Connection Across Time - Chloe Marino

1980s-Present

In Chapter 30, German  politics was discussed  heavily as the reunification of East and West 

Germany occurred. Willy Brandt, the German Chancellor most well known for lessening tensions with East Germany, USSR and Poland through Ostpolitik. He was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and socialism was very popular throughout Germany at this time. This socialist regime continued until economic troubles of the late 1970s when Helmut Kohl of the Christian Democratic Union became Chancellor, marking a new regime of Conservatism and peace not only in Germany, but throughout Europe. Today German Chancellor Angela Merkel, also a  Christian Democrat is Chancellor. She continues Kohl's legacy spearheading the effort to evade financial crisis with the international economic issues of this era and creating European unity as a great power in the European Union.

1960s-1840s

During the era of unrest and the growing counter-culture movement of the 1960s factions of young people banned together in New Left movements based on a simple society based on updated Marxian ideals. One such group that advocated this through terror and violence was the Italian "Red Brigades." 120+ years prior the Red Shirts were key to the revolution that reunified Italy. They were led by Guiseppe Garibaldi who was known as "the Sword" of the revolution, fighting for Southern Italy's support. Although the Red Brigades had almost the complete opposite effect on Italy-objective to destabilize rather than unite-they both had similar feeling surrounding the efforts. 

3-2-1 - Chloe Marino

3 Things I Learned:

• The consumer revolution in the 1960s had a much greater impact on society than I previously presumed. 
• Protests similar to the ones that happened the US about Vietnam occurred around the world because of growing counterculture and social unrest.
• I learned what Glasnost and Perestroika were and how HUGE their impact was in Russia.

2 Things I Found Interesting:

• I loved learning about politics of this time and how much of an impact they had on how Europe is structured today, particularly Germany.
• I find it interesting that West German Chancellor Willy Brandt was the first western leader to get through to East Germany and the USSR. He was very powerful for being occupied by Allied forces.

1 Question I Still Have:

• If communism was so terrible for the people of the USSR and its satellite countries, why did the people put up with it for 65+ years?

Chapter 25: The West and the World

This chapter is about the competition and rebirth of European colonization and imperialism. Europeans competed for control of African and Asian people and resources, as justified by the "white man's burden." The chapter was also about the large population boost and emigration in Europe.

Objective: Discuss the cause of European expansion and how it impacted the four corners of the globe.

EQ: What were the methods implemented by European countries in order to westernize colonies?
Through direct control of the colonies, European countries would use two methods of government: paternalism and assimilation. Paternalism meant Europeans governed people in a "fatherly" way by providing for their needs, but prohibiting them certain rights and using European officials in government. Assimilation meant local cultures and customs were forced to change to European standards. Through indirect control of colonies, Europeans used local governments, trained local people to be leaders and self-rule was greatly limited.


Political Cartoons

This cartoon depicts Britain's desire to be the empire like it used to be. John Bull is the octopus head in the middle of the cartoon. He personifies Britain in many cartoons and was created in 1712. This character was also seen as a conservative, which corresponds to Queen Victoria's quest for land in the late 19th century. I find this cartoon to be very interesting and humorous. I love the octopus as Britain.

This cartoon from 1901 depicts the situation in Asia after the Boxer Rebellion. This was when the Boxers, a secret society in Asia, rebelled in 1899 against both the Qing dynasty and the foreign powers that were making their way into China. Thye did not want to be a part of European culture, but the European powers suppressed the rebellion and actually got more power because thy were then able to permanently station their military throughout China. Different European nations divided China into spheres of influence in which each country held exclusive trading rights. Chinese society was destabilized as a result of the foreign occupation in the years that followed. This only led to increased foreign control, and China was essentially carved into separate colonies by the European powers. This cartoon portrays the imperial powers gathered around the defeated Chinese dragon, arguing over the best way to dismember China, and each country is represented by a certain animal. Japan is the saber tooth tiger, Italy is the dog dressed in an Italian military uniform, the US is an eagle, the Russian bear and the British lion are the most prominent and powerful in the picture. I love how all the countries are depicted in the cartoon. It is a very clever demonstration of what happened.

US Imperialism

This political cartoon depicts the US's control around the world. America has some influence everywhere on earth. I think this is a very accurate depiction of the US's involvement. It gets to be too much sometimes. The US should only be involved in things that are absolutely necessary. 

The US was imperialistic. It used an excuse similar to "white man's burden" called "manifest destiny" to expand across the North American continent. It also used economics to dominate the island of Hawaii and it fought the Spanish-American War to take Spain's territory in Central and South America. 

The US was also not imperialistic because of its roots. It was a colony who gained independence from an empire. Also the US doesn't just go into countries and establish governments unless it's called upon to do so. 

US Events 1815-1914

Roosevelt Corollary

In 1904 President Theodore Roosevelt added the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. The original Doctrine prohibited European powers from getting involved in Latin America, and the Corollary took that one step further. It stated the US had the right to take military action to keep Europe out of Latin America. This demonstrated that the US also wanted to be imperialistic and gain more power and territory.

Opening of Japan

Commodore Matthew Perry went to Japan in 1852 to persuade them to allow US ships to refuel and get supplies. Instead he used gunboat diplomacy to open Japan up to imperialist influence and world trade. This allowed Europeans to trade with Japan and it also resulted in a conflict between Japan and Russia. Japan won marking the first time a non-westernized country defeated a western country.

