Module 7 Essay

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ov5vGutUiBTVSkjy-Eq_8eHRJ7OWep-2SVSaY-dJe5Y/edit?usp=sharing
Eliana Abboud

Andrews

World History 

16 April 2020

Historical Dive of Pandemics
Looking back COVID-19 or Coronavirus is not the first pandemic the

world has faced. One thing to keep in mind when talking about the world’s past experiences
with viruses is the meaning of the word pandemic. Pandemic is a label given to a deadly virus
that spreads worldwide, since there is no known cure. COVID-19 is one of the few that have
been given this label and has brought utter chaos to the world. 

When given the label epidemic this would imply that there has been "an outbreak
of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects an exceptionally high proportion
of the population." (Torrey)  The CDC claims that an epidemic will “occur when an agent and
susceptible hosts are present in adequate numbers, and the agent can be effectively conveyed
from a source to the susceptible hosts.” On the other hand a pandemic “relates to geographic
spread and is used to describe a disease that affects a whole country or the entire world.” (Torrey)
To be more specific according to the CDC a pandemic “refers to an epidemic that has spread over
several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people.”Although many people
have been mainly focusing on the current pandemic this is not the first time people have dealt with
one. One example would be West African Ebola, which lasted from 2014-2016. The initial case of
Ebola was in Guinea when a 2 year old boy suddenly died of an unidentifiable sickness. This is
where the outbreak of Ebola began. 
The virus would later spread to other parts of Africa including Sierra Leone and Liberia.
It has been confirmed that the virus was spreading through direct contact with blood or other bodily
fluids. As the days went by the victim would become more contagious and people caring for them
were more susceptible to the virus. This is one of the main ways the virus spread as transmission
could also occur through contaminated needles, syringes, bedding, and clothing. The health
workers were the ones that had to be extra cautious, since they were the ones dealing with patients
suffering from Ebola. There were around 11,000 victims during the outbreak of Ebola. Diagnostic
tools have been created that can detect the virus within hours, a vaccine that is highly effective has
been created, and thousands of experts have been trained on how to deal with the virus. There were
many casualties and a lack of resources and knowledge about the virus, but despite everything a
vaccine was created and we now know how to prevent Ebola. 

There have been a few major pandemics in history and COVID-19 is the most recent
one of all. So far there have been around 168,000 confirmed deaths worldwide due to COVID-19
and over 2 million cases. The numbers are only rising as time passes and the world is in a state of
panic. During these chaotic times I am lucky to say I have a home to come to and family to be around.
I believe it is ideal to stay home and safe. I have been spending most of my time at home trying to
do my part in keeping myself and everyone else safe. It is very important that we all cooperate
in order to contain the virus and help decrease the number of victims. 

Overall, the situation that we are in currently should not be taken lightly because then
the process of recovery from this pandemic will be unnecessarily prolonged. It is always good to
remember that times like these have been faced before and we will be able to overcome the
challenge. It is also important to show appreciation towards the health care workers who have
been risking their lives to care for the victims of coronavirus everyday. In the end these pandemics
are a reminder that no matter how much power we assign ourselves as human beings something
as simple as a virus could wipe out millions in a short amount of time. We are not as powerful as
we make ourselves out to be and COVID-19, as dangerous as it may be, is helping people gradually
come to this realization.

Works cited

https://www.verywellhealth.com/difference-between-epidemic-and-pandemic-261516

https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dsepd/ss1978/lesson1/section11.html

Module 6

5) How did India’s nationalist movement change over time?

The Indian National Congress (INC), one of the most important

political expressions of all-Indian identity, was established in

1885. This association consisted of English-educated Indians

such as lawyers, journalists, teachers, and businessmen.

The initial goal of the INC was to gain greater inclusion within

the political, military, and business life of British India.

By 1915, Gandhi was in a high position of leadership in the INC.

Instead of fighting for social revolution, he sought the moral

transformation of individuals. Gandhi wanted to raise the status

of India’s untouchables. He believed in gender equality and fought

to elevate the status of women in marriage and society.

