Transcript Slide 1

What Are We Learning
Today?
2.4 Explore the relationship
between nationalism and the
pursuit of national interest.
How are Nationalism and
National Interest Related?
Pg. 116
Aspects of National Interest
• Like individuals, ppl who govern democratic
communities and nations make decisions based
on what is in the community’s or nation’s
interests. These benefits are their national
interest .
• They may focus on 1 or more of the following:
Economic Prosperity
• This includes stable employment and a decent
standard of living.
• Gov’ts acting in the national interest try to
provide these economic benefits in various
ways. They may, for example, pass laws
ensuring that citizens are not exploited in the
workplace. They may also enter into trade
treaties with other nations.
Security & Safety
• Measures to maintain national security and
physical protection include laws that protect
citizens within the country, as well as secure
borders that can be defended against intruders.
• Gov’ts acting in the national interest try to
ensure the personal safety of citizens,
peacefully resolve differences with other
countries, and control who enters the country.
Beliefs & Values
• These include affirming and promoting citizens’
values, beliefs, and culture.
• Gov’ts acting in the national interest try, for
example, to safeguard and respect the shared
worldviews, ways of life, traditions, and
languages of their citizens.
Changing Views of National Interest
• Just as ppl’s understandings of nationalism may
differ, their opinions on what is in the national
interest may differ.
• National interest is not static and unchanging.
Events inside and outside a country can change
ppl’s opinion about what is in the national
interest.
• What are some examples?
What Are We Learning
Today?
2.5 Analyze how the pursuit of
national interest shapes foreign
policy.
How Has National Interest Shaped
Foreign Policy?
• A policy is a plan of action that has been
deliberately chosen to guide or influence future
decisions.
• Our school, for example, has policies to guide
decisions about what is in the individual or
collective interests of the students and staff.
(Dress code policy, attendance policy).
Domestic & Foreign Policy
• A country’s policy is responsible for developing
both domestic policy and foreign policy.
• Domestic Policy – guides decisions about what
to do within the country. In Canada, domestic
policy may guide decisions about changing
federal laws, settling Aboriginal land claims, etc.
• Foreign Policy – guides decisions about official
relations with other countries. Foreign policy,
which is often called external relation or foreign
affairs, may involve signing treaties,
establishing trade relations with foreign states,
or taking action on human rights & world health.
Foreign Policy Impacts
• Foreign policy decisions may have relatively
short-term effects on a limited # of ppl or longterm effects on millions of ppl.
• Some foreign policy decisions made at the end
of WW I, for example, are still affecting the
world today. Many ppl believe that the turmoil in
the Middle Eastern countries relates directly to
the foreign policy decisions of the US and
European countries as they pursued their
national interests at the end of WW I.
WW I
• WW I was fought in Europe, the Middle East,
Asia, and Africa. On 1 side was the Central
Powers, led by Germany; on the other side
were the Allies, led by Britain. The world had
never experienced such a wide-ranging and
deadly war. Millions of ppl died, and the
financial cost was enormous.
• Before WW I, nationalism had flourished in
Europe. Many historians believe that
nationalism and ppl’s beliefs about their
national interest were important causes of this
war.
How Did WW I Start?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE8552joxfE
&feature=related
Pursuing National Interest
• European gov’ts, for example, believed that
expanding their territory in Europe, as well as
their colonial possessions, was in their national
interests. This belief was a foundation of their
foreign policy, which led them to form alliances
with other European countries.
• Allied members agreed to help one another
when one country was threatened. This system
of alliances was one factor that brought so
many countries into the war so quickly.
The Ignoring of National Interests
• Most ppl affected by WW I had had no say in
the decision to go to war. If you lived in the
Ottoman, Russian, or Austro-Hungarian
empires, for example, you were at war when
your rulers declared war.
• Even if you lived in Canada, you were included
in Britain’s declaration of war. Your national
interests were not considered. (FYI pg. 123)
• After more than 4 years of brutal fighting, an
armistice (truce), was declared at 11am on
November 11, 1918, and the war ended.
Treaty Negotiations in France
• WW I was fought over sovereignty and territory,
economic interests and security, and
nationalism and national identity. These issues
also dominated the discussions at the peace
talks that took place in Paris, France, from 1919
to 1920.
• The victorious Allies, especially France and
Britain, wanted to punish Germany by imposing
harsh conditions. As a result, leaders of the
Allied countries made many treaty decisions
that had far-reaching effects on million of ppl.
Treaty of Versailles
• The financial, military, and territorial penalties
imposed on Germany and the Central Powers
were severe.
• The Treaty of Versailles required Germany to
reduce its military strength, pay war repartitions
(compensation) of $30 billion, give up territory
in Europe as well as its colonies, and accept
responsibility “for causing all the loss and
damage” that had affected the Allies.
National Interests after WW I in
Canada
• Once WW I ended, many Canadians returned
their attention to domestic concerns. The war
had created an industrial boom, but this died
out, and many returning Canadian veterans has
trouble finding work.
• This created unrest, and ppl’s personal,
collective, and national interests began to focus
more on what was happening at home and less
on events in other countries. Domestic issues
became more important than foreign policy
concerns.
National Interests after WW I in
Europe
• A similar shift in priorities took place in many
other countries that had been involved in the
war. Belgium and France, deeply in debt,
focused on rebuilding cities, towns, and farms.
