The Contemporary Period

1900-Present Day

Timeline
Descent into the Abyss: World War I and the
Crisis of the European Global Order

The World Between the Wars: Revolutions,

Depression, and Authoritarian Response

A Second Global Conflict and the End of the

European World Order

Globalization and Industrial Growth

Western Society and Eastern Europe in the

Decades of the Cold War

Latin America: Revolution and Reaction into the

Twenty-First Century

Africa, the Middle East, and Asia in the Era of

Independence
Changes
● Decolonization of nations (Africa, India, Egypt, etc.)
● Wildlife/environmental decay (more so compared to when colonized as well as globally
influential)
● Green Movement
● Less Neocolonial economy
● Urbanization increased
Continuities
● Industrialization - Developing countries had relatively low chances of succeeded to
industrialize as the neocolonial economy was very much dominate. There was to little
capital which led to nations depending on cash crops/minerals on their exports to earn
enough for industrialization.
● World Market - Primarily “primary products” as well as the neocolonial economy. It led
to fluctuations in the success of countries depending on good years and bad years.
Good years → industrialization; Bad years → stagnation/dissipating economy
● Corruption within the governments - rich buys consumer goods while the poor stay
poor, land reforms failed.
● Dependence on industrialized economies due to loans by developing nations. Loans
made by developing countries tend toward state subsidies → unrest and riots
● Extensive poor and rich gap whereby many reforms don’t affect the poor population
(~50% of India’s population remained unchanged after reforms)
● Groups oppressing the poor such as landlords still present in India
● Return of Religious fervor and religious revivalism - most notably Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini in Iran.
● Purging of Western influences in Iran
● Large gap between the poor and the rich in Iran
● Focused on exports of oil as main economy

Rebirth and Revolution: Nation-Building in East

Asia and the Pacific Rim
Major Factors in deciding Japanese recovery
● New constitution in Japan: Emperor becomes figurehead, similar to shogunate
● Democratization - Women were allowed for vote, more rights
● Labor reforms for small farmers
● Breaking of Shintoism as the state religion
● Liberal Democratic Party - Major factor in economic recovery of Japan
● Educational expansion, most notably an increase in the number of engineers → creation
of exponentially growing companies, such as Hyundai or Toyota
● Labor Policies → emphasis on group loyalty and owners caring for workers
 ● Leisure life was more reluctant due to culture, owners focused more on long term
success than short term
● Environmental issues were addressed
● Low average unemployment rates and early retirement age
● Lower amounts of reported loneliness or alienation
● They became a major part of global culture with many companies pushing out brands
such as Hello Kitty or Anime.

Political Systems within the “Little Tigers” in East and Southeast Asia
● The Korean Government rested normally in the hands of a Political Strongman, such as
Syngman Rhee and Park Chung-Hee, however, after a conservative politician won
political opposition grew.
● By the 1970’s, Korea was competing successfully in cheap consumer goods, as well as
in steel and automobiles. Hyundai weld Great power in South Korea.
● Taiwan experienced growth in both agriculture and industry, The Government focused
on economic gains as its involvement in plans for military action against the mainland
communists declined
● Literacy Increased in Taiwan
● Under Chian Ching-kuo, a strong authoritarian government remained.
● In Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew took office for over 30 years and established
tight control over the people (Authoritarianism).
● Hong Kong Served as a sort of middleman for China to trade with the rest of the world
(continuity)

China’s Totalitarianism State and Government *(Life in China)

