Mikhail Gorbachev and the Collapse of Communism

Mikhail Gorbachev was elected the President of Russia at the age of 54. Elected at a very young age, Gorbachev was very well educated on Economics and Politics. Very different from other Russian Leaders such as Joseph Stalin, Gorbachev wasn't as strict and opposed the way of Totalitarianism. Knowing that Communism was in fact bringing down the economy, Gorbachev knew that Communism was soon going to collapse, and didn't hesitate one bit to keep it a secret. This led to what is called Glasnost. Glasnost was a way to open the government secret, and let everyone know what was going on. Additionally, Gorbachev created the Peristrokia which was a way for people to open small businesses and local managers to have control over their farms and factories. Though these ideas failed, Communism collapsed.Russia is still presently adjusting to the change of Capitalism.

The Collapse of Communism

Little Support, Political Downfall and Economic Conflicts, were some reasons why Communism in Eastern Europe collapsed. Joseph Stalin's poor decision making, led the USSR to collapse. Putting money into Defensive Arms as opposed to the country itself led to the collapse. The Soviet Union collapsed due to the fact that there was no money. Socialism and numerous competitions also led the Soviet Union to collapse. The Collapse of Communism did in fact change the world because numerous countries changed in to Capitalists in a blink of an eye.

Nelson Mandela and Apartheid

Apartheid was a Racial Segregation Policy in South Africa. Very similar to Racial Discrimination in the United States, Apartheid lasted from 1948 - 1990. The policy showed how Whites were superior over Blacks. Colored Africans (also known as Bantus) weren't privileged enough to do as many things as Whites were. Due to the fact that many people opposed this policy, the African National Congress (ANC) was formed. One of the most notable members of this Political Party was Nelson Mandela. Following his mind and heart lead Nelson Mandela to serve 26 years in prison. After 26 years, on February 11, 1990, Nelson Mandela was released out of prison with the independence of South Africa still on his mind. Writing the book "Long Walk to Freedom" represents Mandela's struggle to overcome apartheid and gain freedom. Nelson Mandela is such a hero because of his will to better South Africans. All though Mandela was imprisoned for 26 years, he still had the determination to receive independence for South Africa. Authors admire his character and will to never give up!

African Independence

After the notable World War II, numerous African Nations disliked living under European Control. Europeans exploited African resources many times. As a way to depart from this torment from Europeans, Ghana gained independence in 1957. Though the people of Ghana were happy for finally being independent, they were very unprepared. Living under European Rules for over 20 years, many African Nations such as Ghana didn't have much knowledge about Government, hence the change. Some notable leaders who lead their nations were, Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya,  Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, and Nelson Mandela of South Africa.

Film Lesson: "The Right Stuff"

In the movie "The Right Stuff", United States and Russia competed against each other. Both countries competed to see which country was Advanced in Technology and Science. In the movie, there were many rocket scenes showing how both the USSR and USA competed against each other. It took time for the US to launch a rocket ship into space. Though USA took many time and worked so hard in trying to launch the rocket ship, Russia was far ahead. Russia beat USA every scene. Since the Cold War wasn't exactly a "war", meaning no violence was in effect, the competitive scenes between USA and USSR attempt to launch a rocket on the moon will help me remember the Cold War.  Both United States and Russia disliked each other, however rather than having a "hot war" (killing), they had a cold war.

NATO and The Warsaw Pact

NATO was an organization between North America and Europe formed during The Cold War. The "Big Idea" for the formation of NATO was so that countries involved, had the right of a mutual defense alliance. A Mutual Defense Alliance is very similar to a gang. If one country is attacked, the Mutual Defense Alliance allowed all the other counties in NATO to aid them. Very similar to NATO, Soviet Union decided to make the Warsaw Pact as a response. The Warsaw Pact gained control of many European countries. By gaining these countries, the Soviet Union attracted many foreign citizens to its strong military and political force. Though the Warsaw Pact gained control of many countries and attracted many, NATO's Technology was just too advanced. In the year 1991, the Warsaw Pact was labeled nonexistent.

Film Lesson: Schindler's List

The film Schinlder's List illustrates the Holocaust by showing the audience the suffering many Jews faced during this time. The remake of Concentration Camps, Death Camps, SS Doctors, Gas Showers, and many more really gave us the audience a visual meaning of how Jews were treated during this miserable time. The most powerful scene for me was the Train to Auschwitz scene. Nazi Police Officers forced hundreds of Jews onto crowded train cars with one window making it very hard for some people to breathe well. What really got to me was the little amount of water given to the Jews. Nazi Police Officers used a hose to give the water. This angered me very much due to the fact that Jews are humans not dogs. Though Schindler's List was a Hollywood movie, I believe that "Night and Fog" was more powerful due to the fact that we saw actual clips from the Holocaust. Schindler's List was very entertaining and a pleasure to watch, however at the end of the day, "Night and Fog" was just more powerful.

