Transcript Cold War Review

Cold War Review
The New World
• In 1945, the United states was the only
major power whose territory had not been
devastated by world war 2.
• The U.S had large oil deposits, and
produced more than half of the world’s
industrial and agricultural production.
• America had replaced Europe as the leader
of the industrialized world.
USSR
• The Soviet Union had lost an estimated 20
million soldiers in the war. It contained the
largest land mass of any country, and it had
a wealth of resources.
• The USSR also had control of the Eastern
European countries which had vast
technical skills and industrial equipment.
Competition
• These two vast superpowers began to dominate
world politics and forced the other countries of
the world to choose sides.
• The world was also very unstable at this time as
many nations were rebuilding after the war.
• Some nations took advantage of Britain’s
weakness and fought for independence. I.E India
• Nations hoped that the two superpowers could
remain friendly and provide stability in the world.
• This was not to be.
• The world became separated in a battle of
West (U.S, Britain, France etc.versus East
(U.S.S.R, China, East Germany)
• It was also a war of ideals. Democracy
versus Communism
• Free Market Liberalism versus Centrally
plan economies.
Origins of the Conflict
• Relationships between the U.S and U.S.S.R
were never friendly.
• In 1917 the Russian revolutionary ideas
spread to the U.S calling for a more socialist
style of government.
• The U.S tried to overthrow the communist
government to stop the spread of
communism throughout the world.
Origins of the Conflict
• In 1939, the U.S.S.R signed a secret nonaggression pact with Germany saying they
would not attack each other if war broke
out.
• This angered the west and caused great
tensions between the USSR and the US.
• In 1941 Germany attacked the USSR and
broke the treaty. The USSR then joined
with the western nations for the war.
American and British
Perspectives
• With the end of the war came an end of
cooperation between the two powers.
• Soviet expansion was a very serious threat to the
West. They needed access to foreign markets and
economies for trade.
• The USSR had troops in Central Europe
(Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and Hungary). And the
US did not believe their explanation that it was for
defensive purposes.
• In 1947 a communist government was imposed on
Soviet occupied Hungary and Czechoslovakia.
• This went against the Yalta conference which
guaranteed free elections throughout Europe.
• In Greece, the Soviets funded an uprising to
overthrow the British backed Royalist
government.
• They also pressured Turkey to give up the straits
of the black sea so they would have access to the
Mediterranean.
• The U.S intervened by providing 400
million in aid to assist the governments of
Greece and Turkey.
• This led to the creation of the Truman
Doctrine.
• This doctrine gave the US the right to
support free people from outside pressures
or armed minorities and promised the US
would contain the threat of communism
throughout the world.
Soviet Perspective
• The Soviet Union was also had bad
relations with the West as it believed they
delayed opening a second front in the
second world war.
• The USSR was left alone to battle Germany
while the west did nothing.
• The U.S stopped sending arm shipments to
the USSR even though it was promised in
the lend lease act.
• The Soviets also felt the US use of the atomic
bomb on Hiroshima was a deliberately designed to
intimidate them.
• Stalin also did not believe in capitalism and
wanted to form a trade union called COMECON –
Council for Mutual Economic assistance. This
would be blocked off from trading with the West
and contained China and Central Europe.
Nuclear Arms Race
• The Atomic Bomb quickly brought an end to the
war in the pacific. The U.S agreed to peace with
Japan afterwards.
• The Soviets and Americans proposed that all
nuclear weapons should be eliminated.
• The U.N should have control over the technology
but neither nations could agree on the details of
how it should be done. They did not trust each
other enough.
• The USSR developed an atomic bomb in 1949. 4
years later the US developed a hydrogen bomb
1000 times the power of the bomb dropped on
Hiroshima
• Within a year the Soviets did the same
• The U.S developed bombers that could deliver the
weapon and also had advanced ballistic missiles
with better accuracy. It looked as though the US
was winning
ICBM
• In 1957, the USSR developed the first
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. This
could reach anywhere in the US from the
USSR.
• The US developed one a year later.
• By 1970 each superpower had enough
missiles to destroy all the cities in the others
country 12 times.
