Chapter 23 Visual Sources

Visual Source 23.4

This particular visual was interesting to me because it is a satellite photograph of the world at night during the late 2000. This image shows how the world looks with no lines or boundaries drawn on it. It shows how these landmasses are all places that people live on no matter where and no matter what country. It also shows how certain areas of the world are more developed and have means to electricity while other parts of the world do not. It also shows that were there is more light those areas tend to be more populated. 

Chapter 23: Capitalism and Culture

In chapter 23 Stayer discusses the transformation of the world economy. This particular topic is interesting to me because the transformation of the world economy can be seen in many different ways depending on where you are from. He also talks about how the economic globalization during this time more closely linked the world's peoples. During this time there was an immensely significant process in which there was an acceleration of goods, capital and people. World trade went up dramatically and department stores started to stock up on goods from every part of the globe. Additionally, during this time foreign investment from the United States in China or Mexico became a common occurrence. This brought money and work for the people in these areas even though the labor was not always fair. By having big industries start to carry more products from all over the globe this then related the people of different countries to be more interlinked and knowing about other countries rather than just themselves. I thought this part of the chapter was particularly interesting because this time in history was when nations started to become more globally aware.

Chapter 22: Documents

The document that I looked at was the visual source 22.1
I thought this particular document was intriguing because of the color and power behind the image. It talks about how this image was a power of the newfound freedom that the ANC has found. This poster represents the struggle against the U.S in the sense that it is promoting the newfound freedom of the ANC and how pride in their country has instilled so much belief in its people and reminded them that they should be independent and governing themselves not foreign countries. This visual explodes with color and shows the enthusiasm and emotion behind this revolution and what it means to be free of foreign rule.

Chapter 22: The end of empire

As I read chapter 22 I noticed that as strayer talks about the end of the empire he breaks it up into various section titles. He talks about how countries such as India and Africa are breaking away from the colonial rule that they have been stuck under and are wanting to govern themselves. These countries are trying to gain independence are being a self-governing country that does not have a foreign land ruling and controlling them.  However, did Africa really gain independence? The book talks about it that way, but if you talk to many people from that country and that grew up with that origin would they have the same view? However, stayer goes on to reference a very important figure during this time that was an advocate for peaceful protest and gaining independence through non-violence - Ghandi. Stayer talks about him in this chapter, but what I thought was interesting was stayers point of view on him as compared to the various other points of view that is written by so many different people. This chapter was interesting because in reality the time these were occurring was not that long ago and therefore, many independent countries have not gained their independence until recently (in the perspective of time).

Chapter 21 & Documents

Revolution, Socialism, and Global Conflict
During this chapter Stayer discusses global communism and its effect on the world. Ideas of communism sparked from the philosophical roots in the ninetieth-century European socialism, which were inspired by the teachings of Karl Marx. From these ideas communism developed and was first used by Russia (Soviet Union). By the 19070's, almost one-third of the world's population lived in societies governed by communist regimes. Stayer goes on to go more in-depth about how communism played specific roles in the development of Russia. Then he goes on to talk about how communism also affected China and the way China developed as a country and how it developed with other countries and how alliances made between communist countries and non-communist countries began to develop during this time. It is interesting to see how communism was viewed differently in different countries and was used in similar and different ways within these countries. Communism is often referred to as a bad thing during this time period so to see how it developed and help and had its disadvantages to certain countries was interesting to read about. Stayer then goes on to talk about how these communist governments that were developing in countries affected the entire world and the type of wars and disagreements that then occurred because of theses types of governments being set up. He also talks about how communism affected America and brought America's into conflict with a lot of these communist countries.

Document 21.2 - Stalin on Stalinism
This particular document was interesting to me because I enjoyed reading about the view and position Stalin took when looking about how to fix his country in his 5 year plans. Stalin had big plans to help his country grow by creating massive industries that would provide people with jobs and help the country prosper. It is interesting to see it from his point of view because he wants to help the country but in the eyes of most history, Stalin is seen as a bad and brutal ruler. Therefore, reading the document offers another type of insight into how Stalin viewed what he was doing versus what most history books recorded Stalin as.