Many thought that Gandhi was using his position in the INC

for the wrong reasons, since the ultimate goal was for India to gain

its independence from Britain.

7) What conflicts and differences divided India’s nationalist movement?

Although people seemed to be united within the INC there were differences

and conflicts that divided the association. One of the main differences was religion,

since the INC consisted of those from both Hindu and Muslim backgrounds.

Muslims were a minority in India and feared that their voices wouldn’t be heard

due to the dominant Hindu population. By the time Britain had declared their intention

to leave India, the Muslim League argued that the parts of India where Muslims

were the majority should have a separate political status. They called this region Pakistan,

which means “land of the pure.” This meant that India would not be a single nation like

Gandhi had argued. The leader of the Muslim League Muhammad Ali Jinnah stated that

Muslims and Hindus should not be living in the same areas or interact, since their religious

philosophies, customs, and literatures differed significantly from one another.

17) In what ways did cultural revolutions in Turkey and Iran reflect different

understandings of the role of Islam in modern societies?

In Turkey Mustafa Kemal Ataturk sought to modernize the country, 

which meant they would have “to enter European civilization completely.”

 Islam was to be removed from public life and become a personal 

and private realm. Ataturk made Islam more accessible to his people by 

translating the Quran into Turkish and issuing the call to prayer in Turkish

 instead of Arabic. The old role of Sultan or ruler that was established during

 the Ottoman Empire was removed. Instead Turkey became a republic 

and Islam was no longer associated with politics. In addition, polygamy was 

abolished and women were granted equal rights in divorce, inheritance, and child

 custody. Women in Turkey were granted the right to vote and hold public 

office in 1934, which was a decade before French women gained these rights. 

After Ataturk’s death in 1938, some of the changes he had made returned to the

 way they had originally been. On the other hand, in Iran under the rule of 

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi many believed Iran had become more modernized.

 The Shah initiated a white-revolution where land was redistributed among 

impoverished peasants, women were granted the right to vote, investments in rural 

healthcare and education were made, industrial projects were initiated, and workers

 were offered a share in the profits of those industries.

 After Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s return from exile in France during

 1979 he took control of the country and started a cultural revolution. 

This revolution headed in the opposite direction from that of Turkey.

 The new government defined itself as an Islamic republic.  

Module 5

West African Ebola was another epidemic that plagued humanity.
It spread in Guinea as the initial case was found there and later
spread to Sierra Leone and Liberia. The virus was spread through
direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids of infected people.
Transmission could also occur through contaminated needles,
syringes, bedding, and clothing. There were around 11,000
victims and the epidemic lasted from 2014-2016. Diagnostic tools
have been created that can detect the virus within hours, a vaccine
that is highly effective has been created, and thousands of experts
have been trained on how to deal with the virus. 

module 4

1) Summarize the section from chapter 20

Fascism is described as “intensely nationalistic, seeking to revitalize and purify

the nation and mobilize its people for some grand task.” In addition, fascist

leaders encouraged violence against enemies and wanted to see action rather

than reflection. Fascists rejected concepts of individualism, liberalism,

feminism, democracy, and communism. They claimed that these concepts

would allow or the division and weakening of the nation. Some places were

affected by fascism more than others. In Spain, fascism led to a civil war and

a dictatorial regime that lasted until the 1970’s. In Italy Mussolini took over

in 1922 and brought with him an alternative to communism and ineffective

democratic rule. Mussolini and many other fascists believed that the way he

governed was the beginning of a “new Roman Empire.”

2) Summarize what you learned during your self-guided research

Fascism encourages the idea of one autocratic leader. Fascists believed

 that anyone who opposed them should be gotten rid of no matter how

 violent it had to be. Mussolini is the founder of fascism and it was

 created mostly due to the fear of communism’s spread. Even though 

Mussolini died in 1945 the concepts he brought into the world during

 his time are still known today.

3) Some people say that fascist tendencies seem to be on the rise in

parts of the world today… do you agree?

I think fascist tendencies are on the rise in parts of the world today. 

These tendencies can be seen in different countries including the 

United States. Fascism can be seen in many governments as well 

as among citizens who form groups around fascist ideals.

