How to Skimm Your Life

by The Skimm

  Socialism

  The “communism, but make it less intense” type. Like communism, it’s all about equality. Unlike communism, most socialists believe that workers can earn wages and spend that money however they choose, and the means of production are owned by the gov and shared by the people. But it’s criticized for the same reasons as communism. Then there’s democratic socialism, which you’ve been hearing about in recent years. It embraces a lot of basic socialist principles but also supports democratic ideals, like freedom of speech and free and fair elections.

  Populism

  The “power to the people” type. It’s a political movement all about returning power to the people. These movements tend to be antiestablishment and full of working-class voters trying to take back control from the “out-of-touch elites.” This one’s been cropping up a lot in recent years.

  Oligarchy

  The “You can’t sit with us” type. It’s when a small group of people has control over everything. South Africa under apartheid was an example of an oligarchy.

  World History 101

  Get up close and personal with some of the biggest international events of the last hundred years or so. This is not an exhaustive history. What you’re going to see? Events that you learned about in history class with a lasting global impact. What you’re not going to see? More recent US-centric events (think: Watergate, Clinton-Lewinsky scandal).

  Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

  1914

  One of the causes of World War I. Back then, Austria and Hungary were one kingdom (creatively called Austria-Hungary). Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who was set to inherit the throne, was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist. This made Austria-Hungary, with the backing of Germany, declare war on Serbia. Germany then declared war on Serbian ally Russia. Then France. Then Britain. Aaand WWI.

  Armenian Genocide

  1915–1916

  The massacre of up to 1.5 million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire (headquartered in modern-day Turkey) during WWI. Ottoman rulers, and many people living there, were Muslim. And many people discriminated against Armenian Christians. After WWI started, the Ottomans accused the Armenians of being traitors and began executing them and deporting them to concentration camps. Today, Turkey still objects to calling it a genocide and denies the scope of what happened.

  Sykes-Picot Agreement

  1916

  A secret agreement between Britain and France that let the two countries say mine to Arab lands in the Ottoman Empire after WWI (the Ottomans were on the side that went on to lose the war). The goal? Suppress Arab influence and increase European influence in the region.

  Treaty of Versailles

  1919

  The end of WWI. This was the treaty that ended the war. The biggest takeaway? Germany had to foot the bill. It was agreed that since Germany had caused the war, it should pay for the damage (including homes and factories destroyed, ammo, uniforms, and more). The price tag was around $33 billion.

  Third Reich

  1933–45

  The official name for the Nazi regime, active before and during World War II. The First Reich was the medieval Holy Roman Empire, which lasted until 1806. The Second Reich was the German Empire from 1871 to 1918.

  Blitzkrieg

  1933–45

  A German term for “lightning war.” This was a super-fast, concentrated attack the Germans used frequently to confuse their Allied opponents during World War II. Today, the word blitz in football comes from it.

  Pearl Harbor

  1941

  The Japanese surprise attack on a US naval base in Hawaii. It killed more than 2,000 people and prompted the US’s entry into WWII.

  D-Day

  1944

  The beginning of the end of WWII. This is also called the Invasion of Normandy or that time more than 150,000 Allied soldiers made a surprise landing on German-occupied territory in northern France. The Battle of Normandy lasted for several months and more than 425,000 troops died.

  Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings

  1945

  The US’s atomic bombing of two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, during WWII. The two bombings killed at least 200,000 people, almost entirely civilians. These are the only times nuclear weapons have been used in armed conflict. Ever.

  Nuremberg Trials

  1945–46

  The trials of prominent Nazis after WWII ended. Judges from the Allied forces—the UK, France, the Soviet Union, and the US—held them. These top-ranking Nazis were charged with things like crimes against humanity and crimes against peace. 12 of them were sentenced to death.

  Cold War

  1947–91

  The decades-long staring contest between the US and the Soviet Union. Even though the two countries fought together during WWII, things were tense. The US wasn’t into the Soviets’ communist government and aggressive leader (Joseph Stalin), while the Soviets resented the US’s late entry into WWII. What happened there did not stay there: The conflict fueled multiple proxy wars. (Keep reading…)

  Kashmir Conflict

  1947–present

  Before 1947, India and Pakistan were ruled by Britain. Then the Brits said “Cheerio” and gave both countries their independence. They were divided into the majority-Hindu India and the majority-Muslim Pakistan. But an area called Kashmir (pronounced like the sweater), was contested after India took control of it. So Pakistan invaded. Cue violence and the first war over the territory. China saw a power vacuum and snatched up part of Kashmir for itself, too. Now Kashmir is divided among India, Pakistan, and China. There have been three wars fought over this land. The conflict has killed nearly 50,000 people.

