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Second Persian Invasion.m4a | Now, simultaneous with Thermopylae, you had a naval battle happen in the Strait of Artemisium. And once again, even though there was about 600 ships, Persian ships that were in this battle, there was on the order of about 200 or 300 Greek ships. So the Greeks were once again outnumbered, and they were able to slow down the Persians, but not stop them. And the Persians kept having bad luck, especially with these storms, because even we had these first ships get destroyed, they sent some 200 ships around Euboea, I'm probably not pronouncing it perfectly right here, but then they get destroyed by a storm. So now you have the ships that engaged the Greeks in the Straits of Artemisium, the Greeks pull back because they know they're outnumbered, and they essentially go and retreat, or what the Persians think are retreats, so the Persians followed the Greek fleet all the way back to the Strait of Salamis. And it's over there that the Greek fleet is able to, because, is able to plan a defeat of the Persian fleet. So you have the Persian fleet gets destroyed decisively at Salamis. |
Second Persian Invasion.m4a | And the Persians kept having bad luck, especially with these storms, because even we had these first ships get destroyed, they sent some 200 ships around Euboea, I'm probably not pronouncing it perfectly right here, but then they get destroyed by a storm. So now you have the ships that engaged the Greeks in the Straits of Artemisium, the Greeks pull back because they know they're outnumbered, and they essentially go and retreat, or what the Persians think are retreats, so the Persians followed the Greek fleet all the way back to the Strait of Salamis. And it's over there that the Greek fleet is able to, because, is able to plan a defeat of the Persian fleet. So you have the Persian fleet gets destroyed decisively at Salamis. You have the Persian army still in Athens, is able to destroy Athens, but the Athenian people have not been destroyed. And so there's a question for Xerxes, what to do at this point? This is all now, this is all in 480 BCE. |
Second Persian Invasion.m4a | So you have the Persian fleet gets destroyed decisively at Salamis. You have the Persian army still in Athens, is able to destroy Athens, but the Athenian people have not been destroyed. And so there's a question for Xerxes, what to do at this point? This is all now, this is all in 480 BCE. And what Xerxes decides to do, he says, hey, I don't wanna get stranded in Europe at the edge of my empire. And so Xerxes heads back, but he leaves some of his ground forces there, and they eventually face a decisive defeat at Plataea, Plataea, I should say, right over here. And so that is the last significant threat of the Persians against the Greeks. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | When I was a kid, they made us practice hiding under our desks in the event of a nuclear attack because, you know, school desks are super good at repelling radiation. Mr. Green, Mr. Green, right, remember in elementary school there was this special guest who defected from the Soviet Union and he had like this crazy Russian accent and he kept going on about how Reagan should spit in Gorbachev's face instead of signing treaties with him? And I was like, whoa, dude, calm down, you're in a room full of third graders. And then for months afterward on the playground we'd play Reagan-Gorbachev and spit in each other's faces. Those were the days. Sometimes I forget that you're me, me from the past. Yeah, it's just really nice to talk to you and feel like you're listening. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | And then for months afterward on the playground we'd play Reagan-Gorbachev and spit in each other's faces. Those were the days. Sometimes I forget that you're me, me from the past. Yeah, it's just really nice to talk to you and feel like you're listening. You're boring. Cue the intro. INTRO So the Cold War was a rivalry between the USSR and the USA that played out globally. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | Yeah, it's just really nice to talk to you and feel like you're listening. You're boring. Cue the intro. INTRO So the Cold War was a rivalry between the USSR and the USA that played out globally. We've tried to shy away from calling conflicts ideological or civilizational here on Crash Course, but in this case the clash of civilizations model really does apply. Socialism, at least as Marx constructed it, wanted to take over the world and many Soviets saw themselves in a conflict with bourgeois capitalism itself. And the Soviets saw American rebuilding efforts in Europe and Japan as the US trying to expand its markets, which by the way is exactly what we were doing. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | INTRO So the Cold War was a rivalry between the USSR and the USA that played out globally. We've tried to shy away from calling conflicts ideological or civilizational here on Crash Course, but in this case the clash of civilizations model really does apply. Socialism, at least as Marx constructed it, wanted to take over the world and many Soviets saw themselves in a conflict with bourgeois capitalism itself. And the Soviets saw American rebuilding efforts in Europe and Japan as the US trying to expand its markets, which by the way is exactly what we were doing. So the US feared that the USSR wanted to destroy democratic and capitalist institutions and the Soviets feared that the US wanted to use its money and power to dominate Europe and eventually destroy the Soviet system. And both parties were right to be worried. It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | And the Soviets saw American rebuilding efforts in Europe and Japan as the US trying to expand its markets, which by the way is exactly what we were doing. So the US feared that the USSR wanted to destroy democratic and capitalist institutions and the Soviets feared that the US wanted to use its money and power to dominate Europe and eventually destroy the Soviet system. And both parties were right to be worried. It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you. Now of course we've seen a lot of geopolitical struggles between major world powers here on Crash Course, but this time there was this special added bonus that war could lead to the destruction of the human species. That was new for world history and it's worth remembering it's still new. Here's the period of time we've discussed on Crash Course and this is how long we've had the technological capability to exterminate ourselves. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you. Now of course we've seen a lot of geopolitical struggles between major world powers here on Crash Course, but this time there was this special added bonus that war could lead to the destruction of the human species. That was new for world history and it's worth remembering it's still new. Here's the period of time we've discussed on Crash Course and this is how long we've had the technological capability to exterminate ourselves. So that's worrisome. Immediately after World War II, the Soviets created a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe, dominating the countries where the Red Army had pushed back the Nazis. Which is why Winston Churchill famously said in 1946 that an iron curtain had descended across Europe. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | Here's the period of time we've discussed on Crash Course and this is how long we've had the technological capability to exterminate ourselves. So that's worrisome. Immediately after World War II, the Soviets created a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe, dominating the countries where the Red Army had pushed back the Nazis. Which is why Winston Churchill famously said in 1946 that an iron curtain had descended across Europe. While the dates of the Cold War are usually given between 1945 and 1990, a number of historians will tell you that it actually started during World War II. Japan's distrust of the US and Britain kept growing as they refused to invade Europe and open up a second front against the Nazis. And some even say that the decision to drop the first atomic bombs on Japan was motivated in part by a desire to intimidate the Soviets. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | Which is why Winston Churchill famously said in 1946 that an iron curtain had descended across Europe. While the dates of the Cold War are usually given between 1945 and 1990, a number of historians will tell you that it actually started during World War II. Japan's distrust of the US and Britain kept growing as they refused to invade Europe and open up a second front against the Nazis. And some even say that the decision to drop the first atomic bombs on Japan was motivated in part by a desire to intimidate the Soviets. That sort of worked, but only insofar as it motivated the Soviets to develop atomic bombs of their own. They successfully tested their first one in 1949. From the beginning, the US had the advantage because it had more money and power and could provide Europe protection, what with its army and one-of-a-kind nuclear arsenal, while Europe rebuilt. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | And some even say that the decision to drop the first atomic bombs on Japan was motivated in part by a desire to intimidate the Soviets. That sort of worked, but only insofar as it motivated the Soviets to develop atomic bombs of their own. They successfully tested their first one in 1949. From the beginning, the US had the advantage because it had more money and power and could provide Europe protection, what with its army and one-of-a-kind nuclear arsenal, while Europe rebuilt. The USSR had to rebuild itself, and also they had the significant disadvantage of being controlled by noted asshat Joseph Stalin. I will remind you, it's not cursing if he's wearing an ass for a hat. Oh, I guess it's time for the open letter. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | From the beginning, the US had the advantage because it had more money and power and could provide Europe protection, what with its army and one-of-a-kind nuclear arsenal, while Europe rebuilt. The USSR had to rebuild itself, and also they had the significant disadvantage of being controlled by noted asshat Joseph Stalin. I will remind you, it's not cursing if he's wearing an ass for a hat. Oh, I guess it's time for the open letter. An Open Letter to Joseph Stalin. But first, let's see what's in the secret compartment today. Oh, it's silly putty. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | Oh, I guess it's time for the open letter. An Open Letter to Joseph Stalin. But first, let's see what's in the secret compartment today. Oh, it's silly putty. Silly putty. The thing that won the Cold War. This is exactly the kind of useless consumer good that would never have been produced in the Soviet Union, and it is because we had so much more consumer spending on stuff like silly putty that we won the Cold War. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | Oh, it's silly putty. Silly putty. The thing that won the Cold War. This is exactly the kind of useless consumer good that would never have been produced in the Soviet Union, and it is because we had so much more consumer spending on stuff like silly putty that we won the Cold War. Go team! Dear Joseph Stalin, you really sucked. There was a great moment in your life at your first wife's funeral when you said, I don't think I shall ever love again, and then later you had that wife's whole family killed. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | This is exactly the kind of useless consumer good that would never have been produced in the Soviet Union, and it is because we had so much more consumer spending on stuff like silly putty that we won the Cold War. Go team! Dear Joseph Stalin, you really sucked. There was a great moment in your life at your first wife's funeral when you said, I don't think I shall ever love again, and then later you had that wife's whole family killed. Putting aside the fact that you're responsible for tens of millions of deaths, I don't like you because of the way you treated your son Yakov. I mean, you were really mean to him, and then he shot himself, and he didn't die, and you said he can't even shoot straight. And then later, when he was captured during World War II, you had a chance to exchange prisoners for him, but you declined. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | There was a great moment in your life at your first wife's funeral when you said, I don't think I shall ever love again, and then later you had that wife's whole family killed. Putting aside the fact that you're responsible for tens of millions of deaths, I don't like you because of the way you treated your son Yakov. I mean, you were really mean to him, and then he shot himself, and he didn't die, and you said he can't even shoot straight. And then later, when he was captured during World War II, you had a chance to exchange prisoners for him, but you declined. And then he died in a prison camp. You were a terrible leader, a terrible person, and a terrible father. Best wishes, John Green. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | And then later, when he was captured during World War II, you had a chance to exchange prisoners for him, but you declined. And then he died in a prison camp. You were a terrible leader, a terrible person, and a terrible father. Best wishes, John Green. Alright, let's go to the Thought Bubble. Europe was the first battleground of the Cold War, especially Germany, which was divided into two parts, with the former capital, Berlin, also divided into two parts. And yes, I know the western part was divided into smaller occupation zones, but I'm simplifying. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | Best wishes, John Green. Alright, let's go to the Thought Bubble. Europe was the first battleground of the Cold War, especially Germany, which was divided into two parts, with the former capital, Berlin, also divided into two parts. And yes, I know the western part was divided into smaller occupation zones, but I'm simplifying. In 1948, the Soviets tried to cut off West Berlin by closing the main road that led into the city, but the Berlin Airlift stopped them. And then in 1961, the Soviets tried again, and this time they were much more successful, building a wall around West Berlin, although it's worth noting that the thing was up for less than 30 years. I mean, Meat Loaf's career has lasted longer than the Berlin Wall did. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | And yes, I know the western part was divided into smaller occupation zones, but I'm simplifying. In 1948, the Soviets tried to cut off West Berlin by closing the main road that led into the city, but the Berlin Airlift stopped them. And then in 1961, the Soviets tried again, and this time they were much more successful, building a wall around West Berlin, although it's worth noting that the thing was up for less than 30 years. I mean, Meat Loaf's career has lasted longer than the Berlin Wall did. The US response to the Soviets was a policy called containment. It basically involved stopping the spread of communism by standing up to the Soviets wherever they seemed to want to expand. In Europe, this meant spending a lot of money. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | I mean, Meat Loaf's career has lasted longer than the Berlin Wall did. The US response to the Soviets was a policy called containment. It basically involved stopping the spread of communism by standing up to the Soviets wherever they seemed to want to expand. In Europe, this meant spending a lot of money. First, the Marshall Plan spent $13 billion on rebuilding Western Europe with grants and credits that Europeans would spend on American consumer goods and on construction. Capitalism's cheap food and plentiful stuff, it was hoped, would stop the spread of communism. The US also tried to slow the spread of communism by founding NATO and with CIA interventions in elections where communists had a chance, as in Italy. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | In Europe, this meant spending a lot of money. First, the Marshall Plan spent $13 billion on rebuilding Western Europe with grants and credits that Europeans would spend on American consumer goods and on construction. Capitalism's cheap food and plentiful stuff, it was hoped, would stop the spread of communism. The US also tried to slow the spread of communism by founding NATO and with CIA interventions in elections where communists had a chance, as in Italy. But despite all the great spy novels and shaken, not stirred martinis, the Cold War never did heat up in Europe. Probably the most important part of the Cold War that people just don't remember these days is the nuclear arms race. Both sides developed nuclear arsenals, the Soviets initially with the help of spies who stole American secrets. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | The US also tried to slow the spread of communism by founding NATO and with CIA interventions in elections where communists had a chance, as in Italy. But despite all the great spy novels and shaken, not stirred martinis, the Cold War never did heat up in Europe. Probably the most important part of the Cold War that people just don't remember these days is the nuclear arms race. Both sides developed nuclear arsenals, the Soviets initially with the help of spies who stole American secrets. Eventually, the nuclear arsenals were so big that the US and USSR agreed on a strategy appropriately called MAD, which stood for Mutually Assured Destruction. Thanks, Thought Bubble. And yes, nuclear weapons were and are capable of destroying humanity many times over. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | Both sides developed nuclear arsenals, the Soviets initially with the help of spies who stole American secrets. Eventually, the nuclear arsenals were so big that the US and USSR agreed on a strategy appropriately called MAD, which stood for Mutually Assured Destruction. Thanks, Thought Bubble. And yes, nuclear weapons were and are capable of destroying humanity many times over. Not only once or twice did we get close to nuclear war, during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and then again in 1983 when we forgot to give the Russians the heads up that we were doing some war games which made it look like we had launched a first strike. Our bad! But even though Mutually Assured Destruction prevented direct conflict, there was plenty of hot war in the Cold War. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | And yes, nuclear weapons were and are capable of destroying humanity many times over. Not only once or twice did we get close to nuclear war, during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and then again in 1983 when we forgot to give the Russians the heads up that we were doing some war games which made it look like we had launched a first strike. Our bad! But even though Mutually Assured Destruction prevented direct conflict, there was plenty of hot war in the Cold War. The Korean War saw lots of fighting between communists and capitalists, as did the Vietnam War. I mean, these days we remember the domino effect as silly paranoia, but after Korea and especially China became communist, Vietnam's movement toward communism seemed very much a threat to Japan, which the US had helped remake into a vibrant capitalist ally. So the US got bogged down in one of its longest wars while the Soviets assisted the North Vietnamese Army in the Viet Cong. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | But even though Mutually Assured Destruction prevented direct conflict, there was plenty of hot war in the Cold War. The Korean War saw lots of fighting between communists and capitalists, as did the Vietnam War. I mean, these days we remember the domino effect as silly paranoia, but after Korea and especially China became communist, Vietnam's movement toward communism seemed very much a threat to Japan, which the US had helped remake into a vibrant capitalist ally. So the US got bogged down in one of its longest wars while the Soviets assisted the North Vietnamese Army in the Viet Cong. But then we paid them back by supporting the anti-communist Mujahideen after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Of course, as we now know, nobody conquers Afghanistan. Unless you are the Mongols. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | So the US got bogged down in one of its longest wars while the Soviets assisted the North Vietnamese Army in the Viet Cong. But then we paid them back by supporting the anti-communist Mujahideen after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Of course, as we now know, nobody conquers Afghanistan. Unless you are the Mongols. So after ten disastrous years, the Soviets finally abandoned Afghanistan. Some of those Mujahideen later became members of the Taliban, though, so it's difficult to say that anyone won that war. But it wasn't just Asia. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | Unless you are the Mongols. So after ten disastrous years, the Soviets finally abandoned Afghanistan. Some of those Mujahideen later became members of the Taliban, though, so it's difficult to say that anyone won that war. But it wasn't just Asia. In Nicaragua, the US supported rebels to overthrow the leftist government. In El Salvador, the US bolstered authoritarian regimes that were threatened by left-wing guerrillas. The United States ended up supporting a lot of awful governments, like the one in Guatemala, which held onto power through the use of death squads. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | But it wasn't just Asia. In Nicaragua, the US supported rebels to overthrow the leftist government. In El Salvador, the US bolstered authoritarian regimes that were threatened by left-wing guerrillas. The United States ended up supporting a lot of awful governments, like the one in Guatemala, which held onto power through the use of death squads. Frankly, all our attempts to stabilize governments in Latin America led to some very unstable Latin American governments and quite a lot of violence. And then there were the lukewarm conflicts, like the Suez Canal crisis, where British and French paratroopers were sent in to try to stop Egypt from nationalizing the Suez Canal. Or all the American covert operations to keep various countries from falling to communism. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | The United States ended up supporting a lot of awful governments, like the one in Guatemala, which held onto power through the use of death squads. Frankly, all our attempts to stabilize governments in Latin America led to some very unstable Latin American governments and quite a lot of violence. And then there were the lukewarm conflicts, like the Suez Canal crisis, where British and French paratroopers were sent in to try to stop Egypt from nationalizing the Suez Canal. Or all the American covert operations to keep various countries from falling to communism. These included the famous CIA-engineered coup to overthrow Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh after his government attempted to nationalize Iran's oil industry, and the CIA helping Chile's General Augusto Pinochet overthrow democratically elected Marxist President Salvador Allende in 1973. And lest we think the Americans were the only bad guys in this, the Soviets used force to crush popular uprisings in Hungary in 1956 and in Czechoslovakia in 1968. So you may have noticed that our discussion of the Cold War has branched out from Europe to include Asia and the Middle East and Latin America. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | Or all the American covert operations to keep various countries from falling to communism. These included the famous CIA-engineered coup to overthrow Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh after his government attempted to nationalize Iran's oil industry, and the CIA helping Chile's General Augusto Pinochet overthrow democratically elected Marxist President Salvador Allende in 1973. And lest we think the Americans were the only bad guys in this, the Soviets used force to crush popular uprisings in Hungary in 1956 and in Czechoslovakia in 1968. So you may have noticed that our discussion of the Cold War has branched out from Europe to include Asia and the Middle East and Latin America. And in fact, almost every part of the globe was involved in some way, with the planet being divided into three worlds. The first world was the US, Western Europe, and any place that embraced capitalism and a more or less democratic form of government. The second world was the Soviet Union and its satellites, mostly the Warsaw Pact nations, China and Cuba. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | So you may have noticed that our discussion of the Cold War has branched out from Europe to include Asia and the Middle East and Latin America. And in fact, almost every part of the globe was involved in some way, with the planet being divided into three worlds. The first world was the US, Western Europe, and any place that embraced capitalism and a more or less democratic form of government. The second world was the Soviet Union and its satellites, mostly the Warsaw Pact nations, China and Cuba. The third world was everyone else, and we don't use this term anymore because it lumps together a hugely diverse range of countries. We'll talk more about the specific economic and development challenges faced by the so-called third world countries, but the big one in terms of the Cold War was that neither the US nor the Soviets wanted any of these countries to remain neutral. Every nation was supposed to pick sides, either capitalist or communist, and while it seems like an easy choice now, in the 50s and 60s it wasn't nearly so clear. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | The second world was the Soviet Union and its satellites, mostly the Warsaw Pact nations, China and Cuba. The third world was everyone else, and we don't use this term anymore because it lumps together a hugely diverse range of countries. We'll talk more about the specific economic and development challenges faced by the so-called third world countries, but the big one in terms of the Cold War was that neither the US nor the Soviets wanted any of these countries to remain neutral. Every nation was supposed to pick sides, either capitalist or communist, and while it seems like an easy choice now, in the 50s and 60s it wasn't nearly so clear. I mean, for a little while it seemed like the Soviets might come out ahead, at least in the third world. For a while, capitalism, and especially the United States, seemed to lose some of its luster. The US propped up dictatorships, had a poor civil rights record, we sucked at women's gymnastics, plus the Soviets were the first to put a satellite, a man, and a dog into space. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | Every nation was supposed to pick sides, either capitalist or communist, and while it seems like an easy choice now, in the 50s and 60s it wasn't nearly so clear. I mean, for a little while it seemed like the Soviets might come out ahead, at least in the third world. For a while, capitalism, and especially the United States, seemed to lose some of its luster. The US propped up dictatorships, had a poor civil rights record, we sucked at women's gymnastics, plus the Soviets were the first to put a satellite, a man, and a dog into space. Plus Marxists just seemed cooler, which is why you never see Milton Friedman t-shirts. Until now, available at DFTBA.com. I like that, Stan, but I'm more of a centrist. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | The US propped up dictatorships, had a poor civil rights record, we sucked at women's gymnastics, plus the Soviets were the first to put a satellite, a man, and a dog into space. Plus Marxists just seemed cooler, which is why you never see Milton Friedman t-shirts. Until now, available at DFTBA.com. I like that, Stan, but I'm more of a centrist. Can I get a Keynes shirt? Yes! Ah, now that's hot! |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | I like that, Stan, but I'm more of a centrist. Can I get a Keynes shirt? Yes! Ah, now that's hot! But Soviet socialism did not finally prove to be a viable alternative to industrial capitalism. Over time, state-run economies just generally don't fare as well as private enterprise, and people like living in a world where they can have more stuff. More importantly, Soviet policies were just bad. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | Ah, now that's hot! But Soviet socialism did not finally prove to be a viable alternative to industrial capitalism. Over time, state-run economies just generally don't fare as well as private enterprise, and people like living in a world where they can have more stuff. More importantly, Soviet policies were just bad. Collectivized agriculture stymied production and led to famine, suppression of dissent and traditional cultures made people angry, and no one likes suffering the humiliation of driving a Yugo. But why the Cold War ended when it did is one of the most interesting questions of the 20th century. It probably wasn't Ronald Reagan bankrupting the Soviets, despite what some politicians believe. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | More importantly, Soviet policies were just bad. Collectivized agriculture stymied production and led to famine, suppression of dissent and traditional cultures made people angry, and no one likes suffering the humiliation of driving a Yugo. But why the Cold War ended when it did is one of the most interesting questions of the 20th century. It probably wasn't Ronald Reagan bankrupting the Soviets, despite what some politicians believe. The USSR had more satellite states that it needed to spend more to prop up than the US had to invest in its allies. And the Soviet system could never keep up with economic growth in the West. But probably the individual most responsible for the end of the Cold War was Mikhail Baryshnikov. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | It probably wasn't Ronald Reagan bankrupting the Soviets, despite what some politicians believe. The USSR had more satellite states that it needed to spend more to prop up than the US had to invest in its allies. And the Soviet system could never keep up with economic growth in the West. But probably the individual most responsible for the end of the Cold War was Mikhail Baryshnikov. No? Mikhail Gorbachev? Well, that's boring. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | But probably the individual most responsible for the end of the Cold War was Mikhail Baryshnikov. No? Mikhail Gorbachev? Well, that's boring. I always thought the Soviets danced their way to freedom. No? It was Glasnost and Perestroika? |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | Well, that's boring. I always thought the Soviets danced their way to freedom. No? It was Glasnost and Perestroika? All right. Right, but Gorbachev's Perestroika and Glasnost opened up the Soviet political and economic systems with contested local elections, less restricted civil society groups, less censorship, more autonomy for the Soviet republics, more non-state-run businesses, and more autonomy for state-run farms. Glasnost, or openness, led to more information from the West, and less censorship led to a flood of criticism as people realized how much poorer the Second World was than the First. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | It was Glasnost and Perestroika? All right. Right, but Gorbachev's Perestroika and Glasnost opened up the Soviet political and economic systems with contested local elections, less restricted civil society groups, less censorship, more autonomy for the Soviet republics, more non-state-run businesses, and more autonomy for state-run farms. Glasnost, or openness, led to more information from the West, and less censorship led to a flood of criticism as people realized how much poorer the Second World was than the First. And one by one, often quite suddenly, former communist states collapsed. In Germany, the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, and East and West Germany were reunited in 1990. In Poland, the Gdansk dockworkers' union Solidarity turned into a mass political movement and won 99 of the 100 seats it was allowed to contest in the 1989 election. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | Glasnost, or openness, led to more information from the West, and less censorship led to a flood of criticism as people realized how much poorer the Second World was than the First. And one by one, often quite suddenly, former communist states collapsed. In Germany, the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, and East and West Germany were reunited in 1990. In Poland, the Gdansk dockworkers' union Solidarity turned into a mass political movement and won 99 of the 100 seats it was allowed to contest in the 1989 election. Hungary held multi-party elections in 1990. The same year, mass demonstrations led to elections in Czechoslovakia. In 1993, that country split up into Slovakia and the Czech Republic, the happiest and most mutually beneficial divorce since Cher left Sonny. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | In Poland, the Gdansk dockworkers' union Solidarity turned into a mass political movement and won 99 of the 100 seats it was allowed to contest in the 1989 election. Hungary held multi-party elections in 1990. The same year, mass demonstrations led to elections in Czechoslovakia. In 1993, that country split up into Slovakia and the Czech Republic, the happiest and most mutually beneficial divorce since Cher left Sonny. Of course, sometimes the transition away from communism was violent and painful. In Romania, for instance, the communist dictator Ceausescu held onto power until he was tried and put before a firing squad at the end of 1989, and it took until 1996 for a non-communist government to take power there. And in Yugoslavia, well, not so great. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | In 1993, that country split up into Slovakia and the Czech Republic, the happiest and most mutually beneficial divorce since Cher left Sonny. Of course, sometimes the transition away from communism was violent and painful. In Romania, for instance, the communist dictator Ceausescu held onto power until he was tried and put before a firing squad at the end of 1989, and it took until 1996 for a non-communist government to take power there. And in Yugoslavia, well, not so great. And in Russia, it's a little bit Putin-y. Yeah! Putin! |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | And in Yugoslavia, well, not so great. And in Russia, it's a little bit Putin-y. Yeah! Putin! But just 20 years later, it's hard to believe that the world was once dominated by two superpowers held in check by mutually assured destruction. What's really amazing to me, though, is that until the late 1980s, it felt like the Cold War was going to go on forever. Time seems to slow as it approaches us, and living in the post-Cold War nuclear age, we should remember that the past feels distant even when it's near, and that the future seems assured even though it isn't. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | Putin! But just 20 years later, it's hard to believe that the world was once dominated by two superpowers held in check by mutually assured destruction. What's really amazing to me, though, is that until the late 1980s, it felt like the Cold War was going to go on forever. Time seems to slow as it approaches us, and living in the post-Cold War nuclear age, we should remember that the past feels distant even when it's near, and that the future seems assured even though it isn't. Thanks for watching. I'll see you next week. Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | Time seems to slow as it approaches us, and living in the post-Cold War nuclear age, we should remember that the past feels distant even when it's near, and that the future seems assured even though it isn't. Thanks for watching. I'll see you next week. Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller. Our script supervisor is Meredith Danko. Our associate producer is Danica Johnson. The show is written by my high school history teacher, Raoul Meyer, and myself, and our graphics team is Thought Bubble. |
USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War Crash Course World History #39.m4a | Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller. Our script supervisor is Meredith Danko. Our associate producer is Danica Johnson. The show is written by my high school history teacher, Raoul Meyer, and myself, and our graphics team is Thought Bubble. Last week's Phrase of the Week was Justin Bieber. Thanks for that suggestion. If you'd like to suggest future Phrases of the Week, you can do so in comments, where you can also ask questions about today's video that will be answered by our team of historians. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | In particular, we saw that as we entered into the fourth century, that Christianity continued to be persecuted, in particular by the Emperor Diocletian, who had some of the worst persecutions of the Christians. But over the course of the next century, from roughly 300 to 400, the relationship between the Roman Empire and Christianity goes completely in the opposite direction. As Constantine takes over, he becomes sympathetic to the Christians, and he eventually becomes Christian himself. Even then, there was a lot of diversity within the Christian church. There were debates about the nature of Jesus Christ relative to the Father, relative to the Holy Spirit. There were multiple sects of Christianity. And one in particular started to create a debate. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | Even then, there was a lot of diversity within the Christian church. There were debates about the nature of Jesus Christ relative to the Father, relative to the Holy Spirit. There were multiple sects of Christianity. And one in particular started to create a debate. There was a priest in Alexandria, which is one of the major cities of the Roman Empire. Now remember, by this point, Rome, of course, is one of the most significant, if not the most significant city. Now, Constantine sets up a capital at Byzantium, which will eventually be known as Constantinople. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | And one in particular started to create a debate. There was a priest in Alexandria, which is one of the major cities of the Roman Empire. Now remember, by this point, Rome, of course, is one of the most significant, if not the most significant city. Now, Constantine sets up a capital at Byzantium, which will eventually be known as Constantinople. And Alexandria, which was originally founded by Alexander the Great, is also one of the significant cities of the Empire. And in Alexandria, there is a Christian priest by the name of Arius, who has a view on Christ that becomes a bit of a controversy. And to understand that, here is an account of his writings or his beliefs. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | Now, Constantine sets up a capital at Byzantium, which will eventually be known as Constantinople. And Alexandria, which was originally founded by Alexander the Great, is also one of the significant cities of the Empire. And in Alexandria, there is a Christian priest by the name of Arius, who has a view on Christ that becomes a bit of a controversy. And to understand that, here is an account of his writings or his beliefs. So this is Arius of Alexandria. "'If the Father begat the Son, "'he that was begotten had a beginning of existence. "'And from this it is evident "'that there was a time when the Son was not. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | And to understand that, here is an account of his writings or his beliefs. So this is Arius of Alexandria. "'If the Father begat the Son, "'he that was begotten had a beginning of existence. "'And from this it is evident "'that there was a time when the Son was not. "'It therefore necessarily follows "'that he, the Son, had his substance from nothing.'" So he's drawing a distinction between the essence of the Father and the Son manifested as Jesus Christ. Now, this is very controversial because even his own bishop in Alexandria viewed the Father and the Son to be of the same substance. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | "'And from this it is evident "'that there was a time when the Son was not. "'It therefore necessarily follows "'that he, the Son, had his substance from nothing.'" So he's drawing a distinction between the essence of the Father and the Son manifested as Jesus Christ. Now, this is very controversial because even his own bishop in Alexandria viewed the Father and the Son to be of the same substance. Now, today you might say, hey, isn't this just wordplay? It feels like it's semantic, which is really debating around the meaning of words. But at the end of the Roman Empire and as we get into the Middle Ages, this was a major issue of philosophical and it would sometimes bleed over into political debate. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | Now, this is very controversial because even his own bishop in Alexandria viewed the Father and the Son to be of the same substance. Now, today you might say, hey, isn't this just wordplay? It feels like it's semantic, which is really debating around the meaning of words. But at the end of the Roman Empire and as we get into the Middle Ages, this was a major issue of philosophical and it would sometimes bleed over into political debate. And so Constantine, who we mentioned, has a sympathy towards the Christians. He allows Christianity to be tolerated. He does not like this idea of this debate and he wants to help unify the Christians. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | But at the end of the Roman Empire and as we get into the Middle Ages, this was a major issue of philosophical and it would sometimes bleed over into political debate. And so Constantine, who we mentioned, has a sympathy towards the Christians. He allows Christianity to be tolerated. He does not like this idea of this debate and he wants to help unify the Christians. So in 325, he calls the Council of Nicaea to help resolve this controversy, which gets known as the Arian Controversy, named after Arius of Alexandria. Now, it's worth mentioning, Arius wasn't the first person to make this argument that the Father in some way was more divine than the Son because he begat the Son. He existed before the Son. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | He does not like this idea of this debate and he wants to help unify the Christians. So in 325, he calls the Council of Nicaea to help resolve this controversy, which gets known as the Arian Controversy, named after Arius of Alexandria. Now, it's worth mentioning, Arius wasn't the first person to make this argument that the Father in some way was more divine than the Son because he begat the Son. He existed before the Son. But this controversy really revolves around Arius because he was especially persuasive about spreading this view of the relationship between the Father and the Son manifested by Jesus. And at the Council of Nicaea, many of the bishops throughout Christendom are in attendance. It's known as the First Ecumenical Conference. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | He existed before the Son. But this controversy really revolves around Arius because he was especially persuasive about spreading this view of the relationship between the Father and the Son manifested by Jesus. And at the Council of Nicaea, many of the bishops throughout Christendom are in attendance. It's known as the First Ecumenical Conference. The word ecumenical comes from the Greek word for the inhabited earth. So you can view it as the church leaders from the inhabited earth in order to create a consensus about what it means to be a Christian. And Arius of Alexandria was there to defend his position, but the majority of those there did not like his point of view. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | It's known as the First Ecumenical Conference. The word ecumenical comes from the Greek word for the inhabited earth. So you can view it as the church leaders from the inhabited earth in order to create a consensus about what it means to be a Christian. And Arius of Alexandria was there to defend his position, but the majority of those there did not like his point of view. So they declared Arius' beliefs as heresy and they exile him. And to be very clear that they do not believe that the Son is of a different substance of the Father, they issue the Nicene Creed. So what I have here, this is known as the Nicene Constantinopolitan Creed. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | And Arius of Alexandria was there to defend his position, but the majority of those there did not like his point of view. So they declared Arius' beliefs as heresy and they exile him. And to be very clear that they do not believe that the Son is of a different substance of the Father, they issue the Nicene Creed. So what I have here, this is known as the Nicene Constantinopolitan Creed. And this is based on the Nicene Creed, which was established in 325, which was shorter, but then in 381 under Theodosius, you have your Second Ecumenical Council, which is held in Constantinople to reaffirm some of the ideas of the Nicene Council. And so as I read this, keep a lookout for some of these words, which were really put there to try to settle the Arian controversy, to try to ensure that that type of belief does not surface again. We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | So what I have here, this is known as the Nicene Constantinopolitan Creed. And this is based on the Nicene Creed, which was established in 325, which was shorter, but then in 381 under Theodosius, you have your Second Ecumenical Council, which is held in Constantinople to reaffirm some of the ideas of the Nicene Council. And so as I read this, keep a lookout for some of these words, which were really put there to try to settle the Arian controversy, to try to ensure that that type of belief does not surface again. We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages. So not like Arius was arguing that there was a time where the Father existed before the Son existed. Here it says begotten of the Father, but before all ages. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages. So not like Arius was arguing that there was a time where the Father existed before the Son existed. Here it says begotten of the Father, but before all ages. So there was always a time when there was a Son. Light of light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made. So once again, really addressing this Arian controversy, the Arian heresy as it becomes known, that the Father and the Son are of the same essence. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | Here it says begotten of the Father, but before all ages. So there was always a time when there was a Son. Light of light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made. So once again, really addressing this Arian controversy, the Arian heresy as it becomes known, that the Father and the Son are of the same essence. One is not more divine than the other. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried. And the third day he rose again, according to the scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | So once again, really addressing this Arian controversy, the Arian heresy as it becomes known, that the Father and the Son are of the same essence. One is not more divine than the other. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried. And the third day he rose again, according to the scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. Now here in brackets, I've written philoque and the Son, because even though the official Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed just says who proceeds from the Father, as we will see later on, as the church starts to become more and more divided, in the West, in Latin, the term philoque gets added, which means and the Son. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | And the third day he rose again, according to the scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. Now here in brackets, I've written philoque and the Son, because even though the official Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed just says who proceeds from the Father, as we will see later on, as the church starts to become more and more divided, in the West, in Latin, the term philoque gets added, which means and the Son. And once again, this is starting to address this notion of how does the Son relate to the Father. So when you add philoque, you're saying, hey, the Holy Spirit is emanating from both the Father and the Son, versus just the Father. But we'll get into that. