Title: The Twentieth Century 19002000
1The Twentieth Century1900-2000
2Events
- In a hundred years it is difficult to make
choices among so many important events that have
shaped an influenced world history in a century
so chaotic and yet so promising for humanity, the
Twentieth Century.
3Local vs. Universal Events
- This presentation concerns itself with events of
universal significance, rather than events with
local significance. Such a choice does not imply
that local events are not important, but that
for the purposes of this presentation, an effort
has been made to present just some important
events that left its mark in world history,
particularly the history of Western Civilization.
4World War I or the Great War, 1914-1918
- The events at Sarajevo triggered the Great War,
as it was known during that period. The war
devastated the lives of millions, it shattered
the economy, especially of Europe, and it was
fought for no good reason.
5The War Shattered the Security of the Modern World
- The peace and security of the Modern World was
shattered and threatened by the Great War, and
that is its significance or importance in world
history. Great men like Pope Benedict XV tried to
stop the madness and President Woodrow Wilson was
able to end it with the famous Treaty of
Versailles in 1918
6The U.S. Stock Market Crashes, 1929
- Although this might seem to be a local event
because it happened in the United States, its
effects devastated the world economy, thus, this
major event had universal significance. The lack
of jobs in this country, the lack of value in its
currency, worsened the conditions of millions of
people throughout the world, particularly the
poor.
7The Second World War, 1939-1945
- The Second World War was a world disaster of
major proportions. Like the first war, it
devastated Europe, parts of Africa, Japan, and it
forced the entry of the United States into the
conflict.
8The Holocaust
- One of the greatest tragedies of World War II,
was the genocide committed against the Jewish
population of Europe, a significant event because
of the gross violation of human rights of a
people and what that implies for the future of
different races, religions, and ethnicities.
9The Second Vatican Council, 1962-1965
- The Second Vatican Council was a gathering of two
thousand five hundred Catholic bishops from
throughout the world. The bishops made binding
decisions in the name of Christ for a world wide
Church. Its objective was to bring its message,
the message of the Gospel to the modern world,
hoping that the world would embrace its timeless
message.
10Important People
- Pope Benedict XV, 1914-1922
- The Holy Father tried to stop WWI by proposing a
peace plan that was ignored by the Allies and
every world leader involved with the war. His
actions are of universal significance because he
tried to stop a war that devastated world
civilization and all that implies.
11Prime Minister Winston Churchill. 1874-1965
- The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom did
everything possible to stop the evil of Nazism
and his actions had great significance for the
peace of the world, especially the peace of the
civilized World
12Hitler, 1889-1945
- No man in world history has done so much damage
as Hitler did. He was the personification of
evil, whose triumph would had slaved the world.
He was responsible, with others, for the death of
12 million people including six million Jews, the
physical devastation of Europe and other
international theaters of action. His
significance in world history is, without a
doubt, one of the worse in the history of Western
Civilization.
13President Woodrow Wilson, 1856-1924
- U.S. President Woodrow Wilson contributed greatly
to the end of World War I with his 14 Point
Peace-Plan, a plan accepted by the Treaty of
Versailles. His actions ended the war that had
devastated millions of people and he
re-introduced peace in the world.
14Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1882-1945
- This U.S. President contributed greatly to the
end of World War II and thus history owes him an
eternal debt for restoring peace in a world thorn
by violence, misery and death.
15Pope John XXIII, 1881-1963
- Pope John XXIII opened the biggest gathering in
the history of the 20th century and in the
history of the world, the Second Vatican Council.
He wanted to prepare the Church not for a
confrontation with the modern world, but for a
dialogue with the modern world, in an era of
nuclear weapons, the cold war, poverty, and lack
of social stability.
16Important Documents
- One of the most important documents produced in
the twentieth century is The Universal
Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948.
This declaration was issued by the United Nations
on the heels of a Second World War which had
ignored human rights, particularly the human
rights of civilians, victims of a brutal war. - Here we see Eleanor Roosevelt holding a poster of
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
17The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
- The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (Russian
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Jewish and Masonic plot to achieve world
domination. Purportedly written by a secret group
of Jews known as the Elders of Zion, the document
underlies 24 protocols that are supposedly
followed by the Jewish people. This document has
been used by anti-Semites worldwide to justify
the subtle and open persecution of the Jewish
people. The document was fabricated between 1895
and 1902
18Mein Kampf
- Mein Kampf, in English My Struggle, is a book
dictated by Adolf Hitler. It combines elements of
autobiography with an exposition of Hitler's
political ideology. Volume 1 of Mein Kampf was
published in 1925 and Volume 2 in 1926. In this
book Hitler revealed to the world his utter
hatred of the Jewish people, a hatred he put into
practice during WWII.
19Important Buildings
- The United Nations (UN) is an international
organization whose stated aims are to facilitate
cooperation in international law, international
security, economic development, social progress,
human rights and achieving world peace. The UN
was founded in 1945 after World War II to replace
the League of Nations, to stop wars between
countries and to provide a platform for dialogue.
20The United Nations Building
- This building is a symbol of the ideals and hope
of humankind to develop and sustain peace
throughout the world. The aims of the United
Nations are noble while the reality of what the
United Nations stands for, has not always been
realized, especially, world peace.
21World History in the 20th Century
- Events, people, documents, and buildings
illustrate for us, humanity, what is important in
a brief history of the world, the twentieth
century. This short presentation has had as its
aim, to provoke in the students a short
reflection of what World History means to them
and what is of importance and significance in the
world students live in.