Britain had serious problems in its empire,
especially in India. There, Mohandas Gandhi
was leading a nationalist program of peaceful
civil disobedience that was hurting an already
battered British economy.
• Unity among the Allies, who had created the
Treaty of Versailles, soon disappeared.
How Has Foreign Policy Shaped
National Interest?
• Nationalism, foreign policy, and national interest
can be understood as a complex and constantly
changing web. Though the pursuit of national
interest often shapes foreign policy, foreign
policy can also shape national interest. A gov’ts
policies can affect its citizens’ safety and
security, their economic future, and even their
culture.
• When Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia,
for example, that single foreign policy decision
affected the Austro-Hungarian ppl’s security,
their prosperity, and their culture for decades.
Homework
• Read pg. 128 & 129 and answer questions 1-3
on pg. 129 as well as the questions related to
Figure 5-16. (2/3 page total)
• Due tomorrow.
Foreign Policy & Contending
National Interests in Peru
• A country’s foreign policy may benefit some
communities but have negative effects on
others. This is what is happening in Peru.
• In 2007, the Peruvian gov’t decided that it
would be in their national interest to auction
land in the Amazon rainforest to foreign-owned
oil companies for development. The wealth
generated by oil exploration and extraction
could help Peruvians, whose GDP in 2006 was
$6600 a person.
Foreign Policy & Contending
National Interests in Peru
• But the land in question forms part of the
traditional territory of the Mashco Piro, an
Indigenous ppl who shun contact with outsiders.
The Mashco Piro do not want to move to
another part of the forest or become part of the
outside world.
• Peruvian law says that if Indigenous ppl live in a
region, the land must be kept for their use. But
this law can be set aside if the land is used in a
way that contributes to the country’s national
interest.
Foreign Policy & Contending
National Interests in Peru
• Perupetro, Peru’s gov’t-owned oil company, has
since auctioned off some of the land to Spanish
and American oil companies.
• In September 2007, the Peruvian gov’t signed
the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples as part of its foreign policy.
It says that Indigenous peoples have the right to
territories and resources they have traditionally
owned, occupied and used.
9/11 and Canada in Afghanistan
• The 9/11 attacks on the
US killed 2,982 ppl,
including 24 Canadians.
It was generally believed
that the Taliban rulers of
Afghanistan were hiding
and protecting Osama
bin Laden and other
members of al-Qaeda,
which had claimed
responsibility for the
attacks.
The United Nations & 9/11
• As a result, the United Nations agreed that the
US and it allies were entitled to invade
Afghanistan to destroy the Taliban and track
down bin Laden.
• The UN authorized the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO), to organize this mission,
which started in 2001.
NATO
• As part of its foreign policy after WW II, Canada
had helped found NATO. The treaty that
created NATO in 1949 said that an attack on 1
member would be considered an attack on all.
• As a result, forces from Canada and other
countries, including the US and Britain, went to
Afghanistan under the NATO banner.
The Switch to Active Combat
• The Taliban gov’t fell, and Canadian forces
helped keep peace while a new gov’t was
organized. But when the US invaded Iraq in
2003, many of the American troops in
Afghanistan were reassigned to Iraq.
• This reduced the size of the NATO force in
Afghanistan. To make up this shortfall, other
countries, such as Canada, increased the size
of their force and expanded their role to include
active combat.
Shift in Foreign Policy
• This foreign policy shift was controversial. Most
Canadians had opposed the Iraq invasion, and
some now charged that the decision to increase
the # of Canadian troops in Afghanistan was a
way of helping the gov’t solve a difficult
problem: how to appear to support its American
ally’s war on terror while responding to public
opinion by staying out of the war with Iraq.
Debate over Afghanistan
• Voices pg. 131.
• Debate over Afghanistan pg. 132.
• Canadian politicians disagreed over how to
resolve these issues. NDP leader Jack Layton
believed that a military role was “not the right
mission for Canada.” He said, “Canadians want
a foreign policy rooted in fact, not fear, one that
is uniquely independent, not ideologically
imported. And one that leads the world into
peace, not (one that) follows the US into wars.”
• What do you think Layton meant by this?
• Stephen Harper:
“Canada went into
Afghanistan for very real
reasons of national
security and int’l security.
Because as 9/11 showed,
if we abandon our fellow
human beings to lives of
poverty, brutality and
ignorance, in today’s
global village, their misery
will eventually and
inevitable become our
own.”
Interests & Rights for Women
• When the Taliban controlled
Afghanistan, girls were not
allowed to go to school and
women were not allowed to have
careers. Although the new NATObacked gov’t created a ministry of
women’s affairs to change this
situation, Taliban resistance was
causing concern. In September
2006, the Taliban took credit for
assassinating Safia Ama Jan, an
official with the women’s ministry.
A Slow Progression
• Sima Samar was Afghanistan’s 1st minister of
women’s affairs. In 2007, she headed the
Afghanistan Independent Human Rights
Commission, which monitors the progress of
gov’t agencies and other institutions toward
implementing human rights laws and policies.
• Samar has said that changing Afghanistan will
take time. “We started in 2001 with no systems
at all,” she said. “We have accomplished a lot…
Democracy is a process – it doesn’t come
because you shout at it. You have to deal with
the weak points and you can’t have it without
the participation of half the population.”
