Chapter 20 blog

I thought it was interesting how Strayer describes the First World War as starting in Europe but provoking a series of “echoes” in other countries. He references the war as “a European civil war with a global reach” (881) and mentions the way the war prompted a global culture of communism. This was interesting because it reminded me of the Eurocentrism we studied and made me reflect on how Eurocentrism remained such an important concept (and arguably still is today, with countries like Britain remaining powerful in the global marketplace). 

It was also interesting because from the reading I could sense Germany’s desire to become a strong world power. Strayer also mentions this when he talks about how Germany was desperately seeking its “place in the sun” (882). These are the early hints of WWII in the making. 

I found our conversation in class particularly thought provoking, especially when we discussed how hints of fascism can be seen in our society today. In class, we mentioned how propaganda was an essential tool for the spread of fascism and drew the comparison with President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. Though catchy, the slogan has fascist traits as it promotes a very extreme concept of nationalism. It also promotes that there is only one version of America that is “Great” and that it is Trump’s America, which ties back to this concept of belonging and of “other” that we discussed in class.