Quiz 4

1) Umut Uras. “Turkey turning Hagia Sophia back into mosque divides social media.” Al Jazeera. July 11, 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/07/turkey-turning-hagia-sophia-mosque-divides-social-media-200711104417533.html

Who really cares what they’re saying on social media. The real issue is the converting a world monument and iconic place into a religious place of worship. This debate had already taken place many years ago so why does Erewhon feel we need to go back-and-forth. Originally the Byzantine Empire built the church in as a cathedral in Constantinople in 537 A.D.  It was the largest church in the eastern Roman Empire for many years. It functioned as a church for almost 1000 years until it fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. After the conquest of Constantinople, the Turkish eventually converted it to a Muslim mosque. If the recent decisions materialize it will be a very sad day for the world since not everyone will get to enjoy this world’s gem. 

The issue is far greater than social media. Sure it is today’s way of expressing yourself, however, it does very little actual impact on governmental decisions. I would suggest that everyone who has an opinion on social media not just say their opinion but actually act on it. Putting words into action is in the real way to in act change. This is the only way we can revert certain decisions that have been made. 

 

2) Anne Mawathe. “Coronavirus: Why Africans should take part in vaccine trials.” BBC. May 18, 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-52678741

 

Apparently, the Corona virus vaccine trial on Africans controversy began in April of 2020, but it seems to have been a strict over reaction to an idiotic statement. The controversy was sparked by two French doctors while they discussed a vaccine trial that was occurring in Europe and Australia. The trial was looking into whether a tuberculosis vaccine would work against the corona virus. The comment made by one of the French doctors was insensitive but I have a feeling he meant well. His comment, although inappropriate, was meant to address the little resources some parts of Africa have. It is well documented that after a vaccine is created, it often ends up in wealthier countries who are willing to pay for it. Some parts of Africa also lack the capital investment, which makes the advancement in medicine difficult. Many of their own doctors seek careers elsewhere taking there wealth of knowledge with them. It would be good if the World Health Organization (WHO) created an avenue for investment in Africa. 

 

It’s very true that African people have been used in the past on experimental drugs and in some cases causing serious side affects or disabilities. Even though the comments were insensitive, they may not have been as derogatory as everyone assumed. 

 

3) Ganesh Chakravarthi. “Is it Time to Embrace the Anthropocene? The Anthropocene requires that humanity take responsibility for preserving the earth and its species.” The Diplomat. February 11, 2020. https://thediplomat.com/2020/02/is-it-time-to-embrace-the-anthropocene/

 

It is time for us to embrace Anthropocene. As the article says it will take hundreds of years to revert any damage to the earth so we have to act now. The current state of our planet did not happen overnight. We have been burning fossil fuels for over 200 years, particularly, since the industrial revolution. It took hundreds of years if not thousands to get to where we are. Some of the carbon emissions damage, however, has occurred in the last 200 years. If we embrace and truly learn about Anthropocene we can begin to change human behavior. It will be very difficult to change peoples habits if we don’t embrace Anthropocene and make everyone aware of the movement. We saw a real change in the environment when Canada created the emissions and fossil fuels act. Within a couple of decades we notably saw a difference in the ozone. 

 

If we had remained hunters and gatherers and lived off the land we probably would not be facing this epic destruction of the earth. We need to rally around this movement and let it be known if we are to save our planet.

Module 10 - Chapter 23

Factors which contributed to the economic globalization in the second half of the twentieth century were the organization of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. This created the United States as the central point for the economic currency. This was established during a conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire.  

Additionally, the development of containerized shipping, large oil tankers, and express air services dramatically lowered the cost of shipping goods. This new more connected world economy vastly favored the reduction of tariffs, promoted global capital investment, created a new mobile workforce, and the privatization of many government run enterprises. This new global market operation and within nations was the most expansive and effective means for the world economies.   

The global North/South divide found expression in the past century by creating a huge disparity between the have’s and have not’s. The global expansion has not been equal to the North and South. As North America and Europe gain power over the South by investing in capital and entrenching themselves in the economy. As the economy grew for the North, it has worsened for those in the south. For example, the United States invested heavily in Mexico and China because of cheaper labor. This meant that companies from the North would get rich off of the poor people in those other countries. Even the financier and investor George Soros, said globalization has created a disparity and divide where the rich have gotten richer and the poor poorer. 

 

References: 

Robert W. Strayer, Eric W. Nelson - Ways of the World_ A Brief Global History with Sources, Combined Volume (2015, Bedford_St. Martin’s) - libgen.lc.pdf

 

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bretton_Woods_(New_Hampshire)#/media/Fichier:Mount_washington_hotel_1905.jpg

 

 

https://www.airseacontainers.com/blog/what-are-shipping-container-dimensions/

 

https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Soros

Module 10 Chapter 22

International circumstances and social changes which contributed to the end of colonial empires included a new found belief that independence was the key to self identity and prosperity. Dictatorship based on colonial rule did not work anymore because it was opposite to what Europeans practiced and operated under at home. American colonialism ending, helped around the world but also, more recently, Mexico’s independence and divestiture of  United States and British controlled oil in their own country played a big role.  One country at a time began to cease colonial rule. Self-national determinations were more favorable. 

