CONTEMPORARY WORLD (PRELIM) Flashcards
is a phenomenon. It is an event
* It is something on the history timeline
* It’s like a war, an earthquake, a king’s reign, or any
other happening on the history time line.
* It is a phenomenon on the “contemporary times” in the
history timeline
Globalization
A process undergoes different stages, from
early stage
to advanced stage
These can be events, people, etc that served as stimuli or spark for the Globalization process to start rolling.
* There is no single one _ of globalization, it is a
combination of several factors
DRIVER
Globalization is geographic example
The Gods Must Be Crazy movie
What is Globalization?
An event
* A process
* Driven by many factors
* Collapsing of borders
* Shrinking of the world
* Geographic
* Inevitable
For laymen, these 2 terms are synonymous.
State and Nation
a community of persons more or less numerous, permanently occupying a definite portion of territory, possessing an organized government to which the great body of the inhabitants render habitual obedience, and free or nearly so from external control.
state
4 Elements of a State
People
* Territory
* Government
* Sovereignty
Mass of population living within the state
people
No people,
no state (like Antarctica)
Smallest state in terms of population –
Vatican ( about 794)(2024)
Largest state in terms of population –
China (2 billion)(2022)
Philippine population as of 1 January 2024 –
118,321,991 million
As of 1 January 2025, the population of Philippines was estimated to be
117,734,094 people
- The land that the people occupy.
- No land, no state…even if there are people.
Territory
- Take the case of the Jews one century ago. They were
scattered all over the world
Territory
It was only in _ when the UN assigned a piece of land in the Middle East to be the homeland of the
1948, Jews
Smallest state in terms of territory –
Vatican (0.44 sq
kms) – Luneta is bigger
Largest state in terms of territory –
Canada (9.97 million
sq. kms.)
Philippines territory –
300,000 sq kms
- The agency through which the will of the state is
expressed, formulated or carried out; usually named
after the name of the country
Government
The organization of leaders running the show.
Government
No government, no state….
even if there are people and territory
example of government
Example: The Buko Boys, Sir Jet’s high school barkada.
* They are people, they have a territory (the school basketball court), but
they do not have a government
- Synonymous to freedom
Sovereignty
No sovereignty, no state…
even if there are people, territory, or government.
Examples of territories without sovereignty:
- Tibet
- Guam
2 Aspects of Sovereignty
Internal Sovereignty and External Sovereignty
When people obey their
government
Internal Sovereignty
Freedom from external control (example)
External Sovereignty. * Example: China is controlling
Tibet; therefore Tibet is not a
state.
* Example: USA is controlling
Guam; therefore Guam is not a
state.
Internal Sovereignty
Sovereignty also means
independence
When we were still a Spanish colony, we don’t have independence.
* Therefore, the Philippines was
not yet a STATE at that time
Hong Kong isn’t independent.
China governs it. Therefore, Hong Kong is not a STATE
The 4 Elements of the State
- People
- Territory
- Government
- Sovereignty
A group of people bound together by
common characteristics (like physical
attributes, language, origin, traditions), and
who believe that they are one and distinct
from others
Nation
even though they may not have territory,
government or sovereignty
Nation is nation,
Nation is synonymous to _
* The Filipino nation, the Filipino people
“people”
One state, one nation
- Thailand
- Japan
- Saudi Arabia
One state, many nations inside it
- The State of Israel
- Has the Jewish nation and the Palestinian nation inside its territory
One nation, many states
- The Korean nation
- 2 states- North Korea, South Korea
One nation, many states
- The Arab nation
- Several states – Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan
Imagine life without a government?
- Anarchy
is a form of society without rulers. As a type of stateless society, it is commonly contrasted with states, which are centralised polities that claim a monopoly on violence over a permanent territory. Beyond a lack of government, it can more precisely refer to societies that lack any form of authority or hierarchy.
Anarchy
Protection of society and its members
- Security of persons
- Security of property
- Administration of justice
- Preservation of state from external danger
- Dealing of state with foreign powers
- Advancement of physical, social, and cultural well-being of people
Forms of Government
* Many dichotomies
- Dichotomy 1: Based on Freedom and Rights of the People
- Dichotomy 2: Based on Number of Rulers
- Dichotomy 3: Based on Extent of Powers of the Central Government
- Dichotomy 4: Based on the Relationship of the Branches of Gov’t.
- States may adopt combinations of these dichotomies
Based on Freedom and Rights of the People
Dichotomy 1
Based on Number of Rulers
Dichotomy 2
Based on Extent of Powers of the Central Government
Dichotomy 3
Based on the Relationship of the Branches of Gov’t.
Dichotomy 4
DEMOCRACY
- People are powerful in the sense that they have a voice in running the
government. - They have a wide range of rights and liberties.
