Chapter 23

This chapter was very meaningful in that it put together everything that occurred and its global impact. Cultural influences was a topic that was the most interesting to me. Even though I did not really appreciate colonization, it was fascinating to read about the impact of Barbie and how its popularity reached a global culture. One quote that impacted me was an Iranian toy seller who said, "I think every Barbie doll is more harmful than an American missile." Even though I think that this quote is a bit exaggerated, I do understand the concern. I think that some Americans had similar concerns regarding Barbie and Ken. The fact that they were both skinny and white and unmarried. The impossible beauty and body standards that came from these dolls were harmful to little girls. I was also touched by Strayer's conclusion. He explained how history constantly have a pattern of people suffering and none of us are exempt. Another issue includes having hope and how it seems hard to have being that our environment, global conflict, etc. seem to keep us afraid or unhappy about the future. I definitely agree with his statements because most of us feel torn. We feel torn because we have seen a lot of progress throughout history but have also seen resistance to progress which makes us somewhat uneasy or stagnant. We are afraid to speak up and be active for what we believe are right because of what resistance we might have to overcome. My mind kept racing when I read how learning about history "provide a marvelous window into the unfamiliar, confront us with the whole panorama of human achievement, tragedy, and sensibility, and offer us company for the journey of our own lives," etc. All of this is true. This is exactly how we feel when I walk into class learning and discussing these topics.

Chapter 22

Chapter 22 was very interesting and informative. One aspect of this chapter that caught my attention was South Africa and their fight for independence. What really struck me was how the minority, which was white, managed to have all of the control and the power. It makes me think of America in how mostly white people are seen to be more in control as the majority. Many white nationalists or supremacists claim their fear of diversity because they believe that diversity will wipe out the entire power of the white people. However, white South Africans still managed to maintain power as the minority. I just thought that that was intriguing in a strange way. I also thought that it was fascinating how colonial rule in these different countries brought about ideas of race and certain ideologies that brought inequality and injustice towards others. I liked how Strayer described our ignorance of what the future holds. He further explained the uneasiness that historians have about history and its future. I would say that I feel the same along with others. None of us know what the future holds, but we can have some kind of understanding since we realized a certain pattern with history and how it seems to repeat itself at times. I would like to be hopeful and feel hopeful but can't help but have a sense of uneasiness when it comes to seeing a future where everyone has equal opportunity and everything is close to perfect with no war or struggle. However, I feel good in that I know that I am not the only one who feels the same way.

Chapter 21

After reading about communism and how that affected certain countries, I find myself still somewhat confused about the process and goals behind communism. I think that the confusion comes from me learning it in middle school and how that was seen as not good for society. I always felt that communism was like a dictatorship because that was what was insinuated to me during middle school. Now, I realize that communism is for equality. However, communism has its downsides as well. Therefore, I feel that there should be a happy medium. In countries such as Russia and China, many people died and suffered from these revolutions and fight for communism. One aspect that I am still trying to understand is the difference between socialism and communism. From what I understand in the chapter, socialism and communism seems to be interchangeable in some parts. We hear the term socialism in the news all the time in the same sentences as Bernie Sanders or other Democratic politicians even President Obama. I still find myself stuck when learning about communism and socialism and wonder if I consider myself to be one or some of those values that they hold. I definitely believe in equal opportunities for everyone, but I also believe in working for what you want. Everyone has to put in the work in order to be successful financially. However, not everyone is given a fair chance, which is a major problem that is being discussed everyday. There are still injustices that occur, and many people are suffering from being discriminated against. I think that communism and socialism were meant to fight against those inequalities and injustices and give everyone a chance at succeeding to make their country thrive. Of course there will be issues with every form of government, and there needs to be some kind of compromise between capitalism and socialism in my opinion. I believe that there is an answer to social inequality and further believe that there are people who choose to not work for social inequality and wants to keep things the way that it is, unfair while they continue to find loopholes for their own benefits.

Chapter 20

This will probably be my favorite chapter. The World Wars were always very fascinating to me, especially the social ideas and events that came with them. One aspect that I want to touch on first is the Great Depression. I find it very interesting because it was the first time that capitalism was hit and went on a downward spiral. It really made me understand better how capitalism really worked when Strayer described the background of it and how it is unstable, "with cycles of boom and bust, expansion and recession." In the millennium, I find that we are still struggling with our economic system such as the recession in the late 2000s, and how the significant social inequalities still exist. Another part of this chapter that I always enjoyed reading about was the women of this time period. The "flappers" were very comfortable with themselves, and it also reminds me of the music and some of the artists around that time. Josephine Baker was the first person that came to mind. Of course I could not help but to mention Hitler and his Nazi Regime. After taking the Holocaust class, I found myself very fascinated by Germany's expression of European fascism. With that being said, I was captivated by Strayer's last words in this chapter, "History repeats itself most certainly only in its unexpectedness." I am not in no way comparing anyone to Hitler, but I find that we often find ourselves going back to certain mindsets that could potentially not only make that certain aspect of history repeat itself, but others as well. With the flappers, I think of the Women's March and how women are expressing themselves in a certain way today. With the Great Depression, we had a Great Recession and are still fighting with how the economic system should be in the U.S. With Germany's past issues, I think of the people who still have this kind of Nazi mentality and are now emboldened to enforce them in very subtle ways. I find myself very much engaged in how Strayer presents these chapters.

