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.

Film Lesson: "Night and Fog"

I believe this was a very powerful film the most powerful i have ever seen. "Night and Fog" is a film about this guy taking a camera to Auschwitz's a concentration camp known for killing 6,000 jews a day. It was filmed 10 years after WWII ended. Its funny when your watching the documentary Auschwitz looks so peaceful you wouldn't imagine that a genocide had taken place there. The documentary also showed film from 10 years earlier, it showed how skinny the jews were and how many bodys there were it was horrible thing to watch but it was important to watch. I believe that the documentary shows the Holocaust to its fullest , it shows were the jews slept three in each wooden bed. It shows the gas chambers that they sent thousands of jews a day. It also showed you the ovens they burned the jews in after they killed them.

The Treaty of Versailles (ended WWI)

The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty to end WWI between the allied forces, Associated Power and germany. Ironicly it was sighed exactly 5 years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand which basically started the world war. Germany took a lot of the blame for WWI being blamed for starting it. Germany had to pay loads of money under the treaty, because of the treaty Germanys citizins were dealing with a lot of problems like hungery, no money and much more. The economy was destroyed not able to bounce back because of all the payments it had to make to the allied forces.

Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) and the Modernization of Turkey

Mustafa Kemal won many fights in 1915 and in 1919. In the 1920's he destroyed any invaders that came into his country and they were all impressive wins. After even more victorys he gained independence for his country kicking the Ottoman Empire out and created the Republic of Turkey. Also establishing a new government truly a represented of the nations will.

He became there first president ever serving for 15 years, while in his terms he came up with several reforms in political,social,legal,economic, and cultural spheres. Because of all his achivments and what he did to get freedom for his country they called him Ataturk which means father of the Turks.

He once said " I look to the world with an open heart full of pure feelings and freindship"

Film Session "Gandhi"

Gandhi helped his country gain independence in several ways. One thing he did was get a rally going and burn all the papers the British government gave the Indian people. While trying to burn them the Brtish police force beat him up with sticks. Another was he walked down to the ocean and made his own salt because the British government was unfair on its salt so Gandhi made people make there salt to boycott the British salt. Then the British were being unfair on cloth so Gandhi told the people to make there own cloth and they did boycotting that as well. But the most important thing he did to defeat the British was a none violence policy he refused to use violence even though they beat him. He encouraged the Indain people to do the same not to fight back but fight back the Gandhi way.
There are two reasons why the Indian people got there freedom. One: Gandhi harass them for years in his anti-voilence ways. Two:WWII the war started and all of the British atention went to the war thats what got the Indian people there freedom.

Joeseph Stalin and totalitarianism

Joseph Stalin is one of the biggest dictators in the world. He ruled the Soviet Union for 25 years after Lenion died. He enforced the five year plan for all people. He launched it in 1928, the plan had two goals: rapid growth of heavy industry and increased farm production through collectivization of agriculture. Stalin used the resources into building, steel mills and electric power stations. Stalin envented totalitarianism but Hitler and Mussolini embraced it. Citizens have to obey the government without question. Stalin used propaganda, censorship, and terror to force his will on the Soviet people.

Film Lesson: Doctor Zhivago

The reason the Russian people wanted change was the fact people were starving and they were in war. The war was the spark that let all the anger out from the Russian people. It started the revolution. Soldiers left there places all over the country to go home not caring. Killing there commanding officers and not caring that the germans were coming into there country. Doctor Zhivago when he came home from the war he found out that his home wasn't all his anymore there was 13 other familys living in the big house. All he had for his family was a small room in the house.

Causes of WWI

Militarism is one of the big reasons WWI happened. Country's like Germany, Austria-Hungary, Great Britain, France Started in a big arms race building up there military in a short amount of time because they thought that a war was on its way and they were right.
Nationalism When the Congress of Vienna was finished 1815 Germany and Italy were left as divide states but they were a strong supporter of Nationalism. But Nationalism caused a big problem for Austria-Hungary. The ardent Panslavism of Serbia and Russia's willingness to support its Slavic brother conflicted with Austria-Hungary's Pan-Germanism.
Imperialism is another factor that contributed to the increase in rivalry in Europe. Great Britain, Germany and France needed foreign markets after the increase in manufacturing caused by the Industrial Revolution. They all competed for Africa as well. Britain and France settled their differences but several crisis happened and began a feud between France Britain Against Germany.