Ch 19 module

1. What accounts for the massive peasant rebellions of 19thcentury China?

Peasants rebelled claiming that they did not support the Qing Dynasty because of its foreign Manchu origins.
They demanded that the northern region be returned to the Han Dynasty. These peasants rejected Confucianism,
Daoism, and Buddhism as their primary ideology was their own form of Christianity. The leaders of this rebellion
had no intention of restoring Chinese society, instead they wanted a revolutionary change. Their demands were
as follows: the abolition of private property, redistribution of land, end of prostitution and opium smoking,
and the organizatio of society into sexually segregated military camps of men and women. Leaders claimed
that the Qing Dynasty had “poisoned China” and “defiled the emperor’s throne.”

2. How did Western pressures stimulate change in China during the 19thcentury?

Opium was a Western pressure that stimulated change in China. This is due to the fact that British,
American, and other Western merchants found that there was a profitable market for opium. This is
the main reason for the Opium Wars in China. Opium was smuggled into China and the addiction spread
from men and women, to court officials, students preparing for exams, soldiers going into combat,
and common laborers. Millions had become addicted and that’s when China decided to take action.
In 1836 the matter was taken to court where it became a matter of whether the rug should become
legalized or not. The decision was suppression of the drug. The first Opium War ended in 1842 as
the British imposed restrictions on Chinese sovereignty and opened five ports to European traders.
This agreement was the first of the “unequal treaties” to the Chinese people. The second Opium war in
1856 was a victory for the British who would take control of China.

11. How did Japan’s relationship to the larger world change during its modernization process?

The Treaty of 1902 acknowledged Japan as an equal player among the Great Powers of the world.
Japan was able to launch its own empire-building enterprise. The wars won against China and Russia
made Japan an intimidating military competitor in East Asia, since they were able to defeat a major
European power. In addition, Japan was able to gain control over Korea, Taiwan, and Manchuria.
Europeans and Americans saw Japan as an economic, political, and military competitor in Asia.
Japan’s defeat of Russia led to a widespread admiration among those who viewed Japan as a model
for the modern development of their own country and an ally in the struggle against imperialism.
People from all over the world began talking about the achievements of Japan. An Egyptian nationalist
by the name of Mustafa Kamil stated, “we are amazed by Japan because it is the first Eastern government t
o utilize Western civilization to resist the shield of European imperialism in Asia.” Although many admired
Japan, countries that faced Japanese imperialism had a very different point of view than the rest of the world.

ch 18 module

8. What was distinctive about European colonial empires of the 19thcentury?

One of the distinctions of 19th century European colonial empires was the evident race difference between the rulers and the ruled. The places where European populations settled in large numbers were where racial separation was more pronounced. There were certain places such as South Africa where race had to be established as a legal feature of their society. This is what led to what is now known as the apartheid. Another distinction of European colonial empires was in the way they forced their ways of life onto the societies they ruled. New concepts such as centralized tax-collecting bureaucracies, imposed changes in landholding patterns, the integration of colonial economies into a global network of exchange, and more altered the daily lives of many. European colonial empires classified the people they ruled as well. One example of this is the caste system that had been established in India at the time. Gender is yet another distinction, since the European rulers, usually male, prided themselves in their “active masculinity.” Not only that, but they regarded the “conquered race” as soft. One last distinction was the fact that the policies they established greatly contradicted their own values and practices at home.

11. How did cash crop agriculture transform the lives of colonized peoples?

To begin with, many local small farmers were able to own their own land, build
substantial houses, and buy imported goods. Crop agriculture led to a sharp
improvement of standard living during the late nineteenth century.
The exports of rice greatly increased at the time, since the production of rice was
encouraged. This motivated people to migrate to cities where they could benefit
from the cash crop agriculture. Cash crop agriculture brought environmental
problems into the lives of colonial people as well. In the Mekong River delta of
French-ruled Vietnam, mangrove forests and swamplands were destroyed.
This ended their supply of fish and shellfish that supplemented local diets.
The new dikes and irrigation channels that were made generated large amounts of
methane gas, which is a major contributor to global warming. Although cash crop
agriculture was beneficial, it caused many problems as well. Tension between
sexes began to increase and the influx of migrants led to ethnic and class tensions. 

