industrial capitalism spurred the most substantial economic growth

in world history. Its very success generated an individualistic materialism that seemed to conflict with

older values of community and spiritual life. (Strayer pg 633) I see that same materialism today, but

times ten! Everything is marketing and sell, sell, sell! To socialists and many others, the immense

social inequalities were unacceptable during this post war time. Looking back at history, The Great

Depression was no surprise...it was inevitable. Greed will always produce losers. We had that same

kind of greed bite us in the but back in 2008 with the mortgage crisis...People knew that the top was

gonna blow eventually, and although many people lost out big time, many people also profited.

 Reading about the Great Depression helps me to understand the mind set of my father who was born

in 1934, to immigrant parents from Italy. He always told me that while he was growing up, he never

had money to go to a movie or buy and ice cream. I  have always know him to be very frugal with his

 money and his childhood is probably a big reason why. Than I look at my nieces and nephews who

are quite spoiled, and get practically anything their hearts desire. I certainly didn't while I was

growing up! We have a lot to be thankful, stemming from the Great Depression. Out of it came

President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal (1933-1942) which helped to prime the economy and

reduce unemployment. Social Security came out of the New Deal, although its hard to say if I will

benefit from it, at my current age of 39. Minimum wage and other various relief and welfare

programs stemmed from the New Deal. Farm subsidies created a permanent agribusiness which we

see today. It also created a vast array of government agencies that were designed to give a new degree

of federal regulation and supervision to the economy.

Part 5 Western Expansion & Globalization

I just finished a nineteen week Western Civilization course last month so the chapters were familiar to

me. I like the way Strayer explains things, the way he ties things together. Strayer points out how

history textbooks have often reflected a Europe-centered outlook in a sometimes blatant manner. I

was skeptical myself before I started this course. I wondered why on earth did I need to study the

"history of the world?" I always felt that Western culture always was most important, and needed the

most time devoted to study. After attending this class for six weeks, I realize the importance for

studying all the other subjects in the book. It has been interesting learning of the migration of early

humans, making their way to America via the Bering Land Bridge, and possibly, The Kelp Highway.

I would have never given much of the things I have been reading about over the past few weeks, had

I not been enrolled in this class. I know that it can be a lot to cover, but I find that it is a good read. It

is interesting how Strayer refers to the time period between 1750 and 1914 "the long nineteenth

century." He is again making his own division for histories timeline. Strayer  makes it a point to let

the reader know that Europe's great success during this time period was not responsible by Europe all

 on its own. A series of different factors were involved. If I  could only remember a few things that I

have learned about all the things that happened during this time period, on top of my list would be the

notion of nationalism. Nationalism was the driving force behind all the revolutions and changes

during this time. The ideas derived from European Enlightenment was spreading everywhere quickly

with the help of ocean travel in the form of newspapers, books, and pamphlets. The main idea behind

these publications was the notion that human political and  social arrangements could be engineered,

and improved, by human action. New ideas of liberty, equality, free trade, religious tolerance,

republicanism, and human rationality were in the air. It was an exciting and dangerous time to live. I

find it not surprising to learn that the American Revolution did not grow out of tensions between the

colonies, but that it grew out of the greed of the British government. Im glad it happened because it

produced a document that the whole rest of the world admires, the Declaration of Independence. The

"right to revolution," inspired revolutionaries and nationalists around the world. The importance of

the U.S. Constitution, with its Bill of Rights, cannot be overlooked either. It was one of the first

sustained efforts to put the political ideas of the Enlightenment in to practice and that document, and

the ideas that it embraced, echoed in the political upheavals of the century that followed.

Part Four The Early Modern World

Chapter 14 started off interestingly enough with Winona La Duke, president of the Indigenous

Women's Network, who declared: "Columbus  was a perpetrator of genocide..., a slave trader, a thief,

a pirate, and most certainly not a hero. To celebrate Columbus is to congratulate the process and

history of the invasion." Wow! Strong words. Empire building tends to have its casualties. I liked the

quote of one Spanish conquistador:"We came here to serve God and the King, and also to get rich."

That summed up what compelled many of the early Spanish settlers.  It was very surprising to find

out just how devastating to the indigenous people decease was, brought over by the Europeans and

Africans. Native american people lost up to 90% of their population! To hear that many starved in

their beds due to being too sick is appalling. The labor shortage that followed made room for

immigrants who brought over their culture, plants, animals and made America what it is today. It was

interesting to read that the livestock brought over multiplied quickly due to a lack of natural

predators. The domesticated animals made ranching and cowboys possible. It was also interesting to

learn how North America developed a sharply defined racial system whereas Portuguese and Spanish

colonies had more mixed-race groups.

The World of Islam

Before I read this chapter I already had my predispositions on the faith of Islam which were solidified

after reading about it in this book. The story starts off nice enough with the story of Malcolm X
 
converting to Islam and abandoning his earlier commitment to militant black separatism, but then I

 read about the reality of Islam. For starters, the belief in Jihad is enough to turn me off to this radical

 religion. These same nut jobs are responsible for a lot of the terrorist attack that go on today. Do we

 need to tolerate a religion that promotes this sort of behavior in the 21st Century? I would argue that

 we do not. To read that the prophet Muhammad enslaved and killed Jews made me lose all respect

 for this beloved man. Jesus would have never done such a thing! Muhammad was both a religious

 figure and a military leader. I don't condone force of any religion. His belief of no distinction between religious

 law and civil law is absolutely unreasonable. What is ironic is that they don't all believe in the same thing, which is

apparent with the warring between the Shia and the Sunni Muslims. Then you start to look at how

badly they treat women. Women having to pray at home and be veiled while in public...ridiculous!

