Revolution, Socialism, and Global Conflict

Modern-day communism found its political and philosophical roots in the nineteenth century. Inspired by Karl Marx and his teachings. By he 1970s a third of the world's population lived in societies governed by communist regimes. The Soviet Union and China were the most significant of countries affected by communism. The book states that communism leads to revolutions most of the time. In Russia, communist in power lead the people to have a revolution within a year! This is how the Romanov dynasty ended. Everytime I hear about Tsar Nicholas II and the Romanov Dynasty I instantly think of the animated movie "Anastasia". The Russian revolution created a lot of controversy and gave non-russian nationalists ideas that even lead to independence. The book also discusses the revolution that happened in China. This involved the recruitment of women as well. Once in power, communist parties prepared to set up socialists societies. Communist feminism began to become popular as well. Industrial development began to take place alongside communism development. During this time the Soviet Union was under the control of Stalin, who is not the most popular guy and is also known for the deaths of many people. The cold war is an issue also brought up in the book. The cold war actually took place mainly in Europe. The British and the Americans desire for open and democratic societies clashed with the Soviet Union's insistence on security and control. The Cuban missile crisis was probably one of the most dangerous and most recognizable parts of the cold war. This involved nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons became very dangerous and were in high demand.

INDIA!!!!!!!

When I think of India I usually think of doctors, and sometimes even the people you end up talking on the phone with for issues with devices and such. I never really thought about the Indian government. Ever. This is because I never saw it as an important part of my life. I never realized how large India really is. It's huge and home to many people and even has three main geographical areas. India is home to many religions as well. India is also home to a number of languages. When the British ruled India they did as much as they could to modernize the country. The english language allowed Indians to speak to each other throughout the country. Universities allowed students to become lawyers, journalists, and even educators. The British set themselves up for failure by modernizing India. India has a parliamentary system, similar to Britains. India is not always known to be peaceful which is what a lot of people think. Indians can be violent, in 1984 murderous Sikh secessionists took over the sacred Golden Temple in Amritsar in the Punjab. India is continuing to grow and develop in today's modern age. The following link is to direct you to a news article on the election commission's issues in India.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/specials/lok-sabha-elections-2014/news/Election-Commission-issues-show-cause-notice-to-Sharad-Pawar-over-erase-ink-vote-twice-comment/articleshow/32614319.cms?

Revolutions of Industrialization Page 827-861

The industrial revolution drew on the scientific revolution, and was accompanied by the French revolution which transformed European society. It helped Europe move into a temporary position of global dominance. Human life hadn't been impacted so heavenly since the agricultural revolution. The industrial revolution began in Western Europe, specifically in Great Britain. It spread more rapidly than the agricultural revolution. There was also a heavy growth in population at this time, all the while there was an energy crisis. It became a pressing matter. It can be considered as "modern-day global warming". When people found out they could use renewable resources such as water, wood, and wind as energy sources it was a complete breakthrough. However, these resources were being overused which had a big impact on the environment. The factories which had black smoke coming from large pipes were affecting the air and polluting the air. Also factories dumped waste and sewage into lakes and rivers, which had the effect of turning these beautiful lakes and rivers into toxic wastelands. Many people saw this and started to voice their opinions and how they felt. They didn't like how it was impacting the environment especially romantics poets like William Blake.  Even though there were bad things out of these factories, there was also some good things such as the output of services and goods. Also the coal-fired steam engine was a huge breakthrough. Major industrial areas existed throughout Europe. Coal and iron fields were also very popular along with railroad lines. The people who benefited the most from the industrial revolution were the middle class. Women had a very important role in this new society as well. They were the "center" of the family. The laboring class suffered the most out of all the classes. They not only worked in horrible environments, they got horrible pay as well. It was also a time when migration was becoming very popular. The United States went through the industrial revolution also.

Chapter 16: Pages 798-811

With the loss of its American colony, Britain took an interest in Asia. It got colonial rule in India  and helped with Opium wars in China. It was becoming a time where "Abolitionists sought the end of slavery, nationalists hoped to foster unity and independence from foreign rule; and feminists challenged male dominance."  Theses movements were the aftermath of the American Revolutions. They were of global proportions and had a global impact. The abolition of slavery was  a huge success it was basically ended. Enlightenment thinkers thought of slaver as a violation of the natural rights every human has. Different was of thinking such as secular, religious, economic, and political came together for the abolitionist movements! It took a long time before it actually ended but the thought of knowing that it was successful was a huge relief. Independent movements were also made throughout North and South America. Different colonies started to declare freedom from their predecessors. Nationalism started to spread like wildfire not only in the Americas, but throughout the world! The feminist movement also began and they took on the world by storm. Women were starting to find voice after being treated like children. The feminist movement started to have a true effect in the 1900's around the time the anti-slavery movement was going on. Women's literacy rates were going up too! They started to get better jobs in important professions as well. Women made a lot of accomplishments during this time. It was a very important mark on history during those times and a huge accomplishment for many, many people.

Chapter 16: Religion AND Science?!

