Western civilization.The rise of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism - Essay Example

? WESTERN CIVILIZATION (An Essay on Political History) of the Location of the Course Name: Date Submitted: Introduction The study of history can be tedious and cumbersome to most people but provides many of the important lessons and insights that learning from the past offers to anyone interested in it. This is because knowledge of the various social, economic and political events in the past gives a more thorough understanding of the present and also provides a guide for the future events as well which prevents committing or repeating the same mistakes or errors. Interpretation of the past is a requisite to have a better grasp of today's events, putting them in the right perspective, context, or understanding enabled with the benefit of hindsight. This paper presents four major historical events which still influenced present events despite the passage of several years. Discussion The four major events were the rise of radical totalitarian dictatorships out of the chaotic political and economic conditions at the turn of the twentieth century, which in turn produced important political figures like Hitler and Stalin who took advantage of those conditions to change the course of world history, the women's movement (sometimes termed as feminism) that originally grew out of the black American civil rights movement and aimed to improve the lot of women like the right of suffrage and lastly, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism or extremism that saw its culmination in the September 11 terrorist attacks and the war in Afghanistan today. The Rise of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin Totalitarian dictatorships are political systems in which only one person or a small group of just a few persons control the levers of political machinery and the government. Radical totalitarian dictatorships in this regard are political systems in which the government or the state controls all aspects of the life of its citizens, including their private lives, hence the term totality is a reference to state control of all sectors of society, everything for the state and nothing is against the state (as the saying goes). A dictatorship is a form of authoritarianism, in which only a junta, a committee or a small group composed of members of the political elites, hold power by virtue of their authority but implies not all social institutions are totally under state control. The radical term as used here denotes only one person holds all the powers, like Stalin was in Russia. Adolf Hitler was a German politician who was born in Austria (1889-1945) and he rose to power through the Nazi Party of Germany (NSDAP). He was a decorated World War I hero; he was imprisoned briefly in 1923 for a failed coup d'etat but once released the next year, quickly rose in the party ranks due to his populist ideas of pan-Germanism (extreme nationalism), anti-semitism (hatred of Jews) and strong anti-communism views. He was also a terrific orator and is able to convince the German population of his ideas, especially those repudiating the terms of the Treaty of Versailles (peace treaty in WWI) as pretty onerous to the German economy. He went on re-arming Germany in violation of this peace treaty and seized adjoining territories in pursuit of his Lebensraum policy (expanding the living space of Germans), with Germany becoming one party dictatorship under Nazism (nationalist socialism). Germany was able to control most of the European continent and North Africa during the height of its military successes, but Hitler and his wife committed suicide in April 1945 to avoid capture by Red Army forces prior to defeat. Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was one of the original Bolshevik revolutionaries who had fought in the Russian Revolution of 1917 that brought down the Russian monarchy and considers himself as the rightful heir of Vladimir Lenin by eliminating most of his serious rivals, primarily Leon Trotsky who was assassinated in Mexico City in 1940 as a threat to Stalin's own ambitions. Stalin was born in the Soviet Georgia (1878) and rose to prominence within the communist hierarchy after Lenin passed away in 1924 by consolidating his power as general secretary of the party's central committee (Politburo) from 1922 until his death in 1953. Like Hitler, Stalin also grabbed power during a period of chaos in Russia when the last tsar abdicated his throne and no single political institution remained to unify the country which got divided into several factions. Stalin introduced communism into Russia through central planning of its economy and the collectivization of its countrysides for rapid industrialization (McKay et al., 2011, p. 852). Comparing these two contemporary dictators, it seems Hitler was the more gifted as he was considered a genius (but an evil one) while Stalin can be thought of as more astute, because he was able to survive several attempts on his life while maintaining his grip on power until his own death in 1953 from a stroke or heart attack in his residence. Hitler had died relatively young at age 56 while Stalin lived to the ripe old age of 74 and the ideology of Stalin also survived much longer than Nazism, until the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 25, 1991. Hitler can be considered as belonging to the “right” because Nazism is governance by a small political elite (elitism) through the dubious concept of Darwin's theory of “survival of the fittest” which was manifested in