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | Now here in brackets, I've written philoque and the Son, because even though the official Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed just says who proceeds from the Father, as we will see later on, as the church starts to become more and more divided, in the West, in Latin, the term philoque gets added, which means and the Son. And once again, this is starting to address this notion of how does the Son relate to the Father. So when you add philoque, you're saying, hey, the Holy Spirit is emanating from both the Father and the Son, versus just the Father. But we'll get into that. This was not a matter of debate in the fourth century, but it will become a matter of debate as we go into the sixth century and beyond. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe in one holy, Catholic, meaning universal, and apostolic church. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | But we'll get into that. This was not a matter of debate in the fourth century, but it will become a matter of debate as we go into the sixth century and beyond. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe in one holy, Catholic, meaning universal, and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come, amen. So this is interesting because you can view it as a unification of Christendom. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | And we believe in one holy, Catholic, meaning universal, and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come, amen. So this is interesting because you can view it as a unification of Christendom. Now, as we will see, that unification does not hold well over the next several hundred years. Even though Arius is exiled and he dies shortly thereafter, you continue to have sympathetic bishops and even Roman emperors to the Arian doctrine. You also, this debate between the relation of the Father and the Son continues. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | So this is interesting because you can view it as a unification of Christendom. Now, as we will see, that unification does not hold well over the next several hundred years. Even though Arius is exiled and he dies shortly thereafter, you continue to have sympathetic bishops and even Roman emperors to the Arian doctrine. You also, this debate between the relation of the Father and the Son continues. We'll talk about this folloquy debate. But maybe most important and the biggest cause of the eventual divisions between the church, ones that carry on even to today, it's really about a power struggle. So as we've been talking about the late Roman Empire and even the fall of the Western Empire and the beginning of the Byzantine Empire, you might already notice that there are several very powerful actors here. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | You also, this debate between the relation of the Father and the Son continues. We'll talk about this folloquy debate. But maybe most important and the biggest cause of the eventual divisions between the church, ones that carry on even to today, it's really about a power struggle. So as we've been talking about the late Roman Empire and even the fall of the Western Empire and the beginning of the Byzantine Empire, you might already notice that there are several very powerful actors here. With the fall of the Western Roman Empire, you have the Byzantine Emperor, who considers him, and as we'll see also herself, the Roman Emperor. We have the bishop, the patriarch, or often known the Pope of Rome. Now, Rome is significant because according to tradition, the church at Rome was founded by the Apostle Peter, who was considered by many to be the first amongst the apostles. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | So as we've been talking about the late Roman Empire and even the fall of the Western Empire and the beginning of the Byzantine Empire, you might already notice that there are several very powerful actors here. With the fall of the Western Roman Empire, you have the Byzantine Emperor, who considers him, and as we'll see also herself, the Roman Emperor. We have the bishop, the patriarch, or often known the Pope of Rome. Now, Rome is significant because according to tradition, the church at Rome was founded by the Apostle Peter, who was considered by many to be the first amongst the apostles. But of course, Rome was the seat of the Roman Empire for a very, very, very long time. And so you could imagine the bishop of the Church of Rome, the Pope of Rome, would be a very powerful figure. Now, you also have the bishop or the patriarch of Constantinople, which is another capital, and really the capital, of the Byzantine Empire. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | Now, Rome is significant because according to tradition, the church at Rome was founded by the Apostle Peter, who was considered by many to be the first amongst the apostles. But of course, Rome was the seat of the Roman Empire for a very, very, very long time. And so you could imagine the bishop of the Church of Rome, the Pope of Rome, would be a very powerful figure. Now, you also have the bishop or the patriarch of Constantinople, which is another capital, and really the capital, of the Byzantine Empire. And so what we're going to see over the next several hundred years is a jockeying for position amongst these three in particular, the Byzantine Emperor and the Pope of Rome. The Pope of Rome starts to consider themselves as really the leader of all of Christendom. The patriarch of Constantinople and the bishops of the other major centers of Christianity, like Antioch and Jerusalem and Alexandria, they view themselves as all kind of a college of us peers, and they will give extra space for the Pope of Rome or the Bishop of Rome because of the importance of that city and the significance of how the Church of Rome was founded. |
Arian Controversy and the Council of Nicaea World History Khan Academy.m4a | Now, you also have the bishop or the patriarch of Constantinople, which is another capital, and really the capital, of the Byzantine Empire. And so what we're going to see over the next several hundred years is a jockeying for position amongst these three in particular, the Byzantine Emperor and the Pope of Rome. The Pope of Rome starts to consider themselves as really the leader of all of Christendom. The patriarch of Constantinople and the bishops of the other major centers of Christianity, like Antioch and Jerusalem and Alexandria, they view themselves as all kind of a college of us peers, and they will give extra space for the Pope of Rome or the Bishop of Rome because of the importance of that city and the significance of how the Church of Rome was founded. And this gets, this jockeying for power over the next several hundred years gets even more complex as the West, what was the Western Roman Empire, or some of the areas of the Western Roman Empire, start to get consolidated under Germanic rule, really Frankish rule, and you start having this notion of a Holy Roman Emperor that we'll talk about in a few hundred years down our timeline. So keep a lookout for this power struggle. We're gonna talk about particular issues of theological doctrine, things like the Falloquia issue, things like the relationship between the father and the son, whether you should have icons, but at the end of the day, what's eventually going to lead to the great schism in the beginning of the second millennium is this power struggle. |
Prosperity in Song China (960-1279) World History Khan Academy.m4a | You have block printing emerge during the Tang Dynasty, but during the Song Dynasty, it gets perfected and it becomes more efficient with movable block print. You have the compass being perfected, especially for naval use, the boats being perfected. You see this reinvigoration, and really the high point of the Chinese civil service. You see the emergence of Neo-Confucianism. But one question is, well, what allowed all of this innovation to take place? And also what allowed for the stability of the Song Dynasty? When you look at it on the timeline like this that's covering over 2,000 years, it might not look that long, but when you actually think about it, this is over 300 years of dynastic rule by one dynasty. |
Prosperity in Song China (960-1279) World History Khan Academy.m4a | You see the emergence of Neo-Confucianism. But one question is, well, what allowed all of this innovation to take place? And also what allowed for the stability of the Song Dynasty? When you look at it on the timeline like this that's covering over 2,000 years, it might not look that long, but when you actually think about it, this is over 300 years of dynastic rule by one dynasty. Now it is split in the middle between the Northern Song and the Southern Song that happens in 1127, and we'll talk about that in a little bit. But for the most part, it is a very prosperous time for China. The population actually grows from roughly 50 million people during the Tang Dynasty to, it is estimated 100 million people by the Northern Song Dynasty, and eventually keeps growing so that by the time we get to the Ming Dynasty, we have a population of about 200 million people. |
