Affirmative Action in Higher Education: UC Davis v. Bakke
According to Justice Powell in his opinion to UCDMS v. Bakke, distinctions between citizens solely because of their ancestry are by their nature odious. All legal restrictions which curtail the civil rights of a single racial group are immediately suspect, but this is not to say that all restrictions based on race are inherently unconstitutional, but are subject to **strict scrutiny**.
The court held in order to justify the use of a “suspect” classification, a state must show that its purpose or
Read MoreWorkers’ Associations, Marxism, Anarchism, and Internationalism
Early Workers’ Associations
The initial response of workers to industrialization was opposition to machines, blamed for low wages and poor working conditions. Protests included the destruction of machinery and industrial facilities (Luddism). This resistance spread across Europe in the early 19th century. Some workers realized they shared common problems and goals, developing class consciousness. To defend their interests, they formed organizations like the first Mutual Aid Societies, which provided
Read MoreHuman Culture: Understanding Its Impact and Diversity
Culture as a Humanizing Factor
Culture is the main factor in humanization. Over millions of years, a process of hominization and humanization has occurred. Culture appears in all its essential aspects. If the biological and genetic determination with which we come into the world is what we consider our natural dimension, then culture is the set of information acquired through social learning. Even animals would have some kind of hominid culture because they can transmit behaviors. Language allows
Read MoreUnderstanding Imperialism: Causes and Consequences
The Causes of Imperialism
Dominant Europe and the Rise of Industrialization
The advance of industrialization throughout the 19th century led to a fragmentation of the world into two poles: industrialized and non-industrialized countries. By the 20th century, industrialized countries, primarily in Europe, exerted direct or indirect influence globally. Due to its demographic vitality, Europe imposed its economic model, ideals, and culture on much of the planet.
Between 1873 and 1890, industrialized Europe
Read MoreKey Concepts: Society, Politics, and Economics
Sovereign State: A separate and independent body of citizens, not tied to any particular interest. It is the only power recognized by all for the common good, imposed against private actors.
Neoliberalism: An economic ideology, also known as corporate capitalism, corporate globalization, or the suicide economy. It is the policy that currently dominates the global economy.
Capitalism: A political, social, and economic system where a few large companies and wealthy individuals control property, including
Read MoreLatin American Social and Political Transformations
New Social Groups in Latin America
In Latin American countries with economies of national control, the development of the productive system led to growing social diversification. Urban areas included small traders, artisans, professionals, teachers, and public employees. In countries with enclave economies, the distribution of income from exports was minimal, with a distinction between enclave mining workers and some urban sectors related to public administration.