What Are We Learning
Today?
2.6 Analyze the relationship
between nationalism and
ultranationalism.
What is Ultranationalism?
• Ultranationalism is an extreme form of
nationalism.
• Ppl disagree on when nationalism becomes
ultranationalism but at some point,
ultranationalists move from valuing their own
nation and its interests, to hostility toward ppl of
other nations. This hostility can endanger int’l
peace.
• Ultranationalism may be associated with a
fanatical belief in the rights of your own group
and a fear and loathing of anyone who
challenges those beliefs.
Varying Opinions of
Ultranationalism
• Whether ppl label a belief or policy nationalistic
or ultranationalistic sometimes depends on the
nation they belong to.
• Some might view the actions of ppl in their own
group as patriotic, while claiming that similar
actions by other ppls are ultranationalistic. For
example, building a strong military may be
viewed as nationalistic in one country – but
ultranationalistic in another.
Propaganda & Ultranationalism
• Propaganda refers to info. and ideas that are
spread to achieve a specific goal. The info. and
ideas are often misleading and dishonest.
Extreme nationalists use propaganda to
manipulate strong human emotions – especially
fear and insecurity – and persuade ppl to
behave in certain ways. Propagandists often
– Call their opponents names (e.g., “terrorists,”
“fanatics”) designed to arouse ppl’s anger
and fears
Examples of Propaganda
– Play down their own failures and defeats or
use words that hide the true meaning of their
actions (calling their own wars “holy” or “just,”
or referring to death camps as “concentration
camps”)
– Use respected symbols to appeal to ppl’s
values and beliefs (religious symbols, family
images, or a national flag)
– Appeal to ppl’s fears when trying to persuade
them to support particular actions (claiming
that strict law and order is the only way to
ensure peace and save a nation)
Soviet Propaganda
• As millions of ppl were being sent to forcedlabour camps (gulags), Stalin’s propagandists
were creating posters, slogans, songs,
speeches, newspaper articles, and banners
glorifying extreme nationalism and presenting
Stalin as a caring father of the Soviet ppl.
Nazi Germany
• In Germany, the Nazis
used newspapers, radio,
and film to promote
extreme nationalism.
Joseph Goebbels,
Hitler’s minister for public
enlightenment and
propaganda, established
a huge propaganda
organization that
controlled all forms of the
media.
Nazis and Anti-Semitism
• Goebbels was
a gifted speaker
who
consistently
preached the
supremacy of
the German ppl
and hatred for
Jews, whom he
called the
incarnation of
evil.
Why did the Nazis hate the
Jews?
What Are We Learning
Today?
2.7 Analyze nationalism and
ultranationalism during times of
conflict.
Who was Charlie Chaplin?
Allied Portrayal of Hitler: Charlie
Chaplin
• Chaplin was a great
actor to play Hitler.
Above all, they
shared the same
moustache.
• http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=PuqJ
GajVJC8&feature=r
elated
The Great Dictator (1940)
• The Great Dictator is a
comedy film written,
directed, produced by,
and starring Charlie
Chaplin. First released in
October 1940, it was
Chaplin's first true talking
picture as well as his
most commercially
successful film, and more
importantly, was the only
major film of its period to
bitterly satirize Nazism
and Adolf Hitler.
The Film’s Plot
• The film begins during a battle of WW I. The
protagonist is an unnamed Jewish private
(Charlie Chaplin), who is a barber by profession
and is fighting for the Central Powers in the
army of the fictional nation of Tomainia.
• The scene cuts to victory celebrations,
newspaper headlines, the evacuation and
hospitalization of the private, and to a speech
given 20 years later by Adenoid Hynkel (Adolf
Hitler, also played by Chaplin in a double role),
now the ruthless dictator of Tomainia, who has
undertaken an endeavor to persecute Jews
throughout the land.
Butchering the German Language
• The symbol of Hynkel's fascist regime is the
"double cross" (compare the Nazi swastika) and
Hynkel himself speaks a dramatic, macaronic
parody of the German language (reminiscent of
Hitler's own fiery speeches), "translated" at
humorously obvious parts in the speech by a
concise English-speaking news voice-over.
• The film is unusual for its period, as the United
States was still formally at peace with Nazi
Germany. Chaplin's film advanced a stirring,
controversial condemnation of Hitler, fascism,
anti-Semitism, and the Nazis.
Reception of the Film
• The film was well received at the time of its
release, and was popular with the American
public. Jewish audiences were deeply moved
by the portrayal of Jewish characters and their
plight, which was still a taboo subject in
Hollywood films of the time.
• When the film was in production, the British
government announced that it would prohibit its
exhibition in the United Kingdom in keeping with
its appeasement policy concerning Nazi
Germany. However, by the time the film was
released, the UK was at war with Germany and
the film was now welcomed in part for its
obvious propaganda value.
Nazi Horrors Not Really Known
• In his 1964 autobiography, Chaplin stated that
he would not have been able to make such
jokes about the Nazi regime had the extent of
the Nazi horrors been known, particularly the
death camps and the Holocaust.
• According to sources, the film was not only sent
to Hitler, but an eyewitness confirmed he saw it.
