Chapter 22 - End of Empire

In what way(s) do you see the historical developments described in this chapter continuing to evolve in our world today? Make a separate blog post for each chapter. 

I see a reflection of past events as the new nations struggle for economic independence and globalization, would they be able to succeed? World War II marked the end of European empires, and dismantles in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean and Pacific Oceania before the end of the 20th century. Trade became more global as technology expanded, markets grew, and corporation became “the new empires” as dominant business organizations (p.976).

Asia and the Middle East gained their independence in the late 1940’s. For instance, India broke away from Britain, and South Africa ended apartheid. The Philippines, India, Pakistan, Burma, Indonesia, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel gained their independence as well. Africa’s 50 colonies from the mid 1950s- through the mid 1970s gained their independence.

Pacific Oceania: Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, the Solomon Islands, Kiribati became independent as the colonial empires abandoned their ruling.  However, Hawaiians sought to become part of the United Stated instead of becoming independent even though not too many Americans were very complaint about it. The Caribbean societies: The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, achieved their independence between the 1960’s and 1970s, not Cuba, independent since 1902 rejected control of U.S. in its revolutionary upheaval in 1959.All the Caribbean societies refused to become the Federation of the West Indies, and instead became independent states in 1983 (p.976).

This dissolution of European empires was similar to the one experience by the Assyrians, Romans, Arabs and Mongols. What was the driving force? human kind was naturally divided into distinct peoples or nations, each which deserved an independent state of its own. It became a global concept, and empires became unacceptable to many people; however, empires without territory such as US wanted to exercise control over Latin American countries and came under attack. Similar situation happened with the Mexican revolution in 1910. One of the outcomes was the nationalization of the Mexico’s oil industry in  1937, which was owned by American and British investors (p.997). Cuban fought fiercely in 1959. Trade became  global as technology expanded. Not all was sweet: many of these newly independent experienced instability through military power, civil unrest, and ethnic cleansing.

In conclusion, many countries gained their independence from European empires in the 20th century, through decolonization. Thus, these countries continue to go to great struggles to compete, modernize and become economically strong and be part of the  global trade of the industrialized countries.