  State of Israel Established

  1948

  In the late 19th century, Zionism gained more of a footing. Zionism: the nationalist movement of the Jewish people. It supports the reestablishment of a Jewish state in Israel. At the time, this land was part of British-controlled Palestine. Fast-forward to after the Holocaust—in which six million Jewish people were killed—and the case for a Jewish homeland became stronger than ever. In 1947, the UN said that the Jewish people and Palestinian Arabs should divide up the land into two states. Then in 1948, the State of Israel was established. This was not the end of the story. Israelis and Palestinians are fighting over land to this day.

  Apartheid

  1948–94

  In 1948, the white-controlled National Party gained power in South Africa. They started enforcing racial segregation—nonwhite South Africans (most of the population) had to live in areas separate from whites and use separate facilities, and interracial marriage was banned. Nelson Mandela, a member of the African National Congress, an anti-apartheid political party, became a protest leader and landed in jail for nearly three decades. International pressure eventually forced the National Party to step down, and Mandela became the first black president of South Africa. A reported 21,000 people died during apartheid.

  Korean War

  1950–53

  Before WWII, North and South Korea were one big Korea that had been annexed and occupied by Japan. Then after Japan’s WWII loss, Korea was up for grabs. The North was supported by the Soviets and the South was supported by the US. Then in 1950, the North (with Soviet backing) decided to fly south, or invade the territory supported by the US. Hello, Cold War. This is thought of as its first military action. No one won. Fast-forward to today and NK and SK are still quite literally divided.

  Vietnam War

  1955–75

  During and after WWII, a communist movement—led by a guy named Ho Chi Minh—arose in Vietnam in response to international powers (namely Japan and France) trying to control the country. The Soviets supported Ho and his communists in the North and the US supported the non-communist leader in the South. Sound familiar? After decades of fighting and more than one million
lives lost, the communists won out.

  Thing to know

  Viet Cong. The nickname used for Ho Chi Minh’s military, short for “Vietnamese Communist.” And the nickname has a nickname—it’s often shortened to just VC.

  Suez Crisis

  1956

  The one in season two of The Crown. Back then, a company run by Britain and France owned the Suez Canal in Egypt, an important trade route. But a new Egyptian leader—who had cozied up to the Soviet Union—decided to say mine to the canal. He nationalized it, with the support of the Soviets. Cue Britain, France, and Israel invading and taking back the canal. The US was not happy with its allies’ moves, as it feared Soviet retribution and a costly conflict. It threatened economic sanctions against the three countries if they didn’t withdraw. The threats did the trick, and Egypt came out a winner. This marked a decline in British and French influence in the Middle East and a signal that colonialism was becoming a thing of the past.

  Sputnik

  1957

  The first satellite launched into space. By the Soviets. Important, since it’s considered the start of the space race. Space race: the part of the Cold War where the US and Soviets had a “Whose rocket is bigger?” contest. Sputnik made it clear that the Americans weren’t measuring up, and kicked the US space program into high gear.

  Bay of Pigs

  1961

  In 1959, Fidel Castro took over Cuba. And the US immediately started sweating. Castro was a communist and set on decreasing American influence in the country. When he traded friendship bracelets with the Soviet Union, the US said, “We need to get rid of him.” So they invaded. The main entry point was an area called, yup, the Bay of Pigs. The US badly underestimated the strength of the Cuban forces and ended up retreating.

  Cuban Missile Crisis

  1962

  The sequel to the Bay of Pigs. The US discovered that the Soviets were stashing secret missiles in Cuba. Not good, since Cuba is 90 miles from Florida. In a post–Bay of Pigs world, the Soviets wanted to deter the US from invading Cuba again. And the US wanted to avoid a nuclear war. So they quarantined Cuba, blocking Soviet ships from sending anything to the island. After 12 days of nail biting, Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev called JFK and said, we’ll get rid of the missiles if you promise to stay away. Standoff, off. Cold War, still on.

  March on Washington

  1963

  The mass protest in DC where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. 250,000 people showed up at the Lincoln Memorial for this landmark event of the civil rights movement. They were protesting racial discrimination and supporting the Civil Rights Act, which was at a standstill in Congress. The event served as a global symbol of civil rights and other, smaller marches took place around the world.

