Transcript Slide 1




Laws in Western societies guarantee the same
rights to all persons, whatever their sex, race,
ethnic origin, religion or sexual orientation.
These groups had to struggle to win equal rights.
Some groups are still struggling today to win full
rights.
The economic crisis:
 The stock market crash of 1929 began a severe
economic crisis known as the Great Depression.
 This crisis lasted for 10 years (throughout the 1930s)
What led to this crisis?
 Share prices fall on the New York Stock Exchange
 Investors panic and want to sell their shares.
 No buyers causes value of shares to drop
 Companies go bankrupt
 Workers lose their jobs
 Unemployed people no longer buy goods
 More businesses go bankrupt and close
 More workers lose their jobs
 Because all countries traded with one another, the
Depression spread to the entire world.

The end of the Depression coincided* with the
beginning of the Second World War in 1939.
*To happen at the same time or during the same period

WWII revitalized (boosted) the economies of all
the countries that had been affected by the
Depression.




After WW1(1914-18), Germany was forced to sign a
treaty at Versailles, near paris, in 1919.
A treaty is a written agreement between 2 or more
countries.
The Treaty of Versailles forced the Germans to pay
for damages and to do away with military service.
They also had to give up territory in Europe along
with all of its colonies.




The Depression had hit Germany hard because
their economy was dependent on the United
States.
Germany felt humilitated by the harsh conditions
of the Treaty of Versailles which had been set by
the Allies.
Germans voted Adolf Hitler into power.
By doing so, they got rid of democracy and
voted in an authoritarian government.




Hitler decided to rearm his country.
Rearming his army violated the Treaty of
Versailles!
Hitler also invaded Poland in 1939.
As a result, France and the United Kingdom
declared war on Germany.




Axis powers: Germany, Italy, Japan
(Authoritarian Governments)
Allied powers: France, UK, USSR (Russia) & U.S.A.
(All democratic governments except USSR)
British colonies or former British colonies were
forced to support the UK and joined the Allies in
defeating the Axis.
Canada, Australia, India, New Zealand and
South Africa were former British colonies.


On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped
the world΄s first atomic bomb on the city of
Hiroshima, Japan.
Hundreds of thousands were killed and the city
was leveled.
Why did the Americans do this?
1. In response to Japanʹs surprise and unjustified
attack on Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. (Japan had sunk
or damaged many U.S. Navy battleships, cruisers,
destroyers, had destroyed 188 U.S. Aircraft, had killed
2,402 men and had wounded 1,282 others.)
2.
An excuse to simply test the Atomic bomb



Between 50-60 million people were killed in the
Second World War (Mostly civilian).
Cities and a great deal of infrastructure were
destroyed (Bridges, railways, roads etc.)
The United Nations is an organization that was
set up, in 1945, by nations throughout the world
to ensure that a new world war would not occur
again.


A charter is a document that states a
fundamental law.
It reflects the basic values of the democratic
world.
What was the role or task of the UN Charter?
1. Its mandate was to encourage peace, security
and cooperation throughout the world
2. To promote respect of human rights
3. To improve peoples living conditions
Article 1
 Everyone is born free and equal
Article 2
 People should not be discriminated against
based on their race, colour, sex, language,
religion, political or other opinion etc.
Article 23
 Everyone has the right to equal pay for equal
work.
CAUSES:
 The Great Depression weakened European
countries.
 The Second World War cause so much damage in
Europe that they had to focus on recontructing
their cities and infrastructure.
 As a result, they began to loss interest in their
countries.
 Concurrently, people living in the colonies
demanded independence from their mother
countries.
 They felt it was only fair since they helped out their
mother countries in the war effort.


The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights
inspired these colonies to demand for
independence (We all have the same rights)
Finally, there was the domino effect: The
independence of other colonies encouraged
others to demand for independence.




India was once a British colony since the early
19th century.
In the 1920`s, J. Nehru and M. Gandhi led the
struggle for independence.
During WW2, the UK promised India
independence in exchange for India`s support
in the war effort.
India became an independent country after
WW2 with Nehru as Prime Minister.



After WW2, France did not tolerate any form of
nationist movements (Pro-independence) in its
African colonies.
In some regions in Africa, some activists were put
in jail or expelled from their countries.
France`s attitude to Madagascar`s attempts to
gain independence led to bloodshed.



The UN believed that colonization had to be
brought to an end.
It felt that all people had the right to govern
(rule) themselves . This is called selfdetermination.
In 1945, 750 million people lived in colonized
countries. This dropped to under 2 million by
2006.



1.
2.
The civil rights movement in the United States:
Although slavery was abolished in 1865, blacks
continued to be discriminated against by whites.
Up until the 1950s, the United States still had
discriminatory laws :
Blacks could not attend the same schools as
whites etc.
Blacks could not marry whites either.




Infant mortality was higher than whites.
Blacks were more likely to drop out of high
school than whites.
The unemployment rate for black was much
higher.
Most blacks could not get a loan to buy a
house.




He was a Baptist minister.
He was inspired by Gandhi’s non-violence
approached to winning civil rights.
He fought for the right to vote, to high-quality
jobs and to equality with whites.
He was assassinated in 1968.



