5
Skills
2007
1750
1945
1700
How to analyse statistics
1500
1000
500
0
Europe
India
China
1960 1975 1990 2005 2020 2035 2050
M1 Population change 1960–2050
2000
2005
2010
2015
-2,8
-3,4
-3,8
-3,7
3,9
9,1
4,9
8,4
5,5
7,2
5,7
7,5
6,2
6,2
India
China
USA
Germany
Japan
13,8
15,1
Statistics used in history are collections of data concerning economic, social or
political processes. Charts help us to visualize huge amounts of puzzling data.
They convey information more impressively than pure tables do. You analyse
charts in history for example, in order to gain information about developments
of a country or a specific area.
To get into the India topic, have a look at M1: It shows the population change of
India, China and Europe in comparison from 1960 to 2050 (expected). You can
see an enormous increase in population for India and China, nearly three times
as the slightly decreasing European one. Now evaluate with the help of the text
and the sources what it means for the country’s policy.
Working vocabulary
China
37,8 %
India
23,6 %
14,4
15,2
14,7
15
Germany
3,1 %
Japan
5,7 %
15,1
15,1
15,3
15,3
M2 Age as a factor of competition
USA
29,9 %
M3 Gross Domestic Product in 2050
9,4
200
6
24
Pakistan*)
southern Asia*)
India*)
6,1
46
47
50
Indian (rural)*)
India under the age of 3*)
Bangladesh*)
7,5
180
40
43,3
48
160
real increase
sub-Saharan Africa*)
9,0
8,5
140
5,8
Talking about statistics and charts
•The statistics show that…
•The charts do not say anything
about…
•If you compare the figures for…and
…, you can see
•to show a(n) increase/decrease/
steady growth/slight rise/dip
•to remain constant
•more/less than half of
•over/nearly twice as many/three
times as many
•an all-time-high/all time low
•to reach a peak of
4,4
100
00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07
1995 = 100 (Prices in 2000)
M4 Malnourished children 2000
M5 Indian Domestic Product
Analysing step by step
1 Description
2 Analysis
3 Evaluation
•Examine how the figures are pre sented. Is it a line graph, a vertical
or horizontal bar chart or a pie
chart? Does it consist of absolute
or relative figures? Have a look at
thecaptionandthesourcefirst,then
the labels and the axes, in a pie chart at the sectors or segments.
•Show the main developments or
differences in the chart. What are
the time periods? Are they regular
orirregular?Describethechanges,
the ups and downs.
•Explainwhytherearedifferencesor
developmentsinthecharts.Compare
them to each other.
•Givethemessageandmainaspects
you were able to gain from the
charts.
•Explainwhatadditionalinformation
maybegiveninotherchartsorhow
they are related to each other.
•Show how the results fit into your
previousknowledgeaboutthetopic.
•What areas of information are
missing? Try to find the additional
informationinyourhistorybookor
use other sources to get it.
78
The legacy of the colonial rule1
Most of Africa’s states share the historical experience of colonialism and the following decolonisation after having gained their independence. Many of them
are struggling with the political legacy of the colonial rule . Europeans imposed their own system of parliamentary democracy on them, largely sustained2
by often brutal military conquest3 and an authoritarian rule. How do these
states cope with their colonial past? What are the areas of conflict today and
which strategies for a peaceful solution may help? What critical influences on
current political decisions exist in developing countries? Are the African states
really independent now or is the continent an international hardship case?
The problem of the failed states
The boundaries of African states are mostly artificial. Peoples of different languages and political traditions had been cobbled4 together for the European colonizers’ convenience. That caused serious problems in gaining national unity
after independence. The inhabitants of the British-created Nigeria, for ­example,
were in their own mind primarily Yoruba, Igbo or Haussa, rather than “Nigerians”. Conflicts between the ethnic groups often led to bloody civil wars, e.g.
during the last years in Liberia, Sudan or Rwanda. So-called warlords often control areas with huge resources of diamonds, cobalt or copper.
For these reasons, some countries turn into failed states. One example of a state
being on the verge of becoming failed is Zimbabwe, which does not ­provide
­domestic security or public services, has no monopoly on the use of force5
and is not considered legitimate by its citizens. With the slogan “Africa for
the ­Africans”, Zimbabwe’s so-called veterans drive out white farmers from
their land and occupy it – an action initiated and legalized by Prime Minister
Mugabe. This movement could easily spread to the Republic of South Africa,
where white farmers own the most fertile land – which shows the danger of
failed states for the whole continent.
Historical terms
authoritarian rule
autoritäre Herrschaft, d. h. eine stark
zentralisierte Herrschaftsform, in der
die Regierung meist auf eine Person
oder Personengruppe konzentriert ist,
die ohne jegliche Teilhabe des Volkes
„von oben“ regiert
war lord
„Kriegsherr“, Anführer, der in einem
Gebiet die politische und militärische
Kontrolle übernommen hat
3,8
120
95
96
97
98
99
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
Latin-America+Caribbean
Islands*)
Africa’s post-colonial struggles
Are African states the global losers?
During the 19th century African economies were directed towards exporting
cheap agricultural raw materials and unprocessed minerals to Europe. In return they had to import expensive manufactured goods6 from Europe. As more
effort was put into cash crop7 production and mining, subsistence ­agriculture8
for basic food was neglected. After independence African countries were ­ad­vised
to copy the Western economic system, which proved difficult to transfer from
the “developed” to the developing countries. The rapid industrialisation to
achieve economic self-sufficiency failed because of huge debts and the world
market prices being controlled outside of Africa. A few states like Algeria,
­Angola, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, which achieved independence through
guerrilla warfare, based their later development on local adaptations of ­socialist
principles, but without long-lasting results. The African Union (AU) could be
an attempt at solving the main problems. Its economic program “New
­Partnership for Africa’s Development” (NEPAD) from 2001 could give hope but
many African NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) see it as a tool for
strengthening Western domination over Africa.
M1 Child soldiers in Monrovia, Liberia
More than 200,000 of them are fighting
in armed conflicts in 20 states worldwide today, most of them in Africa. The
documentary “Lost Children” by Ali Samadi-Ahadi and Oliver Stoltz showed
the fate of child soldiers in the Ugandan Lord’s Resistance Army.
1 colonial rule: Kolonialherrschaft |2 to sustain: aufrechterhalten |3 conquest: Eroberung |4 to cobble
together: zusammenschustern |5 monopoly on the use of force: Gewaltmonopol |6 manufactured
goods: Industriegüter, Fertigwaren |7 cash crop: Exportpflanzen, marktfähige Agrarprodukte |8 subsistence agriculture: Subsistenzwirtschaft
79