1. World History: Connection to Today
Chapter 32
The World Since 1945:
An Overview
(1945–Present)
Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

2. World History: Connection to Today
Chapter 32: The World Since 1945: An Overview
(1945–present)
Section 1: The Changing Political Climate
Section 2: Global Economic Trends
Section 3: Changing Patterns of Life
Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

3. The Changing Political Climate1
The Changing Political Climate
How did the end of colonialism and the Cold War shape the world?
How did new nations try to form stable governments?
What role have world organizations played?
What enduring issues face the world today?

4. The Cold War and the End of Colonialism1
The Cold War and the End of Colonialism
In the postwar decades, the colonial empires built by the western powers crumbled.
In Asia and Africa, people demanded and won freedoms. Between 1950 and 1980, more than 50 new nations emerged in Africa alone.
The new nations emerged in a world dominated and divided by the Cold War. Each of the superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, wanted new countries to adopt its ideology, or system of thought or belief—either capitalism or socialism.

5. The Great Liberation and the Cold War, 1945 – 1990

6. How Did New Nations Seek Stability?1
How Did New Nations Seek Stability?
After winning independence, new nations had high hopes for the future. Still, they faced immense problems.
New nations wrote constitutions modeled on western democracies.
Most were unable to sustain democratic rule.
As problems multiplied, military or authoritarian leaders often took control. They imposed order by building one-party dictatorships.
Despite setbacks, in the 1980s and 1990s democracy did make progress in some African, Asian, and Latin American nations.

7. The Role of World Organizations1
The Role of World Organizations
International organizations deal with issues of global concern.
The UN was set up as a forum for settling world disputes. Its responsibilities have expanded greatly since UN agencies provide services for millions of people worldwide.
Many nations formed regional groups to promote trade or meet common needs. Examples include the European Union and the North American Free Trade Association.
The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) play a large role in the world economy.
Other types of nongovernmental organizations have forged valuable global networks. Examples include the International Olympic Committee and the International Red Cross.

8. Global Issues Many issues pose a challenge to world peace.1
Global Issues
Many issues pose a challenge to world peace.
DEADLY WEAPONS
HUMAN RIGHTS
Since the United States exploded two atomic bombs in 1945, nations
have poured resources into
building nuclear weapons.
Human rights include “the right to life, liberty, and security of person.” Human rights abuses, including torture and arbitrary arrest, occur around the world.
THE QUESTION OF INTERVENTION
TERRORISM
Does the world community have a
duty to step in to end human rights
abuses? How can it intervene when
the UN Charter forbids any action
that violates the independence of a
member nation?
Since the 1960s, incidents of terrorism have increased around the world.

9. Section 1 Assessment 1
The Great Liberation refers to the end of a) World War II b) European colonial empires c) the Cold War d) terrorism.
Which of the following was a regional group created to promote trade and meet common needs? a) the European Union b) the International Red Cross c) the International Olympic Committee d) the UN
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10. 1
Section 1 Assessment
The Great Liberation refers to the end of a) World War II b) European colonial empires c) the Cold War d) terrorism.
Which of the following was a regional group created to promote trade and meet common needs? a) the European Union b) the International Red Cross c) the International Olympic Committee d) the UN
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11. Global Economic Trends2
Global Economic Trends
In what ways are the global North and South economically interdependent?
Why have developing nations had trouble reaching their goals?
How is economic development linked to the environment?

12. The Global North and South2
The Global North and South
An economic gulf divides the world into two spheres — the relatively rich nations of the global North and the relatively poor nations of the global South.
GLOBAL NORTH
GLOBAL SOUTH
It includes the industrial nations of Europe and North America, as well as Japan and Australia.
Although pockets of poverty exist, the standard of living is generally high.
Most people are literate, earn adequate wages, and have basic health services.
Most nations have basically capitalist economies.
It refers to the developing world.
The South has 75 percent of the world’s population and much of its natural resources.
While some nations have enjoyed strong growth, overall the global South remains underdeveloped and poor.
For most people, life is a daily struggle for survival.

13. Economic Interdependence2
Rich and poor nations are linked by many economic ties.
The nations of the global North control much of the world’s capital, trade, and technology.
The global North depends on low-paid workers in developing states to produce manufactured goods as inexpensively as possible.
In an interdependent world, events in one country can affect people everywhere.
EXAMPLE: In 1973, a political crisis led the oil-rich nations of the Middle East to halt oil exports and raise oil prices. These actions sent economic shock waves around the world.

