...The China Cancer Villages Shuiman Di Introduction In the modern world, cancer has become a common ailment and cause of death for millions of people worldwide, but it is frightening when human settlements are identified with the disease due to the high magnitude at which it strikes the populations. Cancer villages may appear like any other human settlements and people go on with their daily lives as if life was just in its normal state. However, upon scrutiny, these villages have striking characteristics that lead towards the indication that life in these areas may not be normal. In some of these villages, the water from rivers and wells is polluted to the extent that people have to rely on bottled drinking water. In others, some sections that are close to major sources of pollution have been vacated, while other areas are no longer agriculturally productive. In some of these villages, the villagers have turned to dumping garbage into ponds or rivers that are considered ruined by pollution. The level of pollution around the cancer villages has been so rampant that crops die off, fish, shrimp and other water creatures vanish from the rivers, animals become infertile or deformed and children suffer extensively from respiratory diseases. Most of China’s cancer villages have been turned into death pots by the effects of industrial pollution that have increased since 1990s. Therefore, the emergence of China’s cancer villages can be attributed to the rampant industrialization...
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...Spain, and the Chinese Empire were both culturally brilliant and geographically extensive. Thus, Bertrand Russell in the chapter ‘Reflections of the Re-awakening East’ says that it is the narrow outlook of the Europeans to term this period “The Dark Ages”. Q.2 On what grounds does the author argue that Communism is the “most modern and virulent form of Western Imperialism”? Ans. In the chapter ‘Reflections on the Re-awakening East’ Bertrand Russell argues that Communism is the most modern and bitterly hostile form of Western policy to establish their political and economic hegemony over other nations. He says that although Communism is not widely recognized in either the East or the West, it is wiping out the ancient and glorious traditions of civilization in Asia. He also says that China has been greatly affected by it and advises the other Asian countries that re-awakening of East should not mean subjection to Communism as its philosophy is German and its regime is imposed by military force. In addition, he says that poetry and music and art and love and the simple joys of life are necessary to make human life tolerable, but these elements are forgotten in the Communist philosophy. That is why Bertrand Russell considers Communism the most modern and virulent...
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...Robert B. Marks, The Origins of the Modern World: A Global and Ecological Narrative Value of Book Wonderful synthesis of recent scholarship on Rise of the West literature with an economic and ecological focus. Uses Global Historical Context to address most issues addressed in the Modern World History course. Use as: Teacher background Use isolated quotes/ chapters for all levels Review book at end of AP curriculum for review Questions raised: 1. How did industry and European-style countries called nation-states—rather than highly developed agrarian empires like China and India—come to define our world? 2. How has the gap between rich and poor increased? 3. How and why have European ways of organizing the world come to dominate the globe? 4. Was the Rise of the West a temporary blip? Scope: Global look (but especially Europe, China and India) 1400 -1900 Chapter by chapter breakdown: Intro “In the space of just 200 years, the world has seen a great reversal of fortune: where once Asians held most of the economic cards, today it is primarily Western countries and Japan.” (p. 2) Concepts addressed/ introduced in chapter: Globalization Enlightenment Communism Nation-states French Revolution Weber-Protestant work ethic Disease Industrial Revolution “modernization” Exploration/ Encounter “Progress History” Colonialism Renaissance Capitalism Slavery Modes of Historical Inquiry Comparative units of analysis Definition of Eurocentrism ...
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...To understand how industrialization changed the world, starting in Britain, it is vital to look at how the world operated pre-industrialization. Living conditions were awful all around the world prior to the 1800’s. The world did not yet have adequate technology to defend itself against natural disasters, famines, and diseases. In addition, some places were not able to sustain enough resources for the population as it increased. Although these problems existed around the world, “before 1800 income per person —the food, clothing, heat, light, and housing available per head—varied across societies,” creating a gap before industries came to widen it. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, Britain did not have as much income as China did. Britain’s land made it difficult to farm, exposing the difficulties of what an ever growing population did to society. In his book, The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy, Kenneth Pomeranz demonstrates how Britain’s, like the rest of Europe’s, “disadvantages were concentrated in areas of agriculture, land management, and the inefficient use of certain land intensive products.” Without the ability to provide enough resources...
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...Jeremiah Warren Professor Bentley Hist. 202 September 20, 2015 Industrialization Paper Prompt: Were the benefits of industrialization worth the costs for most Americans? After reading Jonathan Rees’ book, “Industrialization and the Transformation of American Life” the ways that America changed during the industrialization period are presented clearly and strongly. The book speaks about everything that happened in that time period from immigration to business corruption. Professor Rees really knew what he was talking about in this book and he gives good information for the reader to learn about. In the first chapter, Rees speaks about the many different types of industrialization in America at the time. The first one is of course steel seeing as that was the biggest part of the industrial movement during that time period. Steel was so popular then because it made new technology that people had never seen used. It made new railroads that were durable and went further. The main founder of steel was Andrew Carnegie. He was the one who invented steel and led the way for all of the other railroad companies to start advancing their rails and stretching them across America. “Steel mills are perhaps the quintessential example of late nineteenth century industrialization because of their importance to the American economy and because of their dependence upon mechanization.” This Statement backs up everything that was previously stated. This one sentence shows how steel was...