Chapter 20 & documents

Collapse at the center
In this chapter we learn about the "Great War" which is also known as the first World War. During the previous years to the war Europe was a very strong country that controlled many things on a global scale. They had the military needs, and they held the first scientific revolution and industrial revolution that changed the world forever. However, after the war, Europe faced a great defeat that contributed to the political collapse of Europe. Following World War 1 and the collapse of Europe was The Great Depression which occurred in the United States. The Great Depression left many people in the U.S hungry and without work. Then between 1919 and 1945 fascism became a political ideology known across Europe. During this time major historical fascists such as Benito Mussolini shared his ideals in Italy. In Germany, Hitler, another major historical fascist tried to get rid of the entire Jewish population. This was around the time that World War II broke out between countries. During this time, the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor (in the U.S) and the U.S retaliates by getting involved in the war and dropping the first atomic bombs on Japan. After this the Cold War broke out between the U.S and Soviet Union. In the early 1900's many major historical events took place that we still learn about today. These events are important in learning about the history of our nation and the world. In order to keep from making similar mistakes in the future, we must learn from the past and make sure future decisions are more beneficial to our nation and other nations rather than harmful.

Document - 20.1 - Hitler on Nazism
In this document Hitler discusses his view on how the world should procreate. He uses the example of mother nature and wild animals only mating with the fittest and strongest of their species and how humans should do the same. This is where he got the idea for getting rid of the Jews and having only a german population with certain traits prevail while others do not. It was interesting to see Hitler's train of thought and how he became the extremest that he was. It was insightful to read but also disturbing because I know what he ended up doing to the Jewish population.

Chapter 19 & Documents

Throughout history growth of the economy and expansion of its people and trade can be seen across all nations. During the time the Industrial revolution became popular in many countries, China was one of the few countries that did not adapt to this economical change. In some ways China was was victim of its own earlier success. China had a robust economy and its American food crops allowed it to enable a sustainable population growth from about 100 million people in 1685 to 430 million people in 1853. Unlike other countries, specially Europe, where similar growth and expansion took place China lacked the Industrial Revolution that accompanied this growth. The result of China's growing population and no massive food industry to supply its people their needs came the result of growing pressure on the land, smaller farms for China's huge peasant population, and in all too many cases, unemployment, impoverishment, misery and starvation. This was only the beginning into bigger problems that China would soon face. Thy faced problems within their country but also issues with relationships regarding other countries as well. The world around China seemed to be changing, however, the Chinese struggled with changing with them. In this chapter Stayer does a good job about discussing the problems and obstacles and China faced during this time period.
Something that I found interesting in this chapter was during the revolution women fought with the soldiers. This was something very new during this time period - women would be fighting alongside men/soldiers. This seemed as though it was the beginning for many gender roles to change.
Additionally, this ties into the document 19.3 because in that document it discusses the gender roles of women in China and how during this time period they were beginning to change.

Chapter 18

During this time period, the industrial revolution gave rise to new economic needs, many of which found solutions abroad. Europe's growing wealth and goods created a need for extensive raw materials and agricultural products. They collected, wheat from the American Midwest and southern Russia, meat from Argentina, bananas from Central America, rubber from Brazil, cocoa and palm oil from West Africa, tea from Ceylon, gold and diamonds from South America. These demands changed the social and economic life in these countries. Additionally, with the booming success of the industrial revolution and the needs it required also came new ways of transporting these goods around. With new machines to move products over long distances gave Europe a great power because they produced many of the goods and were used all over the world. Additionally, with this newfound way of life came a great deal of racism. It was that "scientifically" people of other races had different (lesser) qualities than the white people and therefore white supremacy started to happen. Not only were these differences taking place but also the way of working changed as well. It changed taxes, labor, enterprises and methods of transportation. Instead of subsistence farming, they tried to seek what they produced for cash income. The cash was then used to pay taxes and buy machines that were needed. During this time Artisans often suffered because the machines prices had to be lower. Overall, chapter 18 was very insightful as to how the industrial revolution impacted Europe but also the countries Europe was in contact with as well. It is interesting to learn more about how recent this revolution was and how the events that played out still have an impact on today's world.

