Struggles for Democracy Ch Present

Transcription

1 Struggles for Democracy Ch Present 1

2 Democracy Government by the people Direct democracy (when all citizens meet to pass laws) isn t practical for nations Indirect democracy or republic (when citizens elect representatives to pass laws for them) Always a work in progress Ex. Equality is promised in the US Constitution, but slavery was legal until women couldn t vote until

3 Making Democracy Work Common Practices Free Elections Conditions That Foster Those Practices -Having more than one political party -Universal suffrage Citizen Participation Majority Rule, Minority Rights -High levels of education + literacy -Economic security -Freedoms of speech, press, + assembly -All citizens equal before the law -Shared national identity -Protection of individual rights -Representatives elected by citizens Constitutional Gov. t -Clear body of traditions + laws -Widespread education of political science -National acceptance of majority decisions -Shared belief that no one is above the law 3

4 Latin America UN study reports that the spread of democracy could be derailed if free elections in poor countries aren t followed by economic Warned especially about Latin America Many countries won their indep. from Spain + Portugal in the 1800s, but were left w/ many problems. Including: 1. Powerful militaries 2. Economies that were too dependent on a single crop 3. Large gaps b/w the rich + poor 4

5 Brazil Gains indep. from Portugal in 1822 Monarchy Republic Dictator Republic Military Dictatorship Republic Problems faced include: 1. Gov. t controlled by wealthy elite 2. Foreign debt + inflation 3. in standard of living (level of material comfort) 4. Recession (a slowdown in the economy) 5

6 Mexico Enjoyed stability for most of the 20 th century Had elections, but ruled by the same party for over 70 yrs. Has its weaknesses, but overall a relatively stable democracy Vicente Fox 1 st president elected belonging to a different political party in

7 Argentina Republic Dictator Military Dictatorship Republic Military Dictatorship Republic Problems faced include: 1. Thousands died or disappeared under the military dictatorship , Argentina defaulted on $132 bil debt largest default in history 3. Weak economy 7 End Section 1

8 Africa Beginning in late 1950s, dozens of African colonies gained their indep. Main reason for difficulties was the negative impact of colonial rule: 1. Artificial boundaries of nations created by Europeans 2. Lack of experience running a gov. t 3. Exploitation of African resources + people (cash crops + cheap labor) 4. Lack of industrialization 8

9 Africa Algeria ( ) Burkina Faso ( ) Burundi ( ) Central African Republic ( ; ; ) Chad ( ) Republic of the Congo ( ) Egypt ( ) Equatorial Guinea ( ) Ethiopia ( ) The Gambia ( ) Ghana ( ; ; ) Guinea ( ) Liberia ( ) Libya (1969-present) Madagascar ( ) Mauritania ( ; ; present) Niger ( ; ) Nigeria ( ; ) Rwanda ( ) Sierra Leone ( ; ; ) Somalia ( ; then local militia rule) Sudan ( ; ; ) Uganda ( ; ) When Europeans gave up their colonies they left fragile democracies in place, many of which would be overthrown (especially by military dictators) Some would declare martial law (temporary military rule) +/or jail dissidents (gov. t opponents) 9

10 South Africa When the colonists arrived, they immediately began segregating races Once colonialism ended, a white minority ruled over the black majority. They called their policy of separating the races apartheid ( separate-ness ). Under this system, blacks made up 75% of the population, but were forced to live on 13% of the land called homelands (areas set aside for blacks + other minorities) which were divided by tribes to further divide blacks 10

11 Fighting Apartheid In 1912, blacks formed the African National Congress (ANC) to fight for their rights. It would use violent means to end apartheid It organized strikes + boycotts and would be banned by the gov. t + its leaders imprisoned, including Nelson Mandela. Bishop Desmond Tutu called for foreign nations to avoid doing business w/ South Africa which led to many nations imposing trade restrictions on South Africa. It was also banned from the Olympics In 1990, the ANC was made legal + Mandela was released. This led to the overturning of apartheid laws. South Africa s 1 st universal elections were held in 1994 w/ Nelson Mandela being elected president 11 End Section 2