its state policies such as eugenics (a biological racism using Aryan purity) while Stalin is leaning to the “left” because communism is a rule by the workers or termed as egalitarianism (Bardes, Shelley & Schmidt, 2008, p. 21) although in theory only due to the existence of a party elite within the Soviet communist system with their privileged lives. Women's Movement (Feminism) The fight for women's rights came to be known as the Women's Movement, alternately known as Women's Liberation or feminism. It began as an organized movement back in 1848 to fight for social reforms on a number of issues but first and foremost, it fought for a right to vote, as women before had restrictions on their voting rights, such as a minimum age of 30 and women must have properties as well in order to be qualified to vote. Among the goals and aims of this movement were equal pay for equal work (a wage gap), the right to safe working conditions, fair divorce laws, access to higher education and the right to enter previously considered as sole male professions, like in medical profession and in the military too. Women fought for abortion rights as well, that women have the exclusive right to control what happens with their bodies. Feminism has achieved most of their stated goals today, such that people and society are now more sensitive to matters of gender, to avoid any sexist remarks that might indicate some forms of gender discrimination (Schomp, 2007, p. 125). Before the women's movement actually took root and helped bring about social changes, women were generally treated as the weaker sex and therefore also treated as second-class citizens. This gender discrimination can be manifested in a number of ways such as women cannot borrow money without their husbands' consent, rent an apartment, apply for a credit card, enter a bar or restaurant without a male companion or join professions deemed as too dangerous or too difficult, like firefighting or construction work (ibid. p. 96). But some feminists found victory to be hollow because they realize their lives to be empty and isolated, feeling sad and disillusioned because they do not seemed to have a satisfactory life (Ciociola, 2005, p. 75), with some foregoing marriage and abandoning the idea of having kids. Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism Islamic fundamentalism is a form of religious extremism that has extremely dangerous consequences for almost everybody. This is because fundamentalism rejects any form of dialogs or compromise that can help to bridge the differences with other religions or ways of life. This is further inflamed by fundamentalist rhetoric of some clerics who frame the issue as one against Islam or between the East and West when this is not patently true. Further, this fundamentalism constitutes a threat to world peace and global security because it advocates the use of terrorism as a legitimate approach to achieve a return to the most basic tenets of Islam. This is a reaction to perceived corrupting influences of Western culture and modernist theology on Muslim societies. In most Islamic countries, religion is embedded in the culture and it is therefore a way of life for these Muslims as religion penetrates to all aspects of society, politics and government. Increased globalization in trade and commerce is one factor causing Islamic fundamentalism as it brings with it Western culture, beliefs, values and institutions which Muslims find threatening to their way of life and religion (Lane, 2006, p. 89) but although other world religions are likewise seeing a resurgence in fundamentalism, such as Judaism and Christianity, it is Islam that is viewed as the most anti-globalization among major world religions because it is against the idea of modernization. There are many issues in which Islam is in direct opposition to Western values such as those involving women's rights and their status in Islamic societies, where feminism is an anathema to Muslims practically everywhere (Moghissi, 1999, p. 125) as incompatible with their teaching and scripture, as Islam is basically based on a gender hierarchy. One good way to promote understanding and bridge this gap is increased interactions to reduce mutual suspicions. Conclusion A good grasp of history makes a person better prepared for the present and the future. It enables the person to analyze current events better against the background of past events. It gives a more accurate perspective and provides unique insights into contemporary institutions, events, politics, innovations, inventions, and cultures. An example is why Islamic extremism is on the rise today, given the perceived threats to Islamic culture by Western culture from globalization. Reference List Bardes, B. A., Shelley, M. C. & Schmidt, S. W. (2008). American government and politics today: The essentials. Florence, KY, USA: Cengage Learning. Ciociola, G. (2005). Wendy Wasserstein: Dramatizing women, their choices and their boundaries. Jefferson, NC, USA: McFarland Publishing. Lane, J. (2006). Globalization and politics: Promises and dangers. Burlington, VT, USA: Ashgate Publishing Limited. McKay, J. P., Hill, B. D., Buckler, J., Crowston, C. H., Wiesner-Hanks, M. E. & Perry, J. (2011). A history of Western society: From the age of exploration to the present (10th ed.). Irving Place, NY, USA: Bedford/St. Martin's. Moghissi, H. (1999). Feminism and Islamic fundamentalism: The limits of postmodern analysis. London, UK: Zed Books. Schomp, V. (2007). American voices from the women's movement. Tarrytown, NY, USA: Marshall Cavendish Corporation. Read More