According to the Internet Movie Database,
Chaplin, after being told Hitler saw the movie,
replied: "I'd give anything to know what he
thought of it." Hitler's response is not recorded
but he is said to have viewed the film twice.
American Propaganda
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPZVrWvJM0&feature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQqCeEG5h
s0&feature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEcJF0EVT5
4&feature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEiU6GpvJf0
Aktion T4
• “Aktion T4” was the code given to the Nazi
program to eliminate “life unworthy of life.”
• It began on Hitler's order in October of 1939.
The program at first focused on newborns and
very young children. Midwives and doctors
were required to register children up to age
three that showed symptoms of mental
retardation, physical deformity, or other
symptoms included on a questionnaire from the
Reich Health Ministry.
A Unanimous Decision Needed
• A decision on whether to allow the child to live
was then made by three medical experts solely
on the basis of the questionnaire, without any
examination and without reading any medical
records.
• The decision had to be unanimous. In cases
where the decision was not unanimous the child
was kept under observation and another
attempt would be made to get a unanimous
decision.
Aktion T4 Propaganda
• This poster reads:
“60,000 Reichsmarks
is what this person
suffering from
hereditary defects
costs the People's
community during his
lifetime. Comrade,
that is your money
too.”
Brandenburg
• At Brandenburg, a
former prison was
converted into a killing
center where the first
experimental gassings
took place. The gas
chambers were
disguised as shower
rooms, but were actually
sealed chambers
connected by pipes to
cylinders of carbon
monoxide.
Cardinal Clemens von Galen
• An outspoken critic of
the Nazi regime, he
issued forceful, public
denunciations of the
Third Reich's
euthanasia programs
and persecution of the
Catholic Church,
making him one of the
most visible and
unrelenting internal
voices of dissent
against the Nazis.
von Galen’s Attack of the Gestapo
• In 1941 von Galen gave a string of sermons
protesting Nazi policies on euthanasia, Gestapo
terror, forced sterilizations and concentration
camps. His attacks on the Nazi's were so
severe that senior Nazi officials wanted the
Bishop executed.
• On July 13, 1941, von Galen publicly attacked
the regime for its Gestapo's tactics, including
disappearances without trials, the closing of
Catholic institutions without any stated
justifications, and the resultant fear imposed on
all Germans throughout the nation.
Goebbels’ Response
• von Galen’s sermons were reproduced and
sent all over Germany to families, and to
German soldiers on the Western and Eastern
Fronts.
• The resulting local protests in Germany led to
an immediate end of the euthanasia program
Aktion T4. The local Nazis were furious and
asked for the immediate arrest of von Galen.
However, Joseph Goebbels and others
preferred to wait until the end of World War II,
as not to undermine in the heavily Catholic area
the German morale during the ongoing war.
The Limits of Propaganda
• “The broad masses of a population are more
amenable (willing to listen) to the appeal of
rhetoric (effective use of language) than to any
other force.”
– Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf
• “What they were coming up against was a preexisting belief system. The Nazi’s could not
come in and challenge those belief systems
and overturn them completely within such a
short period of time. So in that sense,
propaganda had it’s limitations.
– Jo Fox, Durham University
Appeasement
• In the years before WW II, many ppl in
countries that had experienced the terrible
costs of WW I and the Great Depression
believed that avoiding another war was 1 of
their most important national interests.
• As a result, they hoped that appeasement
(giving in to demands) was the best policy when
Hitler and the Nazis began to expand
Germany’s territory in Europe.
The Sudetenland
• Germany had been expanding its European
territory since 1935. Finally, in 1938, Britain,
France, and Italy met Hitler to discuss
Germany’s recent takeover of the Sudetenland.
• Before WW I, Germany had controlled this
region, but the Treaty of Versailles had
awarded it to Czechoslovakia. In return for
Hitler’s promise not to expand further, the
European leaders agreed to allow the takeover
to go unchallenged. In Britain, British prime
minister Neville Chamberlain explained that “the
peoples of the British Empire were at one with
those of Germany, of France, and of Italy” in
“their anxiety, their intense desire for peace.”
Munich Agreement
• Map pg. 149.
Winston Churchill’s Opposition
• Not everyone agreed that appeasement would
work. Winston Churchill, who was at the time a
member of Parliament in Chamberlain’s
Conservative Party, condemned the agreement,
saying, “An appeaser is someone who feeds a
crocodile – hoping it will eat him last.” He also
said that the European leaders “had to choose
between war and dishonour. They chose
dishonour; they will have war.”
• Early in 1939, Hitler took over the rest of
Czechoslovakia. Churchill has been proven
right. Appeasement had failed.
Appeasement ‘Robot Chicken’ Style
• http://www.you
tube.com/watc
h?v=awfYXR0
Sh4Q
The League of Nations
• By 1934, 58 countries, including Canada,
Britain, and France, were members of the
League of Nations, which had been created
after WW I. League members agreed to help
one another and to take action to maintain
peace.
• If 1 country invaded another, League members
could
– Order the aggressor to leave the other
country’s territory
– Impose trade sanctions (penalties) on the
aggressor
– Use military force against the aggressor
The League’s Failure
• But members countries of the League were not
required to provide troops to stop aggression –
and the idea of joint military action soon
became an empty threat.
