252 i PERIOD 6 Accelerating Global Change and Realignments (c. 1900 to the present)
tion, the Japanese government began asserting more control over the lives of its citizens,
including controlling the content of student textbooks. Traditions such as the tea ceremony
and Kabuki and No theater continued.
Japanese work schedules allowed for less leisure time than in Western societies. One lei-
sure activity that became extremely popular was baseball, introduced to Japan during the U.S.
occupation. Women continued to occupy traditional homemaking and childrearing roles.China
China’s May Fourth Movement (1919) honored the role that women had played in the Chi-
nese revolution by increasing women’s rights. Foot binding was outlawed, and women were
given wider educational and career opportunities. Although the Guomindang attempted to
return Chinese women to their more traditional roles, Chinese communists gave them a
number of roles in their revolution. Women were allowed to bear arms in the military. Since
the institution of Mao’s government in 1949, Chinese women have been expected to work
outside the home while maintaining their traditional responsibilities in the home as well.Latin America
After the Mexican Revolution, Mexican artists such as Diego Rivera painted murals on public
buildings. The murals depicted scenes from the revolutions and hopes for social progress in
the future. Latin American folk culture includes strong elements of the native Indian and
African cultures. Although the region remains largely Roman Catholic, the latter decades of
the twentieth century and the beginnings of the twenty-fi rst century saw signifi cant increases
in the popularity of evangelical Protestant denominations throughout Latin America. Also
popular in Latin America as well as in sub-Saharan Africa is Liberation Theology, a belief
that emphasizes social justice for victims of poverty and oppression.
Throughout the twentieth century, Latin American women tended to retain their
traditional roles. Women were not allowed to vote until 1929, when Ecuador became the
fi rst Latin American nation to allow woman suffrage. By the latter part of the twentieth
century, Latin American women controlled small businesses and were sometimes active in
politics, including membership in legislatures.Africa
Woman suffrage was written into the constitutions of new nations. The participation of
women in African independence movements was rewarded, resulting in some opportunities
for women to hold political offi ce. Many of the new nations also granted women increased
opportunities for education and employment. Early marriage, however, often continued to
confi ne women to traditional roles. Government imposition of shariah law in regions of
Nigeria and other Muslim-dominated African nations threatened not only the independ-
ence but also the security of women.