- People have freedom to be who they want to be.
- Free market economy, capitalism
- Government has full control of the political and economic lives of the
people. - Equal distribution of wealth. No rich, no poor.
- People have no/very limited rights and liberties
- One cannot criticize the government
- Government assigns jobs to citizens
- Salaries are uniform and food is sometimes rationed.
- Why? For equal distribution of wealth
COMMUNISM
ONE PERSON
- Monarchy
- Fascism
MANY PERSONS
- Aristocracy
- Oligarchy
- Democracy
- Communism
One Person
* Also called
Autocracy
king or queen
* Other states may have a different title- Emperor, Sultan, Czar, etc.
is royal-blooded
Monarch-
Two Types of Monarchies
ABSOLUTE MONARCHY, CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY
- The monarch has absolute
powers - What he says is the law of the
land - No need for a constitution
ABSOLUTE MONARCHY
- There is a constitution
- There is a parliament doing the
nitty-gritty of governance. - The monarch is just a figure-
head
CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY
- Rule of a Dictator
- Everything for the glory of the state.
Fascism
- “rule of the best”
- Happened in ancient Greece
- A group of people ruled each polis
Aristocracy
- Small group of non-royal-blooded
people - Compared to the aristocrats, the
_ are not the best in society - They are usually selfish, corrupt, and
are gluttons of wealth, pride, and
power
Oligarchy
- Rule of the People
Democracy
- Two Types: of democracy
- Direct Democracy – all people decide matters in a meeting. (Pure Democracy)
- Indirect Democracy – people select representatives, then the representatives meet together to decide matters. (Representative Democracy)
- A Central Committee runs the government
- They are in charge of keeping the “equal distribution of wealth” and
discipline in the state.
Communism
- The national government is in-charge of all affairs.
- National government tells the local governments what to do
UNITARY
UNITARY
* Examples:
- Philippines
- Indonesia
- Singapore
- There is a national government which takes care of
national affairs. - The state is also divided into FEDERAL UNITS.
- Each Federal Unit is governed by a FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT. - Each Federal Government is supreme in its own
sphere, having its own set of legislature, laws, and
other agencies. - Thus, laws may vary from one Federal Unit to
another.
FEDERAL
FEDERAL
* Examples:
- USA
- Germany
3 BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT
- Legislative
- Executive
- Judiciary
- Makes laws
- The senators and congressmen/assemblymen
- Legislative
- Implements the laws
- The President/Prime Minister, cabinet, LGU
- Executive
- Convicts or acquits people accused of law-breaking
- The judges
- Judiciary
- The person who is really in-charge and
responsible for running the nitty-gritty of
governance
HEAD OF
GOVERNMENT
The person who symbolically represents the
state. He may be the head of government at
the same time; or he may be another person
aside from the head of government.
HEAD OF
STATE
The leader is the PRESIDENT
* The Head of Government is ALSO the Head of State
* He is elected by direct democracy
* He is independent of the Legislative
* In the same way, the Legislative is also independent from the
President (Chief Executive)
PRESIDENTIAL
PRESIDENTIAL
* Examples:
- Philippines
- USA
- Indonesia
- The leader is the PRIME MINISTER
- He is the Head of Government.
- There may be another person who is the Head of State (like the King)
- The Prime Minister (PM) is elected by indirect democracy
- People elect members of the Parliament. Then Parliament select the
PM among themselves. - Since the process involves indirect democracy, the PM is a creation of
the Legislative/the Parliament. - The Legislative can fire the PM anytime.