• When Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, for
example, China appealed to the League for
help. The League condemned the invasion, but
Japan responded in 1933 by resigning its
membership. After that, League members could
not agree on what action to take – and ended
up doing nothing.
• Italy had fought on the
side of the Allies in WW
I, and Italian
ultranationalists had
expected to be
rewarded. As a result,
they were angry when
the Treaty of Versailles
failed to give Italy
control of the
independent African
country of Ethiopia or
the territory it claimed
in Europe.
Invasion of Ethiopia
• In October 1935, Mussolini ordered Italian
forces to invade Ethiopia. Both Italy and
Ethiopia were members of the League of
Nations, and in June 1936 the Ethiopian
emperor travelled to League headquarters in
Geneva, Switzerland, to plead for help.
• In response, the League called for trade
sanctions against Italy, but these failed when
many countries, including the US, ignored
them. Britain and France were afraid to strictly
enforce the sanctions because they feared
driving Mussolini into an alliance with Germany
and Japan. As a result, Ethiopia received no
int’l support. (Voices Pg. 150)
WW II Begins
• On September 1, 1939, Hitler launched an
invasion of Poland – and Britain and France
realized that appeasement was not working. On
September 3, the two countries declared war on
Germany. WW II had begun.
• After a special session of Parliament, PM
William Lyon Mackenzie King announced on
September 10 that Canada, too, was at war.
• “There is no home in
Canada, no family and no
individual whose fortunes
and freedom are not
bound up in the present
struggle. I appeal to my
fellow Canadians to unite
in a national effort to save
from destruction all that
makes life itself worth
living and to preserve for
future generations those
liberties and institutions
which others have
bequeathed (given) us.” • FYI pg. 151
Total War in Canada
• Canada’s national interest now focused on the
war effort. With the declaration of war, the tone
of the language used to describe the country’s
involvement in int’l affairs also changed. The
gov’t began implying that Germany was the evil
enemy, and Canadians were told that they were
fighting for “the freedom of mankind.”
• Gov’t policies focused on what King called “a
total effort for a total war,” in which “the security
for each individual is bound up in the security of
the nation as a whole.”
Canadian Propaganda
• Canadians were encouraged to support the war
effort by joining the armed forces or by working
in essential industries and other civilian
activities.
• By the end of September 1939, more than
58,000 Canadians had enlisted in the armed
forces. Propaganda campaigns were launched
to recruit ppl and persuade them to invest in
war bonds, which helped finance the war effort.
Restricted Hiring
• No employer was
allowed to hire anyone
who did not have a
permit from an
employment office, and
employment could be
restricted to specific
locations or industries
considered essential to
the war effort. (Pg.
151)
What is censorship?
Canadian Censorship
• Official censorship was also introduced to
ensure that no essential info. fell into the hands
of the enemy.
• Gov’t censors, for example, approved every
speech broadcast on CBC and examined
stories published in newspapers and
magazines. Military censors read all letters from
members of the armed forces, as well as letters
to soldiers in enemy prisoner-of-war camps.
Anything that revealed too much was blacked
out.
What does conscription
mean?
Why do you think
Francophones were most
against conscription?
Conscription in Canada WW I
• The leaders of Germany, Italy, Japan, and the
Soviet Union believed that conscription
(compulsory military service) was in their
national interest. They considered a strong
military essential both for national defense and
for carrying out their expansion plans.
• But conscription was not limited to
dictatorships. During WW I, the Canadian gov’t,
too, had introduced conscription. But this law
had left the country bitterly divided.
Opposition from Francophones
• The fiercest opposition came from Quebec
Francophones, who felt no strong connection to
Britain or to France. Many Francophones were
farmers who were concerned about what would
happen to their farms if they forced to enlist
while Francophones also faced a language
barrier because English was the language of
the army.
• Despite this, Francophones had volunteered in
about the same ratio as Anglophones in WW I.
Conscription & WW II
• When WW II started, Prime Minister William
Lyon Mackenzie King was aware of the
resentments caused by conscription during WW
I. Still, he introduced a limited form of
conscription, though he promised not to send
conscripts overseas. They would be used only
to defend Canada.
• But as the war dragged on, Canadian
casualties mounted, and not enough volunteers
were enlisting to replace them. King faced a
problem.
King Holds Referendum
• In 1942, King decided to hold a special vote to
ask Canadians’ permission to break his promise
of no conscription.
• When the votes were tallied, 63% of voters
supported King, but this was not the whole
story. As predicted, the country was sharply
divided: 79% of Anglophones had favoured the
plan, but 85% of Francophones had opposed it.
What were internment camps?
Internment in Canada
• During WW I, many Canadians became caught
up in the racism and extreme nationalism of the
period. Thousands of ppl of German and
Ukrainian background were interned as enemy
aliens.
• During WW II, wartime propaganda depicted
Germans, Italians, and Japanese ppl as the
enemy – and Canadians of German, Italian,
and Japanese background were often
discriminated against because of this.
Japanese Racism in Canada
• Even before WW II, Canadians of Japanese
descent had been subjected to discrimination,
especially in BC, where many had settled. They
were, for example, not allowed to vote or to
enter certain professions.
• After Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbour
and Hong Kong in December 1941, things
became even worse.