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...western society overcame pre-modern growth restraints and risen during the 19th century as the most powerful and wealthy region, as ‘The Great Divergence’ (Also commonly referred to as ‘the European miracle’ (Jones, 2003)). This essay will explore the development of European civilization through examining the revolution of commercial, industrial, agricultural, scientific, and the beginning of colonial empires. Also, we will look at various works of many authors and their theories regarding how and why the process of Great Divergence occurred. This includes the change in economical effects, the role of government, culture, the technological development, and innovation. In addition, we will briefly explore the previously developed areas; such as China and compare them to European civilization. The approximate beginning of ‘great divergence’ has been debated between many authors, being as early as 17th century, where Europe’s economy was starting grow over other region’s economy (Maddison, 2001). However, many historians believe that it was during the 19th century when Europe was developing rapidly. On the other hand, other regions that were previously...
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...Critical Analysis: Rise of the West There are many theories and ideas of how western civilization became the way it is today. While some scholars believe it is in one influence of another region, many others can argue that it is certainly just the way the world is supposed to work out. We, as humans, have no control over how our surrounding civilization will turn out nor would we be able to alter many thing that have happened in the past. Robert Marks provides his own examples and theories to prove that other regions such as India and China have a significant part in the outcome of the west. The ideas of Eurocentrism, contingency, accident theories and conjuncture are all theories that are mentioned throughout the narrative to allow readers to understand the point of view the author is coming from. The narrative points out examples and ideas of many scholars who have their own opinions of the rise of the west and the many influences that surround it. Not only does the author of the narrative explain his own views and opinions, but he uses evidence from scholars such as Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels to support his claim as well. "The Rise of the west" is a narrative that provides many examples of how the west was influenced by many other regions and not solely just on European culture. In the narrative, Marks seeks to expand his ideas on how he believes that the world's western civilization was created and influenced by other cultures rather than just one region, Europe....
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...Assessment 06.08 19th Century Changes: Module Project Haitian Revolution From 1791-1804 Haitian slaves, led by Toussaint l ‘Overture, attacked wealthy whites. The main cause for the Haitian revolution was the philosophies of the enlightment in that “all men were considered brothers”, the French revolution had a psychological influence suggesting that if the French could rebel against illegitimate rule so could the Haitians. This is considered the most successful slave rebellion in history. Industrialization in Britain Between 1750 and 1850, the UK experienced the first industrial revolution. The UK changed from mostly agricultural to industrial. The industrial revolution occurred first in Britain because they had resources such as, coal,...
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...While foreigners were building railroads and other forms of industrialization, they would sneak up and kill them. They were also responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Chinese Christians. The Boxer Rebellion was an uprising of the Righteous Harmony Society against the West in northern China between 1898 and 1901. The Boxers began as an anti-foreign, anti-imperialist peasant based movement. It is also said to be a religious revolution against national corruption in the form of foreign missionaries, soldiers, and diplomats, as well as native Christians. Reforms were implemented after the crisis in 1900, which laid the foundation for the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Chinese Republic. In this article, we see that the author demonstrates that this event can be split into that of true history and myth. History in three keys is a work written about the point of view of its author, but not always portrayed in a factual sense. Cohen’s view in the article follows the categories of event, experience, and myth. Historical retelling is in constant tension with two other more influential ways of knowing the past - experience and myth. History retells itself through the accounts of historians with those of participants and witnesses; and sets these perspectives against the range of popular myths that were fashioned about the Boxers. One part tells the Boxer rebellion as recreated by historians. The next explores the feelings and behavior of the direct participants...
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...The Impact of Industrialization in America During the eighteenth century, the world began to change. The Industrial Revolution began in the United Kingdom, with major developments in technology, agriculture, transport, mining, and manufacturing. Before the shift to powered machinery, basic machines and hand tools were used in people’s homes for manufacturing. The transition to industrialization had an influence on nearly every aspect of daily life. After the Civil War, industrialization spread to North America and the increasing number of factories transformed the United States from an agricultural to an urban nation, causing dramatic shift in the society, economy, and politics of the country. American industrialization impacted immigration, urbanization, and the growth of big businesses. The increasing number of factories created a higher labor demand. Immigrants, mainly from Europe and China, settled in the U.S. to take advantage of the work opportunities. In response to the factory worker demand, “America experienced an immigration boom, ‘the Great Wave,’ during which immigration averaged 600,000 annually… primarily by European immigrants; particularly, in its second half, with immigrants from southern and eastern Europe” (Progressives for Immigration Reform, 2012-2014). Immigrants were attracted by the idea of being able to support their families, which was an opportunity lacking in their home countries. However, Americans, despite the cheap labor, became overwhelmed...
