‘Olona Tshintsho Lukhulu’
“Kwinkulungwane yama-20 kuye kwakho olona tshintsho lukhulu nolufikelela kwiindawo ezininzi kunayo nayiphi na enye inkulungwane embalini yoluntu.”—The Times Atlas of the 20th Century.
XA BEHLOLISISA inkulungwane yama-20, ngaphandle kwamathandabuzo abaninzi baya kuvumelana noWalter Isaacson, ongumhleli oyintloko wephephancwadi iTime, owathi: “Ngokwahlukileyo kwezinye iinkulungwane, le nkulungwane ibiyeyona imangalisayo: enempembelelo, isoyikisa maxa wambi, isoloko ibangel’ umdla.”
UGro Harlem Brundtland, owayesakuba yinkulu-baphathiswa yaseNorway, naye ngokufanayo uthi le nkulungwane iye yabizwa ngokuba “yinkulungwane yokugabadela kwezinto, . . . apho abantu baye banemikhuba ethande ukutsiba ilitye likaPhungela.” Uthi “ibiyinkulungwane yenkqubela enkulu [yaye kwezinye iindawo] ize nenkqubela yezoqoqosho engenakuthelekiswa nanto.” Noko ke, kwangaxeshanye, iidolophu ezihlwempuzekileyo zinekamva elimfiliba ngenxa “yokuxinana nokwanda kwezifo okunxulunyaniswa nobuhlwempu nemeko-bume engekho mpilweni.”
Iingxushungxushu Zezobupolitika
Ekuqaleni kwenkulungwane yama-20, uburhulumente baseManchu eTshayina, uBukhosi bamaOttoman, nabalawuli abahlukeneyo baseYurophu babelawula inxalenye enkulu yehlabathi. UBukhosi baseBritani babugubungela ikota yehlabathi lonke yaye babulawula umntu om-1 kwaba-4 abasemhlabeni. Kude kudala ngaphambi kokuphela kwale nkulungwane, bonke obu bukhosi buye banyamalala. IThe Times Atlas of the 20th Century ithi: “Ngowe-1945, ixesha lolawulo lwamathanga laphela.”
Ukuphela kwenkqubo yolawulo lwamathanga kwavulel’ umtyhi ubuhlanga obayithabatha iYurophu phakathi kwenkulungwane ye-17 neye-19 bayithumela kwezinye iinxalenye zehlabathi. IThe New Encyclopædia Britannica ithi: “Emva kweMfazwe Yehlabathi II ubuhlanga badamba kumazwe amaninzi aseYurophu . . . Noko ke, eAsia naseAfrika ubuhlanga bakhula ngokukhawuleza, eyona njongo yabo yayikukulwa nenkqubo yolawulo lwamathanga.” IThe Collins Atlas of World History iqukumbela ngelithi, “yathi yakuphela inkqubo yaseYurophu yolawulo lwamathanga eyayiqhubeka kangangeenkulungwane ezintlanu kwavela ulawulo lwaMazwe Asakhasayo.”
Njengoko obu bukhosi babuqhekeka, kwavela amazwe azimeleyo—uninzi lwawo lusebenzisa idemokhrasi. Ngokufuthi, ulawulo lwedemokhrasi luye lwachaswa ngokukrakra, ngoorhulumente bolawulo lobuzwilakhe eYurophu naseAsia ebudeni beMfazwe Yehlabathi II. Aba rhulumente baxaba phambi kwenkululeko yabantu baza bazibamba baziqinisa iintambo kwezoqoqosho, kumaziko eendaba nakwimikhosi exhobileyo. Imigudu yabo yokulawula ihlabathi yada yanqandwa, kodwa emva kokuba kuchithwe imali eninzi nobomi babantu.
Inkulungwane Yemfazwe
Enyanisweni, eyona nto yenza inkulungwane yama-20 ikhetheke kuzo zonke ezinye ezidluleyo yimfazwe. Umbhali-mbali waseJamani uGuido Knopp ubhala athi ngokuphathelele iMfazwe Yehlabathi I: “NgoAgasti 1, 1914: Akukho namnye owakha wacinga ukuba inkulungwane ye-19, eyayilixesha elide loxolo kubantu baseYurophu, ingaphela ngaloo mini; yaye akukho namnye owaphawulayo ukuba inkulungwane yama-20 yaqala kanye ngelo xesha—ngexesha lemfazwe eyaqhuba amashumi amathathu eminyaka neyabonisa izinto abanokwenzana zona abantu.”
