The 20th Century: Conflict and Learning - Essay Example

The 20th century: Conflict and Learning Table of contents Introduction 3 National Pride and World Wars 3 Communism and theUSSR 5 Race and Equality 5 Feminism 7 Conclusion 8 Introduction The 20th century was marked by remarkable achievements in many human endeavors. This was the age of where many technological wonders began to take shape in telecommunications, transportation, power generation and computer systems. Society, in general, made great strides in education, ideology, health and politics. Not only did we see the introduction of mass-produced mobiles, we also saw man go into outer space. The 19th century was full of visions of romance and dreams of a better world. So much was the faith in human capacity that it was expected that human society will flourish only to the disappointment of many individuals whose lives were shaped and changed by the atrocious and dehumanizing scenes they experienced in the world wars and other local armed conflicts. Many writers, philosophers and thinkers in general were disillusioned and this was reflected in their art and writings. In this paper, I would be discussing how conflicts in the 20th century affected Western introspection with the main idea being conflicts made people focused more on the darker side of the human soul particularly in the inherent desire for violence. As a result of this investigation, there was a profound desire to expose it and make people realize that these events occurred but should never be repeated. National Pride and the World Wars An increasing sense of national awareness and nationalism led to many events that eventually culminated into two world wars having the intensity and scale never seen before and claimed millions of lives. The Germans, proud of their race and superior technology and eager to replace the United Kingdom as the dominant global power, precipitated the two world wars. France, Britain, United States, Italy, Russia and other nations were to become involved in the wars that would eventually change the notion of violence and inhumanity. (p. 61) The intensity of the fighting and the efficiency of armaments exposed many people to scenarios replete with violence and inhuman tendencies. Auschwitz and many other concentration camps provided many macabre scenes of death. Jews and other non-Aryan races were made to undergo experiments, forced to do labor and eventually exterminated by different methods in the hope of determining which is the most efficient (p. 63). The darker side of humanity made its presence fully known. Nevertheless, the prisoners of concentrations were not the only one severely traumatized. Soldiers and civilians alike saw their comrades and loved ones lose their life and limbs by efficient bombs, bullets and knives all directed to them by living and breathing humans also. Randall Jarrell painted a picture of how dehumanizing the war was with the death of a gunner by flak and the washing of his remains out of the turret like nothing happened (p. 62). Through the writings of survivors, we come to know of a world where violence prevailed and where humans plunged themselves into the darkness of their soul. What the world wars were able to do was to destroy any preconceived and romanticized notion of prosperity, justice, humanity and equality. Nevertheless, it became a catalyst for individuals like Jean Paul Sartre (p. 71-73) and Erich Maria Remarque (53) to take a more proactive role in exposing the evil capacities of human beings and to make them remember the atrocities of war. The crucial experience of war and captivity enabled Sartre, Remarque and other writers of this period to build a positive moral system and express it thru literature. The stage in human history where the two wars occurred changed Western thoughts about armed conflicts and made them appreciate on diplomacy. Many nations became more conscious of the need for peace and strived to achieve some semblance of it. More importantly, it made thinkers ponder and delve on the darkness of the human soul and his seemingly innate ability to destroy others in the most grotesque manner. Communism and the USSR Russia emerged as a global power after World War II. Communism dominated the political and social scene. While the ideals aimed at making a society where there was an equal distribution of resources and work, the conditions eventually evolved into a totalitarian regime that saw many people sent to Siberian labor and prison camps or summarily executed. Totalitarianism enabled Russia to expand its influence and form the USSR which became the other end of a bipolar global power structure with the United States at the other end. (p. 57) The Cold War and the atrocities committed by the totalitarian Soviet regime traumatized those who experience it and resulted into many literatures debunking the appropriateness of a communist society . While the idea was good, those in power tended to abuse it and violate basic human rights. The state controlled the individual and not the person himself. Exposure of this state of affairs contributed to a deeper appreciation of basic human rights in our society today. It made people recognize that the state should not be given full control of society. Rather, self-determination must be always safeguarded. (p. 57-58) Race and Equality While the United States succeeded in stopping the systematic execution of Jews and dissenters by the Nazi regime, it was unable to recognize and stem the systematic exclusion of a significant portion of its populace: the African Americans. These citizens were treated as second class and had to endure low living standards, inferior education, ghetto housing and high criminal rates. (100) If we examine history, we can note that the black people served as slaves for the white American colonists. They were consequently freed from bondage but it did not necessarily translate to equality in rights. African Americans suffered from the practice of racism in terms of discriminatory practices and widespread criminal acts against colored people. This state of affairs persisted even after the end of the 19th century but the 