 

Second and Third generation highly educated, mostly men, knew Colonization was not the only way to progress. These young educated people had witnessed European and democratic ways, and knew national independence was the key to economic and social progress. They insisted on immediate independence. As the book describes on page 979, independence promised national freedom but also personal dignity, abundance, and opportunity. 

                     

 

The Colonial experience and the struggle for independence shaped the agenda of developing countries in the second half of the twentieth century in different forms. It was not always done seamlessly nor was it streamlined. It took many months and years of intense negotiations.  One of the struggles was in identifying what group should remain in charge once decolonization took place. We’ve seen this in recent times during the Arab Spring of 2011. People wanting independence but once they achieved the independence they fought internally for power primarily between the Sunni and Shiite people. Nevertheless, decolonization required gradual political reforms and investments. Many small countries who sought independence found it difficult to be self sustaining so they joined established larger established countries. One example was the Polynesian islands joining the United States.   

                         

References: 

Robert W. Strayer, Eric W. Nelson - Ways of the World_ A Brief Global History with Sources, Combined Volume (2015, Bedford_St. Martin’s) - libgen.lc.pdf

 

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Can-Mexico-Reverse-Its-Steep-Output-Decline.html

 

https://wayback.archive-it.org/11788/20200107171921/http://exhibitions.nypl.org/africanaage/

 

https://www.cnn.com/2016/11/21/africa/chinese-funded-railways-in-africa/index.html

Module 9 - Chapter 21

Communism exercise influence during the twentieth century was primaraly associated in Russia, China and Mongolia. In the after math of World War II as Japan was defeated Russia was able to influence areas such as the northern part of Korea. This is one of the main reasons North Korea was established as a communist country. Russia being the larges country by size and China being the larges by population made it so almost one third of the world power were communist by the 1970s. Mongolia was another large proponent of communism. 

Karl Marx was one of the people to establish communist social equality and social development. Some would argue Karl Marx was a philosopher but others will say he was a revolutionary. He analyzed the theory of the value of labor and service value. He felt that at some point ones labor is not worth the effort as others become wealthier and there for a communist state where everyone receives the same allotment would suit people best in the long run. 

(Karl Mark - Philosopher or Revolutionary) 

The communist experiment, which was committed to equality, abundance, and a humane socialism, generate failed economies and oppressive, brutal, and totalitarian regimes because it was not sustainable. It did not generate equality for everyone. It gave poor people, who were the majority, just enough to live and a fewer wealthier people more than there share. Inherently communism works for the leaders of government and the people in power. Marxist ideology spoke about equality however they had routinely exploited the poor laborers and women. Socially people were not equal. If you were a person of power, you had more rights and wealth and if not you had nothing to show for yourself nor did you have similar rights. This disparity is what caused many of the revolutions. By the 1970 many of the communist countries began to cease but it wasn’t until the 1990’s until the full light was shed on communism and what a failed government it could be for common people.  

References:

Robert W. Strayer, Eric W. Nelson - Ways of the World_ A Brief Global History with Sources, Combined Volume (2015, Bedford_St. Martin’s) - libgen.lc.pdf

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/marx/

Module 9 - Chapter 20

 

Several aspects of Europe’s nineteenth-century history contributed to the First World War. Some of them included the Serbian nationalist assassinating the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, the great power of Europe competing for colonies, and spheres of influence and superiority. As well as the growing arms race in naval warships especially between Germany and Britain. During this time the Western world was trying to find it’s place in the world’s stage. The fact that area was in such close proximity made it easy to be insecure about each other’s might and who would be first in the worlds order.  

The disasters that best explain the losses Europe endured in the first half of the twentieth century are the real insecurities and the struggle to prove each country’s superiority.  The fact that they practiced and published what each other would do in case of war mounted even greater fears over each other. It was inevitable that war would eventually breakout. Because of these tensions over ten million men died during the conflict that followed. Europe was devastated during the First World War, so much so, that they lost their stage in the world order. Even though alliances were created throughout Europe, the United States replaced them as the new super power. Another disaster in Europe and in the world was the great depression, which ruined many fortunes. It would take Europe several decades to regain the position they lost in the worlds order. In many ways they are still second to the United States. 

Module 8 - Pandemics

Pandemics

 

Humanity has been battling pandemics like the Corona Virus or COVID-19 for many millenniums. Overtime, the planet has seen many mutations of viruses and we have always figured out a way to coexist. Many plagues have been well recorded. Two in particular are the plague of Afro-Eurasian and the Small Pox pandemic in Mesoamerica. Both have similarities to the novel Corona Virus. 