Japanese Internment
• In 1942, Japanese Canadians who lived within
160 km of Canada’s Pacific coast were rounded
up and transported to internment camps in the
BC interior or to farms on the Prairies.
• Internment camps were like prisons. The gov’t
seized Japanese-owned homes, property, and
businesses and sold them at bargain prices –
then used the money from the sales to pay the
costs of keeping ppl in the camps.
• FYI pg. 153.
Is it fair to compare conscription
and the treatment of Canadians
of Japanese descent with Joseph
Stalin’s actions in the SU or Adolf
Hitler’s actions in Germany?
Peacekeeping
• In response to the
destruction caused by WW
II, the United Nations was
formed to help keep peace
in the world.
• At first, UN missions
involved only observation,
but in 1956, a crisis over
the Suez Canal highlighted
the need for a different
approach.
The Suez Canal
• The Suez Canal was a privately owned canal,
which linked the Red and Mediterranean seas,
and was owned by a British and French
company that had built the waterway in the 19th
century.
• The canal meant that goods, especially oil,
could move between Asia and Europe more
quickly and cheaply because ships no longer
had to travel all the way around Africa. Ships
paid fees for using the canal, and profits went to
the company’s shareholders.
Looming Crisis
• In 1956, the Egyptian gov’t seized the canal.
The gov’t believed that it was in Egypt’s
national interest for the Egyptian ppl, not the
company’s shareholders, to benefit from the
canal.
• In response to the Egyptian gov’ts actions,
Israeli, British, and French forces invaded the
canal zone. The Soviet Union supported Egypt
and threatened to attack Britain and France.
Suddenly, the world was on the brink of another
war.
Why do you think the Egyptian
gov’t might have felt entitled to
take over the Suez Canal? Would
you classify this action as
nationalistic or ultranationalistic?
(Ultranationalism is seen as
moving the values of one’s own
nation and its interests to hostility
toward ppl of other nations).
Lester B. Pearson
• At the time, Lester B.
Pearson was
Canada’s minister of
external affairs.
Pearson proposed
that the UN send an
emergency force to
keep peace in the
canal zone while
diplomats negotiated
a resolution to the
crisis.
Pearson Wins Nobel Prize
• The UN welcomed Pearson’s idea, and within
days, a UN force made up of soldiers from
various countries, including Canada, was in the
canal zone. The hostile countries withdrew and
a peaceful solution was found.
• This venture marked the start of int’l
peacekeeping. For his work, Pearson was
awarded the Nobel Peace Price in 1957.
Peacekeeping Today
• Today, peacekeepers’ responsibilities range
from establishing and keeping peace to nation
building, which helps countries in crisis make
the transition to more democratic forms of gov’t.
Because Canadian gov’ts believe that a
peaceful world is in Canada’s national interest,
participating in peacekeeping missions is an
important part of the country’s foreign policy.
• By 2007, Canada had taken part in more than
60 peacekeeping missions, helping to
implement 170 peace settlements. In many
cases, these missions were responses to
ultranationalist actions.
What Are We Learning
Today?
2.8 Analyze ultranationalism as a
cause of genocide.
Eliminating Extreme Forms of
Nationalism
• Since the end of WW II, many countries have
tried to find ways to eliminate the extreme forms
of nationalism that lead to crimes against
humanity and genocide.
• They realize that it is in all countries’ – and all
peoples’ – national interest to eliminate these
crimes because they threaten the peace,
security, and well-being of all peoples in all
countries.
Formation of the UN
• After the League of Nations failed to prevent the
horrors of WW II, world leaders were
determined to create an int’l body that would
preserve peace in the world.
• They believed that a forum where conflicts
could be resolved peacefully was in every
nation’s interest – and the United Nations
emerged from these discussions.
Trying of German & Japanese War
Criminals
• In 1945, the UN was in its infancy and had no
permanent court to try war criminals.
• As a result, the victorious Allies set up the int’l
military tribunals that tried German and
Japanese individuals and gov’t organizations
for crimes against peace, war crimes, and
crimes against humanity.
Criticisms of UN
• The UN has been criticized for taking too long
to respond to situations in which ultranationalist
states or groups within states commit crimes
against humanity.
• For the UN, trying to accommodate the
demands of all its member countries - each
focused on its own national interests - has been
a challenge.
The Int’l Criminal Court
• In 1948, the UN established a committee to
work toward creating an int’l criminal court, a
task that took more than 50 years to complete.
• 1 of the chief stumbling blocks was the debate
over how the court would operate without
infringing the sovereignty (independence) of
member states. Persuading countries to agree
on the laws the court would be responsible for
enforcing was another challenge.
A Court of Last Resort
• The statute creating the Int’l Criminal Court was
finally signed by 60 countries in 2002. By early
2008, 45 more countries had signed on.
• The ICC is sponsored by, but operates
independently of, the UN. It is a court of last
resort, which means that it will not act if those
accused of genocide, crimes against humanity,
and war crimes are tried fairly in a national
court.
The US, China, and many
other countries have not
recognized the ICC and refuse
to co-operate with it. What
might be some reasons that
explain this choice?
Creation of Yugoslavia
• At the Paris Peace Conference of 1918-1919,
various nations in the area known as the
Balkans were merged into a single country
called Yugoslavia. Though these nations often
shared a history of bitter fighting with 1 another,
their peoples coexisted more or less peacefully
until the early 1990s.