• Britain 1949, France 1956, and China 1964 also
acquired Nuclear technologies during this time.
• The world was afraid of Nukes getting into the
wrong hands and began signing treaties designed
to stop the spread.
• Non nuclear proliferation treaty, SALT 1 and 2
were all enacted to control the spread of Nuclear
technologies.
• The U.S failed to ratify the SALT 2 and has
routinely broken the Non proliferation
treaty by testing and developing missile
defense.
• These treaties were designed to reduce the
number of nuclear missiles and research in
technology.
• Although it was designed with the purpose
of reducing arms, it made no real difference.
Nuclear Diplomacy
• Neither side ever wanted a Nuclear war
• It was mutually decided that if one country
was attacked than the other would respond.
This made the act of first strike improbably
• Mutual destruction would be the only thing
accomplished.
• The Cuban Missile crisis was the closest to
nuclear destruction the world has come.
MAD and Detente
• MAD – Mutually Assured Destruction. If
one nation ever attacked it would mean the
destruction of both nations. Led to Detente
• Détente – a period of peace and relaxing of
tension.
Berlin Blockade
• When World War II ended in Europe on
May 8, 1945, Soviet and Western (U.S.,
British, and French) troops were located in
particular places, essentially, along a line in
the centre of Europe.
• The western and Soviet leaders met at
Potsdam Germany to decide how to split up
Germany. They separated the country into 4
occupations zones.
•
• Berlin was also separated into four zones.
• The soviet zone of control surrounded all
the other zones.
• The Soviet Union wanted Germany to be
reunified but demilitarized. Industrial
production was to be paid to Russia for
reparations during for the war.
• Stalin considered it essential to destroy Germany's
capacity for another war, which conflicted with
the U.S. desire to rebuild Germany as the
economic centre of a stable Europe.
• Stalin considered it essential to destroy Germany's
capacity for another war, which conflicted with
the U.S. desire to rebuild Germany as the
economic centree of a stable Europe.
• He believed that a rebuilt Germany could team
with Japan and assault the world again
• The United States, however, stressed that postwar
reconstruction in Western Europe depended on
German economic and industrial recovery.
• The U.S wanted to reunify Germany, and build it
up once again. If the Soviets would not agree, the
western nations would do it to their areas anyway.
• This is what occurred at the London Conference
• In Protest, the Soviets blocked off all
roadways and railways into the Western
controlled parts.
• The U.S debated sending a parade of
armour down the autobahn. If they were
stopped they had orders to fire.
• Truman believed this was too risky and
would have sparked a war with the USSR.
Airlifts
• The U.S decided to get their goods to their
people by using airlifts
• At the height of the airlifts 1398 flights
landed in three airfields in Berlin in 24
hours. About one flight a minute.
Cuban Missile Crisis
Background
• Fidel Castro took power and took control of
all foreign investments in the country, most
of which were U.S.
• This created the beginning of hostile
relations with the U.S
Bay of Pigs
• The U.S responded with the invasion of the
Bay of pigs.
• In 1961, CIA trained Cuban Exiles invaded
the Island but were quickly repelled
• The exiles were supposed to have air cover
but Kennedy withdrew.
•
Threat to Cuba
• The U.S also did a practice invasion on an island
where they would overthrow a fictitious leader
named Ortsac. It was later realized that it was
Castro spelled backwards.
• The U.S also organized operation Mongoose
where they would train and arm other resistance
groups to take over Cuba.
• The CIA were also accused of hiring mob boss
Sam Giancana to assassinate Castro.
• Over all, there were 7 attempts on Castro’s life
• These and many other threats led to Cuba turning
to the U.S.S.R for protection.
Arming Cuba
• It was in this environment that Cuba and the
Soviet Union agreed to place nuclear
weapons in Cuba, with the understanding
that an invasion would potentially be met by
a nuclear response.
• Khrushchev devised the deployment plan in
May of 1962, and by late July, over sixty
Soviet ships were en route to Cuba, some of
them already carrying military material
including suspected Nuclear warheads
The Nuclear Race
• Russia was beginning to lose the race
• The U.S also had more access to Russia as
they had Missile in Turkey and Polaris
submarines.