Christianity achieved the goal of having a global presence in the world. I think that is still true today, however there are more choices and options for people. Around this time the scientific revolution began took the world with a different approach. However in the western part of the world tension existed between science and English. I believe people were still not used to science being such a huge part of regular life. I also believe that it made sense to the people who didn't want to believe it because of their religion. The early modern period allowed cultural transformation. It allowed people who were not close in distance to be connected through faith or belief in science. Science became almost a new religion for some people. It was a very important part of people’s lives. In the 1500's Christianity was limited to only Europe, but it eventually became global. I was interested in the divisions of Christianity as well. That has always interested me. Why did Christianity get divided into sects? Was there any deeper meaning behind the different sects? What was the reasoning behind the reason for dividing? I have so many questions on that topic. I had no knowledge of the fall of Constantinople by the Ottomans in 1453. It is always great to learn knowledge that one had no idea about. I figured most women would be attracted towards the idea of Protestantism due to a larger role in the church.  

Chapter 14: Page 686-699

While reading chapter fourteen I was very saddened and upset by what I read. The Atlantic slave trade really saddened me due to the fact that it actually happened. Any acts of slavery are saddening. 10.7 million Slaves were "deposited" into the Americas! I don't like to get into details about the horrific details of the middle passage to the Americas. It's horrific to begin even thinking about the trials the "slaves" had to go through. All throughout Africa to both North and South America! I can't believe actual human beings were capable of such cruelty! It's even sadder that it become a widespread human practice that still exist today! The slave trade slowed the growth in Africa when other countries were expanding. I thought it was a shame that African authorities took advantage of the slave trade and the middle passage. The slave trade also shaped African societies as a whole. I was shocked to discover that more men were shipped across the ocean than women! However, women felt the impact of the slave trade more and in various ways. It even allowed them to rise to power, accumulate wealth, and get more involved in politics. The European demand for slaves was the main cause for this tragedy. The Portuguese tried a few efforts of slave raiding along the African west coast in an effort to convince Europeans that their efforts were "unwise and unnecessary" for African societies. Many Europeans died going into Africa due to the fact that they had no immunities to the tropical disease that the Africans were adapted to. The African slave trade wasn't the only slave trade but it was one of the most historical and it sure did make an impact on the world and the global economy.

Chapter Four Sweet Nexus: Sugar and the Origins of the Modern World!

Today I read Chapter Four Sweet Nexus: Sugar and the Origins of the Modern World. The beginning talks how so many people rely on the world trade. When I think about it, we as Americans take so many luxuries for granted! If you take a step back in time only the elites of hierarchy were the only peoples allowed to receive traded items. "The goods along the trade routes were consumed only rarely." Mass consumption started in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and that's when rarely traded items became commonly traded items.
The chapter talks about the origin of sugar, where it came from, the impact it had on the modern world, and sugar and the world. The Greeks had a concurrence with sugar in North western India in the fourth Century. Ancient Europeans referred to it has "honey from reeds". However, sugar was very common in China. In the seventh century when Muslims began to expand sugar gained global importance and was a luxury good in the Middle Ages.
In my opinion sugar is still important today! Almost everyone you will ever meet has had sugar at some point in their lifetime! Sugar can make nasty things taste good, and okay things taste great! However, even though many people still use sugar, many people don't! There are disease that prevent certain people from regular sugar intakes. Also many health conscious people are not into sugar and have sugar substitutes, such as guava, splenda, and even no sugar at all!
There are four aspects of caned sugar. "First, sugar cane grows in hot, moist areas." I used to live in Belize for a couple of years and during that time I found that sugar cane was commonly grown there. My family had fresh sugar cane growing on the farm so we were able to obtain fresh sugar and sugar cane whenever we wanted. Sugar cane itself is very sweet as well and can be eaten without the process of being turned into sugar! This is really cool! "Second, sugar production is exceptionally labor-intensive, requiring labor too be available year round," While reading the statement said earlier I was a little surprised that making sugar can be so time consuming and calls for so much labor! "Third, sugar is commercially viable only when it is produced on a relatively large scale." So if one has a small farm they would not be able to sell commercially because it is very unlikely that they will make the suggested amount. "Fourth, production of sugar for the market requires an initial stage of processing, making it, at least partially, an industrial enterprise." At this point I realized how much I did not know about sugar! Plantations were used to grow sugar cane and create sugar before it went to America. Before the crusades no one in Europe really knew about sugar which I found to be strange due to the fact that I can't drink my tea without sugar. Did they use honey? Did they even know about honey? My questions need to be answered!
Slavery played a large role in the creation and distribution of sugar as well. I don't like any idea of slavery modern or not. Don't get me started on the middle passage! I can't even begin to imagine what those people must have went through! What horrors they must have experienced all for some land owner's personal gain. I found this to be extremely upsetting not only because it actually happened and was such a horrific form of racism, but also because I have experienced racism throughout my life due to the color of my skin, which wouldn't have happened if racism didn't exist! The whole thing made me so sick! In my opinion none of it was worth a human being having to serve another human being and not being paid and being treated less than dirt while getting beaten for making mistakes which all human beings do! It's what makes us humans!  I honestly don't think sugar was or is that important and I can live without it if I have to! Not to mention all the people that died during the journey to become slaves and while being slaves! Not only was it in the Americas, it was in the Caribbean too!
"The connection between slavery and sugar was broken in the nineteenth century." It doesn't mean that slavery ended though. Sugar is still very popular today and it's crazy to think about how sugar used to be produced and that there are people out there that wouldn't mind having slaves do all the work. It's still a large part of the global market and sugar is also very important to this day! I will never understand why people have to complicate things by involving race or being too lazy or thinking to highly of oneself. One day maybe all of it will begin to make sense but for now we look back on this historical story and I am pleased to see how far we have come as human beings, not just Americans.