• By the late 20th century, Yugoslavia was a
tightly controlled communist state. When the
SU started to collapse in the late 1980s,
nationalist sentiments bubbled to the surface.
Slobodan Milosevic
• Serbia and Montenegro
formed the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia
under the leadership of the
Serbian ultranationalist
Slobodan Milosevic.
• Milosevic believed that
Serbs formed an ethnic
nation and that everyone
else should be expelled
from Serbian territory.
Ethnic Cleansing
• Milosevic called his expulsion process ethnic
cleansing, a code word designed to make what
was happening seem more socially acceptable.
• But in reality, Serbs were killing non-Serbs.
Milosevic also sent Serbian forces to help
ultranationalist Bosnian Serbs drive non-Serbs
out of Bosnia and Herzegovina. There, nonSerbs were harassed. They were not allowed to
meet in public places, move to another town
without permission, or travel by car.
Sarajevo
• Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, had once been an integrated city
where Orthodox Serbs, Catholic Croats, and
Bosnian Muslims lived and worked together.
But soon after Bosnia and Herzegovina
declared independence, Serbian ultranationalist
forces besieged the city.
• The siege continued until February 1996.
During that time, citizens faces constant
bombardments and sniper attacks. (Figure 714)
The UN & Sarajevo
• In June 1992, the UN Security Council warned
Serbian forces to stop attacking Sarajevo or
face military action.
• Although UN peacekeepers were sent to the
country and tried to deliver humanitarian relief
and establish safe areas where ppl were
protected, the killing continued. The UN forces
had been ordered to remain neutral so they
could continue to get food to the besieged city.
Criticisms of UN in Sarajevo
• Some ppl believed that the UN did not do
enough to stop the massacre of the citizens of
Sarajevo. By the time the siege was finally lifted
on February 29, 1996, the death toll in the city
had risen to more than 11,000.
• In 1993, the UN Security Council established
the Int’l Criminal Tribunal for the Former
Yugoslavia. In 2002, Milosevic was put on trial
for genocide and crimes against humanity, but
he died before the end of his trial.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_bU_y3fjsQ
What is self-determination?
Self-Determination
• When a ppl pursue national self-determination,
they are trying to gain or keep the power to
control their own affairs. They believe it is in
their collective interest to make their own
decisions about what will benefit them.
The UN & Self-Determination
• The debate over who has the right to selfdetermination and what that right means is
reflected in the charter of the United Nations.
According to the charter, one of the UN’s
purposes is “to develop friendly relations among
nations based on respect for the principle of
equal rights and self-determination of ppls.”
• In addition, all nation-states that belong to the
UN are to have “sovereign equality.” But the UN
leaves unanswered questions of what happens
when ppls within nation-states want selfdetermination.
Get in a group of 4 or 5 and in 5
minutes, develop 3 criteria that
would help the United Nations
decide when to recognize a new
country. Take into account the
UN’s position on human rights,
on a nation-state’s right to
sovereignty, and on a ppl’s right
to self-determination.
Self-Determination & National
Interests
• The pursuit of national
self-determination is
often complicated by
the fact that what is in
one ppl’s national
interest conflicts with
the national interests of
other ppls. It is also
important to define
what “a ppl” is, and this
has proven difficult.
What is “a people?”
• According to Javier Leon Diaz, an int’l human
rights lawyer, no precise legal definition of the
term “a people” exists. Still, ‘a people’ is often
used to describe groups who
– Share a common historical tradition,
language, and religion
– Identify themselves as a distinct cultural
group
– Have a traditional connection to a territory
• But understanding the term “a people” is only
the 1st step toward resolving various ppls’
struggle for the right to self-determination.
What is a colony?
Decolonization
• Colonies are ruled by the gov’t of another
country. For example, Canada used to be a
former British colony.
• Decolonization refers to what happens when a
colonial power withdraws from a colony. The
ppl of the former colony may then form a
sovereign nation-state (country).
Decolonization & SelfDetermination
• A strong link between decolonization and the
idea of national self-determination is built into
the charter of the United Nations. Decolonized
countries can join the UN and exercise
sovereignty under int’l law.
• But decolonized ppls must often deal with the
after-effects of colonization. Colonial powers
often forced ppls who were once separate –
with different languages, religions, and cultures
– into a single colony. When decolonization
occurs, violent conflicts such as that in Rwanda
may arise. (Figure 8-5).
Decolonization in Indochina
• European colonial powers (Portugal, Spain,
Britain, the Netherlands, and France) began
colonizing Southeast Asia in the 1500s. By the
late 1800s, France ruled Vietnam, Laos, and
Cambodia and had renamed the region French
Indochina. (Figure 8-6)
• When Japan invaded the region during WW II,
many ppl became committed to independence.
In Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, a communist leader,
and the Viet Minh independence movement
fought against the Japanese and then
continued to fight against the French when they
reoccupied the country after WW II.
Vietnam
• The war between the Vietnamese and the
French, who had considerable American
support, went on until 1954, when French
forces were defeated.
• Afterwards, Vietnam was divided into 2: the
north, which was a communist state supported
by China and the Soviet Union, and the south,
which was supported by the US and other
Western powers. Vietnam became a
battleground in the Cold War between the two
superpowers: US & SU.
