Blog #15

Chapter 20 (pp.973-1017) + documents

With respect to history, so much has happened in the last 100 years, it is truly amazing. European empires have dissolved, the United States and Russia have become the world “superpowers”, the world population has quadrupled, and now more than ever humans are paying attention to the how the ecosystems are holding up to all of these changes.  The larger European entities were divided in their allegiance.  On one side there was the triple alliance of Germany, Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire while on the other side it was the triple coalition of Russia, France and Britain. These two rival groups were at war with each other starting in August of 1914, competing against each other for colonies and to be the superior winner. It appears that when war erupts it brings a sense of patriotism to all countries as many more people “sign up” for the military to help their country. As time moved forward so did the arms race and new military technology and weapons led to yet another competition between rivals so as to not be outdone by the others. As weapon technology increased so did the amount of deaths and wounded.  The United States had initially tried to stay “neutral” and uninvolved in the war between the Europeans, however when Americans felt as though their shipping was being threatened by German submarines, they took military action helping France and Britain. The Treaty of Versailles which ended World War I and made Germany take the blame for the war actually led to World War II only 20 years later.  In between the wards the Great Depression had long lasting effects on the whole world. The most blaring was the unemployment rates due to the lack of exports needed pushing millions out of work, and countries seeking out ways to generate their own industries.  During this time President Roosevelt came up with “the new deal” which was the start of reforms, the social security system, minimum wage and welfare programs.  None of these ended the depression. Fascists condemned feminism, democracy and individualism however were all for violence against enemies to try and “purify” their nations.  Some of the most horrendous things known to humanity such as Hitler and the Nazi regime which got support from Germany because he helped get them out of the depression, were the most awful things ever witnessed.  The greed of conquest by Germany, Italy and Japan made way for World War II. Germany was unsure of their standings in the global perspective.  When they attacked Poland it triggered WW II in Europe. There was an American oil embargo on Japan in July 1941  Japan felt war was a better choice than being “bumped” down the power ladder. In December 1941 Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and in 1945 the United States entered the war using atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  Whole towns, cities and villages were destroyed, and World War II left over 60 million dead.  Besides that number the Holocaust is probably the most horrific outcome of WW II, and even though there was a universal condemnation of the Holocaust, it did not help mass slaughtering stop world-wide. I feel more of a connection to this part of history, the “current” part being the past 100 years, probably because there are still people around that talk about things that have happened over the last 100 years. There is more of a connection, hearing about how individuals were affected and what they remember from their own lives.