Chapter 19

Chapter 19 is where Strayer covers the collision of the European, Middle Eastern, and East Asian empires between 1800 and 1914. China suffered internal troubles, as they struggled to produce enough resources for their rapidly growing population. There was a rise in bandits and even a peasant rebellion in response to the declining Qing dynasty. This brought about the uprising of the Taiping dynasty. The Taiping people were noticeably more progressive in their attitudes toward women. They felt women should be less restricted and more equal. The Taiping were too unorganized and indecisive among themselves in their efforts to conquer, so the Qing dynasty ultimately prevailed. I really wonder how different China would be if the Taiping dynasty would have successfully arisen, especially their attitude towards women. If they had taken on a more equal perspective of gender roles, I wonder if the rest of the world would have been somehow changed or influenced to also attain a similar view on women. Maybe if that had happened women’s equality would be more prevalent today, though it is much better today. Elsewhere, the Ottoman empire began to struggle within Europe. The Ottoman empire was failing to maintain Islamic land against the incoming Christian powers. Apparently the larger, Christian portion of Europe came to know the Ottoman empire as the “sick man” of Europe. That makes me so sad. I feel like even today Islamic people are misportrayed as being evil or inferior. People actually assume people of the Muslim faith today are all supporters of terrorism. I know Islamic people personally and it makes me mad they have to deal with peoples’ stigma that apparently has been around for hundreds of years. I do not understand the white man’s need to convert everyone to Christianity throughout history. All religions are reflective of people’s cultures and values. Everyone deserves the right to express their beliefs and I wish other religions were more respected by white America throughout history all the way up until today. These were some points of the chapter that really resonated with me.

Chapter 18

In Chapter 18, Strayer covered colonial encounters in Asia and Africa. The industrial revolution is said to have been the motivating factor in Europe’s expansion in the nineteenth century. The demand for raw materials and agricultural products increased substantially. They were also producing too many goods and had to sell them to more than just Europeans, who could not in themselves afford to purchase all that was being produced. Europe is said to have developed a stronger sense of nationalism, heightened by the junction of Italy and Germany, that made them desire more and more land to claim for their own. It is interesting to observe how the simple human need for power can bring about such grand global changes when powered by the right group of people, with all the right privileges available to them. Europeans were also beginning to look  down on other cultures in a more extreme manner. I can not believe they actually used some sort of science to support racism and prejudice. Even today, most people are inclined to instantly accept information from scholarly and scientific sources as factual knowledge. It is scary to think I could have lived in a time where science would tell me I am less intelligent and less humane than others because of my race. Diversity should be celebrated, not shunned. The second wave of colonization describes Europe’s invasion of Africa and Asia and Australia. Apparently, Europeans conquered many African and Asian peoples after many strenuous battles. There was a scramble for Africa, in which six European powers raced to claim as much of Africa as they could. Europeans believed they had the right, the duty even, to “civilize the inferior races (884)”. This meant forcing Christianity, more uniform government, work discipline, some education, and clothing. It annoys me that even today it seems to be a standard mindset that less modernized cultures are inferior or “underdeveloped”. I would not consider them inferior just because they follow a different set of values and do not think it is right that their culture was so often suppressed in history and even today they have to deal with some stigma ingrained within much of society. Europeans brought limited Western education to Africa and Asia, and some people even left, received degrees, and returned as doctors and lawyers. Most education, though, did not cover literature or science because they believed natives were too primitive for such concepts. There were violent rebellions rooted in natives’ fear of losing their own religions in exchange for European christianity. I do not promote violence but religion is such a vital part of my culture and identity that I really do understand how they could have felt it was their only hope at saving something so important to them. Natives were forced to work unpaid jobs on public projects, like building railroads and government buildings. A worker forced to collect rubber is quoted as saying, “‘When we failed and our rubber was short, the soldiers came to our towns and killed us. Many were shot, some had their ears cut off; others were tied up with ropes round their necks and taken away’” (894). It is so sad that people were tortured and murdered because of things out of their control and at the place they worked. All these people wanted to do was support their families and they were brutally killed because of this. The lack of humanity the white foreigners treated the natives with is astonishing, but unfortunately, also not very astonishing at all. These were some of the most outstanding pieces of the chapter.

Chapter 17 Blog

Chapter 17 went over the industrial revolution. For some reason I had previously assumed the industrial revolution began in America, so it was quite surprising to find that it actually started in Europe. Those that benefitted the most from the revolution were those of the upper middle class. They became factory and mine owners, bankers, and merchants. I did not like hearing about this because, this seems to be where the setup of rich management and poor workers began. I wish they had set up a more fair system that treated workers better and paid them fairly enough that the wage gap between the workers and owners was not so vast. Even the cities the working class lived in were unfavorable, with terrible sanitation, polluted water, and few public services.The conditions they worked in were also terrible, with no ventilation, paid vacations, or sick days. I can not imagine going to work in a congested and laborsome job just to come home to another unsanitary and uncomfortable place. I am just very grateful there are now regulations on worker’s rights. I am also realizing that for every luxury I am granted today, there is a history of struggle and improvement behind it. These were some key ideas chapter 17 inspired within me.

Chapter 16

Chapter 16 covers the history of atlantic revolutions and the following global echoes. I have learned about the North American Revolution before, but found it new and interesting how this book characterized it as a conservative movement. You would not normally see a revolution as an act of conservation, but it really was. The americans wanted to preserve the freedoms of their colonies and had to revolt against the British to do so. I really wonder what my life would be like today if America was ruled by the British today. It is nice to hear that the original colonies of America were able to come together to bring down a much more powerful and organized effort. It gives me hope that people today can come together still to overcome similarly daunting issues. The French Revolution, differed however, in how it sprouted from internal conflicts between the French. The working class was frustrated with the disparity of wealth at the time. It was good to hear that the French women of the time were standing up for themselves and demanding better. They wanted things like more access to education and the end of prostitution. This resonated with me because sometimes I do not realize just how lucky I am to live in such a progressive world where, though we struggle for complete equality, women are open to many more opportunities especially educationally. It is saddening, though, that prostitution is still a problem today all over the world despite changes in laws. It astonished me that it took over a century to abolish slavery. I do not like learning about slavery because it was a time of greatly depressing devastation and inhumanity. I can not fathom how our society got to a point where they thought it would okay and feel very grateful I do not live in such a time where I, myself, may have been brought up to support such a system. I also have many Black friends and am very grateful that these people who I have come to know, appreciate, and love do not have to suffer the devastations of slavery today. These have been some of the most intriguing bits of chapter 16.