UHugh Brogan, ongunjingalwazi wezembali, wasikhumbuza ukuba “loo mfazwe yenza umonakalo omkhulu ohlasimlis’ umzimba, ibe usavakala nangoku eUnited States [ngowe-1998].” Unjingalwazi wezembali eHarvard University, uAkira Iriye, wabhala wathi: “IMfazwe Yehlabathi Yokuqala yatshintsha imbali yaseMpuma Asia neyaseUnited States ngeendlela ezininzi.”
Siyaqondakala isizathu sokuba iThe New Encyclopædia Britannica ithi imfazwe yokuqala neyesibini yehlabathi “zenza utshintsho olukhulu kwimo yomhlaba nezobupolitika zenkulungwane yama-20.” Ithi, “iMfazwe Yehlabathi I yakhokelela ekuweni koorhulumente abane abakhulu . . . , okwabangela iMvukelo yamaBolshevik eRashiya kwaza . . . kwabeka isiseko seMfazwe Yehlabathi II.” Kwakhona isixelela ukuba ezo mfazwe zehlabathi “zazihamba zodwa ngokubulala, nokutshabalalisa.” Ngokufanayo uGuido Knopp uthi: “Inkohlakalo nokuphathwa kakubi kwabantu kwathi chatha kwinto eyayilindelwe. Ukuphoswa nje kwabantu emingxunyeni . . . kwabangela ukuba abantu bajongwe njengezinto nje, kunokuba bajongwe njengabantu.”
Ngelokuthintela iimfazwe ezitshabalalisayo ezifana nezi, kwabunjwa uManyano Lwezizwe ngowe-1919. Kuthe kwakubonakala ukuba luyasilela ukugcina uxolo lwehlabathi, lwathatyathelw’ indawo ziZizwe Ezimanyeneyo. Nangona zaphumelelayo ekuthinteleni imfazwe yehlabathi yesithathu, iZizwe Ezimanyeneyo azizange zikwazi ukuphelisa iMfazwe Yomlomo, ekuye kwathi ukutyhubela amashumi eminyaka kwabonakala ukuba ingaphumela kwimbubhiso yenyukliya. Azikhange zikwazi nokuthintela iingxwabangxwaba ezincinane ehlabathini lonke, njengakwiBalkans.
Njengoko inani lamazwe ehlabathini liye landa, kuye kwanzima ngakumbi ukugcina uxolo phakathi kwawo. Xa bekuthelekiswa imaphu yangaphambi kokuqalisa kweMfazwe Yehlabathi 1 neyakutshanje kufunyaniswe ukuba ekuqaleni kwale nkulungwane, ubuncinane angama-51 amazwe aseAfrika aze abe ngama-44 awaseAsia akhoyo ngoku awayengekazimeli ngelo xesha. Kumazwe ali-185 angamalungu eZizwe Ezimanyeneyo ngoku, ali-116 ayengekazimeli ngexesha lokusungulwa kolu manyano ngowe-1945!
“Esinye Sezona Ziganeko Ziphawulekayo”
Njengoko inkulungwane ye-19 yayisiya ngasekupheleni, uBukhosi baseRashiya baba lelona gunya likhulu ehlabathini. Kodwa ngokukhawuleza baya buphelelwa yinkxaso obabunayo. Ngokutsho kombhali uGeoffrey Ponton, abantu abaninzi babecinga ukuba “kuyekwe uhlaziyo kuze kuvukelwe.” Wongezelela athi: “Ukuze kubaselwe loo mvukelo, kwafuneka kubekho imfazwe enkulu, iMfazwe Yehlabathi Yokuqala, yalandela ke ingxushungxushu,.”