• The Soviet Union needed to counter the
threat by placing missiles in Cuba.
• Using U.2 spy planes the U.S found the
nuclear missiles on Cuban Soil.
• They knew more were coming and they
needed to take action.
• They could plan an invasion, they could use
Air strikes, or form a naval blockade
restricting the ships. They chose the later.
• Finally diplomacy wins out.
• The U.S agrees to remove its missiles from
Turkey and The USSR agreed to remove its
missiles from Cuba.
• Disaster was avoided.
Rwandan Genocide
Background of Racism
• Once the colonial powers of Belgium and
Germany took over Rwanda, they
implemented a system of racism.
• The Tutsi tribe were lighter skinned and
therefore given superiority over the Hutus.
• There were given control over the country
even though they were the minority
population.
• Eventually the Hutus overthrew the Tutsi
government.
• The Tutsi tribe would not go away and
threatened to once again attain power.
The Start of the Conflict
• Although there was already hatred amoung
the groups they were peaceful until one
event.
• President Habyalimana was killed when his plane
was shot down.
• The Tutsi were suspected and this sparked
violence.
• The Hutus turned to violence and decided to
perform genocide on the Tutsi.
• They also used radio stations to spread Hutu
propaganda.
• Over 800,000 Tutsi were killed
• The U.N were sent in as observers but did
not have a mandate to interfere. Romeo
Dallaire from Canada led the mission.
• They could simply watch a help victims at
there own risk.
• The Belgium troops decided to pull out after
10 of their peace keepers were killed.
• No Country offered to help.
Apartheid
A Timeline
• 1651: Dutch settlers arrive in South
Africa. In 1756, they import slaves from
West Africa, Malaysia, and India,
establishing the dominance of whites over
non-whites in the region.
• 1700s: Riding on horseback and covered
wagons, Dutch farmers (called Boers)
migrate across land inhabited by Bantu
and Khoi peoples. Armed with shotguns,
the Boers seize land used by the tribes for
cattle and sheep grazing -- the basis of
their economy. Without land, the tribes
must work on Boer farms to support
themselves.
• 1810s: British missionaries arrive and
criticize the racist practises of the Boers.
They urge the Boers to treat the Africans
more fairly. Boers justify their practises in
the belief that they are superior to Africans.
• 1867: Diamond mining begins in South
Africa. Africans are given the most
dangerous jobs, are paid far less than white
workers, and are housed in fenced, patrolled
barracks. Oppressive conditions and
constant surveillance keep Africans from
organizing for better wages and working
conditions.
• 1908: A constitutional convention is held to
establish South African independence from
Britain. The all-white government decides
that non-whites can vote but cannot hold
office. A few people in the new government
object, believing that South Africa would be
more stable if Africans were treated better.
• 1910: The South Africa Act takes away all
political rights of Africans in three of the
country's four states.
• 1912: The African National Congress is
formed. This political party aims to organize
Africans in the struggle for civil rights.
• 1913: The Native Lands Act gives 7.3% of
the country's land to Africans, who make up
80% of the population. Africans are
prohibited from owning land outside their
region. Africans are allowed to be on white
land only if they are working for whites.
• 1920s: Blacks are fired from jobs which are given
to whites.
· 1910s-1930s: Africans educated at missionary
schools attempt to organize to resist white rule and
gain political power. Their efforts are weakened
because few Africans are literate, communication
is poor, and access to money or other resources is
limited.
• 1936: Representation of Voters Act: This
law weakens the political rights for Africans
in some regions and allows them to vote
only for white representatives.
• By 1939, fewer than 30% of Africans are
receiving any formal education, and whites
are earning over five times as much as
Africans.
• 1936: Representation of Voters Act: This law
weakens the political rights for Africans in some
regions and allows them to vote only for white
representatives.
• 1946: African mine workers are paid twelve times
less than their white counterparts and are forced to
do the most dangerous jobs. Over 75,000 Africans
go on strike in support of higher wages. Police use
violence to force the unarmed workers back to
their jobs. Over 1000 workers are injured or killed.
