Contemporary Global Realignments:
1914 - Present

Chp. 35 (Week 5) | Chp. 36 (Week 5) | Chp. 37 (Week 5)|
Chp. 38 (Week 8) | Chp. 39 (Week 9) | Chp. 40 (Week 10)

Major Developments

1. Questions of periodization

Continuities and breaks, causes of changes from the previous
period and within this period
2. The World Wars, the Cold War, nuclear weaponry, international
organizations, and their impact on the global framework (globalization
of diplomacy and conflict; global balance of power; reduction of
European influence; the League of Nations, the United Nations, the
Non-Aligned Nations, etc.)
3. New patterns of nationalism, especially outside of the West (the
interwar years; decolonization; racism, the Holocaust, genocide; new
nationalisms, including the breakup of the Soviet Union)
4. Impact of major global economic developments (the Great Depression;
technology; Pacific Rim; multinational corporations)
5. New forces of revolution and other sources of political innovations
6. Social reform and social revolution (changing gender roles; family
structures; rise of feminism; peasant protest; international Marxism)
7. Internationalization of culture and reactions
Developments in global and regional cultures
Interactions between elite and popular culture and art
Global cultural forces and patterns of resistance (consumer culture;
religious responses)
8. Demographic and environmental changes (migrations; changes in
birthrates and death rates; new forms of urbanization; deforestation;
green/environmental movements)
9. Diverse interpretations
Is cultural convergence or diversity the best model for understanding
increased intercultural contact in the twentieth century?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using units of
analysis in the twentieth century such as the nation, the
world, the West, and the Third World?

Major Comparisons and Snapshots

Patterns and results of decolonization in Africa and India
Pick two revolutions (Russian, Chinese, Cuban, Iranian) and
compare their effects on the roles of women
Compare the effects of the World Wars on areas outside of Europe
Compare legacies of colonialism and patterns of economic development
in two of three areas (Africa, Asia, and Latin America)
The notion of “the West” and “the East” in the context of Cold War
ideology
Compare nationalist ideologies and movements in contrasting
European and colonial environments
Compare the different types of independence struggles
Compare the impacts of Western consumer society on two civilizations
outside of Europe

Examples of the types of information students are expected to know contrasted with examples of those things students are not expected to know:

Causes of the World Wars, but not battles in the wars
Cultural and political transformations resulting from the wars, but
not French political and cultural history
Fascism, but not Mussolini’s internal policies
Feminism and gender relations, but not Simone de Beauvoir or
Huda Shaarawi
The growth of international organizations, but not the history of ILO
(International Labor Organization)
Colonial independence movements, but not the details of a
particular struggle
The issue of genocide, but not Cambodia, Rwanda, or Kosovo
The internationalization of popular culture, but not the Beatles
Artistic Modernism, but not Dada