20

th
Century Debate: Progress or Decline?
Cheyenne Benson
Our fourth contention is that the 20
th
century is not one of progress because any
progress made on the frontier of human rights and international justice does not
compare to the torturous death of millions that was not prevented by these advances.
In 1958, the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) under Mao Zedong launched The
Great Leap Forward, a program aimed at industrializing China. According to the
class text The Great Leap Forward by the History Learning Site, 20 million people
died. /// Although Chinas steel and factory production did increase, the steel used
was smelted in backyard furnaces and the factories were manned by exhausted and
uneducated workers. As a result of all the concentration on industry, and the dismal
performance of new farm machinery, agricultural production was at a severe low. In
1960, the agricultural output was at several million tons below what it was projected
to be. / 9 million people starved to death in that year alone. / That seems to be a
fairly substantial harm to China and a decrease in the quality of life in the
population. Chinas delayed / industrial gains will forever be stained by the memory
of this atrocity.
The Rwandan Genocide exemplifies how we can talk of UN Resolutions and anti-
genocide measures, but when it is put to the test, the progress of the 20
th
century
doesnt measure up. The Rwandan Genocide, fueled by racial tensions inflamed by
Western influence, was a horrid affair. According to the class sectional reading
Rwandan Genocide by Brown University, in 100 days, one million people were
slaughteredan eighth of the entire population. /// The worst part was that this
occurred in 1994, the last six years of the 20
th
century. If we are to believe progress
was made, shouldnt we have learned by now? / The UN failed to adequately
provide aid to Africa, doing little to nothing despite their talk. Rwanda slowly
recovers, but in the words of Rwandan counselor Esther Mujaway, On the surface,
things are becoming normal. But some of the flowers that are flowering have bodies
beneath them. // Rwanda has not recovered from the harm dealt it by the
complacency towards genocide rampant in the 20
th
century, an international policy
that caused suffering around the world. However much progress was made in
international laws, at least as much was lost in the fields stained with Rwandan blood.
And that is why we disagree with the resolution that the 20
th
century was
one of progress.
IF TIME

1 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923. Killing of 2.7 million Jews and others
through the use of cyanide gas, summary executions and medical experimentation. Poor
living conditions in non-extermination camps led to the deaths of millions more. It is
estimated that six million Jews, two out of every three living in Europe, and another 5
million people had been killed by 1945. In four years, between 1.7 and 2 million
Cambodians died in the Khmer Rouges Killing Fields. Yugoslavia: deaths of at least
96,000 people as a result of corrupt officers. Extremist Hutu groups killed 1 million
people across the country in only 100 days. These deaths span from the beginning of the
20
th
century to the end, with nothing to abate the killing. There is no evidence of
progress here. (http://endgenocide.org).

Former Secretary Clinton noted: despite all we have learned and accomplished in the
last 70 years, never again remains an unmet, urgent goal. At the end of the 20th
century and the beginning of the 21st, we have seen campaigns of harassment and
violence against groups of people because of their ethnic, racial, religious, or political
backgrounds, and even some which aimed at the destruction of a particular group of
people, fitting the definition of genocide.

Despite improvement in many areas it is true that poverty, unemployment and illiteracy
are major stumbling blocks to the nations development. (Indias Economy After
Independence, by C. Gayatri at the Viewspaper)

The Guatemalan government began a systematic campaign of repressions and
suppression against the Mayan Indians, whom they claimed were working towards an
communist coup. Their 2-year series of atrocities is sometimes called 'The Silent
Holocaust'. Guatemala 1982, Peace Pledge Union

1999, 75% of population in Sierra Leone lived under poverty line, 72% in Zambia, 75%
in Tajikistan: several countries around the world where quality of life is still poor
(gapminder)

Death by hunger genocide in Ukraine, 1932-33: A man-made famine was thus
created deliberately to starve political resisters to death. Up to 7 million people in ethnic
Ukrainian regions died of hunger. Some of the too-slow-to-die were shot in large
numbers to hasten the genocide. (Peace Pledge Union)

More than 1 million people are dying prematurely every year from air pollution in China
(npr.org news story China's Air Pollution Linked To Millions Of Early Deaths)




SOCIETIES IN TRANSITION

Indias Independent movement should not be renowned as so peaceful:
when the National Congress leader Tilak was convicted of crimes by the
British, 16 people died in riots. In 1946, protests in Calcutta killed 30
people. On Direct Action Day, after the establishment of India, 5,000
Hindus died. (Class text, Indian Independence Part II, Brown University).