14. Obstacles to Development2
Obstacles to Development
Why have many developing nations been unable to make progress toward modernization?
GEOGRAPHY
Lack of natural resources, difficult climates, uncertain rainfall, and lack of good farmland have been obstacles for some nations.
POPULATION AND POVERTY
In the developing world, rapid population growth is linked to poverty.
ECONOMIC POLICIES
Many new nations saw socialism, rather than capitalism, as a way to modernize quickly. In the long run, socialism blocked economic growth.
ECONOMIC DEPENDENCE
Most new nations remained dependent on their former
colonial rulers.
POLITICAL INSTABILITY
Political unrest often hindered economic development.

15. Health Statistics of Selected Countries, 19992
Health Statistics of Selected Countries, 1999

16. Development and the Environment2
Economic development has taken a heavy toll on the environment. Modern industry and agriculture have gobbled up natural resources and polluted much of the world’s water, air, and soil.
Strip mining destroyed much land.
Chemical pesticides and fertilizers harmed the soil and water.
Gases from factories produced acid rain.
The emission of gases into the upper atmosphere has caused global warming, the increase in world temperatures.
Rich nations consume most of the world’s resources and produce much of its pollution. At the same time, they have led the campaign to protect the environment.

17. 2
Section 2 Assessment
Which of the following is true? a) The Global South has 75 percent of the world’s population b) The Global North has 75 percent of the world’s population c) Most nations in the Global North have basically socialist economies d) Most people in the Global South enjoy a high standard of living.
The country with the lowest infant mortality rate in 1999 was a) Angola b) Japan c) the United States d) Guatemala.
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18. 2
Section 2 Assessment
Which of the following is true? a) The Global South has 75 percent of the world’s population b) The Global North has 75 percent of the world’s population c) Most nations in the Global North have basically socialist economies d) Most people in the Global South enjoy a high standard of living.
The country with the lowest infant mortality rate in 1999 was a) Angola b) Japan c) the United States d) Guatemala.
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19. Changing Patterns of Life3
Changing Patterns of Life
How are new ways of life replacing old ways?
How has modernization affected the lives of women?
What are the benefits and limits of modern science and technology?
What forces have shaped a new global culture?

20. How Are New Ways of Life Replacing Old Ways?3
Urbanization
Since 1945, people in the developing world have flocked to the cities to find jobs and escape rural poverty.
In the cities, the extended family of rural villages is giving way to the nuclear family.
Westernization
In cities, people frequently adopt western fashions and ideas.
Village Life
Westernization and technology are transforming villages.
Changes such as roads, clinics, and television can enrich life, but they also weaken traditional cultures.

21. New Rights and Roles for Women3
New Rights and Roles for Women
After 1945, women’s movements brought changes to both western and developing nations.
By 1950, women had won the right to vote in many countries.
A small number of women won elected office.
In the industrialized world, more and more women worked outside the home.
By the 1970s, the feminist movement sought greater access for women to jobs and promotions, equal pay for equal work, and an end to sexual harassment on the job.
In emerging nations, women worked actively in nationalist struggles.
New roles for women raised difficult social issues. Working women had to balance jobs with child rearing and household work.

22. Science and Technology3
Science and Technology
Since 1945, technology has transformed human life and thought.
BENEFITS
DRAWBACKS
The computer brought an information revolution.
Technology has improved life for people everywhere.
Medical advances have wiped out some diseases and prevented others.
New technology increased food production for the world’s growing population.
Technology has not been able to solve such basic problems as hunger or poverty.
Technology widened the gap between the global North and South.
Technology has threatened many kinds of jobs. For example, one computer can process thousands of telephone calls that were once handled by human operators.

23. 3
A New Global Culture
Modern communication technology has put people everywhere in touch and has helped create a new global culture.
The driving force behind this global culture has been the United States. American fashions, products, and entertainment have captured the world’s imagination.
The western world has also been influenced by nonwestern traditions and culture.
In the last 100 years, the western world has gained a new appreciation for the arts of other civilizations.

24. 3
Section 3 Assessment
Which of the following was true of women in 1950? a) Many women were elected to public office b) Women had won the right to vote in many countries c) The feminist movement had ensured women equal pay for equal work d) Women were working outside the home while men had taken over traditional household duties.
Benefits of the technology age include all of the following except a) increased food production b) an information revolution c) the prevention of some diseases d) an end to hunger and poverty.
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25. 3
Section 3 Assessment
Which of the following was true of women in 1950? a) Many women were elected to public office b) Women had won the right to vote in many countries c) The feminist movement had ensured women equal pay for equal work d) Women were working outside the home while men had taken over traditional household duties.
Benefits of the technology age include all of the following except a) increased food production b) an information revolution c) the prevention of some diseases d) an end to hunger and poverty.
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