Colonial Uprising

Sepoy Mutiny

This rebellion started in the Indian town of Meerut on May 10, 1857 by Mangal Pandey. The Sepoys were Indian soldiers who were mostly Hindu and Muslim. The British gun cartridges were packaged in stuff made out of pork and cow fat. They had to take this wrapping off with their mouths and ingesting this animal fat was a violation of the Hindu and Muslim religion. Mangal Pandey stood up to the British army officials and led his fellow Sepoys in rebellion which spread all over India. It resulted in the dissolution of the British East India Company and led to reforms in the army, administration and financial system. India was under more direct British control.

Modern Uprising

Egyptian Rebellion

Egyptian people were tired of the regime of Hosni Mubarek. He prohibited basic rights, and people were suffering because of high unemployment. Starting on January 25, 2011 2 million people protest in Cairo, the capitol of Egypt, forcing Mubarek and his cabinet to resign on February 11, 2011. People are overjoyed with the victory, but Egypt's military took power until elections could be held. More than a year later, these elections are yet to be held and the military still maintains power.

Suez Canal

Today the Suez Canal is controlled by Egypt. It connects the Mediterannean Sea with the Red Sea providing a waterway for transportation between Europe and Asia without having to go around Africa. It is important because of the ease of travel from east to west. The canal also provides valuable income for the Egyptian government.

3-2-1

3 Things I Learned:

1. What caused New Imperialism
2. How widespread European colonization was during this time
3. The US was also Imperialistic, though not in the same way as the European countries

2 Things I Found Interesting

1. Japan became imperialist themselves in a very short period of time
2. The reactions different places had to being colonized

1 Question I Still Have

1. If Europeans took on the "white man's burden" to better the lives of other countries, why is Africa in the state it is today?

Chapter 22: Ideologies and Upheavals

This chapter described the evolutionary path European countries began to take in the 19th century in response to the social evolution caused by the Industrial Revolution.

Objective: To better understand how Europe developed its monarchies into States that people demanded

E.Q. - What were the new political ideologies taking root at this time?

Workers were tired of being taken advantage of by factory and land owners. They wanted equality and liberty which led to the Classical Liberal movement. Liberalism demanded representative government and equality before the law in addition to individual freedoms such as speech, assembly, press. This individualized freedom led to independent trade with Laissez-Faire economic practices.

On the completely opposite end of the spectrum, Socialism went against the individualization of freedom and worked toward a sense of community. Communism/Socialism wanted economic planning, greater economic equality and the state regulation of property.
Nationalism contributed to both sides of the political aisle. Nationalism is the ideal that each people has its own genius and their common unity led to the desire for an independent state. Nationalists supported both Socialism and Liberalism and even in some cases the existing Monarchical system.

People:

Klemens von Metternich - Foreign Minister (1809-1848) and Prince (1821-1848) of Austrian Empire
Metternich was the heavily conservative leader of the German Confederation at this time. Metternich saw only the inherent bad in people, instead of the good. He sought to rid his empire of Liberal ideas and uprisings through the Carlsbad Decrees issued in 1819 designed to weed out any subversive, liberal ideas. Metternich thought that government was necessary and aristocracy was a tradition. Metternich's German Confederation was particularly susceptible to nationalistic ideas of this time because it was a combination of many countries thrown under one name. Metternich's Holy Alliance (1815) with Russia and Prussia also went against liberal ideas spreading throughout Europe.

Karl Marx - Author of The Communist Manifesto (1818-1883)
Marx is a socialist/communist. Marx was educated at the University of Berlin, but was expelled for partying. He completed his education in France and had his own idea of utopia and socialism by the time he was 25.  He developed his political ideas with help from his friend, Friedrich Engels (whom Marx lived off most of his life). Marxian socialism/communism is the complete opposite of Metternich's conservatism. Marx wanted to better life for the common, middle class wage earner and more even distribute wealth among classes. All history up to this point in time was a class struggle in Marx's eyes. The poor worked to make the rich richer and that was social injustice.

William Wordsworth - English Romantic Poet
Wordsworth represented the Romantic movement, a backlash against the Industrial Revolution. Wordsworth put an emphasis on nature and escaping the overcrowded cities. His inspiration drew heavily from the French Revolution and the ideas of Rousseau.

Meanwhile in America...

America's expansion west continued throughout this part of the 19th century. From 1816-1850 the U.S. welcomed 13 new states into the Union. America was spreading out while Europe continued to flock to the same old cities as it had before. This expansion of the U.S. allowed it to accommodate immigrants from Ireland as caused by the Great Famine and it allowed for the better grasp of the Industrial Revolution. States admitted at this time were: Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois, Alabama, Maine, Missouri, Arkansas, Michigan, Florida, Texas, Iowa, Wisconsin and California.

Romanticism also took root in America in the 1800s. American Romantics focused on life in nature and away from people like their European counterparts. American Romantic authors include Washington Irving and Walt Whitman. American Romantic painters had more scenery and nature to paint than European Romantics; however, there were substantially fewer American Romantic painters than Europeans-John Trumbull and William Morris Hunt. These artists shifted the perception of life from that of what is tangible to faith and intuition.

Picturing the Past

"The Grand Central Venice" - Joseph Turner

"The Haywain" - John Constable

Joseph Turner and John Constable are both well-known Romantic Painters of this era. Turner worked primarily with landscapes, capturing in the essence and history of his subject area with watercolors or oil paints. He focused primarily on the light of his matter. Constable also focused on landscapes, especially those around his home, but he focused more on the darker side of things. Constable wasn't as successful as Turner, but both are still greatly revered Romantic painters.

3..2..1..
Things I learned:

• Metternich was both Prince and Foreign Minister of The German Confederation.
• Romanticism originated in Germany in the 1770s.
• France had yet another revolution in 1830.

Things I find interesting:

• The Great Famine in Ireland was essentially caused by the English.
• Once one country went into revolt for more liberty, another country went with it.

Question I still have:

• Why do all the revolutions start with France?