Chapter 17 Documents

Chapter 17 Documents

In chapter 17 documents the reading was about the Industrial Revolution. Within these documents they offer insight as to how a certain individual felt about a certain situation or event that was happening in their lives. Reading these documents is very insightful because I can relate to it on a personal and emotional level while the more general chapter reading is more factual and less emotional. The first document discusses the experience of and English factory worker and discusses that how while the Industrial Revolution came not only technological changes but also changes to the workforce and how people worked their jobs. Additionally, the next document goes on to talk about a certain type of job that was destroyed during the Industrial Revolution. This document is about the life of a weaver and how they their profession suffered during this time period. The next document goes on to talk about the infamous Karl Marx and how his ideas of socialism were revolutionary. The documents then go on to present the reader with images of what life was like during this time period. These images offer insight into how the Industrial Revolution impacted peoples live but also how it changed the shape of the environment. These images show the transformation overtime of how the industrial revolution had such an tremendous impact on the people living during this time.

Chapter 17 (pages 827 - 861)

Chapter 17 (pages 827 – 861)

The Industrial Revolution was the start of using fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas that replaced the reliance on endlessly renewable energy sources of wind, water, wood and the muscle power of people and animals. The industrial revolution started in the 18 century and not only did the reliance of fossil fuels begin but also innovations transformed the cotton textile production. Agriculture was also affected because chemicals fertilizers, pesticides and refrigeration became a major part of this industry and transformed its way of life. The industrial revolution grew into the 20^th century and involved a number of developing countries: Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The industrial revolution was the beginning to a continuous growth of new techniques and way of life that changed the environment forever.

Further into the chapter, Strayer discusses Britain during this time period and how its political life encouraged commercialization and economic innovation. Additionally, how religious toleration changed and people of other faiths were being more welcomed. He then goes on to discuss how the Scientific Revolution that occurred in Great Britain supported technological innovation. The technological innovations that occurred from the Scientific Revolution and on were revolutionary to Britain but also to other countries who looked to Britain for inspiration. However, most of the people who benefited from the industrial revolution were members of the middle class. The middle class itself was separated into people who were extremely wealthy factory and mine owners to bankers and merchants. In the middle class women all shared particularly the same role of being homemakers, wives and mothers.

Stayer then goes on to talk about the second half of the nineteenth century and how many countries were beginning to stabilize in their economy and growth. The technological innovations that were occurring during these time periods helped cut the sailing time between Britain and Argentina into almost half. This then allowed for things (goods and people) to move from place to place a lot quicker. The most significant economic outcome that came from this was the rapid growth of Latin America exports to the new industrializing economies. During this time Mexico was also supplying large amounts of silver to more than half of the world. Therefore, the industrial revolution that occurred was the beginning of dramatic change into how people lived their lives and the efficiency and pace at which their lives were to continue.

