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.

Film Lesson: Night and Fog

The Treaty of Versailles (ended WW I)

The Treaty of Versailles was the document that ended World War One on June 28, 1919. Overall in this document it says that Germany was the blame to this war; so they have to pay for the damages to the war. Umm in my opinion its like half fair and half not. The fair part is that Germany did start the war and lost so they do have to face concenquences. The unfair part is that they have to pay for everything that was done between the war, which leaves them with nothing at the end. Some historians say that the Treaty of Versailles led to the rise of Fascism and Adolph Hitler. I do believe this statement because the people of Germany were down and need someone to bring them back up and Adolph Hitler convinced them, that he will.

Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) and the Modernization of Turkey

Mustafa Kemal was the leader of Turkey after the Muslim empire have fell due to loss in the war. Even though the Muslim empire have been separate they still stuck to their rules and regulations. The separated countries have followed religious rules. Mustafa Kemal wanted to changed that. He wanted to get out of the stone age and be in with the new age. He wanted to be how the European people were, with there clothes, style and how they act. He believe that the style people are wearing before was not modern, so certain clothing was illegal to wear like a veil.

Secular- not pertaining to or connected with religion.

Film Lession :Gandhi

From the movie "Gandi" Gandi showed many ways to help his people get independence from Great Britian. For one, Gandi told the people to make their own clothing; he told them that he spin his own clothes everyday before he does anything. Next he said to never fight back with the Police, "violence with violence will not solve anything". If they start with you and you don't fight back then it would show who the bad people are. Gandi took a large group of people to march to the Ocean and get Salt Water. Thus when they evaporate the water they get salt to use. They did this to not to buy anything the British made or sold. With hard work and the help of Gandhi; India have recieve Indepencence from Great Britian.

I believe that India waited a certain time to fight away from Great Britian, because during that certain time (1947) Great Britian was in an economic breakdown.

The Russian Revolution

It all started when the Russians went into WWI. They were not prepared for this war; over four million men have died in the first year of the war against the germans. later on February 1917, Czar Nicholas had dethrone himself because he could not know what to do anymore. The government could get there selves out of the war.Workers and peasants revolted against the landlords and factory owners. Peasants expropriated (or took over) land and factories were closed when workers refused to work.  People in the city started to starve and the economy was getting destroyed. The Bolsheviks used this to there advantages and defeat Russia.  In the end Russia have turned their government into communism and made the peasants work in the farms and the workers gained control of the factory. This brought peace into Russia.  

Causes of WW1

There were many causes to WWI. Some were nationalism, militarism , and the assiantion of Franz Ferdinand "which started the war". Nationalism is a term used to describe one's deep pride for a country. The strong feelings of Nationalism turned Frenchmen againist Germans and Russians againist Austrians. Militarism is when your prepping for you nation army. In the European countries army's were getting ready with guns, ammo, and aid to go to war. The thing that triggered the war to start was the assassination of Franz Ferdinand.

Opium Wars - Imperialism in China

In Asia Britian had a ton of Opium. With that opium they traded with the chinese and the chinese got really additcted to it. Too much opium can harm the body so the government closed the ports for the Britsh from docking. This led to the Opium War. In the end of this war china was forced to open their ports for the Britsh to dock their boats for trading with the chinese again because they lost the war against them.