The Muslim view of women as overall inferior to me is unacceptable. Reading about Islam in this

book only solidified my feeling that this religion is not a religion I would ever consider practicing. I

know that there are many good people who are Muslim, but these religious wars that have been

 raging on for centuries are very unnecessary. Say what you will about America being a country

 based on Christian values, but at least women here have equal rights to men. I

am sorry if I offend any Muslims in the class, however this is a blog and I was never very fond of

being politically correct.

Part 3: Commerce & Culture, Globalization in the Postclassical Era

After reading chapter 7 in Strayers book, I was intrigued to learn all about the various trade routes that had developed in the years following the Classical Era. These trade routes helped with the globalization of civilization by spreading various cultures, religions, and commerce between the Eastern and Western hemispheres. The famous "Silk Road" network across Eurasia and the trans-Saharan trade routes. Both trade routes flourished in the post classical era and they were part of the accumulation infrastructure of contemporary globalization. Certain societies were able to monopolize production of certain products which created an unequal distribution of goods and services. Between 500-1500 B.C., long-distance trade became more important than ever before in linking and shaping distant societies and peoples. Trade affected social structures and political life. Trade helped to create and maintain states in various parts of the world. It was fascinating to learn that silk was in such high demand at the time, and that it was even used as currency! I was surprised to learn that governments passed laws that restricted silk clothing to only members of the elite. The story of the twelfth-century Persian merchant Ramisht who purchased an expensive silk covering for the Kaaba in Mecca had me picturing how large and beautiful the cover must have been. I could only imagine how long it must have taken to make such a covering, and how expensive! It made sense to learn of culture was impacted by the Silk Roads trade at the time. Buddhism spread throughout Central and East Asia, and in doing so, changed to reflect elements of other cultures while in transit on the Silk Roads. I was not surprised that the trade industry also spread various diseases. Traveling had to have been stressful, not knowing what disease you might encounter. After learning of the Black Death pandemic of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, I had to look up the plague and find out its cause. The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 75 to 200 million people and peaking in Europe in the years 1346–53. Although there were several competing theories as to the etiology of the Black Death, analysis of DNA from victims in northern and southern Europe published in 2010 and 2011 indicates that the pathogen responsible was the Yersinia pestis bacterium, probably causing several forms of plague. The Black Death is thought to have originated in the arid plains of central Asia, where it then travelled along the Silk Road, reaching the Crimea by 1346. From there, it was most likely carried by Oriental rat fleas living on the black rats that were regular passengers on merchant ships. Spreading throughout the Mediterranean and Europe, the Black Death is estimated to have killed 30–60% of Europe's total population. All in all, the plague reduced the world population from an estimated 450 million down to 350–375 million in the 14th century. The aftermath of the plague created a series of religious, social, and economic upheavals, which had profound effects on the course of European history. It took 150 years for Europe's population to recover. The plague recurred occasionally in Europe until the 19th century. (Wikipedia) The same ships that spread the Black Death may have been the same ships along the Sea Roads, the sea-based trading network along the Indian Ocean basin which connected many people between China and East Africa. As the Silk Roads helped to spread Buddhism, the Sea Roads helped to spread Islam in the seventh century B.C.. The prophet Muhammad had been a trader himself so Islam was considered friendly to commercial life. I never realized how prevalent Muslim traders were in history. Oceanic commerce had so much to do with shaping the regions encompassing its routes. In Southeast Asia and East Africa, it stimulated political change and cultural change. Wealth derived from commerce was used to construct larger and more centrally governed states or cities. The Sand Road commercial networks that linked North Africa and the Mediterranean world with the land and peoples of interior West Africa had a transforming impact, stimulating and enriching West African civilization. Learning of the caravans, with as many as 5000 camels and hundreds of people crossing the Sahara, really got my imagination going, only to be disappointed to learn of the slave trade along that route. I could not imagine being a slave and having to travel across the burning Sahara desert on foot! It was interesting to learn the trade between the North and South Americas was limited due to geographic and environmental differences. In addition, the absence of horses, donkeys, camels, wheeled vehicles and large oceangoing vessels limited their interaction. It surprised me to hear that all these animals were absent, especially horses! People in history have always been hungry for consumer luxury goods. It was not surprising to learn that trade in luxury goods developed into the first stages of globalization.

The origins of a patriarical society

I found that as the First Civilizations began to take shape and inequality and hierarchy soon came to be regarded as normal fascinating to me. The books explanations as to why early civilizations shifted from its egalitarian values to a patriarchal society made sense to me. With the advancement in agriculture, the use of animal-drawn plows was heavier work better suited for men. As men took over more of the farming work, the status of women declined. That combined with the fact that women were often pregnant which forced them into menial work. As a result, they were afforded fewer resources and therefore less status. Or the other explanation about men becoming more involved in politics which afforded them positions of authority that allowed them to shape the values and practices of their societies in ways that benefited themselves at the expense of women. Two very logical explanations as to why this patriarchal shift may have happened in our early civilizations.