The Afro-Eurasian pandemic began in China in 1331 and wiped out about 50% to 90% of the population. By some account about half of the European population died from the disease in just the first two years.  The disease was so deadly, it was coined the Black Death. This disease was carried by rodents and transmitted to humans by fleas, a resemblance to the Corona Virus, almost 700 years later, traveling from bats and making the leap in the genome to humans. Basically, transferring from animal to human. The Black Death took about 50 years to get to East Africa. It’s believed it was brought there through the Chinese maritime expeditions. Another similarity to how the Corona Virus traveled in a matter of months from China to the United States via modern air travel. 

The second devastating pandemic was the Small Pox pandemic that swept though Mesoamerica with the arrival of the Spanish Monarchy. The Spanish brought diseases the native people of Mesoamerica had not been exposed to. Diseases brought to the continent were Smallpox, Measles, Typhus, Influenza, Malaria, and Yellow Fever. Influenza is one of those virus that has mutated overtime and generally attacks the respiratory track similar to Corona Virus. It is unknown whether it was a form of the Corona Virus. Either way, without modern medicine many people perished. Some estimates say approximately 9 out of 10 people died. The time became known as the Great Dying. The similarity to the Corona Virus is that others brought the diseases to the “new world”. 

Living in Mexico for the first few years of my life, I’m a walking example of the Smallpox vaccine given to every Mexican child, most likely because of the Great Dying era. It’s been 400 years and people still fear that time period. I have a scar on my right shoulder from the vaccine but at least I’m safe of that. 

 

The Corona Virus pandemic of 2020 has turned our world upside down. We were a thriving country full of energy, confidence, and hope. Only 6 months ago, we were all out enjoying the nice California weather. We had good paying jobs. We were eating and hanging out, enjoying the latest beer gardens. We were confident of our finances and future. Many of us hoped to walk the stage this past May and graduate along side other students who have sacrificed to return to school in hopes of a better life. The Notre Dame de Namur graduation did not happen. Many people have lost their jobs. Confidence has hit an all time low. What a difference six months and one pandemic can make. If only there were a vaccine, I would sacrifice my other shoulder for a scar just so we can all get back to a normal life.   

 

References: Robert W. Strayer, Eric W. Nelson - Ways of the World_ A Brief Global History with Sources, Combined Volume (2015, Bedford_St. Martin’s) - libgen.lc.pdf

Our State of the Union on this day July 4th, 2020

Our State of the Union on this day July 4^th, 2020. Throughout the text book we read about “enlightenment”. From the Buddhist challenges in and around 486 B.C.E. and numerous Chinese rebellions, to the Western World and the Columbus voyages, have all experienced “enlightenment”. Most recently for our young Country it was the Atlantic revolution where the idea of liberty and equality were most prominent and our founding fathers were enlightened. 

As is well documented, the founding fathers were disillusioned with the Government and how poorly represented they were by the Kingdom of Great Brittan. It was because of the above that the citizens rebelled and said enough. They declared independence from the Great Brittan and were specifically upset with King George III. They were upset because the British levied additional taxes on the Colonies, “…seeking new revenue from its landowners.” as the text describes on page 702. The actions of taxation without representation caused the launch of the North American revolution.  

“As the Englishman John Locke (1632–1704) had argued, the “social contract” between ruler and ruled should last only as long as it served the people well.” This way of thinking emboldened the Colonies to take matters into their own hands. One can also make the conclusion that the Atlantic revolutions further motivated the Colonies to organize against the established rule and establish their own democratic revolutions.   

 

The Colonies made the bold statement to declare independence from Great Brittan with the Declaration of Independence on July 4^th, 1776 approximately one year after the war between the Colonies and Great Brittan had began. The Colonists were especially upset with King George III, so much that they wrote about his total disregard for this segment of English people inside the Declaration of Independence. 

 

Everything in chapter 16 seems to be a repeat of what is happening in the current state of the nation. People are upset that they are not well represented. People do not feel safe, as is written in the Declaration of Independence. People understand, even though men were created equal, men do not have equal rights and they are fed up. The Nation has seen this in all of the recent protest and calls for justice. People of this nation are still struggling with the similar issues as they were 244 years ago. They still are rebelling against a “King George III” who would not listen to their outcry. King George III was cruel and only cared about using the colonies for his own good. Very similar to the current United States President abusing his power and using immigration as a tool for political gains.  

 

One of the passages in the Declaration of Independence states, “… He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither and raising the conditions to new Appropriations of Land...” The passage is similar to the current president’s way of thinking. 

 

One can only wonder if we are experiencing the beginning of a modern revolution where people are tired of not being heard, not feeling safe, not being represented, and feeling oppressed by it’s “leader.”  

The nation currently celebrates its independence on July 4^th even though the United States of America was not recognized as independent from Great Brittan until September 3, 1783. One can only wonder if we are seeing the makings of a new revolt and new Declaration of Independence. Will this nation celebrate a new day where all men and women are seeing as created equal and will finally have proper representation. 

 

References:            

 

Robert W. Strayer, Eric W. Nelson - Ways of the World_ A Brief Global History with Sources, Combined Volume (2015, Bedford_St. Martin’s) - libgen.lc.pdf 

 

Declaration of Independence reading by Max McLean

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uE-tqe0xsQ