Traditions & Encounters: A Brief Global History
In chapter 27, the most interesting part is the one that dwells upon the Canadian way of gaining independence. For me, it is really surprising that a country in the continent where there were a lot of wars, revolutions, and unrest managed to become truly independent without significant turmoil. Canadians, being a very diverse society, could forget about cultural differences and fight against the USA that in their desire to expand tried to conquer new lands. It is also remarkable that Canadians managed to gain independence from the British Empire. I believe people should learn a good lesson from that as now there is a lot of unrest in the world which could be diminished if the lesson was taken into account.
One of the interesting topics in chapter 28 is the scramble of Africa. I found a variety of amazing facts about the way Europeans exploited Africans and the natural resources of Africa. Americans took the workforce from the continent and later Europeans decided to open a new market and a new source of enrichment. I also learned about the outcomes of imperialism from the chapter. I understood that racism is a product of attempts of ‘civilized’ people (or rather people from the industrialized world) to justify their inhumane attitude towards people of less developed (in terms of industry or technology) nations.
The most interesting topic in chapter 29 is the role of nationalism in the global war. Unresolved tensions between nations that inhabited certain areas led to the conflict that spread to countries worldwide. This lesson should be learned as the contemporary world has issues that started the global conflict a century ago. Of course, particular data on the use of weapons and victims of the war is also remarkable as it helps understand the horrible consequence of the war.
The most interesting part in chapter 30 is concerned with the rise of such socioeconomic systems as communism, fascism, and German National Socialism. I have always been interested in human society and to what extent people’s freedom and liberties can be taken away. The systems mentioned above show this perfectly well. Besides, I also learned a lot about conditions that led to the creation of such a socioeconomic system. Economic constraints and the horrors of the global war that were still alive in people’s memories led to the rise of really dangerous systems. Again, people should understand what can happen if nationalism develops in a certain way.
In chapter 31, the so-called “Good Neighbour policy” is of special interest to me as I learned how the USA managed to expand its influence on countries of Latin America without military expansion. Admittedly, military forces were unable to solve the problem, and diplomacy of the USA proved to be more efficient. I am also interested in the way public opinion is developed and the case with American policy on the development of a favorable image of people from Latin America was also quite helpful. I think the same policy (aimed at developing a favorable image of some nation and expanding the power of one state) has been used in many countries.
In chapter 32, one of the most valuable topics is the origins of World War II. It is clear that the treaties that were signed after World War I were ineffective. Besides, financial constraints contributed greatly to the development of forces within some countries that tried to reshape the world map. Again, these lessons should be learned to create more effective treaties that could ensure peace. Facts on the way people lived during the war were also shocking and valuable as they made it clear that humanity paid a very high price.
In chapter 33, apartheid in South Africa is of specific interest to me. I learned to what extent some individuals and groups could use racism to dehumanize an entire country. I would never believe that a minority could rule in such a horrible way if there was no apartheid in South Africa to prove it. It was also interesting to find out that international opposition could change the situation. The country managed to find the way and people, finally, managed to exercise their rights. Thus, it is possible to assume that the international community can help people get rid of criminalized or oppressive leaders or groups in power.
In chapter 34, the most interesting topic for me issues that arise in the global world. On the one hand, it is important to understand what issues exist to be able to solve them. On the other hand, I believe globalization is a positive thing as people can focus on such global things as environmental issues or inequality. Nonetheless, people are not ready to work on this as effectively as they should do. People are still focused on their national or even individual interests. At the same time, there is hope that soon people will solve the issues as there are many organizations and individuals that come up with effective solutions.