At the forefront of the causes of the First World War was the growing sense of Nationalism among the European nations as they reacted to the “fallout” of imperialism abroad and social class conflicts at home (WWI and the Interwar Years, Part 1 3-4mins). In other words, each European power was keen to minimize its counterpart’s influence in the colonized territories and within its borders.
Subsequently, one of the effects of World War I was the taint it placed on the presentation of the West as the “height of civilization”; in answer, colonized persons began to question the legitimacy of European conquests (WWI Part1 4-5mins). The seeds of decolonization paved the way for nationalism in the territories that European powers claimed in both Africa and Asia. The second effect revolved around the chaos that defined the interwar period. From the presentation of artwork to the understanding of the socio-political spheres of the nations, traditional perceptions of the governments and the societies of Europe changed after the First World War. Cubism provides an ideal illustration of the changes in European Art. Before the war, painted works based on the exact image of an object or a scene [Claude Monet: Water Lilies] (WWI Part1 8mins). However, with Cubism, paintings eluded “discord” as artists sought to portray the feelings “evoked” by their subject [Georges Braque: Violin and Candlestick] (WWI Part1 9mins). Pablo Picasso, a renowned artist from the interwar period, informed people that his Cubism works became possible after his exposure to African Art (WWI Part1 8mins). Meanwhile, in the socio-political sphere, the peoples’ values evolved to encompass the effects of the Great War. The most relevant change was in the enfranchisement of women in Europe and the United States; as one would expect, the right to vote dictated more freedom for the female sex and a decline in birthrates as women opted to work instead of marriage (WWI Part1 11mins).
WWI and the Interwar Years, Part 2
Interestingly, the interwar years also marked the grounds on which the Second World War took place, and the subsequent Cold War began even before the commencement of the second half of the Twentieth Century. Naturally, the imperialistic adventures that had defined European politics for the better part of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century guaranteed that most powers boasted colonies overseas, such as in Africa (WWI and the Interwar Years, Part 2 1min). The problem stemmed from the reality of settlements requiring the colonists’ attention while the home countries faced possible turmoil in the wake of the First World War. In the lecture European Imperialism from last week, there was the mention of the Berlin Conference of 1884: years before the First World War and its aftermath that threatened the position of Western Europe as a global power. If the Berlin Conference is anything to go by, then the pre-First World War period was one marked with a race among the nations of Europe as they sought territories abroad to boost their economies. Post-First World War showed the flaws in such endeavors.
Foremost, ruling the colonies while taking care of the home country became a “burden” since most of Europe was recuperating from the battles (WWI Part2 2mins). Still, the Europe needed raw materials in its revival processes to letting go of the colonies was not an option (WWI Part2 2mins). Nonetheless, the colonized nations had witnessed the brutality of war while fighting for their colonizers; as a result, they began to question the idea that associated Europe and the United States with civilization. It was within such circumstances that decolonization became a possibility: the disorganization of Europe, coupled with revolutions that plagued the region at the time, created unprecedented cracks through which new superpowers could emerge (WWI Part2 3mins). Later, people understood the mentioned disparities in Europe as the first signs of what would become the Cold War (WWI Part2 3mins).
On the one hand, there was the United States and the Soviet Union competing to dominate the global economy while using opposing ideologies. The Soviets advocated communism while the Americans called for capitalism; eventually, the two would face off and plunge the world into the Cold War (WWI Part2 3mins). On the other hand, the United States would be at odds with Japan as they each wanted control over the Pacific (Part2 3mins). On that note, the Japanese were keen to expand their influence by gaining more territories. That is why the Japanese Imperial Army had orders to invade China in 1937 (Rape of Nanking). What ensued, especially in the city of Nanking, was a period of brutality as the Japanese forces carried out “unrestrained torture, rape, and murder” that saw to the deaths of thousands of Chinese men, women, and children (Rape of Nanking17mins). The Americans would play a significant role in ending Japan’s advancements in the Second World War and thwart the Communist Soviet Union in the Cold War.
CW and Soft Power, Part I
While Historians assert the Cold War began after the Second World War when the United States and the Soviet Union no longer had a common foe to fight, the tensions between the two powers in the interwar period suggest otherwise. After all, the Soviets were already in support of a totalitarian government and were suspicious of the Americans from as early as The Great Famine. In that sense, when the divisions between capitalism and communism emerged after World War II, it only made sense that the two nations became enemies after claiming the title of world superpowers (CW 1min).
With the given introduction in mind, the Cold War was a “global conflict” between the Soviets and the Americans who used “soft power” as opposed to “hard power” (CW 9mins). In the first part of the lecture CW and Soft Power, the difference between hard and soft power revolves around the weapons that opposing forces used. Hence, where there was armament, hard power was at play and the First and Second World Wars made up a perfect example of the same (CW 9mins). Meanwhile, soft power highlighted the methods that the United States and the Soviet Union utilized during the Cold War; that was especially so through the use of propaganda-based media components (CW 8mins).
The 1933 animated clip titled Soviet Propaganda-Black and White illustrates some of the propaganda that the Soviets used to attack the capitalist Americans. In the short video, white characters subject black characters to various atrocities despite the assertions of democracy that the States held at the time. In one scene, the cartoon of a white man drives along a road with African Americans hanging on electric poles (Soviet Propaganda 1min). The scene depicted lynching, and at the time, white supremacists were keen to lynch African Americans as their racist ideologies provided enough reason to do the same. Thus, the Soviets were successful in denouncing capitalism as the ideal economic and social ideology for the people; after all, the United States government was not upholding racial equality on American soil (CW 11-12mins).
Strangely, even with the racist perceptions that governed the United States until the Civil Rights Movement helped in persuading the government to enfranchise African Americans, capitalism triumphed over communism. Before its completion in 1989, from its conception between 1945 and 1947, the Cold War marked a tug-of-war relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union (CW 2mins). Some nations embraced global capitalism and thriving today; a perfect example is in Taiwan where an economic revolution is evident across generations (Globalism 10-11mins). Rural farmers begot factory workers whose children became well-paid engineers in present capitalist societies of Taiwan (Globalism 11). It is no wonder global capitalism won: its “free market economy” goes hand in hand with success.
Works Cited
Angell, Kim. “Rape of Nanking.” YouTube, 23 Apr 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQnBvs3LTZw
Burlingham, Kate. “WWI and the Interwar Years, Part 1.” YouTube, 11 Mar 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gR4wKShs6w
—. “WWI and the Interwar Years, Part 2.” YouTube, 11 Mar 2015,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZfjg_3yUVU
—. “European Imperialism.” YouTube, 25 Feb 2015,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_2iKmkAB9A
—. “CW and Soft Power Part I.” YouTube, 15 Apr 2015,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4QOuL9snkI
“Johan Norberg - Globalism is Good 1/4.” YouTube, uploaded by Basic Economics, 20 Jun 2012,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbF2I5t25s0
Oregon Public Broadcasting. “Propaganda Leaflet, Tiffany Window & Spanish Civil War Eulogy.” Public Broadcasting Service, 2014, http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/video/1981803098/
“Soviet Propaganda - Black and White (1933).” YouTube, uploaded by Kanaal van fapperlo, 16 Mar 2010,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHs3QS4ODqo
