20th Century and Beyond or The Contemporary Era

1900 – Present

• Why 1900? • The Age of Empires has passed…but what is next??

Revolutions

New ideas about class and property, land reform

New Political Innovation Wider use of democracy Totalitarian govs – communist or fascist

(full control over society) Authoritarianism (including one-party

rule) How did this differ from 18th and 19th

century?

A New Age of Conflict

Role of technology Military Global communications

Continued Impact of Disease Connection of Nationalism to conflict Decolonization

Former colonies developing a military Cultural clashes:

Nationalism Marxism Western consumerism Religion

World Population

Demographic explosion: Inevitably lead to the exhaustion of resources? Battles for space? Pollution? Or will it prove to be self-correcting?

Big Changes: Globalization

Multinational corporations

Pollution

Continuities

Industrial control over Africa, Latin America & Southeast Asia Especially exports

Resistance to change Some combination

w/traditions McD’s vegetarian

menu in India Most countries

retained traditional approaches

US isolationism Chinese attack on

religious movement Women’s rights in

the Middle East

Changes to Daily Life

Changes to social/cultural passivity Mao: urged peasants to forget

traditional attitude & show anger Emotional attachments to children

increased Chinese one-child policy

Consumerism McD’s had to train Russian employees

in smiling & cheerfulness

Unit Breakdown

World War I Interwar Period

Anticolonialism New regimes in Italy, Germany & Russia Economic Depressions

World War II The Cold War 21st Century Latin America Decolonization & Developments in Africa,

Southeast Asia & the Middle East East Asia & the Pacific Rim Transition from 20th-21st Century (globalization)