PARLIAMENTARY
PARLIAMENTARY
* Examples:
- UK
- Canada
- Japan
- Malaysia
(instead of hunting)
Domestication of animals
(instead of gathering)
- Cultivation of crops
Then the people learned AGRICULTURE
- Clans settled beside rivers
- Mesopotamia, Nile, Indus, Huang-Ho
- Permanent settlements (no longer nomadic)
- People built cities beside the great rivers
- Cities governed by a powerful person whom the people acknowledge
as their political leader - Leaders protect their people and the city-state from raiders and rival
city-states - The Leader is a strong man-of-war
Rise of “City-States”
- Rise of City-States, Kingdoms, and Empires
ANCIENT TIMES
- City-states evolved into kingdoms
- Formation of social classes
- Leader’s clan became the top class, the nobility
- Monarchy established: inherited leadership
- Taxation began
Rise of Kingdoms
- Kingdoms invade other kingdoms
- One emperor ruling several kingdoms
- Vassal-kings and governors under the emperor
Rise of Empires
Examples of Ancient Empires
In the Middle East:
Babylonian Empire
Persian Empire
Greek Empire
Roman Empire
In Central Asia :
Mongol Empire
In Southeast Asia:
Khmer Empire
Srivijaya Empire
In the Americas:
Maya Empire
Aztec Empire
Inca Empire
Examples of Empires during the Middle Ages
In the Middle East:
Islamic Empire
In Europe:
Byzantine Empire
Holy Roman Empire
- Quest for gold and spices
- The more gold, the more powerful
- Spices for food preservation
- Led to the exploration and discovery of new lands
- Western European kingdoms built overseas empires
Age of Mercantilism
Examples of Empires during the Age of
Mercantilism
In Europe:
Spanish Empire
Portuguese Empire
Dutch Empire
French Empire
British Empire
Belgian Empire
- Monarchy continued to be the political order
- Emperors ruled their motherland in Europe, plus their colonies in
other continents - World Order:
- Europe- the seat of power
- Asia, Africa, Americas- subdued people and territories
- Australia- penal colony of the British
Age of Mercantilism
- Monarchs and Emperors were mostly
despotic due to their absolute powers - In France, this resulted to a revolution
- The French Revolution- the First Revolution
that led to democracy
Rise of Democracy
- The French king was killed by the peasants
- No more monarchy
- A parliament was formed to run the country
- People elect representatives to the parliament
- Other European countries followed the French model
- Kings lost their absolute powers
- Parliaments took care of the governance of their countries
- Concept of equality of people
- More liberties for citizens
Rise of Democracy
- European countries developed machines for mass production
- Factories established
- Mechanized farming, mechanized transportation
- Coal-powered factories and vehicles
- Great damage to environment
- Poor labor practices
- The Industrial Revolution made the Western European empires more
powerful economically and politically - England, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Holland
- The United States of America (USA) also became like the Western
European powers
Industrial Revolution
- Because of the Industrial Revolution…
- Two social classes became more defined
- The capitalists and the masses
- The bourgeoisie and the proletariat
- Capitalists- the rich, the factory owners
- Masses- the working class, the laborers, the factory workers
- 1800s in Europe
- The capitalists oftentimes exploit the laborers
- No more “equality of men”
- Karl Marx, a German philosopher living in England, observed this.
- He hated the exploitation of the masses by the elites
- Dreamt of a class-less society
- He hatched the idea of communism
- Wrote 2 books: Das Kapital, and The Communist Manifesto
Birth of Communism
- Communism was never applied in Marx’s lifetime
- 1917- Russia, the first country to apply communism
- Russian Revolution
- Led by Vladimir Lenin
- Ended the monarchy
- Start of the Soviet Era
- In 1950, China followed the Russian model
- Mao Tse Tung drove away Chiang Kai Shek to Taiwan
- Mao set up a communist government in mainland China
Spread of Communism
- Lenin confiscated all the wealth of Russia and distributed it equally
among the people - He set up a communist government which is iron-fisted
- Communist Russia invaded 14 neighboring countries and integrated
them in the Soviet Union - Also called USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)
Birth of Communism
- Caused the powerful nations to polarize
- Grouped together and fought each other
- WW1 Axis Powers- Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire
- WW1 Allied Powers- US, GB, France, USSR (The Big 4), Japan, Italy
WW1
WW2 Axis Powers- Germany, Italy, Japan
* WW2 Allied Powers- US, GB, France, USSR (The Big 4)
WW2
- The Axis Powers lost in both wars
- After World war 2, the Big Four became even more known as “the
undisputed world powers”
World War 1 and World War 2
- After World War 1, The League of Nations was formed (1920).
- Its objective is to preserve world peace
- At its peak, it had 58 members
- Disagreement among members and withdrawal of membership
happened - It failed to prevent World War 2
- At the end of World War 2, the League of Nations was
abolished - It was replaced by the United Nations
- From 51 member states in 1945, today the UN has 193
members - Purpose: peace-keeping
- Later, health, food security, environmentalism, and the likes,
became additional objectives
The League of Nations and the UN
- Release of the colonies
- Economic losses during World War 2 caused GB, France and other
European powers to give independence to their colonies - The Philippines became independent
- Also India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and many African and Middle East
countries - The New World Order:
- 1st World, 2nd World, 3rd World
- 1st World- rich democratic countries (USA, GB, France)
- 2nd World- big, powerful communist countries (USSR, China)
- 3rd World- the rest of the world
Post-World War 2
- Competition of the 1st World and the 2nd World to convert/keep the 3rd
World countries under their respective fence - Communism vs Democracy
- Non-shooting war, just a war of ideologies
- Spy vs spy
- James Bond vs the KGB
- USSR and China fund communist rebels in democratic 3rd World
countries - To overthrow the democratic government and replace it with a
communist one - USA and GB fund the democratic 3rd World to prevent a communist
take-over - Examples: Cuba, North Vietnam, many African countries
- Korean stand-off
- After World War 2, Korea was partitioned by the USA and USSR
- North Korea – became communist, because of USSR
- South Korea – became democratic, because of USA
- The Korean War, 1950-1953
- North Korea vs South Korea
- Communism vs Democracy
- USSR and China helped North Korea
- USA helped South Korea
- Ended with a stale mate, a draw, a tie
- The Vietnam War
- After World War 2, Vietnam was partitioned
- North Vietnam became communist because of the USSR
- South Vietnam became democratic because of the USA
- In 1965-1975, North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam
- USSR and China funded the North Vietnamese, USA helped South
Vietnam - South Vietnam and the USA lost the war.