  Iran Hostage Crisis

  1979–81

  In 1979, Iran’s US-supported government (yes, this was a thing) was toppled and replaced by an Islamic gov who wanted nothing to do with the US. When it came to the Cold War, Iran was on Team Soviet. But mostly because they were anti–US. Shortly after the new gov was put in place, a group of Iranian students stormed the US Embassy in Tehran. They took more than 60 people hostage and held more than 50 of them. For more than a year.

  Soviet-Afghan War

  1979–1989

  In the late ‘70s, a communist gov came to power in Afghanistan. The largely Muslim population there was opposed to their new leaders and Islamic groups (known collectively as the Mujahideen) began rising up. The Soviet Union stepped in to support the communist gov. So in keeping with the Cold War spirit, the US started supporting the anti-communist Mujahideen. After almost 10 years of violence, the Soviets withdrew and the communist gov fell. But for the US, this victory is much more complicated through a historical lens…because it went on to help give rise to Islamic extremist groups like the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

  Iran-Contra

  1985–86

  That time the US secretly and illegally sold arms to Iran to secure a hostage release. And to fund an anti-communist group in Nicaragua. Stick with us. The US wanted to fund the Contras, a Nicaraguan group that was rising up against the new communist gov there. But it couldn’t legally do this. The US used the cash money from arms sales to Iran to fund the Contras. Bad look for then US president Ronald Reagan. And illegal in more ways than one, since there was an arms embargo on Iran.

  Chernobyl

  1986

  A Soviet nuclear reactor in Chernobyl, Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union) exploded during a systems test. It was the worst nuclear accident in history. It’s estimated that radiation could eventually cause up to 4,000 deaths. They are seen as casualties of the Cold War, since the Soviets were building up reactors so quickly to compete with the US.

  Fall of the Berlin Wall

  1989

  The end of the Cold War. And the end of the Soviet Union. It was when communist East Berlin said that its citizens were free to cross over into the democratic West and ignore the wall that separated them. This came after years of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev slowly opening up to the West more, to revive the Soviet Union’s sluggish economy.

  Tiananmen Square massacre

  1989

  Pro-democracy protests in China did not sit well with its communist gov. More than one million Chinese citizens came out to say we want things to change around here, and protested for weeks. Then one day, the Chinese gov responded by arresting and killing them. It’s estimated that at least 300 people died in the massacre.

  Gulf War

  1990–91

  Iraq—led by Saddam Hussein at the time—invaded its neighbor Kuwait to try to say mine to the country’s oil and expand its power in the region. This didn’t sit well with the international community. The US and its allies invaded (code name: Operation Desert Storm) and eventually made the Iraqis agree to a peace deal. In it, Iraq agreed to destroy its weapons of mass destruction—aka nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. To be continued…

  Rwandan Genocide

  1994

  After WWI, Rwanda was ruled by Belgium. And Belgium created a class system where an ethnic group called the Tutsis was favored over an ethnic group called the Hutus. The Hutus were the majority in Rwanda, so this caused decades of resentment, even after Rwanda was no longer under Belgian rule. In the 1990s, Hutus murdered as many as 800,000 Tutsis over a 100-day period.

  Iraq War

  2003–11

  The sequel to the Gulf War. After the 9/11 attacks, the Bush administration said it believed that Iraq supported al-Qaeda (the terror group behind 9/11), and that it believed Iraq still had weapons of mass destruction. After a lot of back-and-forth, the US told Saddam leave or we’ll invade. He didn’t leave. So they invaded along with a coalition of allies. After years of occupation and trying to transition Iraq to a democratic gov, violence continued. Thousands of coalition troops died and hundreds of thousands of citizens died. Controversial, especially since it turned out that Saddam didn’t have those weapons to begin with.

  Ongoing conflicts aren’t listed here. Those are coming later. But first…relationships.

  Relationships

  Now that you have some of the history, it’s time to take a look at current alliances, frenemies, and enemies. Here are the big military and political alliances and what you need to know about them.

  The United Nations: The All-Inclusive Party

  The Who

  193 countries. So almost everywhere except Palestine and the Holy See. Those two are non-member observer states, meaning they get to attend meetings and use the talking stick but don’t get to vote on resolutions.

  The What

  It was started after WWII, when global leaders had “world peace” on their to-do list more than ever. The UN’s charter will tell you that its goal is to maintain international peace and promote human rights. This reall
y means it’s a forum for leaders to talk out international issues. And call out countries that aren’t playing well with others.

  The Where

  Every fall, member countries get together at HQ in NYC for the UN General Assembly. This is like the world leaders’ Super Bowl. Every country’s rep (presidents, prime ministers, and other VIPs) gets to take the floor. They all have the right to create resolutions and vote on them.