3.6 Post Colonialism and the Current World

Version 1.3 April 2017                                  (Previous Version)

The modern world began around the Second World War (1939-45), but is linked to earlier periods.  The major themes of this period are:

·       Advances in human rights, especially against racism and sexism, but we have a long way to go.

·       The triumph of insufficiently managed capitalism over communism and (so far) common sense;

·       High productivity and high pollution, with automation, communications, transport, etc;

·       Increasing middle class and education in many countries, with a hollowing out middle in others;

·       Increased world integration, through eg world trade and the internet and international NGOs;

·       The end of American Century 1920-2020 and resurgence of non-European countries.

We look at how we know what we know under the following topic headings:

1. Major Historical Themes:	What were the major changes worldwide in this period?
2. Aftermath of WWII:	Atomic era, Cold War and containment.	Is it reasonable to break down this area into these topics at this level? Click on feedback, or add a comment below, to tell us if you agree or disagree, or suggest improvements.
3. Decolonisation, Neo-colonialism:	Africa & Asian independence; oil interference
5. Technology & Management:	Farm/factory/ automation & communications.
6. Rising Middle Classes:	Cars, household appliances, education, etc.
7. Public Health & Population:	Worldwide population growth
8. Economic Management:	Laissez-faire, Keynes, Hayek, oil shocks, GFC
9. Environmental Pollution:	Loss of diversity, arable land, climate change
10. Human Rights Progress:	Anti-racism & civil rights, now class & caste
11. Gender Equity:	Feminism, marriage equality, sexual diversity
12. Migration and Refugees:	To Europe, North America, Australasia, etc
14. International Bodies:	UN, WB, WTO, WHO, etc
15. Rise in Secular Civil Society	Red Cross, Amnesty, WWF, MSF, Gates etc
16. National Resurgence:	USA, India, China, Indonesia, Brazil, Russia,

This is the current summary of our conclusions in this area:

  more                                                              Statement 19

The world is struggling to find reasonable global beliefs and values.  This history leads us to value reason, tolerance, compassion and common sense, and especially a shared public reality.  A renewed focus on national, ethnic and religious identities counters any move in that direction.  Capitalism is seen to have triumphed over Communism.  Many transnational corporations claim to be transformed into model citizens, without any changes to their legal structures and obligations, but their actions belie their words, as revealed by civil society – the large NGOs and news media.