Deck 6: F: Commonalities and Variations Africa, the Americas, and Pacific Oceania

Question 1

Compare and contrast the decolonization of European colonies in the Americas in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries with the decolonization of European colonies in Africa and Asia in the twentieth century.

Answer 1

Comparisons:
$\bullet$ In both cases the newly independent nations claimed an international status equivalent to that of their former rulers.
$\bullet$ They often secured freedom through revolutionary struggle.
$\bullet$ Independence movements in both eras relied heavily on Western-educated elites to mobilize the support of the masses.
$\bullet$ Both processes of decolonization developed from the belief that colonists were being exploited by imperial powers.
Contrasts:
$\bullet$ Many of the colonized people in the Americas were themselves of European origin,sharing much of their culture with their colonial rulers,whereas the African and Asian colonies not only asserted political independence but also affirmed the vitality of their cultures,which had been suppressed and denigrated during the colonial era.
$\bullet$ The ideology of the American decolonization was defined primarily by Enlightenment values;though these values played a role in the decolonization of Asia,Africa,and Pacific oceania as well,another belief-that humankind was naturally divided into distinct peoples and nations,each of which deserved an independent state of its own-also played an important role.

Question 2

How have the processes of globalization since 1945 both built upon and expanded beyond earlier instances of globalization?

Answer 2

•Past examples of globalization should be mentioned (trading networks of the Silk Roads,Indian ocean basin,and trans-Saharan routes;spread of Buddhism,Christianity,and Islam;Columbian exchange).
•A discussion of contemporary processes of globalization should emphasize the ease and speed of the flow of goods,capital,and people.
•New technology links the world in an unprecedented network of communication.
•A discussion of the spread of ideas should focus on the various strands of feminism and the effect of globalization on religion.
•A discussion of the environmental impact of globalization should identify problems that require "one-world" thinking to resolve (global warming,pollution,etc. ).

Question 3

What have been the major issues and conflicts that have divided the world in the twentieth century?

Answer 3

•A discussion of the two world wars should explain the common causes that contributed to both wars and identify the major countries that fought on each side.
•A discussion of the cold war should contrast the worldviews of the United States and the Soviet Union and show how both countries sought to divide the world between them.
•A discussion of the struggles for independence should highlight the conflicts between colonial powers and colonized populations.
•A discussion of the Global North/Global South divide should identify their conflicting goals and agendas.
•A discussion of religion should address the resurgence of fundamentalism as a way to combat the secularism and materialism of global modernity.