Prosperity in Song China (960-1279) World History Khan Academy.m4a | When you look at it on the timeline like this that's covering over 2,000 years, it might not look that long, but when you actually think about it, this is over 300 years of dynastic rule by one dynasty. Now it is split in the middle between the Northern Song and the Southern Song that happens in 1127, and we'll talk about that in a little bit. But for the most part, it is a very prosperous time for China. The population actually grows from roughly 50 million people during the Tang Dynasty to, it is estimated 100 million people by the Northern Song Dynasty, and eventually keeps growing so that by the time we get to the Ming Dynasty, we have a population of about 200 million people. So what are the things that allows for that population explosion, really? Well, one thing you can imagine is food is very important. And it's during this time period that the Song Dynasty is able to leverage a more robust rice seed from Southeast Asia that allows it to feed many, many more people. |
Prosperity in Song China (960-1279) World History Khan Academy.m4a | The population actually grows from roughly 50 million people during the Tang Dynasty to, it is estimated 100 million people by the Northern Song Dynasty, and eventually keeps growing so that by the time we get to the Ming Dynasty, we have a population of about 200 million people. So what are the things that allows for that population explosion, really? Well, one thing you can imagine is food is very important. And it's during this time period that the Song Dynasty is able to leverage a more robust rice seed from Southeast Asia that allows it to feed many, many more people. And so this obviously allows a population growth, but any time you're able to feed people and there's more prosperity, you're going to have a more stable empire. Now another major input into prosperity and the stability of empires is the notion of trade. And China had always many river systems which helped facilitate agriculture and trade. |
Prosperity in Song China (960-1279) World History Khan Academy.m4a | And it's during this time period that the Song Dynasty is able to leverage a more robust rice seed from Southeast Asia that allows it to feed many, many more people. And so this obviously allows a population growth, but any time you're able to feed people and there's more prosperity, you're going to have a more stable empire. Now another major input into prosperity and the stability of empires is the notion of trade. And China had always many river systems which helped facilitate agriculture and trade. But as you get into the Sui Dynasty, right over here, you have the completion of the Grand Canal, which is even today the largest man-made canal. It stretches from Beijing to Hangzhou and actually goes beyond that and has other tributaries. And that, connected with the existing river systems, allowed for a lot of trade to happen, especially as we get into the Tang and the Song Dynasties. |
Prosperity in Song China (960-1279) World History Khan Academy.m4a | And China had always many river systems which helped facilitate agriculture and trade. But as you get into the Sui Dynasty, right over here, you have the completion of the Grand Canal, which is even today the largest man-made canal. It stretches from Beijing to Hangzhou and actually goes beyond that and has other tributaries. And that, connected with the existing river systems, allowed for a lot of trade to happen, especially as we get into the Tang and the Song Dynasties. Now in the Song Dynasty in particular, you have the pound lock being invented, which allows for easier travel across waterways when you have a change in the level of water. And the pound lock is still the standard technology used in canals throughout the world. You also have the first use of paper money. |
Prosperity in Song China (960-1279) World History Khan Academy.m4a | And that, connected with the existing river systems, allowed for a lot of trade to happen, especially as we get into the Tang and the Song Dynasties. Now in the Song Dynasty in particular, you have the pound lock being invented, which allows for easier travel across waterways when you have a change in the level of water. And the pound lock is still the standard technology used in canals throughout the world. You also have the first use of paper money. This is a big deal. We use paper money today. Our ability to have transactions in our society are not dependent on our ability to mine for gold or silver or copper. |
Prosperity in Song China (960-1279) World History Khan Academy.m4a | You also have the first use of paper money. This is a big deal. We use paper money today. Our ability to have transactions in our society are not dependent on our ability to mine for gold or silver or copper. And one of the things that allowed for paper money to even be used was this notion of block printing and block printing with movable type in particular. Once again, a Song Dynasty innovation. Now as I mentioned, as we get into 1127, you have conquerors from the north, in particular the Jin, who are able to conquer northern China. |
Prosperity in Song China (960-1279) World History Khan Academy.m4a | Our ability to have transactions in our society are not dependent on our ability to mine for gold or silver or copper. And one of the things that allowed for paper money to even be used was this notion of block printing and block printing with movable type in particular. Once again, a Song Dynasty innovation. Now as I mentioned, as we get into 1127, you have conquerors from the north, in particular the Jin, who are able to conquer northern China. They caused the Song to move their capital from Kaifeng in the north to Hangzhou in the south. Here you see Hangzhou is the major southern terminal of the Grand Canal. And even though the northern Song had to move and essentially become the southern Song Dynasty, you continue to have that prosperity for roughly another 150 years. |
World War II Crash Course World History #38.m4a | So here at Crash Course we try to make history reasonably entertaining, and fortunately, World War II was hilarious, said no one ever. Mr. Green, Mr. Green, is this, like, going to be one of the unfunny ones where you build to the big, melodramatic conclusion about how I have to imagine the world more complexly? Me, from the past, as long as you have that eighth-rate soup strainer, I'm not even going to acknowledge your existence. INTRO Right, so you've probably heard a lot about World War II from movies and books, the History Channel before it decided that swamp people were history, the incessant droning of your grandparents, etc. We're not going to try to give you a detailed synopsis of the war today. Instead, we're going to try to give a bit of perspective on how the most destructive war in human history happened, and why it still matters globally. So one of the reasons history classes tend to be really into wars is that they're easy to put on tests. |
World War II Crash Course World History #38.m4a | INTRO Right, so you've probably heard a lot about World War II from movies and books, the History Channel before it decided that swamp people were history, the incessant droning of your grandparents, etc. We're not going to try to give you a detailed synopsis of the war today. Instead, we're going to try to give a bit of perspective on how the most destructive war in human history happened, and why it still matters globally. So one of the reasons history classes tend to be really into wars is that they're easy to put on tests. They start on one day and they end on another day, and they're caused by social, political, and economic conditions that can be examined in a multiple-choice kind of manner. Except, not really. Like, when did World War II start? |
World War II Crash Course World History #38.m4a | So one of the reasons history classes tend to be really into wars is that they're easy to put on tests. They start on one day and they end on another day, and they're caused by social, political, and economic conditions that can be examined in a multiple-choice kind of manner. Except, not really. Like, when did World War II start? In September 1939, when the Nazis invaded Poland? I'd say no, it actually started when Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, or at the very latest when the Japanese invaded China in 1937, because they didn't stop fighting until 1945. Then again, you could also argue 1933, when Hitler took power, or 1941, when America started fighting. |
World War II Crash Course World History #38.m4a | Like, when did World War II start? In September 1939, when the Nazis invaded Poland? I'd say no, it actually started when Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, or at the very latest when the Japanese invaded China in 1937, because they didn't stop fighting until 1945. Then again, you could also argue 1933, when Hitler took power, or 1941, when America started fighting. It's complicated. But anyway, in China the fighting was very brutal, as exemplified by the infamous Rape of Nanking, which featured the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Chinese people, and is still so controversial today that 1. It affects relations between Japan and China, and 2. |
World War II Crash Course World History #38.m4a | Then again, you could also argue 1933, when Hitler took power, or 1941, when America started fighting. It's complicated. But anyway, in China the fighting was very brutal, as exemplified by the infamous Rape of Nanking, which featured the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Chinese people, and is still so controversial today that 1. It affects relations between Japan and China, and 2. Even though I have not described it in detail, you can rest assured that there will be angry comments about my use of the word slaughter. But the World War II we know the most about from movies and TV is primarily the war in the European theater, the one that Adolf Hitler started. Hitler is the rare individual who really did make history. |