Ukulawulwa kweRashiya ngamaBolshevik ngelo xesha kwabeka isiseko sobukhosi obutsha—ubuKomanisi behlabathi obabuxhaswa yiSoviet Union. Nangona basekwa kanye ngexesha lokuqhuma kwemfazwe yomhlaba wonke, uBukhosi beSoviet abuzange buphele ngenxa yokuba kugquba imfazwe. Incwadi ethi Down With Big Brother, ebhalwe nguMichael Dobbs, ithi ngasekupheleni kweminyaka yee-1970, iSoviet Union “yayibubukhosi obunamazwe amaninzi obabusele bubonakala ukuba buza kuphelela emhadini.”
Sekunjalo, ukuwa kwayo kwabakho ngequbuliso. Incwadi ethi Europe—A History, ebhalwe nguNorman Davies, igqabaza isithi: “Alikho ilizwe elakha lawa ngokukhawuleza njengayo ezimbalini zaseYurophu,” yaye “kwabangelwa zizinto ezingokwemvelo.” UPonton uthi, liyinyaniso elokuba “ukusekwa, ukwenza inkqubelo nokuwa kweSoviet Union kwakusesinye sezona ziganeko ziphawulekayo zenkulungwane yamashumi amabini.”
Liyinyaniso elokuba, ukuwa kweSoviet Union kwakulutshintsho nje olunye kungcelele lotshintsho lwenkulungwane yama-20 olwaba nemiphumo engaphaya kwengqondo. Kambe ke, utshintsho lwezobupolitika aluyonto intsha. Kangangamawakawaka eminyaka belukhe lubekho.
Noko ke, kukhe kwakho utshintsho koorhulumente oluphawuleka ngendlela ekhethekileyo kwinkulungwane yama-20. Into oluyiyo olu tshintsho nendlela olukuchaphazela ngayo iya kuxutyushwa kamva.
Noko ke, okokuqala, makhe sihlolisise ezinye izinto eziphunyezwe yinzululwazi kule nkulungwane yama-20. Ngokuphathelele ezi zinto, uNjingalwazi Michael Howard uqukumbela ngelithi: “Abantu baseNtshona Yurophu nabakuMntla Merika babonakala benesizathu esihle sokuvuyela inkulungwane yamashumi amabini njengokuqalisa kwexesha elitsha nelonwabisayo kwimbali yoluntu.” Ngaba ezo zinto ziya kukhokelela kubomi obusemgangathweni?
[Isicangca/Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 2-7]
(Ukuba ufuna inkcazelo ehlahlelwe kakuhle, yiya kwimpapasho)
1901
UKumkanikazi uVictoria ufa emva kokulawula iminyaka engama-64
Abemi behlabathi basisi-1.6 samawaka ezigidi
1914
ITshawe Elikhulu uFerdinand liyagwintwa. Kuqala iMfazwe Yehlabathi I
Umlawuli wokugqibela waseRashiya, uNicholas II, kunye nentsapho yakhe
1917
ULenin ukhokelela iRashiya kwimvukelo
1919
Kusekwa uManyano Lwezizwe
1929
Ukuwa kwemeko yezoshishino eUnited States kwabangela ukuDodobala Okukhulu Kwezoqoqosho
UGandhi uthi gqolo esilwela inkululeko yeIndiya
1939
UAdolf Hitler uhlasela iPoland, ngaloo ndlela kwaqalisa iMfazwe Yehlabathi II
UWinston Churchill uba yinkulumbuso yeGreat Britain ngowe-1940
Ukubulawa Kwabantu Ngenkohlakalo
1941
IJapan iqhushumbisa iZibuko iPearl
1945
IUnited States iphosa iibhombu zeathom eHiroshima naseNagasaki. Yaphela ngolo hlobo iMfazwe Yehlabathi II
1946
INgqungquthela yeZizwe Ezimanyeneyo idibana okokuqala
1949
UMao Tse-tung uvakalisa iRiphabliki Yabantu YaseTshayina
1960
Kusekwa amazwe amatsha ali-17 eAfrika
1975
Ukuphela kweMfazwe yaseVietnam
1989
UDonga lwaseBerlin luyaqhekezwa njengoko ubuKomanisi buphelelwa
1991
Ukuqhekeka phakathi kweSoviet Union