20th century saw an uprising which ultimately resulted to the recognition of equal rights for black people. The United States saw the formation of Black Civil Rights movement in the 1960s which saw the rise to prominence of two figures who animated the black populace to stand up to their rights and let the White-dominated nation hear their cry for justice. On the one side was Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) and the other was Malcolm Little (1925-1965) more popularly known as Malcolm X. (p.101-103) While the methods of Martin Luther King Jr. can be likened to Gandhi's civil disobedience used against the British, his words provided a new meaning to the method and the principles of justice and equality (p. 101). Malcolm X was more radical as he declared that the black people had to do everything necessary to defend themselves in their own country, even violence. He was asking for an armed sacrifice as black soldiers did for their white superiors in the army during World War II. Nevertheless, his commitment led many people to realize that there is indeed something wrong. It was only unfortunate that oftentimes, violence must occur first before attention is given to the problem. White people were fond of projecting the image that the United States was the land of the free but this cannot be farther from the truth. In fact, African Americans were treated as second class citizens and white citizens were not about to consider former slaves as their equals. Even the white clergy espoused the notion that what King was doing for recognition of black people's civil rights was only setting the stage for violence. White people, as with many others in the 20th century, had a twisted notion of justice, freedom and inequality (p. 101-102). King and Malcolm X's ideas made many people realize that there is indeed something wrong in society which lets racial segregation and inequality persists while they continue to profess in the values of justice, freedom and equality. Both King and Malcolm X and writers such as Franz Fanon, James Baldwin and Ralph Ellison made the people look into themselves and ask the true meaning of equality: is it for only a select few or for is it for all Are we going to continue to project the notion that we belong to an ideal society when some of its members are being discriminated upon (p. 103-104) The 20th century conflict involving Civil Rights for African Americans changed the way people perceive the notion of society where justice and inequality exists. Events that unfolded during the struggle against racism made an example not only to the White people but to all the people in the world. It made people realize that all people are entitled to basic human rights and nobody has the power to proclaim superiority over others. This conflict changed the whole world and made it now very sensitive to issues of racism and any other inequalities. Feminism Black Americans were not the only segment of society who experienced inequalities. The anti-racist legislation in 1964 and the passage of the Civil Rights act were not only interpreted as applicable to ban racial discrimination but to gender discrimination as well (p. 105). There was another important development which occurred during the two world wars. With men being sent to the war front, many women were employed to support the war effort and the industries in the homeland. Many of them became educated and increasingly aware of gender inequalities. Thus, the feminist movement was born. Misogyny or the hatred of women and treating them as inferior to males pervaded many societies throughout its history. There were attempts to defy the system. Feminist literature can be traced back in the 14th century in the works of Christine de Pisan who had some followers in the Renaissance and Enlightenment period. The noise generated by the works of pre-20th century feminist writers did not generate enough noise such that in 1900, only New Zealand acknowledged its women to vote (p.111). While there were some movements for women's rights in the 19th century, it was only in the 20th century that feminism took enough form to challenge the norms of society and prevail in providing equal rights to women. Writers such as Virginia Woolfe and Simone de Beauvoir produced literature that served to highlight the inequalities in education, employment, voting and other opportunities enjoyed by men (p. 111-115). This 20th century feminist 'uprising' in society provided the basis for the recognition of women in the educational and work settings. It changed the way we view our society and made it a more just much in the same way as it was changed during the African-American movement. Conclusion The 20th century saw great political and social upheavals and most of changes came in the form of armed conflict. Rising nationalism and national awareness were the prominent theme in many national settings. Germany developed a pride that caused it to conduct a campaign of genocide that eventually led to the extermination of Jews and non-Jews alike. The British Empire was trying to defend its fledgling hold in many overseas locations while trying to eliminate any threats in the homeland from Continental European nations. Russian idealism and years of perceived oppression and neglect made it embrace the principles of socialism and communism culminating into the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR). Aside from its involvement in the world wars, the United States became involved in a Cold War with the USSR and was reeling from the effects of the Great Depression. Profound changes in the social structure also took place that involved the struggle and eventual acceptance of the empowerment of women. This was also the period where the notion of race inequality was challenged by African Americans in the United States. Authorities and society, in general, was challenged to respect civil rights for all individuals. The fight was not without bloodshed, conflict and sacrifices but these resulted to remarkable achievements in the ways of the society. References: Fiero, Gloria (2002) The Humanistic Tradition 4th Ed. US: McGrawHill. Read More