Mikhail Gorbachev and the end of Communism

Gorbachev started the change by starting a policy called glastnost or openness. He encouraged Soviet citizens to disscuse making their society a better place to live. Also in 1985 he introduced perestroika or economic restructuring. In 1986 he made changes to revive the Soviet economy. Local managers gained greater authority over their farms and factories, and people were allowed to open small private businesses. Gorbachev’s goal was not to throw out communism, but to make the system more efficient and productive. Gorbachev paved the way for the failure of communism. When the Berlin Wall came down communism came with it. The Berlin Wall was the only thing seperating East and West Germany. If any won tried to cross they were shot. After communism collapsed the Soviet Union got split up into 15 different countrys: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Lativa, Lithuania, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Collapse of Communism

When the cold war ended thats when communism ended. It all started when Mikhail Gorbachev policies tried to open up and reform the old fashioned system of communism. Next the Berlin wall came down. Opening ties between East and West Germany. When the wall was knocked down Communism came with it, With that the Soveit Union ended and made up into many countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Lativa, Lithuania, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Nelson Mandela and Apartheid

Aparthied is racial-segragtion policy of the government of South Africa from 1948 to 1991. In the Aparthied system non-white, colored, and Indian people didn't share full rights of citizenship with the white crowd. Nelson Mandela was so big in Africa because every since he realized that his people weren't being treated farely in the Apartheid system. He started out in the African National Congress (ANC). In 1964 he was sentence to life in prison in the notorious Rivonia Trials. It was a plan to put Mandela in prison by the white government to shut him up. But that didn't stop him from trying to free his country. When he got out of prison in 1991 after serving 27 years the African people made him their leader, five years after getting out of prison he was honored with the Nobel peace prize. Thanks to Mandela apartheid was outlawed, Everyone in Africa now has equal rights.

African Independence

Between 1955 to 1975 Africa went through some major changes in its country. In a 20 year span Africa was trying to be independent. After World War II British colonies that were still there since the late 1800, Africans set their sites on making those country under British control independent countries. Nkrumah an independence leader and the first Prime minister of Ghana helped create and make Ghana independent. Jomo Kenyatta was the man that gave Kenya its independence after 10,000 black Kenyans and 100 white Kenyans died. Kenyatta became president of the newly found nation. Patrice Lumumba was the first prime minister of Conga after Belgium granted independence to the country. Those are just some of the independence leaders of Africa though Africa is made up of a number of countrys and backrounds its idependence was a biud deal to Africans

The Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cuban missile crisis started right after the failed bay of pigs attack. Fidel Castro the dictator of Cuba felt that there was another attack coming from the U.S. so he approved of the Khrushchev plan. Which was to put missiles on the island which was a great plus for the USSR, it made it easier for them to send missiles from Cuba to the U.S. cause there only a couple of miles away. This sent a fear to Kennedy and his organization when he found out the news what the Soviet union was doing in Cuba. Kennedy threaten that if any missiles were launched from Cuba he would hold the Soviet Union accountably. With hearing that the Soviet Union pulled out and took there missiles back to their country. There was another request the U.S. demanded that Soviet light bombers be removed from Cuba, and specifying the exact form and conditionsof the United States assurance not to invade Cuba.

Film Lesson - "The Right Stuff"

It all started with the successful launch of Sputnik by the russians. Thats what started this race to space. The U.S. and Russia were fighting a "cold war" at the time, each country thought the other was going to bomb them. When Russia sent there little satilite into space it scared the crap out of Americans. The government felt if the Russians had control of space they could drop nuclear bombs on us, like dropping rocks from a highway over pass. "The Right Stuff" was a movie about getting the first man to space. The Russians were winning at first but of course the U.S. won in the end. The movie started with trying to break the sound barerier, when they broke it they kept getting faster. Then USSR sent up Sputnik and the race started. The U.S. went on a nation wide search for the best pilots to become the first astrounots. The U.S. was the first to send a living thing into space we sent a monkey. Then in the end we toped it all of with sending a man to the moon.

Film Lesson: "Schindler's List"

There are a number of scenes that will stick with me for the rest of my life. The scene were the camera is following this little girl through out the ghetto when the Nazi's are taking all the Jews and moving them out of the ghetto. The camera follows her walking through the streets were all around her people are being killed there stuff being thrown all over the streets. Then she finally goes into a building goes up the stairs and hides under a bed.
Another scence is when the Jews are in a concentration camp the guy thats in control walks out of his room to the balcony looks around smoking a cigarrete, he picks up a sniper looks through the lense then takes his eyes out of it. Then he looks in it again and he is looking around for somthing to shoot, when he finds a woman fiddling with somthing on the ground when she stands up real quick as if she see's the man with the sniper. He then shoots her in the head for no reason.
Another secene were the war is almost over and there at a camp and there buring thousands of dead bodys the mountain of bodys was at least 4 stories high maybe higher. And Schindler is there watching this then all of a sudden he looks away from the pile and see's that same little girl he was watching for so long walking through the streets of the ghetto on a wagon with two other bodies getting ready to go into the burning pile. He had a look of shjock on his face like no other.