Despite improvement in many areas it is true that poverty, unemployment
and illiteracy are major stumbling blocks to the nations development.
(Indias Economy After Independence, by C. Gayatri at the Viewspaper)

Benefits of industrialization and technological advances come with
downside: by 1940s 90% of Europes oil came from Iran, but Iranian
workers treated horribly. (Class text, Iran Choices Part II, Brown
University).

Vietnam War: orange gas, bombs

World War II: Hiroshima, Nagasaki, atomic bombings caused 105,000
deaths attributed, cancer and leukemia caused deaths (infopleases
Manhattan Project)

The Guatemalan government began a systematic campaign of repressions
and suppression against the Mayan Indians, whom they claimed were
working towards a communist coup. Their 2-year series of atrocities is
sometimes called 'The Silent Holocaust'. Guatemala 1982, Peace Pledge
Union

17 tons of CO2 per person in US as of 2011 (gapminder)

1999, 75% of population in Sierra Leone lived under poverty line, 72% in
Zambia, 75% in Tajikistan: several countries around the world where
quality of life is still poor


CONFLICT AND GENOCIDE

Nuremberg Trials, UN Resolution 242, Cambodian Chamber of Excellence, and
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) all reparations after
the fact. Despite all our knowledge on genocide, we refuse to act until anything has
happened. The UN knew full well what was happening in Rwanda or Yugoslavia, but
did nothing, even in the late 90s: Seeing that no action is being taken by Dallaire's
(resident peacekeeper commander) U.N. forces, the extremists are now confident that
the U.N. won't stand in their way. On April 6th the Rwandan president's plane is shot
down and the killing begins. Dallaire again requests U.N. guidance and again is told to
avoid armed conflict.. In Rwanda, 1994, the United Nations created the International
Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) only after the fact. (sites http://www.icty.org,
http://www.pbs.org, http://endgenocide.org).
UN Convention on Genocide: defines genocide, binds countries to stop genocide but all
the genocides that have happened since 1948 were not stopped (hrweb.org, Human
Rights Web) 3,300,000 people died in genocide after this convention
In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with
intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as
such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to
bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
Former Secretary Clinton noted: despite all we have learned and accomplished in the
last 70 years, never again remains an unmet, urgent goal. At the end of the 20th
century and the beginning of the 21st, we have seen campaigns of harassment and
violence against groups of people because of their ethnic, racial, religious, or political
backgrounds, and even some which aimed at the destruction of a particular group of
people, fitting the definition of genocide.
1 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923. Killing of 2.7 million Jews and others
through the use of cyanide gas, summary executions and medical experimentation. Poor
living conditions in non-extermination camps led to the deaths of millions more. It is
estimated that six million Jews, two out of every three living in Europe, and another 5
million people had been killed by 1945. In four years, between 1.7 and 2 million
Cambodians died in the Khmer Rouges Killing Fields. Yugoslavia: deaths of at least
96,000 people as a result of corrupt officers. Extremist Hutu groups killed 1 million
people across the country in only 100 days. (http://endgenocide.org).
Death by hunger genocide in Ukraine, 1932-33: A man-made famine was thus
created deliberately to starve political resisters to death. Up to 7 million people in ethnic
Ukrainian regions died of hunger. Some of the too-slow-to-die were shot in large
numbers to hasten the genocide. (Peace Pledge Union)

MODERN CHINESE HISTORY

Cultural Revolution: in 1966, Mao Zedong tried to lead a Cultural
Revolution after the dismal failure of the Great Leap Forward. 1.5 million
people died and the countrys heritage was destroyed. In September of 1967
Mao had to send the army to calm the peoples unrest and discontent with
the revolution. (class site Mao Zedong, BBC History)
Chinas economy may have gone up, pollution is a HUGE issue. More than
1 million people are dying prematurely every year from air pollution in
China (npr.org news story China's Air Pollution Linked To Millions Of
Early Deaths)
In China, approximately 1.2 million people die prematurely
from exposure to outdoor air pollution.
2/3 of all the deaths from air pollution are now occurring in
Asia, most of them in China, air pollution fourth leading cause
of death in China.
Chinese life expectancy at beginning of century: 34 years, today Chinese
GDP per capita still only $8,347 while U.S. is $42, 296, average life
expectancy today 75 (gapminder)
Tiananmen square: Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations
Mark Leonard says "human tragedy", 15 April 1989


