Mr. Bendit Pokkyi's Travels and Reports
Mr. Bendit Pokkyi was an American journalist whose pastimes and interests, which were closely related to his work, included photography and travel. As a result, he had many chances to travel the globe while taking photos and writing reports about problems that various parts of the world were facing. He went to various parts of the world in the years after the Second World War while documenting the profound changes that the conflict brought about in most societies. (Kesternich, 103-118). It is within this context that the paper will discuss what Mr. Bendit Pokkyi experienced and the reports he made on the impact and aftermath of the Second World War, during his travels to Asia, Africa, Middle East and North and South America.
Emergence of Superpower Alliances
Mr. Bendit Pokkyi observed and made reports on the major superpower countries that emerged after the 2nd World War, which formed alliances in the attempt of countering their influences across the world. The two superpowers were the Soviet Union and the United States of America (USA). The USA formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and countries in North America and Europe pledged their allegiance to it (McGrattan, Ellen and Lee, 509-532). The Soviet Union countered this move by forming the Warsaw Pact, which was an alliance of the Soviet Union and other European nations, and Asian countries such as Korea. With the emergence of these alliances, the Cold War arose.
The Ideological Battle of the Cold War
In the reports of Mr. Bendit Pokkyi, he explained how the Cold War was not a military fight but rather, a supremacy battle between the USSR and the USA. These two superpowers wanted to promote their ideologies and wanted nations to adopt them. For instance, the Soviet Union cited imperialism and colonialism, which were practiced by the European colonialists, as the biggest barriers to Nation's liberty. However, the Soviet Union did not entertain such movements or protests of freedom in its state or their areas of influence. The Soviet Union, which promoted the ideology of communism, crushed any attempt of resentment or protest for freedom of worship, speech or association. Bandit Pokkyi speaks of his travels to Eastern Germany during the reign of Joseph Stalin. He observed how the Soviet Union kept people from expressing their anti-Soviet views and neighbors were encouraged to spy on each other (Burleigh, 43).
Communism vs Liberal Democracy
During this visit to Eastern Germany, Bendit Pokkyi got a clear picture of what communism entailed. For example, Bendit was present, as a journalist, when the Berlin Wall was constructed to cap the increasing number of people running away from East Berlin to the Western side. After the construction of the Berlin Wall, Bendit Pokkyi observed how clear it was that Communism was based solely on the Soviet compulsion rather than the popular legitimacy. Another example is how the people of Poland protested against the Soviet's official atheism. In 1956, Bendit Pokkyi was doing research on the collectivization of agriculture that was practiced in Poland (Kuwert, 955-961). During this period, the Poles had a religious gathering that turned into a demonstration against the government. Here, the Soviet administration compromised and gave the Poles some religious freedoms. However, the Soviet government prohibited any attempt to weaken their ties with Poland.
Adoption of Ideologies and Financial Assistance
The USSR advocated for Communism while the USA supported the liberal democracy. As such, these two superpower states in the world wanted other nations to adopt and practice their ideologies. The liberal democracy encouraged governments to implement capitalism in their countries. States that had just attained independence in Africa and other parts of the world were forced to adopt liberal democracy if they wished to have the social, political, and economic support from the USA. Additionally, after the 2nd World War, there was the creation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. These two institutions are used by the USA and other First World countries to offer financial assistance to Third World countries. For instance, Mr. Bendit Pokkyi was in Ghana when it attained its independence in 1957. He observed how the natives of Ghana were given ultimatums, to either abide by the economic, political and social policies required by the IMF and get financial assistance, and if they refused they would not get any assistance at all (Ferguson, 13).
Rise of Nationalism and Non-Aligned Movement
Mr. Bendit Pokkyi also illustrates how he observed the 2nd World War lead to the rise of nationalism in Africa, during his trip to Africa. Nationalism encouraged the formation of the Pan-African Movement. Leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah used these nationalism platforms to advocate for the independence of other African nations from colonialism. For instance, Bendit saw how Kwame Nkrumah helped Tanzania to gain independence by getting assistance from Communists such as the Chinese. Bendit Pokkyi traveled to Tanzania in 1963, two years after it had attained its independence. He observed how Tanzania had adopted Communism as a way of ruling and how Tanzania was receiving financial and military aid from the USSR and China, for pledging allegiance to them (Kesternich, 103-118). However, the USA and other European nations would not offer Tanzania any assistance during this period because of not fully adopting liberal democracy.
Alignment and Neutral Stances
Many states were aligning themselves with either the USSR and taking Communism, or the USA and embracing liberal democracy as a way of ruling. Many of the countries that pledged allegiance to any of them received financial and military assistance. However, while many states were aligning themselves, other nations took neutral stands. As such, there was the formation of the Non-Aligned Movement, comprising mostly of newly independent countries that chose not to side themselves with any of the superpowers. Some of these states included India, Pakistan, Egypt, and Libya, among many others. Mr. Bendit traveled to India in 1951 and made reports of his observations and experiences while there. He understood why and how India was divided into two parts due to religious differences. This led to the Hindu having India as their nation, and the Muslims got Pakistan as their nation (McGrattan, Ellen and Lee, 509-532).