• .1948 - Policy of apartheid (separateness) adopted
when National Party (NP) takes power.
• 1950: The Population Registration Act. This law
classifies people into three racial groups: white,
colored (mixed race or Asian), and native
(African/black). Marriages between races are
outlawed in order to maintain racial purity.
• 1953: The Preservation of Separate
Amenities Act establishes "separate but not
necessarily equal" parks, beaches, post
offices, and other public places for whites
and non-whites.
• 1951: The Group Areas Act sets aside
specific communities for each of the races
(white, colored (mixed race or Indian), and
native (African/black) ). The best areas and
the majority of the land are reserved for
whites. Non-whites are relocated into
"reserves." Mixed-race families are forced
to live separately.
• 1951: The Bantu Homelands Act. Through this
law, the white government declares that the lands
reserved for black Africans are independent
nations.
• In this way, the government strips millions of
blacks of their South African citizenship and
forces them to become residents of their new
"homelands." Blacks are now considered
foreigners in white-controlled South Africa, and
need passports to enter. Blacks only enter to serve
whites in menial jobs
• The homelands are too small to support the many
people in them. In Soweto, for example, seventeen
to twenty people live in a four-room house.
• The African National Congress (ANC), a political
organization for Africans, encourages peaceful
resistance to the discriminatory laws of apartheid.
The ANC issues a Freedom Charter that states,
"South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black
and white, and that no government can justly
claim authority unless it is based on the will of the
people." The government reacts by arresting
people and passing more repressive laws.
• 1952: Abolition of Passes and Coordination of
Documents Act. This misleadingly-named law
requires all Africans to carry identification
booklets with their names, addresses, fingerprints,
and other information. Africans are frequently
stopped and harassed for their passes. Between
1948-1973, over ten million Africans were
arrested because their passes were "not in order."
Burning pass books becomes a common form of
protest.
• 1960: A large group of blacks in the town of
Sharpeville refused to carry their passes.
The government declares a state of
emergency and responds with fines,
imprisonment, and whippings. In all, 69
people die and 187 people are wounded.
The African political organizations, the
African National Congress and the PanAfrican Congress, are banned.
• 1962: The United Nations establishes the
Special Committee Against Apartheid to
support a political process of peaceful
change. The Special Committee observes
the International Day Against Racism to
mark the anniversary of the people who
died in the Sharpeville protest.
• 1963: Nelson Mandela, head of the African
National Congress, is jailed
• 1970s: Resistance to apartheid increases.
Organizing by churches and workers
increases. Whites join blacks in the
demonstrations.
• 1970s: The all-black South African Students
Organization, under the leadership of Steven Biko,
helps unify students through the Black
Consciousness movement.
• 1976: The Soweto uprising: People in Soweto riot
and demonstrate against discrimination and
instruction in Afrikaans, the language of whites
descended from the Dutch. The police react with
gunfire. 575 people are killed and thousands are
injured and arrested. Steven Biko is beaten and
left in jail to die from his injuries. Protesters
against apartheid link arms in a show of
• 1980s: People and governments around the
world launch an international campaign to
boycott (not do business with) South Africa.
Some countries ban the import of South
African products, and citizens of many
countries pressure major companies to pull
out of South Africa.
• These actions have a crippling effect on the South
African economy and weaken the government
• 1980s: Hundreds of thousands of Africans who are
banned from white-controlled areas ignore the
laws and pour into forbidden regions in search of
work. Civil disobedience, demonstrations, and
other acts of protest increase.
• late 1980s: Countries around the world
increasingly pressure South Africa to end its
system of apartheid. As a result, some of the
segregationist laws are repealed (reversed).
For example, the laws separating whites and
non-whites in public places are relaxed or
repealed.
• 1984: Constitution opened Parliament
membership to Asians and Coloureds, but
not to Black South Africans.
•
• 1990 - ANC unbanned, Mandela released
after 27 years in prison. President F. W. de
Klerk announced end to apartheid.
• 1991: South Africa President F.W. de Klerk
repeals the rest of the apartheid laws and
calls for the drafting of a new constitution.
