THE MODERN WORLD

DECOLONIZATION

• One of the most significant effects of WWII• The end of imperialism in India, Africa, and

Southeast Asia

INDIA

• Gandhi’s non-violent approach to resistance was designed to show Britain its futility in denying freedom for India

• After WWII, British leaders recognized that they could no longer resist Indian demands

• In 1947, Britain agreed to Indian independence

PARTITION OF INDIA AND PAKISTAN• The British feared violence between Hindus

and Muslims in India• Muslim leaders (Mohammed Ali Jinnah)

pushed for a separate Muslim state• To solve the problem, Pakistan was created as

a Muslim state (partitioned from India)• Millions of Hindus and Muslims moved their

homes after independence was granted• Thousands were killed during these mass

migrations because of religious prejudices

SOUTHEAST ASIA

• Before Japanese invasions prior to and during WWII, the Dutch, British, and French all had territories in Southeast Asia

• After WWII, nationalist leaders in Southeast Asian countries expected to achieve their independence

• In some parts, independence was granted peacefully; in others, it was achieved through warfare

THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

• Britain granted Egypt independence in 1922, but had kept troops there to protect the Suez Canal (Egypt was a puppet state)– Gamel Nasser (Arab nationalist) overthrew the

Egyptian king in 1952• Saudi Arabia became independent during

WWII

Continued…• After WWII, the French granted independence

to Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya in North Africa and to Lebanon and Syria in the Middle East

• Over a million Frenchmen had settled in Algeria and assumed that Algeria would become a part of France– In 1954, Algerian nationalists began a violent

struggle for independence– After almost 8 years, France recognized Algerian

independence (1962), and French settlers fled

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

• Members of the small educated elite in lower Africa became leaders of new nationalist movements

• Kwame Nkrumah led demonstrations in the British colony known as the Gold Coast

• He was jailed by the British but was eventually released and was able to win independence

• This country became known as Ghana and was the first black African colonony to win independence

INSTABILITY IN AFRICA

• Many of the new African nations became one-party states

• Some nationalist leaders became dictators• In some states, military leaders took charge• Civil war between tribes often erupted• Most new African nations struggled with poor

agriculture, little industry, few schools and hospitals and a low standard of living

SOUTH AFRICA• In 1948 in South Africa, the white minority

(mostly Dutch-speaking Afrikaners – Boers) introduced the policy of apartheid (racial separation)

• Africans were separated by race, could not intermarry, and lived in separate communities

• In the 1960s and 1970s there were several uprisings in which there were killings and riots

Continued…

• Nelson Mandela led an anti-apartheid African National Congress. He was imprisoned in 1962.

• F.W. de Klerk was elected in 1989 and ended apartheid and released Mandela and others from prison

• He was later elected as the country’s first black President

CHALLENGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST• Most Middle Eastern countries share similar

cultures and had once been part of the Ottoman Empire

• In Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and the countries of N. Africa are Arabs, speak Arabic, and follow the Sunni branch of Islam

• In Iran, people speak Farsi and follow Shi’ite branch of Islam

• In Israel, most people are Jewish and speak Hebrew

• Some states are conservative monarchies, others are military dictatorships, Israel is a democracy

THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT

• The Balfour Declaration was issued by Britain in 1917 and announced a Jewish homeland would be created in Palestine

• Arabs viewed this as a form of European imperialism

• Jews saw it as a return to their traditional homeland

• Jewish immigration increased in the 1930s and 1940s due to Nazi persecution

ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT CONTINUED…

• In 1948, Britain gave up control of Palestine and handed the creation of a Jewish homeland to the United Nations.

• The U.N. voted to partition Palestine into two states – Israel and Palestine (West Bank and the Gaza Strip

ISRAEL’S STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE• War for Independence – In 1948, 5 Arab countries

rejected Israel and attacked them. The Arabs were defeated

• The Suez Crisis of 1956 – Gamel Abdul Nasser of Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal and closed it to Israel.

• Six Day War – Erupted in 1967. Israel defeated its enemies in only 6 days and got the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank from Jordan & Golan Heights from Syria

• Yom Kippur War – 1973, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel on the Jewish holiday. Israel won again.

ARAB ORGANIZATIONS• OPEC (organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)

– Used oil as a political weapon• The PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) –

Palestinian Arabs that refused to recognize Israel• Fatah – Yassir Arafat’s political party in Palestine• Hamas – radical Arab political party in Palestine• Al-Qaeda – a terrorist organization formed by Osama

bin Laden (a wealthy Saudi) and made up by radical Islamic Fundamentalists

• Taliban – another radical Islamic Fundamentalist group in Afghanistan

THE IRANIAN REVOLUTION• The ruler of Iran, Shah Reza Pahlavi, adopted

elements of Western culture.• Widespread corruption and brutal repression

were common.• Ayatollah Khomeini became Iran’s new leader

when the Shah was overthrown.• American hostages from the U.S. embassy

were held for more than a year before being released.

THE U.S. IN THE MIDDLE EAST

• First Gulf War – Saddam Hussein, ruler of Iraq, occupied neighboring Kuwait. The U.S. sent troops to expel Iraqis, but allowed Hussein to remain in power. He later attacked the Kurdish minority in northern Iraq in an attempt at genocide.

• Al-Queda attacked the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001• The War in Afghanistan – The Taliban had taken

control of Afghanistan and harbored terrorists groups, like Al-Queda. The U.S. invaded to overthrow the Taliban and try to capture bin Laden

Continued…• The Second Gulf War – Saddam Hussein failed to

honor his agreement to permit U.N. inspectors to monitor that he was not stockpiling weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. and its allies invaded Iraq in 2003 to search for weapons. Hussein’s government collapsed, he was captured, tried, and executed. Warring factions within Iraq and ethnic conflicts caused it to remain unstable during allied occupation and following troop withdrawal.

CHALLENGES TO HUMAN RIGHTS

• Genocide in the Balkans – Fighting erupted in Bosnia between Muslims and Orthodox Christian Serbs. Yugoslavia intervened and Bosnian Serbs began murdering Muslim civilians in what they called “ethnic cleansing” and later attacked Muslims in Kosovo. The U.S. and other NATO countries sent military forces to stop the fighting. Bosnia was divided into two republics (one Serb, one Muslim).

Continued…IN AFRICA• Rwanda and Burundi – Central African nations

populated by Hutu majority and Tutsi minority. Fighting began in 1972. When Rwanda’s president was killed, Hutus began exterminating Tutsis, blaming them for the assassination. More than 850,000 have died.

• Darfur – Arab tribesmen have committed atrocities against black Africans over conflicts over grazing grounds and farmland. More than 200,000 have died and 2 million have been displaced from their homes.

Continued…IN LATIN AMERICA

• Cuba – Castro killed opponents to his rule• Chile – military government tortured and

killed suspected opponents• El Salvador – “death squads” gunned down

advocates of reform • Argentina – as many as 20,000 disappeared

during military rule that ended in 1984

WOMEN’S RIGHTS• Mother Teresa (1910-1997) – a Catholic nun who

devoted her life to helping the poor and homeless people in India. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

• Golda Meir (1898-1978) – Born in Russia but grew up in Wisconsin. Migrated to Israel in 1921 and became the first woman Prime Minister (1969-1974)

• Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013) – First woman to serve as Prime Minister of Britain (1979-1990). Known as the “Iron Lady”. Ended socialism in England, promoted free enterprise, and opposed Soviet Communism.