Part 5: Intro and Chapter 20

      Wow, must have been nice? 1750-1950, also known as The European moment in world history. Finally a part of Europe that was in the dark a little bit had emerged. I want to say western part. Spain, Italy, French, Belgium, British, English, etc, etc began to emerge.

     It was their turn to dominate. The map on page 492 of the text, shows this best. Who was in who's backyard stealing whatever they wanted, great map. All because of a gun. A machine gun that could shoot multiple bullets over and over.

     Chapter 20 is full of quotes from the dominated and dominators. Even the Superior parties are quoted saying unebelievable things. Some coiuntries had no central leadership to negotiate with, so village by village was demolished and wiped out.

     If you didnt read chapter 20, the following quotes will help understand what was going on during this time. Some quotes include:

"Whatever happens we have got
The Maxim gun [an automatic machine gun] and they have not."-Hilaire Belloc, English writer

" I shall of course go on walloping them until they surrender. it's rather piteous sight watching a village being knocked to pieces and I wish there was some other way, but unfortunately there isn't"- British Official

"Do you really wish to confront such a power with a pack of [our] cowardly soldiers? It would be like mounting an elefant's head or caressing a tiger's tail... With what you presently have, do you really expect to dissolve the enemy's rifles into air or chase his battleships into hell?"

- Tu Duc, 19th Century Vietnamese Emperor

"Fine wine but no good friends, So I buy none though I have the money. A poem comes to mind, but I chose not to write it down. If it were written, to whom wiuld I give it? The spare bed hangs upon the wall in cold indifference. I pluck the lute, but it just doesn't sound right."
-Nguyen Khuyen, Senor Vietnamese Official

"We were always in the forest to find the rubber vines, to go without food, and our women had to give up cultivating the fields and gardens. Then we starved... We begged the white man to leave us alone, saying we could get no more rubber, but the white men and their soldiers said "Go. You are only beasts yourselves..." When we failed and our rubber was short, the soldiers came to our towns and killed us. Many were shot, some had their ears cut off; others were tied up with ropes riund their necks and taken away."
-Refugee from the Congo

     This kind of stuff gives a good idea of what was going on during these times. Personally, its easy to say how could you enjoy something at the expense of others? Reality says it goes on today as we speak, sadly.