Bolivia is South America’s poorest country and as a result of this, they are very dependent on the exportation of goods and natural resources. Over the last few years, natural gas has been one of their most profitable but questionable exports. These exports bring in a huge surplus of money to Bolivia and there is a lot of controversy over who should receive this money because of the social and geographical division of the country. Should the wealthy people that reside on and near the natural gas fields receive the profit, or should the poor, indigenous citizens that live on close to one dollar a day receive it? If the country does not find a way to resolve the conflict in a peaceful manner, it could lead to a civil war.
Controversy with the distribution of natural gas among the Bolivian people has become a violent topic and has even resulted in more than one leader being forced out of office. The first Bolivian president that was forced to resign was Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. He was elected twice in a row, once in 1993 and then again in 2002. He was forced to resign in October of 2003 because of a violent protest in which approximately 60 soldiers, policemen, and protesters died. Lozada finally resigned because he was afraid that if he did not give up his position, that even more bloodshed was yet to come. After resigning he fled to the United States and that is where he currently resides as a legal citizen.
While natural gas is a huge source of wealth for Bolivia, it has also worsened and intensified the social and economical divide of the different classes in the country. There have been a very large amount of protests in Bolivia even since president Lozada was forced to resign. The people of Bolivia were still angry even though they had a new president. The new president’s name was Carlos Mesa, who was Lozada’s vice president. There was still so much violence and pressure to fix the situation regarding natural gas exports, that by the summer of 2005, Mesa was also forced to resign from office.
Since the resignation of President Carlos Mesa, there have not been any significant violent acts that have taken place over the course of the last few years. The current president of Bolivia is Evo Morales, elected in December of 2005, who is also the leader of the Movement for Socialism, or MAS, which involves social protests including the situation regarding natural gas. The goal of the organization MAS is to give more power to the indigenous people and the poor communities by creating land reforms and distributing the natural gas wealth more equally. Morales has proven himself to be a good leader by his efforts to make peace between the people of his country. The movement that he has created is sure to help improve the conflict around the distribution of wealth from the natural gas exportations, but the country still has a long way to go. While the gas fields are considered a blessing for some, they are also a curse for others because the result for many individuals has been death. On one hand, the gas resource promises wealth for the poor country, but on the other hand, it has caused Bolivia a lot of social, economical, and political issues. The unnecessary civil conflict in Bolivia has contributed to the very tragic deaths of many citizens.
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Friday, May 28, 2010
Friday, April 30, 2010
Che Guevara
Che Guevara, also known as “El Che” or just “Che” was born June 14, 1928, was an Argentine Marxist Revolutionary and an important figure during the Cuban revolution. He was a very intelligent man and had many professions such as a physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, and much more. After he was murdered in the jungles of Bolivia in 1967, Guevara became a global icon within pop culture. Even to this day, people still recognize him by wearing T-shirts with his face on them. Many people view Guevara as a hero, but was he really a hero or an extremely radical communist revolutionary?
While he was a young college student studying medicine, Guevara traveled through Latin America and witnessed things that would change his views forever. During these trips he was transformed by the extreme poverty that he observed. The conclusion that he came to was that the poverty in these regions was the result of monopoly capitalism, neocolonialism, and imperialism. Guevara believed that the only way to end the poverty was a world revolution. Ever since he saw the poverty that people had to live in, Guevara became dedicated to make life better for the poor people. He was very militaristic and thought that things were resolved by war and fighting and had a very radical point of view.
Guevara left his job as a doctor and joined Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro in Mexico. While living in Mexico, Guevara, Castro, and eighty other men and women traveled to Cuba where they would try to overthrow the government of General Fulgencio Batista. This movement would later be called the July 26 Movement. Guevara and the rest of the army planned to set up camp in the mountains of Sierra Maestra but on their way they were attacked by government troops and stripped of weapons and many men and women were killed. After the atta
ck, they were left with only sixteen men and twelve weapons to share between them.
Eventually, after many months of scrounging for weapons and ammo in isolated army garrisons, Che and his small army were able to collect their supply of weapons and take control of more and more territory. The territory that they did have control of was distributed evenly among peasants that were homeless and treated unfairly. To thank Guevara, Castro, and his soldiers, the peasants helped in the guerrillas (or battles) against Batista. In addition, some peasants even joined the army in order to defeat Batista’s soldiers.
Castro and Guevara’s army succeeded in overthrowing Batista and proceeded to pass new laws that benefited the peasants and gave them land that was previously owned. In doing this, it was a good thing to do for the poor and for the leaders, but for other citizens who were middle and high class, it was not good news. In some people’s eyes, Che Guevara was a hero who stood up for people that were less fortunate. For others he is a radical communist because he took away from people that had land, money, and a home.
