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Ch 35 Struggles for Democracy
1945-Present
Democracy
Sec 1
Democracy
• Democracy- government by the people• Direct democracy, system in which all
citizens meet to pass laws, is not practical for nations
• Democratic nations have developed into indirect democracies, or republics, like the United States
• Establishing democracy is a practice that takes years
Practices of Democracy
• Free Elections– Universal suffrage– More than one political party
• Citizen participation– Freedom of press, speech, assembly
• Majority rule, minority rights– All citizens are equal– Protections of rights such as religion
• Constitutional government– Clear body of traditions and laws on which
government is based
Conditions for Democracy
• Participation of citizens
• Education and literacy
• Firm belief in the rights of individuals
• Rule by law
• Sense of national identity
Problems in Latin America
• 300 years of colonial rule from Spain and Portugal left many problems in Latin America
• Because of colonialism many countries had powerful militaries, economies that were too dependent on a single crop, and large gaps between rich and poor
More Problems
• The vast economic differences between social classes led to many civil wars in Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s
• Because of economic problems most Latin American countries have not been able to free themselves of American economic influence
Challenge of Democracy in Africa
Sec 2
How did European imperialism affect Africa?
Independence
• Beginning in the 1950s dozens of European colonies in Africa gained their independence and became nations
• As in Latin America the establishment of democracy proved difficult
• European imperialism left Africa in ruins and did very little to prepare them for independence
Problems
• European colonial policies left many problems in Africa
• Colonial boundaries ignored existing ethnic or cultural divisions
• National identity was difficult to develop because common people were divided and rival groups were thrown together
Economic Problems
• European powers viewed colonies as a source of wealth for the home country
• The colonial powers encouraged the export of one or two cash crops rather than goods that would help local needs
• There were mines and plantations but few factories
• These policies left African nations with unbalanced economies and a small middle class
Political Problems
• Democracies that were established were weak because of the economic problems
• Fragile democracies in Africa often fell quickly to military dictatorships.
• Civil wars have been commonplace in Africa since the 1950s
South Africa
• In South Africa, racial conflict was a result of colonial rule
• From its beginnings under Dutch and British control, South Africa was racially divided
• A small white minority ruled a large black majority
Apartheid
• In 1948, the National Party came to power in South Africa
• The National Party promoted Afrikaner, or Dutch South African, nationalism
• It also instituted a policy of apartheid, complete separation of races
• Social contacts between blacks and whites was banned
• Schools, hospitals, and neighborhoods were segregated
How is it possible for a minority to rule over a
majority?
Homelands
• In 1959, the minority government set up reserves called homelands for the country’s majority black groups
• Blacks were forbidden to live in white areas unless they worked as servants or laborers for whites
• Although blacks made up 75% of the population, they had only 13% of the land
What was life like under apartheid in South Africa?
Group 1
What methods were used by black South Africans to resist
apartheid?
Group 2
“A freedom fighter learns the hard way that it is the oppressor who defines the nature of the struggle, and the oppressed is often left no recourse but to use methods that mirror those of the oppressor. At a certain point, one can only fight fire with fire.” -Nelson Mandela
How did the South African government respond to black
resistance?
Group 3
Apartheid Protest
Clip 2
Why was nonviolent protest more successful in India that
South Africa?
Nelson Mandela
• The government banned the ANC and imprisoned many of its leaders
• Nelson Mandela- ANC leader imprisoned for 27 years who fought against apartheid
Protests
• In 1912, the blacks of South Africa formed the African National Congress (ANC) to fight for their rights
• The ANC organized strikes and boycotts to protest racist policies
Struggle for Democracy
• By the late 1980s as protests mounted, South Africa came under great pressure to change.