• 1993: A multiracial, multiparty transitional
government is approved
• 1994: Elections are held. The United
Nations sends 2,120 international observers
to ensure the fairness of the elections. The
African National Congress, representing
South Africa's majority black population.
Nelson Mandela, the African resistance
leader who had been jailed for 27 years, is
elected President.
South Africa
Apartheid
Historical Background
• South Africa was colonized by the Dutch
and English from the 17th century.
• the European settlers dominated the
indigenous population through military and
political control and the control of land and
wealth.
continued
• South Africa is a very fertile land and is
very rich in resources
• Diamonds, and gold
• This attracted the Dutch and British
• They wanted control over the resources and
gave little thought of the aboriginal people
Continued
• The discovery of diamonds in these lands
around 1900 resulted in an English invasion
which sparked the Boer War.
Continued
• In 1948 the National Party won the election
and began their reign of oppression and
Apartheid
• The Population of South Africa is 34
million
• The white population is 5 million yet they
won the election
Continued
• a large number of laws were enacted,
further instituting the dominance of white
people over other races.
Apartheid Laws
• The principal apartheid laws were as
follows:
• The Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act
(1949)
• Amendment to The Immorality Act (1950)
• This law made it a criminal offence for a
white person to have any sexual relations
with a person of a different race.
Apartheid Laws
• The Population Registration Act (1950)
• This law required all citizens to register as
black, white or coloured.
• All blacks were required to carry ``pass
books'' containing fingerprints, photo and
information on access to non-black areas.
• The Suppression of Communism Act (1950)
• This law banned any opposition party the
government chose to label as "communist".
Apartheid Laws
• The Group Areas Act (27 April 1950)
• This law barred people of particular races
from various urban areas.
• The Reservation of Separate Amenities Act
(1953)
• This law prohibited people of different races
from using the same public amenities, such
as drinking fountains, restrooms
Apartheid Laws
• The Bantu Education Act (1953)
• This law brought in various measures
expressly designed to reduce the level of
education attainable by black people.
• The Mines and Work Act (1956)
• This law formalised racial discrimination in
employment.
Apartheid laws
• The Promotion of Black Self-Government
Act (1958)
• This law set up nominally independent
"homelands" for black people.
Apartheid Laws
• Black Homeland Citizenship Act (1971)
• This law changed the status of the
inhabitants of the 'homelands' so that they
were no longer citizens of South Africa, and
therefore had none of the rights that came
with citizenship.
Homelands
• These homelands were independent states to
which each African was assigned by the
government according to the record of
origin
• All political rights, including voting, held
by an African were restricted to the
designated homeland.
Continued
• The idea was that they would be citizens of the
homeland, losing their citizenship in South Africa
and any right of involvement with the South
African Parliament which held complete
hegemony over the homelands.
• From 1976 to 1981, four of these homelands were
created, denationalizing nine million South
Africans.
Six Days War
• Tensions between Israel and its Arab
neighbors resulted in a battle which endured
for six days.
• Israel took control of Gaza, Sinai, and the
Golan Heights.
• The also seized control of the West Bank
and East Jerusalem from Jordan.
Six Days War
• This resulted in Israel doubling the size of
its territory
• It also helped to raise the confidence level
of the Israeli people.
• The UN Condemned the actions and
demanded the withdrawal of Israeli forces
• 500,000 Palestinians were displaced.
Yom Kippur War
• Palestinians were frustrated with diplomatic
negotiations.
• They did not gain back any territory that
was lost in the Six Days War.
• Egypt and Syria attacked Sinai and the
Golan Heights
Yom Kippur War
• After three weeks, Israel stopped the attack
and began to push back
• They took territory beyond the Golan
Heights and advanced into Egypt to the
Western side of the Suez canal.
War and Peace
• On November 29, 1947, the UN General
Assembly voted to partition Palestine into two
states, one Jewish and the other Arab.
• The territory designated to the Jewish state would
be slightly larger than the Palestinian state (56
percent and 43 percent of Palestine, respectively)
on the assumption that increasing numbers of Jews
would immigrate there.