While he was a young college student studying medicine, Guevara traveled through Latin America and witnessed things that would change his views forever. During these trips he was transformed by the extreme poverty that he observed. The conclusion that he came to was that the poverty in these regions was the result of monopoly capitalism, neocolonialism, and imperialism. Guevara believed that the only way to end the poverty was a world revolution. Ever since he saw the poverty that people had to live in, Guevara became dedicated to make life better for the poor people. He was very militaristic and thought that things were resolved by war and fighting and had a very radical point of view.
Guevara left his job as a doctor and joined Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro in Mexico. While living in Mexico, Guevara, Castro, and eighty other men and women traveled to Cuba where they would try to overthrow the government of General Fulgencio Batista. This movement would later be called the July 26 Movement. Guevara and the rest of the army planned to set up camp in the mountains of Sierra Maestra but on their way they were attacked by government troops and stripped of weapons and many men and women were killed. After the atta
ck, they were left with only sixteen men and twelve weapons to share between them.Eventually, after many months of scrounging for weapons and ammo in isolated army garrisons, Che and his small army were able to collect their supply of weapons and take control of more and more territory. The territory that they did have control of was distributed evenly among peasants that were homeless and treated unfairly. To thank Guevara, Castro, and his soldiers, the peasants helped in the guerrillas (or battles) against Batista. In addition, some peasants even joined the army in order to defeat Batista’s soldiers.
Castro and Guevara’s army succeeded in overthrowing Batista and proceeded to pass new laws that benefited the peasants and gave them land that was previously owned. In doing this, it was a good thing to do for the poor and for the leaders, but for other citizens who were middle and high class, it was not good news. In some people’s eyes, Che Guevara was a hero who stood up for people that were less fortunate. For others he is a radical communist because he took away from people that had land, money, and a home.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The Battle of the bulge
Near the end of the war, Germany was determined to split up and defeat the Allies. On December 16th 1944, the Nazis started a battle with the Allies because Hitler had convinced himself that the alliance between Britain, France, and America was not strong enough to defeat the Nazis. Most of the German military including Field Marshall Gerd von Rundstedt did not believe that it was a wise decision to start the battle, but Hitler insisted that it had to happen. The battle was previously known as Ardennes Offensive, but because the first attack created a bulge in the Allied frontline, it became more commonly known as the Battle of the Bulge.
The Nazis had the advantage at the beginning of the battle because the weather was in their favor and they had a plan but the advantages did not last for long. When the battle began, they did not have enough fuel or resources to start the battle in the first place so what was the point of Hitler insisting on it? Hitler knew that they were losing the war and needed to gain more land or else Germany would surely lose, so he took a gamble. They would go ahead and attack the allies even with the small supply of fuel that they had and risk losing the war and tens of thousands of men, or they would succeed in splitting up the allies, win the battle, and accomplish their goal.
The big attacks that the Nazis were planning required tons of fuel of which they did not have. This is another reason that Hitler’s plan could not have worked in the first place. Even if the Germans had fuel and resources to keep moving forward, they still had no chance because the Allied forces kept bombing their supplies and they would have ended up running out of fuel anyways.
By January of 1945 the Nazi army was in such lack of fuel that they ended up having to abandon their vehicles and travel back to Germany on foot. This was a very big mistake because many of the men died just trying to get back to Germany and instead of gaining land, they backpedaled and lost it.
Ultimately, Hitler’s idea that Germany could defeat the Allies was not possible. Hitler had gotten very overconfident and sure that they could defeat whomever they fought when it was really just false hope. Hitler had gotten so overconfident in fact to the point that he had become delusional. While he believed that this battle would destroy the allies and split them up, it really unified them because they all had the same motive: to destroy the Nazis. An example of the Allies coming together and really striving to defeat the Nazis is a man who fought for Belgium named D’Haese who says “We were doing sabotage to the Germans, like cutting the communications lines…we waited and we prayed for the Americans”. This is a quote of someone who was desperate for the war to be over and shows that the Allies did anything they had to in order to defeat Nazi Germany.
The German decision to attack the Allies was a huge mistake on Hitler’s part because he decided to attack when they were at a very weak state and lacking many components of war. This poor decision was a very big factor that played a huge part in the fall of Nazi Germany.
573
The Nazis had the advantage at the beginning of the battle because the weather was in their favor and they had a plan but the advantages did not last for long. When the battle began, they did not have enough fuel or resources to start the battle in the first place so what was the point of Hitler insisting on it? Hitler knew that they were losing the war and needed to gain more land or else Germany would surely lose, so he took a gamble. They would go ahead and attack the allies even with the small supply of fuel that they had and risk losing the war and tens of thousands of men, or they would succeed in splitting up the allies, win the battle, and accomplish their goal.
The big attacks that the Nazis were planning required tons of fuel of which they did not have. This is another reason that Hitler’s plan could not have worked in the first place. Even if the Germans had fuel and resources to keep moving forward, they still had no chance because the Allied forces kept bombing their supplies and they would have ended up running out of fuel anyways.