12 The Beginning of the End of the USSR During the s, the Politburo (the ruling committee of the Communist Party) crushed all political disagreement + practiced strict censorship 1982, Mikhail Gorbachev was chosen as the party s new general secretary (most powerful man in the USSR) Gorbachev believed in communism, but thought it only needed to be reformed Gorbachev knew that economic + social reforms couldn t occur w/o a flow of ideas, so he instituted a policy of glasnost (openness) which led to the opening of churches, the release of dissidents from prison, + allowed previously banned authors to have their books printed 12

13 More of Gorbachev s Reforms B/c of glasnost, more people begin to complain about the gov. t (long bread lines, lack of consumer goods, etc) Gorbachev blamed many of the country s problems on poor central planning Begins a policy known as perestroika (economic restructuring) which allowed more decisions on things such as prices + wages to be made at a local level Begins a policy known as democratization to open up Soviet politics + allow candidates other than those chosen by the Communist party to run for office Realizes USSR can t compete w/ US in the arms race + begins to cut back arms production 13

14 Soviet States Begin to Break Away B/c of glasnost, states w/in the USSR begin calling for their indep. W/ over 100 ethnic groups, there was a history of ethnic tensions. Russians were by far the largest group, but only in the state of Russia Lithuania was the 1 st to declare its indep. in March 1990, Gorbachev called for economic sanctions, but fearing a domino effect, sends in troops. Soviet troops attack civilians. 14 die + hundreds wounded 14

15 of Yeltsin Boris Yeltsin became Russia s (NOT the Soviet) 1 st directly elected president. He criticized Gorbachev s crackdown in Lithuania + the slow pace of reforms Soviet conservatives were unhappy w/ changes + detained Gorbachev at his house + sent troops w/ tanks into Moscow in the August Coup. Yeltsin denounced the action from the top of one of the tanks. When ordered by the conservatives to attack, the troops refused, + Gorbachev was released. 15

16 End of the USSR After the August Coup, Estonia + Latvia quickly declare their indep. All of the remaining republics quickly followed Most of them formed the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States). Gorbachev resigned + Yeltsin is now the most powerful man in Russia + the CIS. 16

17 Yeltsin Faces Challenges He enacted shock therapy a policy designed to abruptly shift from a communist to a free-market economy At first, prices soared, factories shut down, many people were out of work In SW Russia, the predominately Muslim area of Chechnya declared its indep. Yeltsin refused to allow it to secede. An off-again, on-again war was fought. In 2002, a group of Chechen terrorists seized a theater in Moscow. Over 150 people died in the rescue attempt. Fighting still breaks out today. 17

18 Vladimir Putin Became president after Yeltsin resigned in He grew in popularity after forcefully dealing w/ the rebellion in Chechnya, but has been criticized abroad for some undemocratic policies. He claims that he supports a freemarket economy, but that it must be adapted to Russia s unique circumstances. After two terms as president he served as Prime Minister and then president again. 18 End Section 3

19 The End of Due to the reforms of Mikhail Communism Gorbachev during the 1980s, all of the in Europe USSR s satellite countries would break away + try to form democratic gov. ts Many of these countries continue to face economic hardships + some have ongoing ethnic conflicts 19

20 Poland 1980, Polish shipyard workers had formed the Solidarity union. They demanded the Polish gov. t officially recognize their union. Gained the support of millions of Poles. When the gov. t did so, the union leader, Lech Walesa became a national hero. 1981, the gov. t banned Solidarity again + declared martial law. The economy plummeted workers walked off their jobs + one year later the gov. t recognized Solidarity + agreed to hold free elections. Lech Walesa was voted as the 1 st Polish president. He would later be voted out of office b/c the Poles thought economic progress was moving too slowly 20

21 Hungary Radicals w/in the Communist party launched democratic reforms They later deposed of the Communist leaders + dissolved the party itself in Had free elections afterwards 21

22 Germany Reunifies 1989, Austria allowed vacationing East Germans to cross the border w/ Austria. From Austria they could travel to West Germany. E. Germany closed its borders entirely Protests broke out all around E. Germany The gov. t gambles that communism could be saved by allowing E. Germans to travel freely. The Berlin Wall is torn down. Leads to the end of the Communist party in Germany Led to the reunification (merging) of the 2 Germanys in Oct

23 Czechoslovakia People gathered in Prague (the capital) demanded democracy Gov. t cracked down on dissidents brutally, including a student led protest Outraged, ½ mil gathered in Prague to protest Gov. t resigned in Nov , due to ethnic differences + differing opinions on economic policies, Czechoslovakia would split into the Czech Republic + Slovakia peacefully in the Velvet Revolution 23