- The 1st World countries in North America and
Europe formed the NATO (North Atlantic
Treaty Organization) - If one member gets attacked by the
communist bloc, the other NATO members
would come to the rescue. - Fortunately, this didn’t happen.
- The United Nations had a hard time doing its job during
the cold war. - Both the US and the USSR were UN members
- For the record, the UN deployed peacekeeping forces only
on 2 occasions during the Cold War: - During the Korean War in the 1950s
- In Congo in the 1960s to aid the government against rebel
forces
The Cold War
- After World War 2, Germany was also partitioned.
- Also the capital city of Berlin.
- West Germany and West Berlin became democratic
because of the USA - East Germany and East Berlin became communist
because of the USSR - End of the Cold War
- In 1989, the East Germans had a “people power
revolution” - They gave up communism and wanted to be
democratic - They destroyed the Berlin Wall, the barrier that
divided the two Germanies. - (where did the East Germans got the idea of a people
power revolution?) - EDSA People Power Revolution of 1986
- After the German experience, many communist countries in Europe
followed suit. - Democracy-hungry people toppled the communist governments in
their countries - Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and even the USSR
- By the end of the 1990s, communism was almost dead
The End of the Cold War
- Germany became a united democratic country
- The other small communist countries in Europe became democratic
- The USSR disintegrated
- Russia gave independence to the 14 Soviet republics- Kazakhstan,
Uzbekistan, Lithuania, Ukraine, etc - Parliaments replaced the communist governments there
- China opened itself to US capitalists
- China allowed US companies to operate in
their land - Nike, Apple, McDonalds, etc
- Now, almost everything in the world is made
in China - Vietnam followed China’s example
- Communist government, but open to
Western capitalists - Today, only 2 countries remain as “pure communists”
- Cuba and North Korea
- But lately, Cuban leader Fidel Castro died.
- His successor is open-minded to US partnership
- Also, new North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, is having exploratory
talks on the unification of Korea. - Experts claim that sooner or later, communism will be a thing of the
past
Post-Cold War Era
Where is Globalization in our story?
- Breaking down of barriers between the communism and democracy
- The trend: The world is becoming capitalistic and democratic
- Now, in the contemporary times, the 1st World has a new enemy-
Terrorism - Islamic Extremist groups (Taliban, Al Qaeda, ISIS) have launched
attacks in the 1st World - The US and its allies have invaded countries that they think are
“cuddling” these extremist groups - Afghanistan and Iraq
- The US put up “democratic governments” in these invaded countries
to replace the Islamic extremist governments
Postlude: War on Terror
SYNTHESIS
- The trend:
- The world started with simple nomadic groups here and there
- They polarized into settlements, nations, kingdoms, and empires
- Through time, borders separated them. Borders may be physical
walls, borderlines, ideologies, despotic leaders, wars, economic
systems, religion, and the likes - In the contemporary world, these barriers are crumbling down.
- The breaking down of these barriers and the unification of the world
is GLOBALIZATION unfolding before our eyes.
Globalization involves the shrinking of the world in the sense that transportation is quicker now than ever before.
true
Globalization is a phenomenon just like a war, an earthquake, and a king’s reign.
true
The Philippines won’t be affected by Globalization because we are a backward nation technologically compared to the US.
false
Globalization involves the shrinking of the world in the sense that communication is quicker now than ever.
true
Globalization involves the collapsing of the Great Wall of China.
false
Globalization involves not just one, but many stages.
true
Globalization is one of the fastest events in world history to happen
true
Globalization commences due to forces called “drivers”, and these are not one, but many
true
Social media plays a vital role in the contemporary world.
true
Globalization may be experienced in one country, but not yet in another country at a given point in time.
true
Matters are decided by all voting citizens of the state.
state
Rule of a few rich self-centered families
state
There is a national central government in-charge of all affairs of the state.
state
Guam
not state
Tibet
not state
Hongkong
not state
People choose the head of government through an election.
state
Arab nation
not state
Philippines
state
Thailand
state