By January of 1945 the Nazi army was in such lack of fuel that they ended up having to abandon their vehicles and travel back to Germany on foot. This was a very big mistake because many of the men died just trying to get back to Germany and instead of gaining land, they backpedaled and lost it.
Ultimately, Hitler’s idea that Germany could defeat the Allies was not possible. Hitler had gotten very overconfident and sure that they could defeat whomever they fought when it was really just false hope. Hitler had gotten so overconfident in fact to the point that he had become delusional. While he believed that this battle would destroy the allies and split them up, it really unified them because they all had the same motive: to destroy the Nazis. An example of the Allies coming together and really striving to defeat the Nazis is a man who fought for Belgium named D’Haese who says “We were doing sabotage to the Germans, like cutting the communications lines…we waited and we prayed for the Americans”. This is a quote of someone who was desperate for the war to be over and shows that the Allies did anything they had to in order to defeat Nazi Germany.
The German decision to attack the Allies was a huge mistake on Hitler’s part because he decided to attack when they were at a very weak state and lacking many components of war. This poor decision was a very big factor that played a huge part in the fall of Nazi Germany.
573
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Mein Kampf: A Symbol of Germany or an Unreasonable Power Struggle?
Before Adolf Hitler came into power, he wrote a book called Mein Kampf which means My Struggle. Mein Kampf was partly an autobiographical book and detailed Hitler’s goals for the future of the German people. Although it was part autobiographical, the book was filled with glorified inaccuracies, facts that were not completely true, and huge revisions to his history. In the book, he also wrote that all Germans were superior to other races because of their “racial purity” and that he wanted to completely wipeout any person or group that was not of one-hundred percent Germanic lineage and that Jews were the main threat to “racial purity”. Both parts of the book were finally published in 1927 but Hitler did not come into full power until around 1940. Was Mein Kampf just a senseless book that Hitler wrote or was it really meaningful?
When Mein Kampf was first published, it was very unpopular. Nobody really knew or cared about Hitler’s life or what he stood for except for the Nazis. The book was a disappointment because a very small amount of people bought it and actually read it. The majority of the people who bought the book were mainly Nazis who were Hitler’s followers and agreed with his views. The book soon became like a “bible” to the Nazi party.
Once Hitler did come into complete power there was great pressure on the masses of Germany to buy Mein Kampf. Many people did purchase the book, but only because it was written by their leader and they were being pressured by the Nazis, not because the book was interesting or even meaningful. Although everyone now had a copy of the book most did not even read a chapter of it, let alone cover to cover. At this point, Mein Kampf was not only a “bible” type book to the Nazis but now it was a bible for everyone else too. It was also similar to a bible in the sense that almost everyone owns one and knows what it is basically about but very few read it or even understand it.
Hitler was very hypocritical because he censored the books that people had. He only allowed books that he agreed with and that went along with his policies. One of the only books that he accepted was of course his own. The Nazis enforced Hitler’s censoring policies by burning the books that were unacceptable in his mind.Some may think that Mein Kampf was an important part of what Germany stood for because to some it was empowering, motivating and was a good plan for the future. Others may disagree with this opinion because it was also degrading and threatening to people that did not fall under the same description that Hitler accepted in the book.
Ultimately, Mein Kampf was one of Hitler’s tools that he used to gain even more power. People felt obligated to buy it because he was the leader and was “important” which unfortunately just made Hitler even more powerful.
506
When Mein Kampf was first published, it was very unpopular. Nobody really knew or cared about Hitler’s life or what he stood for except for the Nazis. The book was a disappointment because a very small amount of people bought it and actually read it. The majority of the people who bought the book were mainly Nazis who were Hitler’s followers and agreed with his views. The book soon became like a “bible” to the Nazi party.
Once Hitler did come into complete power there was great pressure on the masses of Germany to buy Mein Kampf. Many people did purchase the book, but only because it was written by their leader and they were being pressured by the Nazis, not because the book was interesting or even meaningful. Although everyone now had a copy of the book most did not even read a chapter of it, let alone cover to cover. At this point, Mein Kampf was not only a “bible” type book to the Nazis but now it was a bible for everyone else too. It was also similar to a bible in the sense that almost everyone owns one and knows what it is basically about but very few read it or even understand it.
Hitler was very hypocritical because he censored the books that people had. He only allowed books that he agreed with and that went along with his policies. One of the only books that he accepted was of course his own. The Nazis enforced Hitler’s censoring policies by burning the books that were unacceptable in his mind.Some may think that Mein Kampf was an important part of what Germany stood for because to some it was empowering, motivating and was a good plan for the future. Others may disagree with this opinion because it was also degrading and threatening to people that did not fall under the same description that Hitler accepted in the book.
Ultimately, Mein Kampf was one of Hitler’s tools that he used to gain even more power. People felt obligated to buy it because he was the leader and was “important” which unfortunately just made Hitler even more powerful.
506
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