mikhail gorbachev and the collapse of communism

During the 1960s and 1970s, the Soviet Union’s Communist leadership kept tight control over the Soviet people. Leonid Brezhnev and the Politburo, the ruling committee of the Communist Party crushed all political disagreement.During the 1960s and 1970s, the Soviet Union’s Communist leadership kept tight control over the Soviet people. Leonid Brezhnev and the Politburo, the ruling committee of the Communist Party crushed all political disagreement. When Leonid Brezhnev died in 1982 the Soviet Union wanted to hold onto power. Then a young leader came into play, his name was Mikhail Gorbachev. Mikhail Gorbachev was one of the youngest Soviet leaders after Joseph Stalin. Using his youth, energy, and political skills he became the party’s new general secretary. Gorbachev realized that economic and social reforms could not occur without a free flow of ideas and information. In 1985, he announced a policy known as glasnost , or openness. He encouraged Soviet citizens to discuss ways to improve their society. The changes created were great churches were open, released dissidents from prison and allowed the publication of books by previously banned authors, etc. With these new changes the Soviets wanted to complain about economy issues. Mikhail Gorbachev then created perestroika economic restructuring. In 1986, he made changes to revive the Soviet economy. Later on as things were changing, communism got weaker until breakouts started to occur and the Berlin wall fell and communism stop spreading around the world

The Collapse of Communism

As we may recall that communism was created by a man named Karl Marx. He made this type of government because he wanted the people to get a equal share during the industrial revolution in europe. After the Russian revolution occurred Russia was the first communist country. The Russians thought that communism was a big success so they tried to spread this type of government to the world which started the Cold War between the Russians and The United States. During the Cold War the Russians were doing alright against the Americans keeping up with the Arms race, Space race, etc. Suddenly they notice that there economy was far to weak to keep this up against the Americans who had a great economy. As an result the USSR converted into capitalism and the war have ended because the Americans didn't need to fight the Russians if they were capitalist now. Also as an result most of everyone else had converted out of communism to something else, and the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and east and west germany became one germany once again.

Nelson Mandela and Apartheid

The word Apartheid defines as any system or practice that separates people according to race, caste, etc. This means in better detail that other than white people no one else like blacks, Indians, etc was allowed to to be citizens. They basically wanted everyone in here own race to stay in and only in there race, examples such as no mix marriages, and no sexual relations between two different races.

There was a man who rose above this nonsense and fought back and in the end became successful. His name was Nelson Mandela a hero. Nelson Mandela was a hero because he was the one who fought back against the Apartheid government in South Africa. He was once in the ANC "African National Congress" but he was taken out of the ANC in 1964 he Nelson Mandela was sentenced to jail for life. After twenty seven years in prison they released him from jail marked the beginning of the end for apartheid. In less than five years after his release, Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and elected president of South Africa. Now in South Africa everyone is to work with equal lives to have an opportunity to live there life better than before the harsh Apartheid government.

African Independence

Before World War II, Africa was ruled by Great Britain, but then after World War II Africa was thinking why they were being ruled by another country and then began there own rebellion called the African Independence. After Africa gained there Independence from Great Britain they then realized that they do not know how to run there own countries in Africa. They then gathered up an amount of money to send certain people to Europe to gather up information to build up a government to run their country. Since that Africa is such a poor country they do not enough money to support a string enough government.

Film Lesson: "The Right Stuff"

In class we have seen a film called The Right Stuff. It was a movie about the Cold War between the United States and The Soviet Union. The movie started when the Americans wanted to brake the sound barrier and had succeed. The Americans thought their were all that because they broke the sound barrier and know body didn't yet. Until later on the Russians launched the first satellite into space. The Americans were shocked when they heard this, so they retaliated back by sending a monkey into space. The Americans were laugh at but they succeeded in sending some thing in place, but the russians camed back at them and send a human into space. This place the Americans back into second place in the space race. Overall the Americans and the Soviet Union were at a race in building/creating new industrial materials to overcome everyone.

NATO and The Warsaw Pact

After World War Two, another war have started which was the Cold War. It was a war about spreading communism and the Americans didn't not what that to occur. The Americans and Soviet Union were against each other in this war. The Americans then created an alliance called NATO "North Atlantic Treaty Organization"; this organization is applied with the United States and certain European countries who do not want to spread communism. Then the Soviet Union created their own allience which was called The Warsaw Pact; this allience was made up of countries who do want to spread communism around the world. These alliences were created to find which counties wanted communism and which didn't. The Americans believed that if communism started to spread everyone would want to change them selves into communists, which wasn't good.

Film Lesson: Schindler's List

The Film Schindler's List was a very intresting film explain how the jews were treated during the holocaust. I believe that the Nazi party had twisted minds thinking they can wipe out an entire race of people and get away with it. The way they treated them was not normal at all, placing them in concentration camps treating them like nothing was just nasty in my opinion. Overall just killing them for no reason at all dosn't make any sence at all.