Israel
Why was Israel created? Who created it?
The Holocaust created worldwide sympathy for the Jewish people. In 1947, only two years after the end of WWII, the newly formed UN passed a resolution calling for the creation of two states - one Arab and one Jewish - out of the British mandate of Palestine. The resolution divided Palestine into two states and left Jerusalem under UN control.
What is apartheid?
Apartheid, or “apartness” in the language of Afrikaans, was a system of legislation that upheld segregation against non-white citizens of South Africa. Under apartheid, nonwhite South Africans—a majority of the population—were forced to live in separate areas from whites and use separate public facilities.
What is decolonization?
The process by which colonial empires, especially those of European powers, granted independence to their colonies in the aftermath of World War II
What were the two opposing sides of the Chinese Civil War?
The Chinese Civil War was waged between the Nationalists (Kuomintang) under Chiang Kai-shek and the Communists under Mao Zedong.
Define globalization
The growing interdependence of the world’s economies, cultures, and populations, brought about by cross-border trade in goods and services, technology, and flows of investment, people, and information.
Why is the situation in Israel still hostile?
Clashes between Israelis and Palestinians are still commonplace, and both groups blame each other for terror attacks that kill civilians. While Israel doesn’t officially recognize Palestine as a state, more than 135 UN member nations do.
Describe the significance of Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk for the anti-apartheid movement.
Nelson Mandela led the resistance to South Africa’s policy of apartheid, during which he was infamously incarcerated at Robben Island Prison (1964–82). He won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1993 for having led the transition from apartheid to a multiracial democracy. Mandela is also known for being the first black president of South Africa, serving from 1994 to 1999.
FW de Klerk was president of South Africa (1989–94), brought the apartheid system of racial segregation to an end, and negotiated a transition to majority rule in his country. He also received the 1993 Nobel Prize for Peace for collaborating with Mandela in efforts to establish nonracial democracy in South Africa.
Explain how decolonization led to genocide in Yugoslavia and Rwanda.
In June 1991, Croatia and Slovenia – two of the component republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia – declared their independence. The secession of the latter was bitterly fought over, both by regular troops and against civilians suddenly resistant to living in ethnically mixed settings. In 1991 and 1992, as Croatia’s military fought Yugoslavia’s military, Croat and Serb civilians in both realms undertook campaigns of “ethnic cleansing” – i.e. efforts by one ethnic, political, or religious group to rid certain geographic areas of another such group through coercion and violence.
When Rwanda gained independence in 1962, the ethnic majority, Hutus, were left in power. Hutu rule resulted in widespread discrimination against Tutsi, laying the groundwork for the 1994 genocide.
Who won the Chinese Civil War?
Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong won and declared the creation of the People's Republic of China (PRC).
How do multinational corporations contribute to globalization?
Because globalization increases the interconnectedness of national economies, multinational corporations are a function of this interconnectedness. They form and utilize the connections between national economies to operate within multiple countries.
Who is Golda Meir?
Golda Meir moved to British-controlled Palestine with her husband in 1921. In 1948, Meir participated in the signing of the Israeli Declaration of Independence. The following year, she became the first minister of labor, a position she held until 1956, when she was appointed foreign minister. When the prime minister of Israel died in 1969, the Labor Party supported Meir and she became Israel’s first female prime minister and the third woman prime minister in the world. As prime minister, she was the principal negotiator between the Jews, the Palestinians, and the British Government during the Zionist movement in Palestine.
Who is Jawaharial Nehru?
Jawaharlal Nehru was the first prime minister of India after it gained independence. He previously was one of the prominent leaders of the Indian National Congress, having attracted the country’s intellectuals and youth into the mainstream of the movement.
Why did ethnic cleansing occur in Rwanda? Who killed whom?
It was during colonial rule that Rwanda’s ethnic groups: Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa became racialized. It was the rigidification of these identities and their relationship with political power that would lay the foundation for genocidal violence. When Rwanda gained independence in 1962, the ethnic majority, Hutus, were left in power. Hutu rule resulted in widespread discrimination against Tutsi, laying the groundwork for the 1994 genocide.
What was the Cultural Revolution in China?
Mao Zedong had four goals for the Cultural Revolution: to replace his designated successors with leaders more faithful to his current thinking; to rectify the Chinese Communist Party; to provide China’s youths with a revolutionary experience; and to achieve policy changes so as to make the educational, health care, and cultural systems less elitist.
What is OPEC, and how does OPEC impact global politics?
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was created to coordinate and unify the petroleum policies of its Member Countries and ensure the stabilization of oil markets.
OPEC regulates the supply of oil to influence the price of the commodity on the world market. The group can achieve this by coordinating supply cuts when the price is deemed too low and supply increases when its members believe prices are too high.
What is pan-Arabism?
Pan-Arabism calls for cultural and political unity between Arab countries. Examples of cultural unity include the use of a shared language such as MSA Arabic. Pan-Arabism also includes:
Opposition to Western political involvement in the Arab world.
Empowering of Arab states through political and economic cooperation.
What was the purpose of the partition of India?
Britain’s devastated economy could not cope with the cost of the over-extended empire. So Pakistan celebrated independence on August 14, 1947; India did so the following day. The new borders, which split the key provinces of the Punjab and Bengal in two, were officially approved on August 17.
Why did ethnic cleansing occur in Yugoslavia? Who killed whom?
In 1991 and 1992, as Croatia’s military fought Yugoslavia’s military, Croat and Serb civilians in both realms undertook campaigns of “ethnic cleansing” – i.e. efforts by one ethnic, political, or religious group to rid certain geographic areas of another such group through coercion and violence.
Briefly describe the protests at Tiananmen Square.
Thousands of students gathered in Tiananmen Square demanding democratic and other reforms in China. Eventually, martial law was declared in Beijing and troops were stationed around Beijing. On June 3–4, tanks and heavily armed troops advanced toward Tiananmen Square, opening fire on or crushing those who again tried to block their way.
How has technology impacted the global economy?
Technology is the key driver of economic growth of countries, regions and cities. Technological progress allows for the more efficient production of more and better goods and services, which is what prosperity depends on.
How is pan-Arabism related to Israel?
Zionism drew opposition from Arab countries in the Middle East. Critics of Zionism have said that the movement is racist because of the way Zionists have denied rights to Arabs living in Israel and the Occupied Territories. Arab opponents often called Zionism a form of colonialism by Western countries (countries such as Britain, France, Germany, Canada, and the United States) hoping to create an ally in the predominately Arab Middle East since many Western countries, most notably the US, supported the creation of Israel. In the 1950s and 1960s, many of these Arabs joined together to create an ideology of their own, called Pan-Arabism.
Why was Indira Gandhi important in India?
First appointed prime minister in 1966, she garnered widespread public support for agricultural improvements that led to India’s self-sufficiency in food grain production as well as for her success in the Pakistan war, which resulted in the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. After serving three terms, Gandhi was voted out of office for her increasingly authoritarian policies, including a 21-month state of emergency in which Indians’ constitutional rights were restricted. In 1980, however, she was reelected to a fourth term.
Define ethnic cleansing.
What was the outcome (result) of he protests at Tiananmen Square?
Tiananmen Square made China shift to a delicate position between concentration of power and division of power.
How has technology caused an increase in cultural diffusion?
Cultural diffusion describes how different pieces of culture spread and merge. One way technology impacts cultural diffusion is through media globalization, and the biggest ways to influence people worldwide is through media technology. People are able to get information almost immediately because of things like cell phones and the Internet.