24 Romania Led by ruthless dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. In 1989, a protest began in Timisoara. The army was sent in + hundreds were wounded + killed. Led to uprisings throughout the country. Ceausescu + his wife attempted to flee but were captured + executed on Christmas, Romania has since struggled heavily w/ corruption + crime. In 2007, it joined the European Union 24

25 Yugoslavia Josip Tito Formed after WWI divided into 6 republics Plagued by ethnic conflict had 8 major ethnic groups Led by Josip Tito from Slobodan Milosevic took over after Tito s death 1991, 2 republics (Slovenia + Croatia) declared their indep. Milosevic sent in the army to invade them, but the invasion failed after months of fighting 25

26 Bosnia then declared its indep. Made up of 44% Muslim, 31% Serbs, + 17% Croats Bosnian Serbs didn t want to break away + launched a war in March 1992, supported by Serbia During the war Serbian forces used violence + forced migrating of Muslims in Serb-controlled lands in a policy of ethniccleansing to rid Bosnia of its Muslims In 1995, the UN brokered a peace treaty which called for a 3- person presidency (1 from each group) 26

27 In Kosovo, the southern part of Serbia made up almost entirely of ethnic Albanians, an increasingly violent indep. movement broke out This led to a UN bombing campaign against Serbia due to reports of atrocities being committed It declared its indep. in 2008 Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic was captured + tried for crimes against humanity, but died before a verdict was reached End Section 4 27

28 Communist China China had suffered greatly under the policies of Mao Zedong (Chart p. 1059) After his death, people turned away from radical communism Movement for reform. Gov. t supported some economic reform, but crushed attempts at political reform 28

29 China s Foreign Relations Split w/ the USSR in the 1960s over issue of world leadership of communism Hostile w/ US over US support of Taiwan s gov. t After Mao s death, China s gov. t worries over China s isolation + makes friendly overtures towards the US. During the 1970s, relations w/ the US improve (B/c of Détente, US acknowledges China s gov. t as the legitimate gov. t of China instead of Taiwan s, etc) 29

30 China Under Deng Xiaoping 1976, Deng Xiaoping came into power. He was willing to use some capitalist ideas to improve China s economy Had 4 goals for progress known as the 4 Modernizations which called for improvements in: 1. Agriculture (allowed crops to be sold for a profit) 2. Industry (permitted more private businesses) 3. Defense 4. Science + Technology (welcomed foreign technology + investment) Deng s economic policies improved the standard of living but widened the gap b/w the rich + the poor 30

31 Tiananmen Square Chinese public believed that the party officials were profiting from their positions. Also, they were increasingly exposed to Western ideas, particularly democracy. April 15, 1989, over 100,000 students began an uprising in Tiananmen Square calling for more democracy. Some went on a hunger strike + the movement gained widespread support Deng declare martial law + many protesters left, but some remained + erected a statue known as the Goddess of Democracy On June 4, 1989, thousands of armed soldiers stormed Tiananmen Square w/ tanks firing upon protesters + destroying the statue Killed hundreds + wounded thousands 31

32 China s One Child Policy "For a prosperous, powerful nation and a happy family, please use birth planning." Government sign in area of Nanchang where pregnant women hide. Rural Sichuan roadside sign: "It is forbidden to discriminate against, mistreat or abandon baby girls." Introduced in the 1970s to make sure China could feed all its people People in cities are allowed only 1 child (unless the couple is an ethnic minority or both are only children) In rural areas, they re permitted 2 children Enforced with financial penalties, + in the past, forced abortions + sterilizations Frequently not obeyed (a woman might go away + come back with a relative s child or claim they adopted the child) In an area where males are traditionally valued over females, this has led to numerous abortions of female fetuses + to an unbalanced gender ratio China announced in March 2008 that it will continue the policy for at least another 10 yrs 32

33 Issues Regarding China Today 1. Human Rights Violations particularly against political prisoners 2. Taiwan still indep. although it is considered a province of China 3. Tibet many have been calling for its indep. for years 4. Hong Kong Former British colony turned over to China in China promised to respect its political + economic liberties for 50 yrs 33 End Section 5