Category Civics

          Cambodia and Vietnam have one thing in common; both the countries were ruled by the French for almost a hundred years. Though Cambodia tried to remain neutral during the Vietnam War, the country was in trouble as the war spread across the borders. The country’s peace was affected by the bitter fighting between the US troops and the Vietnamese communists.

          After years of fighting, a new dictatorship took over the country in 1975. Khmer Rouge, a political party led by Pol Pot came into power causing considerable damage to the country. Both industry and agriculture collapsed as he forced town dwellers to farm the land; thousands died of hunger and diseases. Many were murdered as well. This is largely referred to as the Cambodian Genocide. Years of tyranny came to an end when Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1978; the Khmer Rouge was overthrown and a new Vietnamese-backed government was established. The monarchy was restored later.

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           Vietnam was colonized and ruled by the French for almost a century until the 1950s. The French rule came to an end when the communists took over the northern part of the country in 1954.

          The country was soon split into North and South Vietnam with communists ruling the North. They wanted to gain control over the South as well. The anti-communists in the South rose against the communist guerrillas when they tried to take over the government. The conflict later turned to a twenty-year-long war. During the war, the North was supported by Russia and China while the South was backed by the US. The fighting got worse and in the end, the North won defeating the US troops. After the US troops left, Vietnam became one again in 1976. 

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          Years ago, North and South Korea were a single country. World War II divided the country into two. How did this happen?

         Japan occupied Korea from 1910-45. This came to an end with Japan’s defeat in World War II. After the war, the northern half of Korea was occupied by the Soviet Union while the southern half was controlled by the US. The political differences in the two halves led to a horrible war; North Korea attacked South Korea. The war started in 1950 and ended three years later, killing millions.

        North Korea is still ruled by a communist government, headed by Kim Jong-un. South Korea is now one of the fastest growing economies, and their cultural inputs are famous all over the world. Korea exports TV dramas, Pop music and movies to the world. The rise of Korean entertainment industry is known as the Korean wave and it contributes significantly to the country’s economy.

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          Bangladesh has close connections with India. It was once part of India. During partition, Bangladesh became a part of Pakistan and was known as East Pakistan.

         East Pakistan wanted to sever its ties with West Pakistan. A civil war broke in 1971 in which India fought on its side and it finally gained independence. Thus, a new country named Bangladesh was born.

         The country has had various problems after independence, with poverty, famine and unemployment being the biggest issues. Bangladesh was torn apart by military regimes as well; it is now ruled by a democratically elected government.

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          Japan was ruled by various emperors and warlords before the 19th century. Things started to change in the 19th century as Japan aimed to expand its borders to become a powerful empire. It waged wars with China and Russia. Japan occupied many territories including Korea by the end of the 1900s.

         The Great Wars of the world marked an important chapter in the history of Japan. In the First World War, Japan sided with the US and attacked German colonies; the country then had trade ties with the US. Things took a turn when Japan chose to side with the Axis powers in World War II; Japan, along with Italy and Germany stood against the Allies and gained control over most of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.

         In 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbour. This angered the US and the very next day, it declared war against Japan. The US responded by bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki with the first ever atomic bombs, killing millions of people and permanently damaging their environment. Japan surrendered in 1945 after the bombing and was occupied by the US till 1952.

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          The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, commonly known as the Soviet Union, was the largest country when it existed. We now have 15 independent states in its place including Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Russia. How did the Soviet Union take shape? Why did it collapse? Let’s take a look.

It all started in today’s Russia. Long before, Russia was a part of the Mongol Empire and was later ruled by the tsars. After long years of tsarist rule, people became unhappy about their rulers which paved the way for a revolution.

          Under the leadership of Lenin, the people of Russia rebelled against their rulers eventually overthrowing the tsarist ruler Nicholas II. This happened in 1917 and is known as the Bolshevik Revolution. Lenin set up a communist rule after the revolution, forming the USSR.

          After Lenin, Joseph Stalin ruled the USSR from 1929 for more than twenty years. His rule was marked by terror and violence. Personal freedom was restricted to a great extent and people were not allowed to protest. The people were fed up of communism.

          In the 1980s, Gorbachev became the president. He granted more freedom to the states and its people. Around the same time, some republics started to demand independence. By the 1990s, most of the states broke free from the Soviet Union and became a part of a Commonwealth of Independent States.

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