Conflicts and Unity in India
Nevertheless, there was a lot of tension in this two regions because there were Indians in Pakistan and a huge number of Muslims in India. As such, a lot of conflicts arose while people tried to flee to their region, following their religion. This led to a lot of rape and cases of kidnap, displacement, and death of many individuals in both regions. Additionally, a lot of conflicts was occurring at the borders of India and Pakistan, and the borders of China. Bendit Pokkyi clearly observes how the then prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, purchased military hardware from both the USA and the USSR. Bendit could see how India maintained its peace and unity without having to align with any of the superpower states (Burleigh, 21). Bendit Pokkyi observed how this move helped Indians in coming up with their policies that helped unify their people and how non-aligning themselves helped them prosper economically and politically. For instance, in spite of all the conflicts, India emerged as the largest democracy. India also manufactured its products thus reducing the rate of imports and increasing that of exports, which led to a lot of economic growth.
Economic Impact of the War
After the 2nd World War, Germany experienced some economic havocs. As such, there were a lot of deaths due to hunger and nutrition issues. For instance, when Bendit Pokkyi traveled to Germany in 1947, he observed how there was a lot of food shortage in that nation. This was because food supply had ceased from their farms since a lot of men, who were the sources of labor, had passed away in the war. Additionally, the damage done on agricultural equipment during the war led to the decrease of the food supply. As such, Bendit Pokkyi saw how the Germans were affected by the war. His reports show that Germany suffered from hunger between 1945-1948, as a result of the 2nd World War (Kuwert, 955-961).
Impact of the United Nations
Bandit Pokkyi was present during the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, which happened in San Francisco, USA. He saw how the agreements raised in the United Nations charter would increase the trade networks of countries across the world. The United Nations also facilitated the creation of the IMF and the World Bank. As such, trade between and among nations experienced tremendous growth. Bandit traveled to South Africa and observed how trade networks had increased due to technological improvements that facilitated easy and fast communication and transport. For instance, while in South Africa, he saw how the IMF had opened up markets for African products in Europe and America. Additionally, there were a lot of technological improvements on the equipment that were used in farms as sources of labor. Bandit saw large farms that produced quality products such as fruits and vegetables, in large quantities. More so, Bendit illustrates how the USA funded the construction of a super highway in South Africa through the World Bank, that eased the transportation of goods (Ferguson, 18).
Political Uncertainty in the Middle East
Bandit Pokkyi observed a lot of political uncertainty in the Middle East. This was mainly caused by the diversity in ethnicity of the people in the Middle East region and a lot of religious differences. As such, during his travel to Iran, he experienced the impact of how the government of Iran based the rulings of its constitution on the teachings of Islam. More so, the government of Iran condemned the influence of the Western democracy and that of the Communists and argued that the ruling of a nation should be derived solely from the teachings of Islam. The 1979 Iranian revolution, was a great inspiration to other Islamic states such as Libya and Egypt, which also wanted to do away with the Western way of life and adopt their own (Kesternich, 103-118).
Globalization and Technological Development
While visiting Japan, Bendit Pokkyi observed how globalization now played a significant role in the social, political and economic aspects of most parts of the world. Globalization had transformed the world into a "small village" with easy access to information and reliable systems of transport and communication. As such, Bendit experienced how life has been made easier with the recent developments that occurred in the post-war period. For instance, he witnessed how Japan was quickly manufacturing and exporting automobiles that were affordable and fuel-efficient. Also, he saw how Japanese manufacturers developed computers and other equipment that made work easier and sold them to almost all parts of the world (McGrattan, Ellen and Lee, 509-532). Additionally, Bendit has seen how economic integrations, which have brought about economic alliances such as the European Union, are critical in ensuring there is the production of quality goods and providing markets for the manufactured products.
Summary
Bendit Pokkyi visited various nations after the 2nd World War. He made a lot of different observation in all the nations. As such, he had both positive and negative experiences in these countries. More so, Bendit had a fantastic time in South Africa and Ghana. During his trip to South Africa, he got a better insight of the African culture and ways in which the societies in Africa can be helped. He relished how the USA, through the IMF and the World Bank, was helping raise the standards of living in these regions. Additionally, he admired the level of unity among African states, via the Pan-African Movement, which he observed during his visit to Ghana. However, his observation on the methods used by the superpower states to have influence over most parts of the world did not impress him (Burleigh, 24). He argues that the USA, USSR and other powerful states in the world should have more positive ways of imprinting their ideologies on other people. He condemned the use of military combat as a way of getting people to embrace other cultural, political and economical methods.
Work cited
Kesternich, Iris, et al. "The effects of World War II on economic and health outcomes across Europe." Review of Economics and Statistics 96.1 (2014): 103-118.
McGrattan, Ellen R., and Lee E. Ohanian. "Does neoclassical theory account for the effects of big fiscal shocks? Evidence from World War II." International Economic Review 51.2 (2010): 509-532.
Burleigh, Michael. Sacred causes: The clash of religion and politics, from the great war to the war on terror. New York: HarperCollins, 2007.
Kuwert, Philipp, et al. "Sixty years later: post-traumatic stress symptoms and current psychopathology in former German children of World War II." International Psychogeriatrics 19.05 (2007): 955-961.
Ferguson, James. Global shadows: Africa in the neoliberal world order. Duke University Press, 2006.