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...productivity Foreign investors in these zones received special advantages, ranging from concessionary tax policies to exemptions from export and import duties for equipment and instruments. Chinese state owned enterprises (SOEs) who received subsidies in the form of grants and tax breaks but were running at a loss were under particular scrutiny and were expected to phase out within five years as stipulated by the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures China’s economic development had been and continued to be driven by industrialization an increase in the share of manufacturing and a decline in the share of agriculture as a fraction of GDP The Chinese labor force was on of the indispensable factors in achieving economic advancement The workers spent their wages they increase the demand for consumer products contributing to further industrialization. In China the surplus of workers was so great and its industrialization as a catch up economy so rapid that the necessary demand came not only domestically but also crucially from abroad China’s rise as a manufacturing center was due to a number of low cost advantages High domestic rate of investment; the opening up if the economy to foreign direct investment; a surplus of labor from dismantled SOEs; continuous economic reform policies; and the emergence of new types of ownerships; such as joint stock companies; villages and town enterprises and foreign owned enterprises Foxonn’s management...
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...Why Nations Fail In this essay, I am reviewing a book entitled Why Nations Fail written by Daron Acemoglu, and James Robinson. The book was written in 2012, and the authors mention the ongoing Arab Spring as they were putting together their ideas in writing. This coincidence makes me wonder if these authors were also impacted by the information revolution or the information outburst as Nye (2013) often chooses to call. In fact, the authors did not mention the term ‘information revolution’ in the book; they simply state that Egyptians are on the street not because they are poor, as many scholars and political analysts suggest, but because power has resided in the hands of a few elites, and these elites have used political power to amass personal wealth at the expense of the bigger mass. But why the Egyptian revolution took place at this particular time, instead of a decade ago, for example? As far as I understand political theories, the answer lies behind globalization and information revolution which opened a new gate to information. That is, since billions of people around the globe are capable of reaching the internet (about 1.7 million according to Nye), many are able to read online news, or even watch them live as they are being broadcasted. Thus, it is possible to associate the Egyptian revolution or the Arab Spring to globalization and information revolution. Acemoglu et al, (2012) also indicate that Egypt’s ex-president, Hosni Mubarak gathered a huge amount of...
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...interstate system and global economy. China would become exposed to Western imperialism, and such foreign aggression and encroachment epitomizes what the Chinese call the “Century of Humiliation” – the beginning of the period being attributed to this war. The question that is posed today is whether China could have avoided humiliation. I believe that the answer is no, and such an event was inevitable due to the irreconcilable cultural traditions of China and the West. Also see how tradition may have placed China at a disadvantage First, it is important to address the worldviews belonging to both China and the West. For China, their world was based upon the precepts of Confucianism, which preordained the natural order. Heaven was the source of all authority and men were subject to the will of heaven. The emperor received authority from heaven and has absolute power. The result is a natural hierarchic order that makes inequality a fundamental part of society, reflected by the kowtow (explain) which would be performed to one’s superiors. China applied these norms of internal society to the international, thereby claiming to be the central state and creating what is known as the Sino-centric international system, based upon the belief in their cultural superiority and claim to universal kingship. THose beyond its borders were looked down upon as barbarians. This creates a lack of intergovernmental relations. Instead, interaction between China and other units came through a system...
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...changes for East Asia. Despite all three countries experiencing the many instabilities and reforms that followed after, ultimately stability ensued after the countries became economically stable. Thus, I believe the most important criterion for determining “success” in adapting to modern change would be economic stability within the country. China was plagued by many political reforms during the 20th century. After the Japanese claim to Shandong and Beijing’s sellout became public during the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, a mass anti-Japanese protest demonstration, the May Fourth of 1919, erupted at Beijing University and swept through the country. This gave rise to the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In 1945, after World War II, the Kuomintang government was left financially and militarily crippled. On the other hand, the CCP took advantage of the Kuomintang situation and emerged from the war as a stronger political party on the whole. They eventually took over China in 1949 under Mao Zedong’s chairmanship. The transition to socialism from 1953 to 1957 was characterized by efforts to achieve massive industrialization, collectivization of agriculture, and political centralization. The Great Leap Forward (1958-1960) followed after, which turned out to be an economic failure resulting in the deaths of millions in the countryside. After Deng Xiaoping took over from Mao, he introduced the Four Modernizations program for the four sectors of agriculture, national...
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...women of their specialized labor functions which, in turn, increased their political power in the short term. a-F 8- It should be noted that the restoration of Brazilian democracy had the effect of mobilizing women at a higher level. Middle class women became more involved in national politics consolidating the ties they already had with the urban poor. a-T 9- Cuba has the worst record of trying to maintain gender equality in politics, but women are still overrepresented in the top ranks of political leadership. It remains a fact that traditional cultural values concerning gender roles are dramatically have changed. b-F 10- Women enjoy less equality in the advanced democracies of the West. This is particularly true of countries with high literacy rates, education, and industrialization. b-F 11. In ch.8 of text written by Handelman ‘The underlying causes and theories of revolutionary change have been examined in detail. b-T 12-...
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