Challenges of Industrialization: Environmental and Social Movements
The rapid industrialization of the 1960s brought about significant challenges, including health and environmental hazards. Incidents like cadmium poisoning and the Minamata mercury poisoning crisis highlighted the detrimental effects of unchecked industrial growth on public health and the environment.
Grassroots movements emerged, demanding recognition of these issues and compensation for victims, prompting government action and the implementation of new regulations to address environmental concerns.
After Defeat: Re-emerging as a Global Economic Power| Class 11 History Notes
Japan’s attempt to establish a colonial empire came to a devastating halt with its defeat by the Allied forces. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought untold destruction, prompting questions about the necessity of such immense suffering.
Under the US-led Occupation from 1945 to 1947, Japan underwent demilitarization and the introduction of a new constitution, including Article 9, the famous ‘no war clause’ renouncing the use of war as a state policy instrument.
Agrarian reforms, the revival of political parties, and the first post-war elections in 1946, which saw women voting for the first time, signaled the dawn of a new era in Japanese history.