• Desmond Tutu, a South African bishop led an economic campaign against apartheid by asking foreign nations not to do business with South Africa
• Many nations imposed trade restrictions on South Africa
First Steps
• In 1989, FW de Klerk was elected president with the goal to transform South Africa and end its isolation
• In 1990, the ANC was legalized and Mandela was released from prison
• Over the next 18 months parliament repealed apartheid laws that had segregated public facilities and restricted land ownership
Majority Rule
• In 1994, de Klerk agreed to hold South Africa’s first universal elections
• Mandela was elected president
• In 1996, a more democratic constitution was created guaranteeing equal rights to all citizens
South Africa Today
• South Africa still faces many problems• Murder and rape rates are among the
highest in the world• Unemployment is near 40% and 60% of
people live below the poverty line• The AIDS epidemic is among the biggest
problems• An estimated 6 million South Africans are
likely to die of AIDS in 2010
Compare and contrast Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.
What were they fighting for/against?
What methods did they use?
Outcome?
The Collapse of the Soviet Union
Sec 3
Cold War
• Throughout the Cold War, the Soviet Union’s Communist leadership kept tight control over the Soviet People
• All political disagreement was punished and freedom of speech and worship were limited
Gorbachev
• After premier Leonid Brezhnev died in 1982 the Politburo eventually chose Mikhail Gorbachev to lead the Soviet Union
• Gorbachev was the youngest leader since Stalin and unlike the previous leaders he decided to pursue new ideas
Glasnost
• Past Soviet leaders who ran the totalitarian state rewarded silence and discouraged individuals from acting on their own
• In order to achieve economic and social reforms Gorbachev announced a policy know as glasnost, or openness
Change
• Glasnost brought many changes to the Soviet Union
• Churches were allowed to open, dissidents were released from prison, banned authors were allowed to publish books, and public officials were able to be criticized
Perestroika
• In 1985, Gorbachev announce the policy of perestroika, or economic restructuring, to revive the economy
• Local managers gained greater authority over farms and factories and people were allowed to open small businesses
• The goal was not to get rid of communism but to make the system more efficient
Democratization
• Democratization- gradual opening of the Soviet political system
• Ronald Reagan Speaks at Berlin Wall
• YouTube - Regan Smash!!!
Foreign Policy
• To compete with the Soviet Union, Ronald Reagan began the largest military buildup in history
• Gorbachev realized the Soviet economy could not afford the costly arms race
• In 1987, Reagan and Gorbachev signed the INF treaty that banned intermediate ranged nuclear weapons
Turmoil
• Gorbachev just wanted to reform the system but the moves he made led to the eventual breakup of the Soviet Union
• Various ethnic groups began to call for their freedom in republics such as Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova
Boris Yeltsin
• Lithuania was the first republic to declare its independence but Soviet troops kept them from leaving
• The assault of Lithuania and economic problems damaged Gorbachev’s popularity and people began to look to Boris Yeltsin for leadership
• In 1991, Yeltsin became the Russian Federation’s first directly elected president
August Coup
• In August of 1991, Communist hardliners tried to regain power by attempting a coup, military take over of the government
• The hardliners ordered the troops to attack the parliament building but the troops refused
• The Communist Party then collapsed due to the failed coup
End of the Soviet Union
• The coup accelerated the breakup of the Soviet Union
• By early December, all 15 republics declared independence
• The fall of the Soviet Union marks the end of the Cold War
Russia Under Yeltsin
• To transform the economy, Yeltsin adopted a plan known as “shock therapy”, an abrupt shift to free market economics
• Prices soared, unemployment rose, and many factories closed
Chechnya
• Chechnya largely Muslim area in southwestern Russia that declared its independence in 1991
• 40,000 Russian troops responded and things have settled down since 2005 but rebellion still simmers
Vladimir Putin
• Vladimir Putin- Russian president elected in 2000
• Democracy in Russia is still in doubt as the country faces many problems such as unemployment, violence, and homelessness
Changes in Eastern and Central Europe
Sec 4
Reform