Film Lesson: "Night and Fog"

The Documentary "Night and Fog"was a very powerful documentary. To my opinion, the documentary was very informing and I enjoyed watching most of the scenes. Though most of the scenes were very disturbing to watch, I believe this documentary touched many people in my class includung myself. This documentary was very similar to the movie Schnidler's List due to many scenes. The infamous "Train to Auschwitz" scene was used in both the documentary and the movie. This scene illustrated how the Jews suffered as they were taken away. I beleive that that the documentary illustrated the Holocuast mroe efficently because the documentary gave the real deal facts and land that the Jews actually walked on years ago.

The Treaty of Versailles (ended WWI)

After World War I, the nation of Germany was harshly punished. According to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was blamed tremendously for the war. Additionally, the Treaty of Versailles required that Germany had to pay for all the damages caused in the war. Losing approximately 10% of German Lands, and all overseas colonies, the strong, mighty Germany that entered the war, came out as the weak, defenseless Germany.

To my opinion, The Treaty of Versailles was definitely fair. The Entente Powers ( France, Great Britain, Russia) made smart choices in the treaty. Though some of the commands may seem too harsh, Germany had no other option. Due to the loss of World War I, The Entente Powers had all the right to punish Germany severely. The Entente Powers shouldn't be acknowledged for making Germany less powerful. If Germany won World War I, chances are that they would do the exact same thing the Entente Powers done.

Historians say that the Treaty of Versailles led to the rise of  Adolph Hitler due to the extreme impact of Germany. As we know, The Entente Powers left Germany with little to nothing. Starting from an elite nation, to becoming a weak nation angered many Germans. Germans believed that a strong leader can reconstruct the nation into the superior one it once was. Adolph Hitler was the answer to many Germans. Impressing many Germans with his charismatic style, it didn't take long before he gained the respect of many.

Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) and the Modernization of Turkey

Tired of the "Old Ottoman Empire", Mustafa Kemal decided that it was the right idea to modernize his nation of Turkey. Upset with the Fez Hats and Long Dresses wore by fellow Muslim men, Kemal strive to modernized Turkey by denying men the right to wear these attires. Additionally, Kemal gave the right for women to vote. Mustafa Kemal had a vision to modernize Turkey like European Nations and he succeeded. The word secular means non religious.

Film Lesson: "Ghandhi"

Mohandas Karamchand Ghandhi helped his nation of India gain independence from Great Britain using an excellent strategy. By Boycotting againist Great Britain and leading in Non - Violent Protesting, Ghandhi gained the support of many Indians. In 1930, Ghandhi lead over thousands of people to Dandi to make salt for themselves. This event is known as "The Salt March". Traveling over 240 miles, Ghandhi had a plan to make Indians rely on themselves for salt as opposed to purchasing salt from Britian. After this long journey to Dandi, salt was successfully made. However, Great Britian disliked what Ghandhi was doing for the Indians. As a result, 60,000 people were arrested.

Additionally, another way Ghandhi attempted to gain India's independence was refusing to purchase clothes from the British. In the film "Ghandi", there was a scene in which Ghandhi ordered some citizens of India to gather all of the clothes they purchased from the British. When the citizens came back, Ghandhi burned the clothes. By doing this, Ghandhi showed the people of India that it doesn't take violence to get rid of Great Britian, however disobidence is the answer.

Ghandhi once said, "I am prepared to die, but there is no cause for which I am prepared to kill." This quote shows that Mohandas Ghandhi was indeed a non violent man. To my opinion, I beleive that without Ghandhi, India would've still lost its independence from Great Britian. During 1947, Great Britian was in reconstruction from World War II. Rather than worrying about another country (India), Great Britian had to worry about themselves.

The Russian Revolution

The Russian Revolution was caused by the dislike of the Russian Czar Nicholas II. Russians weren't too fond of the way the Nicholos II was running Russia. Sending the Russian Army to World War I with little food, and very unprepared upseted many. As a counteract, a Temporary Government ruled Russia from March to November 1917. The temporary governmnet was predicted to be a change due to the fact it promised Democratic Elections and a release from World War I. However, the temporary government was unable to withdraw Russia. The Bolsheviks (Communists) defeated the democratic government lead by Lenin. Lenin promised Russians three important things: Peace, Land and Bread. On the night of November 6, the Bolsheviks attacked the Russian Capital with very little resistance. As a result, Russia became a Communist Country.

Causes of WWI

World War I was a very violent war. There were many causes for World War I. Militarism, Nationalism and the Assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferninand were the main causes for the war. Two different groups were formed due to World War I. The Triple Entente and The Triple Alliance were two rival groups. The Triple Entente included France, Russia, and England. While The Triple Alliance included Germany, Italy, and Austria - Hungary.

Nationalism is a term used to describe one's deep pride for a country. Though Nationalism may seem positive, it can be negative as well. When one has too much pride for a country, this can cause problems. At the settlement of the Congress of Vienna, the principle of nationalism was ignored for preserving peace. Also, the strong feelings of Nationalism turned Frenchmen againist Geramns and Russians againist Austrians.

Militarism is a word meaning preping your nations army. Spending a lot of money on weapons and building a large army were plans of many European Countries. As countries drawn up complete plans for mobilization and worked on strengthen the army, countries were awaiting for one thing, the go ahead signal. The Assassisnation of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferninand brought this wait to an end.