Although people such as Martin Luther
preached about gaining civil rights peacefully,
other like Malcolm X took violence as a route.
Malcolm X, along with other Black Muslims, did
more harm to the civil rights movement than
good.
He was shot to death by three black gunmen in
1965.

Although people of different races may work together,
they are still very unlikely to live in the same
neighbourhoods.
What is a ghetto?
 An impoverished (poor), neglected, or otherwise
disadvantaged residential area of a city, usually
troubled by a large amount of crime.
 A part of a city, esp. a slum area, occupied by a minority
group or groups.
 Depending on your race and skin color, you may not be
welcomed in that ghetto.



1.
2.

In 1948 a non-white party came into power.
Non-whites could not vote.
This party passed 2 discriminatory laws:
Population Registration Act: This act classified
people into racial groups. People had to walk
around with ID cards specifying their race.
Group Area Act: Non-whites could had no access
to white neighbourhoods. Whites and non-whites
could not attend the same schools, hospitals,
beaches etc.
This is known as segregation.
Countries like Canada, Great Britain, Isreal have
had great success in letting gay people openly
serve in the military.
 In 2011, the United States Government abolished
its discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t tell policy
which forced gays who served in the military to
stay in the closet. As a result, thousands of gay
soldiers either left the military or were forced out.
Why did the US finally get rid of this policy?
 If you are willing to serve your country and be a
patriot then you should be permitted to serve
openly in the army and not have to worry about
lieing about who you are.




Those who are in favor of gay marriage feel that
it is important for gays to be able to commit
themselves and to have the same benefits and
rights as straight people do.
They want their partner to be taken care of in
case something happens to them (insurance,
inheritance, pension etc.)
Gays care about these issues too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3huRVrckY8



Gay rights in Canada are the most advanced in
the Americas.
Gay Canadians have most of the same legal
rights as straight citizens, and are extended
more legal rights than many other nations where
homosexuality is legal.
Since 2005, Canada has offered civil marriage
rights nationwide to same-sex couples.



It refers to an irrational fear, prejudice or
discrimination towards gays.
It can take many forms, from name-calling and
teasing to serious crimes like assault and murder.
It is most often based on fear and ignorance.


It is the belief that all people are or should be
heterosexual (straight), that other types of
sexuality are wrong.
These attitudes are often communicated
without people realizing it, through assumptions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBuKuA9nHsw
How does it affect Lesbians, gays and bisexuals
(LGB)?
 Fear of rejection by family and friends
 Feel guilty, different & not “being normal”
 Feel that straights will react negatively or lack
understanding



Matthew Wayne Shepard (1976 – 1998) was a young
student who was tortured and murdered in
Wyoming, in October 1998.
Two men offered Shepard a ride in their car. After a
while the two men robbed, pistol-whipped, tortured
him and tied him to a fence in a remote, rural area,
leaving him to die.
Shepard's murder brought international attention for
the need to pass hate crime legislation (laws).



Women had less rights than men
They did not have the right to vote or to be
elected into public office.
Feminism is a movement that was organized by
women that demanded equal rights with men.



Women did the childrearing and housekeeping.
Most women only obtained a high school
diploma and did not pursue a higher education
(CEGEP or university).
Most universities did not accept women;
especially in law and medicine where it was
strictly reserved for men.



1.
2.
3.
The right to vote began in Great Britain in 1865.
Suffragettes was the name given to women who
fought for the right to vote.
How did they win the right?
Disrupted political meetings
Organized marches
Vandalized symbols of masculinity (Men`s only
clubs)

At the Epsom Derby, on 4th June 1913, Emily
Wilding Davison (1872-1913), a suffragette, gave
her life for her cause by throwing herself under
King Georges horse.



First Quebec woman to be elected to the
Quebec legislature in 1961.
Quebec`s first woman cabinet minister.
In 1964, she passed a law that allowed a
married woman to buy property or borrow
money from the bank without her husband`s
consent.

Established in 1966

Works for the interest of Quebec women


Promotes better representation for women in
politics
Works to end violence and poverty for women

The word anti-Semitic means to hate Jews.

The Nazi party was anti-Semitic.


Many people in Germany at the time were
anti-Semitic.
Adolf Hitler wrote a book called “Mein
Kampf”. Mein Kampf means “my struggle”.
In this book he told the German people why
he hated the Jews and how Germany would
be made better if he killed them.








The Jews are to blame for Germany losing the
war.
The Jews have all the money in Germany.
The Jews have all the jobs in Germany.
The Jews have the best German food.
The Jews are murderers.
The Jews steal from German people.
I will make all the Jews leave Germany.
I will kill all Jews who do not leave Germany.





None of these facts were true.
The Jews had saved their money and worked
very hard after the war.
Hitler knew he could make people really
jealous of the Jews because they did look
rich.
He used this jealousy to get into power.
He gave the Germans someone to blame for
all of their problems – the Jews.






Hitler started introducing anti-Semitism laws
when he took control over Germany.
Schoolbooks were rewritten to make Jews
look bad.
The Nazis used books, films, and newspapers
to say bad things about the Jews.
Germans were told to stay away from Jewish
doctors because they were dirty.
Germans were encouraged to vandalize or
smash the windows Jewish-owned shops.
Nuremberg Laws were introduced in 1935.
SEE ACTIVITY SHEET.