GLOBALIZATION

1 billion people do not have access to clean drinking water (United
Nations)
Thousands of children die every day due to polluted drinking
water
World biodiversity has decreased by 1/3 since end of 19
th
century in part
because of a 40% increase in CO2 emissions since end of 18
th
century
(Global Environmental Problems by Brown University)
Chinas economy may have gone up, pollution is a HUGE issue. More than
1 million people are dying prematurely every year from air pollution in
China (npr.org news story China's Air Pollution Linked To Millions Of
Early Deaths)
In China, approximately 1.2 million people die prematurely
from exposure to outdoor air pollution.
2/3 of all the deaths from air pollution are now occurring in
Asia, most of them in China, air pollution fourth leading cause
of death in China.




REBUTTAL NOTES












































REBUTTAL

I would ask the audience for a moment to consider someone that they care very
much about, a friend or a family member. Now think of a few more. Neighbors,
coworkers, relatives. If suddenly they were all taken from you, a by an act of sudden
cruelty (as genocides often are) and someone walked up to you and said But today
we can define the death of all your loved ones as an actual death, would you feel so
much better? The opposing team tries to argue that UN Conventions are progress,
because now we can put a label on genocides, but that label means nothing to
anyone. The Rwandan, Cambodian and Bosnian genocides all occurred after this
convention was created. All three resulted in tribunals trying to pin the blame on a
select few, but not only are all these measures too little too late, they are unwieldy
and ineffective. Many perpetrators of the Cambodian genocide died of old age
before the courts system dealt with them! When a world-class killer can be dismissed
for their crimes on the basis of having Alzheimers, as is recorded in the Cambodian
Chambers of Excellences Website, I doubt any progress we have made in
persecuting these monsters.

Chinas economy may have improved, but the improvement was, A) not a direct
result of the Great Leap Forward, and B) hardly an improvement at all. Since the
Great Leap Forward, less people starve in China, it is true. However, more people
die every year due to pollution. In fact, millions have. More than 1 million people
are dying prematurely every year from air pollution in China (npr.org news story
China's Air Pollution Linked To Millions Of Early Deaths). Its important to place
any supposed progress in the context in which it occurred. As a third point, China
experienced many setbacks before finally experiencing delayed and doubtful
benefits. Besides the Great Leap Forward, China also underwent the Cultural
Revolution. In 1966, Mao Zedong tried to lead a Cultural Revolution after the
dismal failure of the Great Leap Forward. 1.5 million people died and the countrys
heritage was destroyed. Most recently was Tiananmen square: Director of the
European Council on Foreign Relations Mark Leonard says it was "human tragedy"
(15 April 1989). Despite all these setbacks, China did improve: but by how much?
Today the Chinese GDP per capita still only $8,347 while U.S. is $42, 296
(gapminder).
The opposition may argue that more people today have access to clean drinking
water than they did a century go. In the most technical sense, that could be
considered progress. But that would be akin to saying Less people died this time
than last time and holding that up as a shining example. If less bad things is the
best we can produce instead of more good things, and if we can easily refute many
of the examples the opposition cites as progress, is that the strongest argument? 1
billion people still do not have access to clean drinking water (United Nations).
Thousands of children still die every day due to polluted drinking water. We may
have made progress in that area, but it is mitigated by the point that such things are
still occurring. As Martin Luther King Jr. stated in his world house essay, poor
conditions around the world are not caused by lack of resources but by a lack of
human effort.

The benefit brought to our society by industrialization and new technologies is
admittedly a large one. GDP has increased, as has life expectancy, on a global
average (although it should be noted the global average is skewed by outliers, such as
Qatar and the United States, who are substantially wealthy). However, those benefits
must be kept inside their context, which the opposing team has neglected to do.
According to Brown University, world biodiversity has decreased by 1/3 since the
beginning of 20th century. Its also important to remember that any advancements in
technology are mirrored by advancements in military technology. Nuclear power?
Maybe it provides a clean (although highly dangerous) source of power, but it also
took care of 105,000 civilians fairly nicely in World War Two over Hiroshima and
Nagasaki.