Struggles for
Democracy
Ch 35
1945-Present
• Democracy
• Gov.’t 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 1865 + women
couldn’t vote until 1920
Making Democracy Work
Common
Practices
Conditions That Foster
Those Practices
Free Elections
-Having more than one political party
-Universal suffrage
Citizen Participation
-High levels of education + literacy
-Economic security
-Freedoms of speech, press, + assembly
Majority Rule,
Minority Rights
-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
• 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
• 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)
• Mexico
Vicente Fox
1st president elected
belonging to a different
political party in 2000
• Enjoyed stability for most of the 20th
century
• Had elections, but ruled by the same
party for over 70 yrs.
• Has its weaknesses, but overall a
relatively stable democracy
• Argentina
• Republic
Dictator
Military
Dictatorship
Republic
Military Dictatorship
Republic
• Problems faced include:
1. Thousands died or disappeared
under the military dictatorship
2. 2003, Argentina defaulted on
$132 bil debt – largest default in
history
3. Weak economy
End Section 1
35.2
• 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
• When Europeans gave up
Algeria (1965-1978)
their colonies they left
Burkina Faso (1966-1991)
Burundi (1966-1993)
fragile democracies in
Central African Republic (1966-1976;
place, many of which
1981-1986; 2003-2005)
Chad (1975-1979)
would be overthrown
Republic of the Congo (1968-1979)
(especially by military
Egypt (1952-1956)
Equatorial Guinea (1979-1982)
dictators)
Ethiopia (1974-1987)
The Gambia (1994-1996)
• Some would declare
Ghana (1966-1970; 1972-1979; 1981-1993)
martial law
Guinea (1984-1993)
Liberia (1980-1986)
(temporary military
Libya (1969-present)
rule) +/or jail
Madagascar (1972-1975)
Mauritania (1978-1992; 2005-2007; 2008dissidents (gov.’t
present)
opponents)
Niger (1974-1991; 1996-1999)
Africa
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Nigeria (1966-1979; 1983-1999)
Rwanda (1973-1994)
Sierra Leone (1967-1968; 1992-1996;
1997-1998)
Somalia (1969-1991; then local militia
rule)
Sudan (1958-1964; 1969-1972; 1989-1993)
Uganda (1971-1979; 1985-1986)
• 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
• 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 1st universal elections
were held in 1994 w/ Nelson Mandela
being elected president
End Section 2
35.3
• The Beginning • During the 1960-70s, the Politburo (the
of the End of the
ruling committee of the Communist
USSR
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
• More of
• B/c of glasnost, more people begin to
Gorbachev’s
complain about the gov.’t (long bread
Reforms
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
• 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 1st 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
•
of Yeltsin
• Boris Yeltsin became Russia’s
(NOT the Soviet) 1st 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.
• End of
• After the August Coup, Estonia + Latvia
the USSR 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.
• Yeltsin
• He enacted “shock therapy” – a policy
Faces
designed to abruptly shift from a
Challenges
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.
• Vladimir Putin • Became president after Yeltsin
resigned in 1999.
• 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.
End Section 3
35.4
• 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
• 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.
• 1988 workers walked off their jobs + one
year later the gov.’t recognized Solidarity
+ agreed to hold free elections. Lech
Walesa was voted as the 1st Polish
president. He would later be voted out of
office b/c the Poles thought economic
progress was moving too slowly
• Hungary
• Radicals w/in the Communist party
launched democratic reforms
• They later deposed of the Communist
leaders + dissolved the party itself in
1989.
• Had free elections afterwards
• 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. 1990
• 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. 1989
• 1993, due to ethnic differences
+ differing opinions on
economic policies,
Czechoslovakia would split into
the Czech Republic + Slovakia
peacefully in the Velvet
Revolution
• 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, 1989.
• Romania has since struggled
heavily w/ corruption + crime.
• In 2007, it joined the European
Union
• Yugoslavia
Josip Tito
• Formed after WWI – divided into 6
republics
• Plagued by ethnic conflict – had 8
major ethnic groups
• Led by Josip Tito from 1945-1980.
• 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
• 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 3person presidency (1 from each
group)
• 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
35.5
• 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
• 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)
• 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
• 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
• 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 October 2015 that
they would now allow all couples to have
2 children.
• Issues
1. Human Rights Violations –
Regarding
particularly against political prisoners
China Today 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 1997. China
promised to respect its political +
economic liberties for 50 yrs
End Section 5