• Publicly, the Zionist leadership accepted the
UN partition plan, although they hoped
somehow to expand the borders allotted to
the Jewish state.
• The Palestinian Arabs and the surrounding
Arab states rejected the UN plan and
regarded the General Assembly vote as an
international betrayal.
• Fighting began between the Arab and
Jewish residents of Palestine days after the
adoption of the UN partition plan.
• In contrast, Zionist military forces, although
numerically smaller, were well organized,
trained and armed.
• On May 15, 1948, the British evacuated
Palestine, and Zionist leaders proclaimed
the state of Israel. Neighbouring Arab states
(Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq) then invaded
Israel claiming that they sought to "save"
Palestine from the Zionists.
Aftermath
• Israel held 77%
• Egypt controlled the Gaza Strip
• Jordan controlled the West Bank
• As a consequence of the fighting in
Palestine/Israel between 1947 and 1949, over
700,000 Palestinian Arabs became refugees
• One Israeli military intelligence document
indicates that at least 75 percent of the refugees
left due to Zionist or Israeli military actions,
psychological campaigns aimed at frightening
Arabs into leaving, and direct expulsions.
• Today 3 million Palestinians live within
Israeli borders.
• An additional million live in refugee camps
in Jordan and are afraid to return to their
homes.
Six Days War
• In the spring of 1967, the Soviet Union
misinformed the Syrian government that Israeli
forces were massing in northern Israel to attack
Syria.
• Syria called to its neighbors for help and Egypt
and Jordan answered.
• What they didn’t realize was how militarized
Israel was since it had been receiving military aid
from the U.S.
• On June 5, 1967 Israel pre-emptively
attacked Egypt and Syria, destroying their
air forces on the ground within a few hours.
• The Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian armies
were decisively defeated, and Israel
captured the West Bank from Jordan, the
Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from
Egypt, and the Golan Heights from Syria.
Yom Kippur War
• In 1970, the president of Egypt, Anwar
Sadat, that he would sign a peace treaty
with Israel if they gave back the land in the
Sinai peninsula that was taken in the six day
war.
• This was ignored by Israel and the U.S.
• On the Holy day of Yom Kippur, Egypt and
Syria attacked the Sinai peninsula and the
Golan Heights.
• They made some progress until the U.S.
was involved politically and sent Israel
military aid.
PLO
• Palestinian Liberation Organization
• This group is a political party that represents
Palestinians.
• There main focus is to reclaim a state for
Palestine.
• They have been located in Jordan, Tunisia, and
Lebanon.
• They argue that they were promised by the U.N.,
an independent state within Israel and have never
received it.
• They were founded and led by Yasir Arafat for
many years.
Peace Process
• Camp David 1
• U.S president Jimmy Carter invited Anwar
Sadat of Egypt and Israeli Prime Minister
Begin to Camp David to solve the mid east
crisis.
• Two things were proposed,
• peace
• Second Palestine was offered autonomy in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip.
• The were allowed to install an administration for a
5 year period
• It was still not a guaranteed state since after five
years it would be reevaluated.
• Israel would still have the right to have troops in
the area.
• During the negotiations, Israel continued moving
into Palestinian lands and set up settlements.
Madrid Accord
• During the first Gulf War, the PLO would not
support the U.S and were therefore seen to be
supporting Iraq.
• This isolated them from many mid east U.S allies
such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
• U.S. and Israel met once again in Madrid, Spain
but the PLO was not allowed at the table and was
termed a terrorist organization by President Bush.
• Again nothing was achieved.
• Many Palestinian groups began to lose patience
with the PLO and many radical groups were
formed to challenge them.
• These groups were aided by the U.S and include
Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
• These groups eventually turned more violent as
peaceful means were getting them nowhere.
Oslo Peace Accords
• Israel finally recognizes the right of Palestinians to
have their own land.
• The PLO was to have municipal control over areas
in Gaza with the understanding that the West Bank
would be negotiated at a later date.
• Israel still constructed new settlements in the Gaza
Strip and continued to violate the agreements.