Chapter 19

In Chapter 19, it was very fascinating to me to read and learn about China's struggles. I always thought of China as a powerful and independent nation and did not realize that they had their share of struggles economically, socially, and politically. It was surprising to learn how China was behind on the Industrial Revolution since their population soared from being a success earlier in time. One aspect that I thought was interesting was how women were treated and a concern for their rights during reform. Many women suffered from the Industrial Revolution since they were excluded from political life and only way to survive was by working in the factories, which were in terrible conditions. I also laughed inside when Europe or "the West" were considered "barbarians," which I agree in that the West were barbaric in how they conquered and became powerful and successful globally. That brings me to the reflection at the end of this chapter when Strayer questions what was actually successful in history and what were the failures. Like Strayer, I think that that question depends on what we consider more important for a nation in terms of being successful and/or failing. When I read over the reflection, it made me reflect on the "successes" of the Western civilizations and if I would really consider them a success. I think that I would disagree in terms of morale and ethics because what the West did and how they became successful was very wrong in my eyes, and I somewhat see it as a failure. Furthermore, I consider them a failure because we are continuously dealing with the same problems since colonization with issues including equality, justice, and much more that are constantly haunting us. Therefore, I believe that it depends on your own interpretation of how you view succeeding in life and failing in life.

Chapter 18

This chapter reminds me of my research paper that I just wrote for this class. This chapter explains how Europeans thought of themselves as superior and entitled to anything they wanted. It further describes how colonial rule over different empires such as Africa, Asia, and India brought a lot of racism and inequality, but they were still very successful economically. It is very frustrated but somewhat fascinating how the Europeans were very successful with doing what was very wrong socially, politically, economically, and morally. I could not help but to think about slavery in the American South when Strayer stated that European men wanted to be called "master" and called African men "boy." It also reminded me of that when they limited the education in order to keep the natives inferior. The intro stated how the Europeans spoke to the Africans in Swahili even though some were very fluent because the Europeans want that kind of superiority over them and other natives. Even though I knew South Africa experienced the terrible effects of colonial rule, I did not realize that the Europeans settled in many countries to instill their own ways of living. With colonial rule, the Europeans wanted to bring their culture to these new empires regardless of the native culture that existed first. This is nothing new to me nor others who pay attention to history. Because of colonial rule, ideas of racism, and other kinds of superiority from the Europeans were spread throughout the world, well at least in my opinion I think so. The fact that the Europeans tried to scientifically prove that they were racially superior further proves what occurred after those years like the Holocaust with effects that society still endures today. I like how this chapter goes into great detail about what colonial rule was all about around the world and its effects. I think that this shows how far we have come, but we still need to be aware and notice some of the aftereffects that are happening today.

Chapter 17

Chapter 17 dealt with industrialization. With industrialization, came wealth, products, and a hierarchy of social classes. Another important aspect of the rise of industrialization was the environment. I think that it is safe to say that our environment is constantly struggling and is under attack due to many of these innovations known as climate change. Even though these inventions and/or innovations and new technology are great for society, I'm wondering if we will eventually kill our planet due to the increases in technological innovations and our obsession of "the next big thing." Social hierarchies also became more prominent during the Industrial Revolution. It is not surprising at all to learn that everyone were not affected the same way from the rise of industrialization. Just like today, some people are very well off while others are not. Even though the top class known as the aristocracy declined due to industrialization, they still had that protection or "cushion" like Strayer described because of their social prestige and wealth whereas the lower classes did not. In the United States, the political problems that occurred during their industrialization still occurs today. The people of the working class did not benefit as much as the elite did from the Industrial Revolution. There is still this tension that exists between conservatives and ones who want change. Today, socialism is still defined as "un-American" and conservatives call it "big government." Republicans or conservatives or the rights define socialism just as that. I feel like that they are reaching, meaning that they are thinking of socialism in the most extreme way and are not thinking of the bigger picture and how it would be practiced and approached. I hope that there can be a middle-ground because I feel that individualism is important, and it should be encouraged for people to make their own money and not live off of the government. However, everyone should have the same equal rights and opportunities to do so, and I think that many people are afraid to have that happen one day.