Humanities Portfolio 2011

Posted by Heather Campbell on Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 9:38 pm

Conflicts will continue to occur throughout the world till the end of the human civilization. With conflicts there is always a higher power and a resistance to the higher power. From global studies it is evident that the resistance to an oppression can change a country or the world. The French Revolution changed the way France and Haiti was governed. The end of the Holocaust was fought for by various resistance groups and Nazi Regime-opposing countries. The Troubles in Northern Ireland were started over the idea of being independent from the United Kingdom. The current Egyptian Revolution has changed the government and power in Egypt while inspiring other countries. All of these events have had a common goal: to change an oppressing power. In order to be successful, the oppressed had to organize and persevere to be victorious; and by doing so they revolutionized their country and changed the world.

The French Revolution was sparked by the failing economy, the unequal distribution of power and wealth, and a large growth in the poverty-stricken population. “The Holocaust was the destruction of around 6 million jews under the Nazi Regime. The Nazi Germans held a belief that they were racially superior while the Jews where the inferior.”¹ The Troubles in Northern Ireland was an extended time of violence and hatred between the nationalists and the unionists in Northern Ireland. And more currently, the Egyptian Revolution was a series of uprises by the people of Egypt against the President Mubarak.

“The structure of revolutions repeats itself over time throughout history and in different places across the world.^”2 All of these events started over a conflict between two groups of people; an oppressor and the oppressed. What made the oppressed successful in these events were their planing, support, continuous efforts to change the circumstances. The French Third Estate planned and joined together to write their own declaration of rights. Resistance groups and opposers of the Nazi Regime would hide Jews from being prosecuted. Unionists and loyalists would hold marches to get their message across. But when their message did not get across they persisted in getting their way by rioting, revolting, protesting, and joining together to get the support they needed. “We gave lives up, and we expect to receive our freedom.”³Time after time the oppressed would fight and fight until they prevailed.

While the French Revolution lasted from 1789 to 1799, and many people were killed, the revolting public succeeded in revolutionizing their government and social structure. Different resistance groups and countries all fought to end the cruel oppression and destruction that was happening in Europe under the Nazi Regime. The Egyptian Revolution has been successful due to the large support by the people of Egypt and the globe. The protests were consistent and through the media globally shared, which put pressure on the crumbling government to step down. While Northern Ireland is still connected to the United Kingdom, both the unionists and nationalists have made progress on equal treatment and a parliament that is bearable for both sides.

Protests and resistances are effective and can be successful, if they have a clear goal and support. The French government and social status was changed completely by the commoners of France. The Holocaust was ended by the many resistance groups and countries that opposed the Nazi Regime. The Troubles in Northern Ireland were eased by the protests that forced the government to change. The people of Egypt were able to broadcast their struggles and protests across the world and end the presidential reign of Mubarak. What ever the conflicts are, whether political or spiritual, the oppressed will fight.