● Great Leap Forward
● There was an increase in environmental decay
● There was collectivization of farming in 1956 with the passing of “Mass Line.”
● Intellectuals were persecuted and sentenced to prison or hard labor. Millions were killed
● There were attempts to limit birthrates with the one-child policy leading to an increasing
population of males over females. This led to an unfortunate outcome in the 2000s
whereby there were more males than females, creating extreme amounts of issues
around relationships between opposite sexes.
● Mao Zedong aided women’s rights by allowing them to decide who they wanted to
marry to. There was also increased education for females. However, it was hard to find
a job outside of the home for women. In the government, women got positions, but they
were still subordinate like in Latin America.
● Cultural Revolution led to 3 years of humiliation to people opposing Mao Zedong’s rule.
He extensively used the “Red Guard.” (Red Guard - Usually University Students)
How was Vietnam able to successfully push the French, Japanese, and
Americans out of their country?
● Nationalism was a major part of solving colonization efforts such as with nationalist
newspapers or magazines.
● There was education which allowed for Vietnamese citizens to get into the government,
usually to remedy racism (like India against Britain)
● Vietnamese Nationalist Party- Active in the 1920s with goal of violent overthrow of the
French (like Egypt in 1906)
● Communist Party of Vietnam- Came to power and became the major deciding factor in
Vietnamese liberation due to Ho Chi Minh leading it.
● Due to the Communism in Vietnam, they received help from the Comintern.
● World War II helped as the French got weaker (their country was defeated) and the war
in Indochina ravaged allowing for more opportunities of uprising in Vietnam. World War
II also helped as the Japanese left Vietnam, leaving the Viet Minh to fill up the empty
vacuum in Vietnam.
● Vo Nguyen Giap and Guerilla Warfare- Guerilla warfare allowed for the Vietnamese to
counter the Americans as without the territory and geography of dense forests and
guerilla warfare, war with the U.S. would have been impossible to win.
● Dien Bien Phu- This battle allowed for the Vietnamese to hold the northern part of
Vietnam.
● Viet Cong- Communist guerilla movement in South Vietnam, teaming up with the
Northern Vietnamese army and banded together against the South Vietnamese and the
U.S. in the Vietnam War.
● America joining gave further incentive to keep up with the war against South Vietnam as
it boosted morale. America was another imperialist nation that was challenging North
Vietnam, which they were unwilling to lose against.

- Japan:
- Similar to Latin America: U.S. intervention (demilitarization)
- Continuity: selective borrowing
- Change: U.S. has unfavorable balance of trade with Japan (contrary to silver era)
- China:
- Great Leap Forward: Stalin’s 5 year plans (collectivization, peasants favored)
- Cultural Revolution & period of warring states
- Chinese communists gain power after Japanese invasion (similar to Brazil, where
invasion led to a shift in power)
- Vietnam:
- Vietnamese Nationalist Party vs. PNC & Indian National Congress, communist
vs. democratic outcomes
- Violent revolution against an oppressive force: South Africa, Haiti
- Western-educated middle class in Vietnam (similar to India)
Changes
● Asia turns from under Western power for centuries to getting independence in the
1900s.
● Less emphasis on Confucianism in all countries in Asia. Still prevalent, but not as much.
● Return to economic power similar to post-classical era (Asia was #1 in economics)
● Industrialization. Many Asian countries had their first industrial revolutions.
● Oppression and Authoritarian governments persisted and persists in this area.
● Improvement in women’s rights and education.
● Women in government positions.
● Environmental decay
● Increased literacy rates
● Implementation of Western medicine and technology compared to before.
● Middle class prospered and grew
● Asian countries benefited from the Japanese market compared to before where they
mostly benefited and took from the Chinese market (Post-Classical Era)
● Collectivization of farming
● Spreading of Communism
●

Continuities
● Women still had hard time to get a job outside the home in China.
● Women in government but still lower than men.
● Women still viewed lower than men.
● Asia still relatively impoverished
● Focus on group loyalties over individualism in Japan
● Hong Kong remained a middleman between the world and China

Conclusions
Under the contemporary period, the whole of Asia received relative increase in prosperity in the
economy. However, oppression grew as a whole in Asia and totalitarianism as well as
Authoritarianism grew. This led to low amounts of free press compared to the West and the
banning of Western technology. However, Asian countries implemented Western technology for
the first time in centuries (other than Japan) with industrializing and accepting medicine. Many
countries in Asia also became independent and industrialized for the first time in centuries
similar to African states. A major continuity with Asian countries is that of educated intellectuals
being the hand of revolution, such as Mao Zedong. This can be seen with the Post-Classical
Era up to the contemporary era for China and a handful of other Asian nations.
Compare and Contrast with other eras, state the
significance of these chapters on how it affects
the future, and what Globalization took place
and how it affected others. What common
similarities do these chapters have with each
other?