Mexico had a second revolution after the initial one to gain independence from Spain in the 19th century
This one forged a new government and a new constitution of 1917 with some real changes
Land reforms with limits on foreign ownership of key resources
Guaranteed rights of all workers
Restrictions on the power of the Catholic Church
Educational reforms (public schooling for all)
THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION, 1917
The Czar was seen as corrupt and selfish by most Russian people, who were poor and powerless
The Bolsheviks, a Communist rebel group led by Vladimir Lenin (aided by Stalin and Trotsky) overthrew the Czar’s regime and took over (after a long war)
The Soviet Union was formed in 1922 with Russia being the key nation in the new Communist powerhouse
Authoritarian rule with new political, economic, and cultural structure in place
Centered more on improving the lot of industrial workers (Proletariat) along with some land reform
CHINA in the 20th Century
Qing Dynasty falls in 1911
Japan invades and brutalizes China for decades
Nationalists led by Chang Kai-shek fight against the Communists led by Mao Zedong
Mao wins and China becomes a Communist nation in 1949; Nationalists flee to Taiwan
Mao promised land redistribution, rights for women, education access, tax reform, and cooperative farming
Cuban Revolution, 1959
Fidel Castro and Che Guevara lead rebel forces against dictator (Batista) in Cuba for years
Batista is backed by the U.S. because he allowed American business interests to control his nation’s resources…and he wasn’t a Communist (remember how the Cold War made the U.S. operate in a very black/white fashion)
Castro seizes control in 1959 and executes opponents, nationalizes industries, and creates a Socialist nation just miles from the coast of Florida
He threatened to spread Communism to other Latin American nations which will create a lot of Cold War tension….just what we needed!
IRANIAN REVOLUTION, 1979
Also known as the Islamic Revolution
1953 Shah Reza Pahlavi came to power in Iran with the help of the CIA; he repressed all opposition and violated their constitution and promoted western values, angering his conservative Muslim population
1979 the Ayatollah Khomeini led a revolution and overthrew the Shah, creating a new constitution based on Islamic law
55 American hostages were taken and held for 444 days
1980-1988 Iran fought a war with Iraq over oil fields
Patterns of Decolonization and Nation-Building
THREE PATTERNS
Violent Revolutions and Civil War (China, Algeria, Vietnam, Palestine)
Both violent and non-violent methods (Kenya, Egypt, South Africa)
Palestine and Israel
Zionism led thousands of Jews to migrate to Palestine, controlled by Britain after World War I (Balfour Declaration helped)
Palestinians living there (Arab Muslims) resented the flood of immigrants and began fighting
The UN promised nationhood to both groups but only delivered for Israel in 1948
Israel had to fight several wars to defend herself against neighboring nations who resented a Jewish state in their region (Israel won all of these wars thanks to the support of the U.S.)
Israel took more land after victories
ALGERIA vs. FRANCE
Algeria broke away from French colonial rule after a war lasting from 1954-1962
Arab nationalism vs. French colonialism
300,000 lives lost
INDIA
Indian National Congress formed in 1885 which got nationalist sentiment started
Gandhi and other nationalist leaders tried to prevent violent uprisings and concentrated instead on non-violent resistance
Boycotts, marches, hunger strikes were designed to make the British realize their policies in India were immoral and India deserved independence
1947 India is partitioned and becomes 3 nations (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh)
Many died as a result of religious violence between Muslims and Hindus after partitioning
Decolonization in Africa GHANA
1957 - Ghana (the Gold Coast) gained independence, led by western educated Kwame Nkrumah
After World War II, the democratic western nations (Britain, U.S., France) joined NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) to form a united front against the spread of Communism in Europe
The Soviets and their allies formed the Warsaw Pact to promote Communism in Europe and the world
U.S. Cold War Policies
Containment: block Soviet influence and prevent the spread of Communism
Truman Doctrine: monetary support given by the U.S. to nations that resisted Communism
Marshall Plan: post WWII assistance program to give food, aid, industrialization support to war torn nations of Europe to keep Soviets out
THE SOVIET RESPONSE
The Berlin Wall – built in 1961 to keep East Germans inside the Communist controlled section of East Berlin
“The Iron Curtain” – controlled satellite nations under Communism like Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia
The Korean War, 1950-1953
Soviets aided North Korea’s new Communist government and the South was aided by the United Nations, led by the U.S.
Stalemate was the norm, and an armistice was signed in 1953
There are still two nations and North Korea is an example of a Communist dictatorship today, while South Korea has done very well as an “economic tiger” in the global economy
VIETNAM
French colony since the 1880’s
During World War II, Japan took over
Nationalist leader Ho Chi Minh formed the Viet Minh to fight France for independence
France asked for help from the U.S. in 1954 and then pulled out as Vietnam was divided into two nations with Communists in control of the North under Ho Chi Minh
VIETNAM
Viet Cong Communists fought against the South (who were aided by the U.S.)
500,000 U.S. soldiers were unable to defeat the Viet Cong due to many factors:
Limited war strategy of the U.S. (fear of bringing China into the war)
Dedicated insurgency (refusal to be colonized again)
Guerilla war by the Viet Cong
Corrupt government in South Vietnam supported by the U.S. made America unpopular with the Vietnamese
1973 the U.S. leaves Vietnam and in 1975 Vietnam is united under one Communist government
The Arms Race & The Space Race
The Cold War was all about defense spending, with both the Soviets and the U.S. spending trillions of dollars developing the newest, deadliest weaponry
The Space Race was also evidence of Cold War competition, with the Soviets winning the first round by launching the satellite Sputnik in 1957 (making Americans panic that they were falling behind the Russians); but the U.S. won the Space Race by being the first to land a man on the moon in 1969
A NEW WORLD ORDER
Communism fell in Europe in 1989 and in the Soviet Union in 1991
Most of the transitions were non-violent, but Romania was pretty bloody