5.4.2 Growth of Democracy
Completion requirements
5.4.2 The Growth of Democracy
Is there a connection between globalization and freedom?
Political Systems during the Cold War: From the end of World War II until the collapse of the Soviet Union, economic
ideologies of
communism and
capitalism competed for dominance. This period in history was called the
Cold War.
Accompanying these two economic systems were two political systems. The Soviet Union was ruled by the Communist Party. No other political parties were permitted. There was little room for new ideas. Not all citizens could vote. The United States and its allies in the free world were all democracies. All citizens in democracies can vote for the political parties or candidates of their choice.
Soviet-dominated countries rarely traded goods with countries from the democratic world. People could not travel freely between nations. Communication was limited. This reduced trade worldwide and slowed the interconnectedness of the world's peoples.
Non-aligned countries: During the Cold War, many nations closed themselves off. They did not want a return to imperialism. However, when they cut themselves from the world's most powerful nations, they also cut themselves from the economic development occurring in the remainder of the world. The two power blocs in the developed world tried to obtain the support of these non-aligned nations, especially if they had resources the powerful nations wanted. Sometimes corrupt leaders of third-world countries used their neutral positions to pit one side against the other.
Read In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz ( Amazon.ca link) for an excellent and very readable account of Mobutu and how he abused his power.
The slow road to democracy: Although the former colonies of Europe gained their independence after World War II, a long time passed before they became democratic. Some of the most undemocratic governments in post-colonial Africa existed during the Cold War with the support of both the United States and the Soviet Union. In the 1980s, only five democratic nations existed in Africa. After the end of the Cold War in the 1990s, more than 40 multi-party elections were held on that continent. Not until 1994 was South Africa forced to end its policy of apartheid.
Since the end of the Cold War, democracies have arisen on every continent. As countries become more integrated due to trade and technology, they also become more politically connected. This can lead to increased demands for greater political freedom and democracy. Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Nicaragua, Chile, Indonesia, Serbia, Ukraine, Congo, South Africa, a united Germany, Palestine, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Bolivia, and many others have made transitions from some form of dictatorship to give the people a voice in the government they want after years of undemocratic rule.
Is there any better system of government than representative democracy such as we practise in Canada?
Many other political systems have occurred in the world, but so far none has succeeded. Is there a better way?
Accompanying these two economic systems were two political systems. The Soviet Union was ruled by the Communist Party. No other political parties were permitted. There was little room for new ideas. Not all citizens could vote. The United States and its allies in the free world were all democracies. All citizens in democracies can vote for the political parties or candidates of their choice.
Soviet-dominated countries rarely traded goods with countries from the democratic world. People could not travel freely between nations. Communication was limited. This reduced trade worldwide and slowed the interconnectedness of the world's peoples.
Non-aligned countries: During the Cold War, many nations closed themselves off. They did not want a return to imperialism. However, when they cut themselves from the world's most powerful nations, they also cut themselves from the economic development occurring in the remainder of the world. The two power blocs in the developed world tried to obtain the support of these non-aligned nations, especially if they had resources the powerful nations wanted. Sometimes corrupt leaders of third-world countries used their neutral positions to pit one side against the other.
Case Study: The Congo
Mobutu Sese Seko, more commonly known as Mobutu, was the corrupt president of the Congo from 1965 until 1997. While his countrymen were living on less than $120 per year, government workers were not being paid, and the
infrastructure collapsed, Mobutu secreted billions of dollars into his own bank accounts.
The Congo is rich in natural resources with oil and diamonds in abundance. These resources were owned by the government. The World Bank and the IMF provided considerable financial aid to help develop these resources and infrastructure so the people could rise out of poverty. Instead, this money went into Swiss bank accounts of Mobutu and his friends. He owned a fleet of Mercedes cars, palaces throughout the country, a yacht, and homes in places such as Belgium and Paris.
The United States, France, Belgium, and China supported Mobutu's regime although they were well aware of the corruption and the unnecessary poverty experienced by the people. These countries feared Soviet control of another former colony in Africa. The Soviet Union already influenced several nations including Ethiopia, Algeria, Guinea Bissau, Angola, Somalia, Namibia, and Zambia.
The Congo has a history of exploitation from the "scramble for Africa" when it was the only African nation to be owned by a European king, Leopold of Belgium. The legacy of imperialism has been brutal for the Congo β ΒΒfrom the cruel abuse of the people of the country and the outright theft of its resources to the exploitation and corruption of Mobutu. Today, the Congo is not yet benefiting from globalization; it continues to suffer from extreme poverty and civil war.
The Congo is rich in natural resources with oil and diamonds in abundance. These resources were owned by the government. The World Bank and the IMF provided considerable financial aid to help develop these resources and infrastructure so the people could rise out of poverty. Instead, this money went into Swiss bank accounts of Mobutu and his friends. He owned a fleet of Mercedes cars, palaces throughout the country, a yacht, and homes in places such as Belgium and Paris.
The United States, France, Belgium, and China supported Mobutu's regime although they were well aware of the corruption and the unnecessary poverty experienced by the people. These countries feared Soviet control of another former colony in Africa. The Soviet Union already influenced several nations including Ethiopia, Algeria, Guinea Bissau, Angola, Somalia, Namibia, and Zambia.
The Congo has a history of exploitation from the "scramble for Africa" when it was the only African nation to be owned by a European king, Leopold of Belgium. The legacy of imperialism has been brutal for the Congo β ΒΒfrom the cruel abuse of the people of the country and the outright theft of its resources to the exploitation and corruption of Mobutu. Today, the Congo is not yet benefiting from globalization; it continues to suffer from extreme poverty and civil war.
Mobuto Sese Seko
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Digging Deeper
Read In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz ( Amazon.ca link) for an excellent and very readable account of Mobutu and how he abused his power.
The slow road to democracy: Although the former colonies of Europe gained their independence after World War II, a long time passed before they became democratic. Some of the most undemocratic governments in post-colonial Africa existed during the Cold War with the support of both the United States and the Soviet Union. In the 1980s, only five democratic nations existed in Africa. After the end of the Cold War in the 1990s, more than 40 multi-party elections were held on that continent. Not until 1994 was South Africa forced to end its policy of apartheid.
Since the end of the Cold War, democracies have arisen on every continent. As countries become more integrated due to trade and technology, they also become more politically connected. This can lead to increased demands for greater political freedom and democracy. Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Nicaragua, Chile, Indonesia, Serbia, Ukraine, Congo, South Africa, a united Germany, Palestine, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Bolivia, and many others have made transitions from some form of dictatorship to give the people a voice in the government they want after years of undemocratic rule.
Reflect
Is there any better system of government than representative democracy such as we practise in Canada?
Many other political systems have occurred in the world, but so far none has succeeded. Is there a better way?