Restructuring of States: c. 1900 - Present
AP Concept: 6.2 Global Conflicts and Their Consequences
Key Concepts
New Political Organizations
Independence from Imperialism
Restructuring
Key Concepts
- Europe's domination gave way to new forms of transregional political organization
- Anti-imperialism led to the restructuring of states
- Political changes led to demographic and social consequences
- Major industrialized powers unified during the 20th century in attempts to prevent global conflict on the scale of WWI and WWII
- The League of Nations formed in 1921, aimed at maintaining world peace following WWI, but it was ultimately unsuccessful at preventing WWII from breaking out
- The United Nations became a key player after WWII, led by the Allied victors (United States, USSR, Britain, France, and China), and aimed at postwar recovery and maintaining peace
- Political organizations developed to promote and strengthen ties between neighboring nations
- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) formed in 1967 to promote economic progress and political stability
- The European Union (EU) formed in 1993 to strengthen European economic trade relations and become more independent from the United States
- Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) formed to deal with problems reaching beyond national boundaries and governments
- A number of independence and nationalist movements rose in the 20th century, many in response to imperialism
- India broke free from Britain in 1947 after decades of work
- Mohandas Gandhi led the Indian nationalist movement with policies of civil disobedience and nonviolence to challenge British authority
- However, Gandhi was unsuccessful at allying with Muslim leadership, and the new state quickly divided into Muslim Pakistan and Hindu India
- Sub-Saharan Africa underwent a series of nationalist movements in the mid-20th century in response to European colonialism
- A small minority of Africans who had received a European education led post-WWII independence movements, but these movements varied widely throughout the continent
- European colonial powers had created political boundaries that forced together unrelated ethnic groups with histories of conflict
independence movements increased tension, which could lead to war, as with the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 - South Africa granted the majority black population virtually no rights under the restrictive system of apartheid
- Vietnam
- Ho Chi Minh led a Marxist, nationalist movement against the French colonial rule in Southeast Asia after WWII
- Once France left Indochina in 1954, the United States, China and the USSR fought out a proxy war by aiding various zones within partitioned Vietnam
- The communists ultimately won in 1975
- Israel
- After WWI, the British held a mandate and made conflicting promises to the Palestinian Arabs and Jews regarding a Jewish state in Palestine
- While Jewish migration to Palestine increased as a result of the Holocaust, Arabs opposed the creation of a Jewish state, leading to continued conflict over the state of Israel (created in 1948)
- A number of nations underwent revolutions against monarchical or dictatorial leaders, in hopes of reforming their governments
- Many of these nations became communist, which led to economic and social difficulties and increasing tensions with the United States (as in Russia, China, and Cuba) Russia ultimately reversed its rigid communist approach and pushed for economic reform
- As the USSR collapsed, its satellite states in Eastern Europe pushed for independence
- Other countries revolted against Western influence, as in Iran, which revolted against the oppressive, Western-influenced Shah in 1979 and institutedstrict religious rule under Ayatollah Khomeini
- Islamic law ensured a more traditional, conservative lifestyle for many
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Related Links: AP World History Quizzes AP World History AP World History Notes Global Conflicts: c. 1900 - Present |