World War II Crash Course World History #38.m4a | It affects relations between Japan and China, and 2. Even though I have not described it in detail, you can rest assured that there will be angry comments about my use of the word slaughter. But the World War II we know the most about from movies and TV is primarily the war in the European theater, the one that Adolf Hitler started. Hitler is the rare individual who really did make history. Specifically, he made it worse. And if he hadn't existed, it's very unlikely that World War II would have ever happened. But he did exist. |
World War II Crash Course World History #38.m4a | Hitler is the rare individual who really did make history. Specifically, he made it worse. And if he hadn't existed, it's very unlikely that World War II would have ever happened. But he did exist. And after coming to power in 1933, with the standard revolutionary promises to return the homeland to its former glory, infused with quite a bit of paranoia and anti-Semitism, many saw rapid re-militarization and eventually, inevitably, war. In the beginning, it was characterized by a new style of combat, made possible by the mechanized technology of tanks, airplanes, and especially trucks. This was the Blitzkrieg, a devastating tactic combining quick movement of troops, tanks, and massive use of air power to support infantry movements. |
World War II Crash Course World History #38.m4a | But he did exist. And after coming to power in 1933, with the standard revolutionary promises to return the homeland to its former glory, infused with quite a bit of paranoia and anti-Semitism, many saw rapid re-militarization and eventually, inevitably, war. In the beginning, it was characterized by a new style of combat, made possible by the mechanized technology of tanks, airplanes, and especially trucks. This was the Blitzkrieg, a devastating tactic combining quick movement of troops, tanks, and massive use of air power to support infantry movements. And in the very early years of the war, it was extremely effective. The Nazis were able to roll over Poland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and then all of France, all within about nine months between the fall of 1939 and the summer of 1940. So after knocking out most of Central Europe, the Nazis set their sights on Great Britain. |
World War II Crash Course World History #38.m4a | This was the Blitzkrieg, a devastating tactic combining quick movement of troops, tanks, and massive use of air power to support infantry movements. And in the very early years of the war, it was extremely effective. The Nazis were able to roll over Poland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and then all of France, all within about nine months between the fall of 1939 and the summer of 1940. So after knocking out most of Central Europe, the Nazis set their sights on Great Britain. But they didn't invade the island, choosing instead to attack it with massive airstrikes. I mean, you look at this poster and think, man, the Queen wants me to finish my term paper so I can do it. But when this poster was first produced in 1939, it was to quell terror in the face of bombardment. |
World War II Crash Course World History #38.m4a | So after knocking out most of Central Europe, the Nazis set their sights on Great Britain. But they didn't invade the island, choosing instead to attack it with massive airstrikes. I mean, you look at this poster and think, man, the Queen wants me to finish my term paper so I can do it. But when this poster was first produced in 1939, it was to quell terror in the face of bombardment. The Battle of Britain was a duel between the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe. And while the RAF denied the Nazis total control of British airspace, the Nazis were still able to bomb Great Britain over and over again in what's known as the Blitz. Stan, no, no jokes this time. |
World War II Crash Course World History #38.m4a | But when this poster was first produced in 1939, it was to quell terror in the face of bombardment. The Battle of Britain was a duel between the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe. And while the RAF denied the Nazis total control of British airspace, the Nazis were still able to bomb Great Britain over and over again in what's known as the Blitz. Stan, no, no jokes this time. Yes, the Blitz. Meanwhile, Europeans were also fighting each other in North Africa. The Desert Campaign started in 1940 and lasted through 1942. |
World War II Crash Course World History #38.m4a | Stan, no, no jokes this time. Yes, the Blitz. Meanwhile, Europeans were also fighting each other in North Africa. The Desert Campaign started in 1940 and lasted through 1942. This is where British General Monty Montgomery outfoxed Erwin the Desert Fox Rommel. It's also the place where Americans first fought Nazis in large numbers, but most importantly, it's where Indiana Jones discovered the Ark of the Covenant. Okay, let's go to the Thought Bubble. |
World War II Crash Course World History #38.m4a | The Desert Campaign started in 1940 and lasted through 1942. This is where British General Monty Montgomery outfoxed Erwin the Desert Fox Rommel. It's also the place where Americans first fought Nazis in large numbers, but most importantly, it's where Indiana Jones discovered the Ark of the Covenant. Okay, let's go to the Thought Bubble. 1941 was a big year for World War II. First, the Nazis invaded Russia, breaking a non-aggression pact that the two powers had signed in 1939. This hugely escalated the war and also made allies of the most powerful capitalist countries and the most powerful communist one an alliance that would stand the test of time and never end until like three seconds after the defeat of the Nazis. |
World War II Crash Course World History #38.m4a | Okay, let's go to the Thought Bubble. 1941 was a big year for World War II. First, the Nazis invaded Russia, breaking a non-aggression pact that the two powers had signed in 1939. This hugely escalated the war and also made allies of the most powerful capitalist countries and the most powerful communist one an alliance that would stand the test of time and never end until like three seconds after the defeat of the Nazis. The Nazi invasion of Russia opened the war up on the so-called Eastern Front, although if you were Russian it was the Western Front, and it led to millions of deaths, mostly Russian. Also, 1941 saw a day that would live in infamy when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, hoping that such an audacious attack would brighten the United States into staying neutral, which was a pretty stupid gamble because 1. the US was already giving massive aid to the Allies and was hardly neutral, and 2. the United States is not exactly famed for its pacifism or political neutrality. 1941 also saw Japan invading much of Southeast Asia, which made Australia and New Zealand understandably nervous. |
World War II Crash Course World History #38.m4a | This hugely escalated the war and also made allies of the most powerful capitalist countries and the most powerful communist one an alliance that would stand the test of time and never end until like three seconds after the defeat of the Nazis. The Nazi invasion of Russia opened the war up on the so-called Eastern Front, although if you were Russian it was the Western Front, and it led to millions of deaths, mostly Russian. Also, 1941 saw a day that would live in infamy when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, hoping that such an audacious attack would brighten the United States into staying neutral, which was a pretty stupid gamble because 1. the US was already giving massive aid to the Allies and was hardly neutral, and 2. the United States is not exactly famed for its pacifism or political neutrality. 1941 also saw Japan invading much of Southeast Asia, which made Australia and New Zealand understandably nervous. As part of the British Commonwealth, they were already involved in the war, but now they could fight the Japanese closer to home. And shut up about how I never talk about you Australians, I just gave you 1.5 sentences. But by the time the Americans and Australians started fighting the Japanese, it was already a world war. |
World War II Crash Course World History #38.m4a | 1941 also saw Japan invading much of Southeast Asia, which made Australia and New Zealand understandably nervous. As part of the British Commonwealth, they were already involved in the war, but now they could fight the Japanese closer to home. And shut up about how I never talk about you Australians, I just gave you 1.5 sentences. But by the time the Americans and Australians started fighting the Japanese, it was already a world war. Sometimes this meant fighting or starving or being bombed, other times it meant production for the war. You don't think of Argentina as being a World War II powerhouse, for instance, but they were vital to the Allies, supplying 40% of British meat during World War II. Thanks, Thought Bubble. |
World War II Crash Course World History #38.m4a | But by the time the Americans and Australians started fighting the Japanese, it was already a world war. Sometimes this meant fighting or starving or being bombed, other times it meant production for the war. You don't think of Argentina as being a World War II powerhouse, for instance, but they were vital to the Allies, supplying 40% of British meat during World War II. Thanks, Thought Bubble. So not to sound jingoistic, but the entry of the US into the war really did change everything, although I doubt the Nazis could have taken Russia regardless. No one conquers Russia in the wintertime, unless you are, wait for it, the Mongols. Okay, we're going to skip most of the big battles of 1942, like the Battle of Midway, which effectively ended Japan's chance of winning the war, and focus on the Battle of Stalingrad. |
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