Chapter 22 The Rise and Fall of World Communism (pg. 675- 689)

Communist revolutions drew on the mystique of the French Revolution. They got rid of landed aristocracies and the old ruling classes which involved peasant upheavals in the countryside and educated leadership in the cities. I thought it was interesting that the French, Russian, and Chinese revolutions all looked to a modernizing future, but there were important differences. Examples consist of communist revolutions that were made by highly organized parties guided by a Marxist ideology. The middle classes were among the victims of communist upheavals, whereas middle classes were chief beneficiaries of French Revolution. 

During the cold war it was a battle between the communist and communism parties. It is still questionable today if the Soviet Union or the United States won. The Revolutionary Path led to a part of reform which relates to the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution had reforms which created change in non violent ways. These reforms eventually led to a Revolution. 

Handout Massaro Section 6 (The Dignity of Work, Rights of Workers, and Support for Labor Unions)

Along with the rights of workers and unions go a number of important responsibilities. Individual workers have obligations to their employers, and trade unions also have duties to society as a whole. Union management in particular carries a strong responsibility for the good name of the entire union movement. Workers must use their collective power to contribute to the well-being of the whole community and should avoid pressing demands whose fulfillment would damage the common good and the rights of more vulnerable members of society. However, wages paid to workers are but one of the factors affecting the competitiveness of industries. Thus, it is unfair to expect unions to make concessions if managers and shareholders do not make at least equal sacrifices. The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God's creation.  

Handout Massaro, Section 5 (Property Ownership in Modern Society: Rights and Responsibilities

Property is a general term for rules governing access to and control of land and other material resources. Because these rules are disputed, both in regard to their general shape and in regard to their particular application, there are interesting philosophical issues about the justification of property. Modern philosophical discussions focus mostly on the issue of the justification of private property rights as opposed to common or collective property. Private property refers to a kind of system that allows a particular object like a piece of land to particular individuals to use and manage as they please, to the exclusion of others. Though these exclusions make the idea of private property seem problematic, philosophers have often argued that it is necessary for the ethical development of the individual, or for the creation of a social environment in which people can prosper as free and responsible agents. I thought the comparison about a mortgage was very helpful because that's something I can understand and relate to.  

Chapter 22 The Rise and Fall of World Communism (pg. 659-674)

The Berlin Wall was breached on November 9, 1989. It was built in 1961 to seal off East Berlin from West Berlin. This became a major symbol of communist tyranny. Communism had originally been greeted by many as a promise of liberation. Communist regimes had transformed their societies and provided a major political/ideological threat to the Western world. I went to Berlin in 2006 so I was able to actually see where the wall was. So reading about it is interesting to me because I have witnessed the location.  

The cold war started in 1946 and ended in 1991. There was a scramble for influence in the third world between the United States and the USSR. There was a massive nuclear arms race and then it collapsed. Communism had its roots in nineteenth-century socialism, inspired by Karl Marx. Most European socialists came to believe that they could achieve their goals through the democratic process. Those who defined themselves as “communists” in the twentieth century advocated revolution. “Communism” in Marxist theory is the final stage of historical development, with full development of social equality and collective living. At communism’s height in the 1970s, almost one-third of the world’s population was governed by communist regimes. The most important communist societies by far were the USSR and China. I didn't find this surprising because the USSR and China had a lot of power and control. Communism also came to Eastern Europe, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Cuba, Afghanistan. None of these countries had the industrial capitalism that Marx thought necessary for a socialist revolution. Therefore, communist parties took root in many other areas. 

Intro to Part Six and Chapter 21

During the 20th century, it carried on from the past and developed distinctive characteristics. Whether it was a combination of the old and new merits the designation of a separate era in world history will be debated for a long time to come. When I was reading, what really caught my eye was when it talked about WWII and it discussed Hitler's attempted extermination of the Jews in the Holocaust and the United States' dropping of atomic bombs on Japanese cities which marked something new in the history of human conflict. I found this interesting because both events are so tragic that they have become famous in history and had an impact on human conflict. Another phenomenon that occurred is the communism which is a blending of the new and the old. The great revolutions of the 20th centuries derived from long-standing conflicts in Russian and Chinese societies. These events shape the future and tell stories of the past.In chapter 21, the last veterans of World War I are dying. There was disappointment that it wasn’t the “war to end all wars," but now the major European states have ended centuries of hostility. The “Great War” (World War I) of 1914–1918 launched a new phase of world history. It was “a European civil war with a global reach” and between 1914 and the end of WWII, Western Europe largely self-destructed. The modernization and Europe’s rise to global ascendancy had sharpened traditional rivalries between European states this is when both Italy and Germany. By around 1900, the balance of power in Europe was shaped by two rival alliances: the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria, Italy) and the Triple Entente (Russia, France, Britain). These alliances turned a minor incident into WWI. 

                      

Chapter 20 Colonial Encounters (pg. 607-614)

I thought it was interesting when the African man from Kenya talked about his successful life because he got an education. Today, so much emphasis is put on students getting a good education so they can have a successful job and support themselves. It is true that a good education will get you far in life if you apply yourself and have the motivation/determination to do something. I feel like this has to do with anything in life as well. The book says that people tried to dress,act,and talk like Europeans. This is because the Europeans were successful and other people want to be like them and be successful as well. So when they see someone doing something different they want to do the same thing as well and copy what others do. Religion also plays a role in people's lives. Christianity was being spread to Africa were there it became "Africanized." Personally, this means that they have adapted another culture but they still have their own traditions and combine their religions and believes. Ultimately, having a good life includes accepting and adapting to new and different ideas and motivating yourself to go out and make a change to the world.

Chapter 20 Colonial Encounters (pg. 589-606)

European cultural conquests lasted between 1750 and 1900 which was focused in Asia and Africa rather than in the Western Hemisphere. It featured a new number of players which included Germany, Italy, Belgium, United States, and Japan. The construction of the second wave European empires in the Afro-Asian world, like anywhere were involved with military force or the threat of using it. New technological advances in weaponry such as machine guns and rifles were created which increased the firepower and provided advantage for countries using them. I thought this was interesting because with any new technological advances, countries use them to overpower weaker countries and take control over them. It goes to show that new inventions change the world, sometimes for the better or sometimes for the worse. It mostly depends on how people use them and if they abuse the power that they have. For example, there is a chart on page 593 that shows in 1900, several of the great population areas in Asia had come under the great colonial control of Britain, the Netherlands, France, the United States, or Japan.