The Vietnam War
• By 1965, the US had escalated its support of
the South Vietnamese gov’t by sending more
than 200,000 American troops to the country.
Over the next 4 years, the # of American troops
rose to 500,000 and the war was expanded into
neighbouring Cambodia.
Why would the United States
care so much about little
Vietnam?
The Domino Theory
• In the US, supporters of the war argued that
stopping the spread of communism in the
region was in the American national interest. As
early as 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower
had used his domino theory to explain how the
communist regimes of China and Russia, if not
checked, would take over all of Southeast Asia.
• “You have a row of dominos set up. You knock
over the first one, and what will happen to the
last one is the certainty that it will go over very
quickly.” Other war supporters said that
American soldiers were fighting for the
freedom of the Vietnamese ppl.
Vietnam War Opposition
• But opposition to American
involvement grew in the US
during the 1960s. Some
opponents said that American
forces had no right to interfere
in a dispute between the ppls
of Vietnam. Other war critics
spoke of the damage caused
by US forces, the loss of
http://www.youtu
American lives, and the
be.com/watch?v
physical and economic losses =Lo9yI-p5jqU
of the Vietnamese ppl.
Successor States
• A successor state
or states is a country
created from a
previous state. For
example, when the
Soviet Union
collapsed in the early
1990s, 15 successor
states emerged such
as Lithuania,
Estonia, and Latvia.
India as a Successor State
• During the time Britain controlled what are
today the independent nation-states of India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, the
colonizers exerted more and more control over
the lives of the Indigenous ppls of this area.
• In the early 1800s, the East India Company’s
grip on India began slipping, and in 1858,
without consulting the ppls involved and with no
regard for their national interests or right to selfdetermination, the British gov’t took over and
established direct rule over what they called
British India.
Indian Nationalism Increasing
• During this time, the ppls of India had no real
political power. Their efforts to pursue national
self-determination were ignored or put down.
• But during the first half of the 20th century,
Indian nationalist movements gained strength,
and the ppl began to speak out for
independence and their right to govern
themselves. In 1919, the British rulers had
allowed Indians a national parliament elected
by a select # of the wealthiest ppl in the
country, but this parliament had little real power.
Non-Violent Protest
• During the 1920s, Mohandas Gandhi’s nonviolent and non-cooperation movement for
Indian independence attracted many followers.
Gandhi fostered Indian nationalism and
believed that independence could be won
without bloodshed. The increasing # of ppl who
joined Gandhi’s campaigns through the 1930s
and 1940s amazed and frightened India’s
British rulers.
Conflict Between Muslims & Hindus
• The 2 dominant groups in British India were
Muslims and Hindus. In the late 1800s, they
worked toward independence but by the early
20th century, some Muslims were beginning to
resent the control exercised by the Hindu
majority.
• Therefore, the Muslims banded together and
declared that when the British left, it would be in
the interest of Muslims to form their own
country.
The Creation of Pakistan
• In early 1940, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, leader of
the Muslim League, declared that this separate
state would be called Pakistan. He insisted that
Muslims and Hindus were 2 separate nations.
He even wrote a letter to Gandhi describing his
intentions.
• Gandhi, who advocated a united India,
disagreed. He believed that Muslims and
Hindus were one nation.
Rampage
• In the months leading up to independence,
conflict between Muslims and Hindus grew
violent. On August 15, 1947, India achieved
independence, and 2 days later, Pakistan
became the 2nd successor state to what had
been British India.
• In both countries, the 2 groups who had once
lived together peacefully, went on rampages. At
least a million ppl were killed, and millions of
refugees tried to escape to safety. Muslims in
India made the long journey to Pakistan, and
Hindus in Pakistan made the equally hard
journey to India. (Figure 8-10)
Kashmir
• Sometimes a ppl’s desire for self-determination
can be lost in the decolonization process. This
is what happened in Kashmir since the British
left India.
• Long before the British took control over
Kashmir, the Kashmiri ppl lived in a clearly
defined territory in the Himalaya Mountains.
The ppl of the region speak Kashmiri, a distinct
language. They also identify themselves as a
distinct cultural group.
The Promise of a Plebiscite
• In 1947, British, Indian, and Pakistani leaders
agreed that the ppl of Kashmir should have the
right to decide whether to join India or Pakistan.
In 1948, the United Nations decided that
Kashmiris should vote on the issue in a
plebiscite.
• Yet in the meantime, India invaded Kashmir
and took over control of much of the Kashmiris’
traditional territory. Despite the UN’s repeated
demands, the promised plebiscite has never
been held, and fighting between India and
Pakistan has continued on and off in the area
ever since.
Kashmiris Under Assault
• Kashmiris have resisted control, and violent
conflicts have arisen repeatedly over the
decades. Through the original plebiscite was to
ask Kashmiris whether they wanted to join India
or Pakistan, many nationalist leaders in
Kashmir are now calling for complete
independence.
• In 2007, it was estimated that 10,000 Kahmiris
have “disappeared.” Villages along the dividing
law between Pakistan and Indian controlled
Kashmir have been destroyed by shelling.
Civilians have been killed, and the survivors
have been forced to flee their ruined homes.