Independence Movements – World Today
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Negritude Movement – a movement to
celebrate African culture, heritage, and
values
Right to self-determination (U.N. charter)
Peaceful and violent revolutions after World
War II
Resentment toward imperial rule and
economic exploitation
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Bloody – British settlers owned prime
farmland in the highlands of Kenya and
resisted independence for Kenya
Leader – Jomo Kenyatta
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West Africa – peaceful transition
Originally called Gold Coast under the British
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War for independence from France
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Struggle against apartheid
Led by Nelson Mandela, who became the
first black president of South Africa
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Both Palestinians and Israelis want the same
land
Creation of Israel in 1948 led to many
conflicts between Israel and countries in the
Middle East (Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, etc…)
1993 – creation of a Palestinian state (Gaza
Strip and West Bank)
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Golda Meir- Prime Minister of Israel who
helped defeat Arab nations in the Yom Kippur
War and sought a close relationship with the
U.S.
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Protestants vs. Catholics
IRA (Irish Republican Army) – wants a united
Ireland (Northern Ireland – part of Great
Britain)
Today – not an issue
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1990s – Slovenia and Croatia separate from
Yugoslavia
Serbian-led Yugoslav army invaded both Croatia
and Slovenia – became free from Serbian rule
February 1992 – Bosnia Herzegovina declared
independence
April 1992 – Serbia and Montenegro formed a new
Yugoslavia
While Bosnian Muslims and Croats supported
independence, Bosnian Serbs did not
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Supported by Serbia,
Bosnian Serbs
launched a brutal war
in 1992 (ethnically
cleanse Bosnia
Herzegovina of all
Muslims)
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Leader – Gandhi
Role of civil disobedience and passive
resistance (boycotts and Salt March)
Hindu-Muslim conflict
1947 partition – India (Hindus) and Pakistan
(Muslims)
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Modern India a parliamentary democracy
with a strong economy
Ethnic and religious tensions face the
developing the nation.
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Was created based on a religious issue and
divided into two territories (East and West)
Conflict between East and West (linguistic,
religious, and regional issues)
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1971 – East Pakistan declared its
independence
East Pakistan became Bangladesh
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Division of China into two nations at the end
of the Chinese civil war
Chiang Kai-shek – nationalist China (Taiwan)
Mao Tse-tung (Mao Zedong) – Communist
China (mainland China)
Continuing conflict
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North America and Europe
Economic stability - prosperous
High literacy rates (most people can read and
write)
Health care (most people have access to
health care)
Low birth rate/low infant mortality rate
Population growth - slow
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Africa and Asia
Economic Conditions – Poverty
Low literacy rate
Health care (diseases)
High birth rate/high infant mortality rate
Growing population – rapid
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Widespread but unequal access to computers
and instantaneous communications
Genetic engineering and bioethics
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Economic development (pollution)
Rapid population growth (strain on natural
resources)
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Pollution
Loss of habitat (places to live)
Global climate change
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Poverty
Poor health
Illiteracy
Famine
Migration
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Role of rapid transportation, communication, and computer
networks
Rise and influence of multinational corporations
Changing role of international boundaries
Regional integration (European Union – tariff-free trade
among European nations)
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Trade Agreements – North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) – tariff-free trade between U.S., Canada, and
Mexico and World Trade Organization (WTO) – monitors
trade among nations
International Organizations – United Nations + International
Monetary Fund (IMF) – offers emergency funds to countries
in crisis
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Refugees as an issue in international conflicts
(ex. Palestinian-Israeli conflict forced a lot of
Palestinians into Jordan) – people who are
forced to leave their homelands because of
war, poverty, political problems, and
environmental disasters
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People who leave their homeland to work
elsewhere (Ex. Central and South Americans
coming to the United States) – guest workers
Indira Gandhi
 First female Prime Minister
of India
 established a close relationship with
the USSR
during the Cold War and
built a nuclear program
Margret Thatcher
 First female British
prime minister
 Less government regulation
of economy
 Close relationship with the US on foreign
policy
Mikhail Gorbachev
 Allowed people to criticize the government
( glasnost
)
 Allowed private ownership of small business
( perestroika )
 Last president of the Soviet Union
Deng Xiaoping
 Became leader of China
after Mao’s death
 Reformed economy
to a market
economy which allowed for rapid growth
 Continued Communist rule of China