13. How were the lives of African women in particular altered by colonial economies?

During precolonial times in Africa, women were responsible for planting, weeding, harvesting,
food preparation, and child care. Women were also involved in local trading communities, they
were subordinate to men but still had a small measure of economic autonomy. The results of a
study that had been conducted in Cameroon state that women’s working hours increased from
46 hours per week to more than 70 by 1934. Women began taking over traditionally male tasks
like breaking the ground for planting, milking the cows, and supervising the herds, in addition to
their regular responsibilities. By the 1930’s women and men seemed to live different lives, since
women focused more on the village life and subsistence agriculture and men focused on the cities
and working wages. These major changes allowed women to form a stronger bond and unite to support
one another. In some places like Nigeria, Nupe women contributed more family income than their husbands
and found themselves frequently having to lend them money. Women started to realize that they no longer
need a man to depend on and started to veer away from the traditional mindsets they had. The control of
women’s sexuality and mobility was one of the main interests European and African men shared.

Ch 17, module 1

5) How did Britain's middle classes change during the 19th century?

The upper levels of the middle class consisted of wealthy factory owners and mine owners, bankers and merchants. While this may be true, the majority of the middle class included businessmen, doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, journalists, scientists, and any other professionals who were necessary in an industrial society. These people were the reason for the Reform Bill of 1832, which granted middle class men the right to vote, but still excluded women. Their main concern was the idea of "respectability," which combines both social status and virtuous behavior. In terms of gender roles, people who came from middle class families often seemed to adopt traditional roles. The industrial revolution was a turning point in the lives of many middle class women, since they went from being a housewife who couldn't work to earn a profit to entering the labor force in a wide range of careers. The industrial revolution provided both men and women with an abundant amount of new employment options. This is what helped these people be able to distinguish themselves from the working class and claim their position in the middle class. It allowed the majority of the middle class an opportunity to grow and this is what allowed the industrializing process to continue. 

7) What were the differences between industrialization in the United States and that in Russia?

Mostly due to the available resources the United States possessed it became the world’s leading industrial power by the year 1914. The U.S. government made it relatively easy for corporations to form, gave tax breaks, offered grants of public land to the railroad companies, and there was an absence of overt regulation of industry. All of these played a role in the rise of very large business enterprises. The United States also developed new ways to use mass production, the assembly line, and “scientific management” in order to produce for a mass market. On the other hand, Russia remained without a national parliament, had no legal political parties, and no nationwide elections at the time. It remained under the control of titled nobility of various ranks and an unchecked tsar. Russia began to see change through the wars they fought such as the Crimean War (1854-1856). This is when they began coming to the realization that things like serfdom were no longer beneficial to the overall development of the country. It wasn’t until 1890 that the Russian industrial revolution began. This revolution was mostly centered around railroads and heavy industry and a great amount of foreign investment

10) In what ways was Latin America linked to the global economy of the 19th century, and what was the impact of these links?

Latin America began producing large amounts of silver and raw materials such as copper from Chile, tin from Bolivia, nitrates from Chile, and guano (bird droppings) from Peru. Many other materials can be added to this list and came from other parts of Latin America as well. An exchange of goods would occur between Latin America, Europe, and the United States. Latin America would provide the necessary raw materials for industrializing countries and in return they would import weapons, machinery, tools, textiles, and luxury goods from Europe and the United States. Urbanization occurred as a result to this exchange and Latin America sought to become more like Europe. Impoverished Europeans were recruited and promised a new and prosperous life in Latin America. These promises were often unfulfilled though. The exports that Latin America was engaging in at the time impacted the Upper-class landowners and the Middle-class urban dwellers. These two groups represented one percent and eight percent of the population respectively. These people were seen as valuable and necessary for the growth and modernization of society. The rest of the population was lower class and struggled with impoverishment. These are the people who were living in rural areas and benefited the least out of everyone from the export boom.