Chapter 16 - Atlantic Revolutions & Documents

Chapter 16 – Atlantic Revolutions, Global Echoes and Documents

Atlantic Revolutions (pages 798- 811):

During this chapter Strayer discusses what happened during the Atlantic Revolution and how these changes greatly impacted the world. A major change that occurred during this time period was the abolishment of slavery. During this time, the Enlightenment thinkers had become increasingly critical of slavery as a violation of the natural rights of every person. This idea of antislavery was first expressed by the Quakers and then by the Protestant evangelicals in Britain and the U.S. This sparked people to believe that slavery was wrong and a “crime in the sight of God” which ultimately lead to more people accepting that slavery as not essential for economic progress. In addition, the dramatic but successful Haitian Revolution was then followed by three rebellions were slavery was frowned upon and abolished because people felt that it was not only morally wrong but also economically inefficient and politically unwise. This type of thinking and change that occurred during this time was revolutionary in so many aspects. Strayer also goes on to talk about nations and nationalism and how slavery abolishment also gave way to a relatively recent kind of human community – by nation. Additionally, the Atlantic Revolutions also gave rise to the beginning of feminism and foreshadowed the future of equality between men and women.

Documents (pages 812 – 825):

16.1 – This document was about the French Revolution and the “Rights of a Man.” It is about the language of rights that were found and expressed during the French Revolution in the Declaration of the Rights of a Man and Citizen. It talks about that document was made in the French National Assembly and has long been viewed as the philosophical core of the French Revolution.

16.2 – This document was about the Rights and National Independence and how the “rights of a man” could be mobilized on behalf of colonial subjects. The most prominent political military leader of the struggle during this time period was Simon Bolivar. He wanted to create a federation among the Latin American countries like the U.S. The document “The Jamaica Letter” is his case for independence of his continent.

16.3 – This document was about rights and slavery. The document “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” is about Fredrick Douglas and his famous speech that forcefully highlighted that great contradiction in the new American nation.

16.4 – This document is about the Rights of Women and is about how during the French Revolution, women’s rights were heavily debated. “The Solitude of Self” is about Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her address of women’s rights to the U.S congress committee.

Sisters of Notre Dame

During this week there has been numerous events in honor of founders week. During this time I was able to learn more about our founders and how NDNU came to be the school it is today. Along with that this reading about the two founders, Julie Billiart and Francoise Blin de Bourdon. These two unlikely friends became the very reason for the existence of this school. This reading was particularly interesting to me because I felt like I could relate to Julie and the fact that she came from not having a lot to doing something extraordinary with her life and for other peoples lives as well. What was also interesting to me was the fact that Francoise came from a lot of money and lived a privileged life, but decided to make something of herself and help found education for people instead of going down the path that most people she knew went down. Additionally, the time period in which these women lived, it was hard for them to make something of themselves or become anything other than what their lives were already planned to be, so the fact that they made their own decisions about their future was a revolutionary thing to do. This also made me have more respect for them and really appreciate that this school I attend was fought so hard for and these women spent so much time and energy into building a place of education and to help others.

Founders Week Activity

Founders Week Activity

Matthew Fox Speech

On Tuesday, February 9, 2016, I attended a talk by Matthew Fox in the chapel. During this talk Matthew talked about how he came to meet Sister Dorothy Stang and how that impacted his life. Matthew Fox’s talk started off with talking about how you can’t base religion off of sin. He also went on to talk about how he became interested in the church and how his life changed from there. He had a dream that his mother was dying and when he awoke and realized his mother wasn’t dying he realized that his dream was a bigger message for the dying of Mother Earth. From then on he became an influential person in the church and decided to help give back to the community. One of the things that Matthew talked about and that really spoke to me was about his journey to the Amazon. He talked about how the people inhabiting these areas wanted to save the Amazon forest and he wanted to help with the efforts of the Amazon much like Dorothy Stang wrote about in her book. He specifically talked about the lessons of the Amazon and how place symbolized the the chapel: the tree in the backyard and how many indigenous people died trying to protect the Amazon forest.  When he talked about how many people died trying to protect the forest that really spoke to me because the people who grew up and lived their whole lives in the forest were now having their homes taken away but also their lives taken away as well. This talk was very influential and made me think about my life and how thankful I am to live where I do. But it also made realize how different things are on other sides of the planet and how we need to help them against the people who are trying to hurt their homeland. Therefore, it brings awareness to the people here at NDNU and they can share these stories with other people.