Chapter 23 & 24:

You could have guessed which section that I found very interesting in the final reading for the semester… There has been a worldwide struggle for independence for a long time but the past century has definitely bore fruit for many nations.

South Africa has a very interesting history. The Dutch and British settlers attempted to gain control of the country, as the natural resources are immense. The white settlers really caused problems for the black people the moment that they set foot on the land. The Dutch and British were also in a serious conflict for control. The Anglo Boer War is a perfect example of that. The British were the wealthier group and the Afrikaners were the politically dominant group.

Apartheid was designed to keep the minority, white people, in control while keeping the majority, black people, scared and living under terrible conditions. There was even a pass system that stopped black people from being in the cities and towns at night. Regions were created for the black people to live. These were typically in areas that nobody would ever want to go to and they had to commute to work every day which could take several hours each way. The white people committed atrocious violations of the black people’s rights. This was definitely not a golden era for South Africa.

I hope that the current situation, a revenge seeking nation, will come to an end soon as it is causing many highly qualified professionals to emigrate which causes a drain to the nations intellectual capital. It was Nelson Mandela’s 92^nd birthday yesterday and the entire country celebrated it. The hosting of the Soccer World Cup was a huge success and brought together the various races in an amazing environment. I hope this is a glimpse of what is to come for South Africa.

Chapter 21 & 22:

I enjoy the reading more that covers more recent history. It seems easier to identify with and understand the underlying facts.

The section that really grabbed my attention was the Great Depression. It showed important similarities with what is going on at the moment. The women are definitely the rising sex in the corporate world, unemployment is increasing, billions of dollars are being spent on the wars and debt seems to be rising uncontrollably with China. The economy is not looking particularly promising and reached ridiculous levels.

The Capitalist societies really unraveled around 1929. This type of economy provided the base for a wonderful 19^th century but showed its teeth in the 20^th century. The situation in the USA was unique. The country was largely unaffected by WWI but was still producing huge amounts of goods that quickly created a massive surplus. Germany and Austria were dependant on the USA for loans to repay their reparation payments. This was the recipe for the disaster that followed shortly.

Everyone should see the movie: Cinderella Man. I highly recommend seeing it. It really shows what life must have been like at that time in the USA.