• Soviet reforms of the late 1980s brought high hopes to the people of Central and Eastern Europe
• The threat of Soviet intervention had kept democratic forces in check in the past but Gorbachev said the USSR would not oppose reform
Poland
• Poland was among the first countries in Eastern Europe to embrace change
• In 1989, Poland held free elections for the first time electing Solidarity party candidate Lech Walesa president
• Like newly democratic countries in Africa and Latin America, Poland has struggled economically
Germany Reunifies
• While many communist countries were moving towards reform, East Germany led by Erich Honecker, dismissed reforms as unnecessary
• In 1989, East Germany tourist vacationing in Hungary were allowed to travel to West Germany
• After thousands fled the country, East Germany closed their borders completely
Fall of the Berlin Wall
• In October 1989, protests broke out all over East Germany demanding the right to travel freely
• After Honecker’s resignation, new East German leader Egon Krenz tried to restore stability by opening the borders
• On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall was opened and the East German Communist Party fell by the end of the year
• The Fall of the Berlin Wall
Reunification
• Reunification- the merging of the 2 Germanys on October 3, 1990
• After reunification, Germany faced many of the same problems as Russia
• The country needed to be modernized, unemployment was high, and inflation was high
Czechoslovakia
• Czechoslovakia also saw the fall of communism and rise of democracy
• Economic problems in Czechoslovakia caused the nation to split in the Czech Republic and Slovakia
• Since the division the economy has improved in both halves
Yugoslavia
• Yugoslavia faced a different kind of problem than other Eastern European nations
• There were 8 different ethnic groups in Yugoslavia- Serbs, Croats, Muslims, Slovenes, Macedonians, Albanians, Hungarians, and Montenegrins
Problems
• After the death of Yugoslavian dictator Tito, ethnic resentments boiled over
• In 1992, Bosnia-Herzegovina joined Slovenia and Croatia in independence
• Bosnia’s population of Muslims (44%) and Croats (17%) supported independence but the Bosnian Serbs (31%) strongly opposed it
Ethnic Cleansing
• The Bosnian Serbs launched a war in 1992 to prevent independence
• During the war, the Serbian military used a policy of ethnic cleansing, murder and forced emigration, to rid Bosnia of Muslims
• After UN and US intervention Yugoslavian leader Slobodan Milosevic was charged with war crimes
China: Reform and Reaction
Sec 5
China
• The trend towards democracy around the world had a limited effect on China
• Economic reforms were completed but the Communist Party clamped down and prevented any political reforms
Legacy of Mao
• Mao believed that peasant equality, revolutionary spirit, and hard work were all that China needed
• Lack of modern technology limited agricultural and industrial output
• Mao’s brand of communism limited motivation of peasants to work hard
China and the West
• During the Cultural Revolution, China played almost no role in world affairs
• China began to open its doors with the visit of Nixon in the 1970s
Economic Reform
• In 1980, Deng Xiaoping emerged as leader of China
• Deng embraced a set of goals called the Four Modernizations
• The Four Modernizations called for progress in agriculture, industry, defense, and science and technology
Effects of the Four Modernizations
• Production incentives greatly increased food and industrial output
• Chinese youth became more western with style, music, and television
Tiananmen Square
• As Western ideas came into the country many Chinese students began to question China’s lack of political freedom
• In 1989, 100,000 students occupied Tiananmen Square in a protest for democracy
• Instead of considering reforms, Deng declared martial law and cracked down on the students
Massacre
• About 5,000 students chose to remain in the square • On June 4, 1989, the standoff came to an end when
thousands of Chinese troops and tanks stormed Tiananmen Square firing into the crowds and killing hundreds
• After Tiananmen Square thousands were arrested and protest were stamped out all over China
• Tiananmen Square Protests • BBC News - June 4, 1989• The Massacre at Tiananmen Square
Modern China
• In China there has been a dramatic decrease in poverty
• The country has become more capitalist economically but does not appear to be coming closer to democracy
• China has the world’s fourth largest economy and is still gaining ground
• Many problems such as a large income gap and heavy industrial pollution have been the costs of industrialization