Camp David 2
• President Clinton, Barak and Arafat all met again
at Camp David.
• The Israeli’s backtracked on its promise and
would not recognize the Palestinian right to Gaza.
• They offered some withdrawal of the West Bank.
• They also refused to evacuate any settlements that
were established in these areas.
• Palestine would not accept this agreement.
• Wye River accords
1998 After a yearlong stalemate and a
marathon 21-hour session mediated by U.S.
President Bill Clinton, Netanyahu and Arafat
signed a land-for-peace deal October 23 at
Wye Mills, Maryland. It called for a crackdown
on terrorists, redeployment of Israeli troops,
transfer of 14.2 percent of the West Bank
land to Palestinian control, safe passage
corridors for Palestinians between Gaza and
the West Bank, the release of 750
Palestinians from Israeli prisons and a
Palestinian airport in Gaza.
• Today, Palestinians have limited control over some
parts of the West Bank and Gaza.
• They are under constant retaliations from the
Israeli Military and Israel has constructed a wall
surrounding the Palestinian areas.
• They control all traffic going to and from Gaza
and the West Bank.
• Groups such as Hamas, and Hezbollah still fight
for a free Palestinian state.
The Age of Technology
Technology Trends in the 20th
Century
• Technology in the past was not as a
systematic process as it is today.
• Inventions were mainly done by individual
people.
• Today, technological innovation has been
taken over by commercial and
governmental agencies.
• Science and technology used to be separate fields.
• Technology was about making and doing things
and science was about understanding what already
existed.
• Most of the inventions of the 1900s have been
based in science. With the method of
hypothesizing or predicting what might happen.
•
Marketing
• Another trend in the 20th century is the
marketing of technology to the general
public.
• Before technology was mostly used for
work related needs.
• During this change, technology was used to
make day to day life easier.
• Is technology the servant of necessity or is
necessity the servant of technology?
• Have people controlled the direction of
technology or has technology controlled the
patterns people.
• Mass consumption is the result of mass
production.
• Before the cos reductions of mass production
people were limited and not wasteful. They
reused and saved things. With mass production
were were also forced to invent recycling and new
was to handle garbage.
• The advent of the mass media led to
technology creating and filling its own
market.
• Through mass media advertising,
companies can create their own demand for
products they can invent.
• The Cold War was arguably a product of the
media. The public was in constant fear of
the evil red empire.
• As a result new military technologies were
supported by the public and many
technologies were constantly upgraded to
fill the nations created need for security.
The Pace of Change
• In the last century we have created more
technological development than in the
history of the world combined.
• After World War 2 computer technology
was invented. Computers were huge and
very expensive.
• Within 40 years, computers are now used in
every facet of life.
• Technology has also allowed us to broaden
what we think is possible.
• Space technology was achieved when the
soviet union lanched the soviet satellite
Sputnik 1.
• Then came manned space flight as Yury
Gagarin became the first man in space.
• Advances in rocket propulsion led to Neil
armstrong and Edwin Aldrin being able to
walk on the moon.
• Through the space program civilians
benefited with inventions like teflon, freeze
dried foods, lightweight clothing, and
advances in medical equipment.
Transportation Systems
• Transportation was greatly enhanced after
the war.
• Transatlantic flight became possible from
the advent of long range bombers.
• Jet propulsion soon followed as well as
supersonic planes such as the concorde.
Technology and the Global
Community
• Technology is not evenly distributed
around the world.
• The widest gap is between the developed
and developing nations.
• Technology is both source and benefit of
national wealth therefore the rich have also
become the technological leaders of the
world.
• The developing nations that need
technology are the ones that can least afford
it.
• For example, the U.S has 2500 researchers
per million people.
• The entire continent of Africa has 20.
Access to Resources
• Many of the under developed countries also
do not have access the resources needed for
energy.
• Coal and oil was not available to many
African nations and therefore no ability to
power machines.
Multinational Corporations
• Through the trend of globalization, many
countries all of the world have the ability to
produce.
• However, companies that set up in other
countries are not there for the countries
benefit.
• Many of the workers in these factories do
not see any of the goods they produce.