Mikhail Gorbachev and the collapse of Communism

Mikhail Gorbachev opened up the Soviet Union and paved the way for the end of Communism.

Collapse of Communism

Communism collapse in Eastern Europe and the USSR was because at first it was Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary that all abandoned dictatorial Communist rule by 1990. So then in 1991, the USSR, since its nationalistic fever was gone and it had a collapsing economy, the Soviet Union dissolved. The people tore down the Berlin Wall because it separated them from there family's that mite have been between East Germany that was communist and West Germany that was nationalist. The communists made the wall so the nationalist would not have contact with East Germany, and so the people tore down the Berlin Wall as to get to the family's and be free of the rule of communist. The collapse of the Berlin Wall was the sine that the communist fell. That changed the world in that most of the countries that once were communist are now nationalist.

Nelson Mandela and Apartheid

Apartheid in Africa meant that it was a policy of segregation of the non-white population. Now Nelson Mandela is such a hero because he fought for the liberation of Africa and unity. But because of that he was put in jail for 27 years but then they let him go because they believed that there was going to be a revolution of the Africans for Nelsons. But in the beginning before he was in prisoned Nelson wanted only to liberate the oppressed (Africans) but during his in presentment he changed his point of view and concluded that he would liberate the oppressed and the oppressor. He concluded that a man that toke the freedom from another man then that person is a prisoner of hatred.

African Independence

Africa changed so much during the 20 year period from 1955 to 1975. The change Africa did was to get Independence. During 1955 the only countries that had there independence were Libya, Egypt, Ethiopia, Union of South Africa and Liberia. All the other countries still did not have there independence. But by 1975 Africa had most of it's countries independence except for Spanish Sahara, South west Africa, Rhodesia and Afars and Issas Terr.

The Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cuban Missile Crisis was consider the hottest moment in the Cold War because that was the day that the U.S and Russia were on the brake of war with nuclear bombs. Also it was that Russia put bombs on Cuba pointed at the U.S and so if the U.S could not harm Russia because Russia had as much atomic bombs as the U.S and could destroy each other, then in turn the U.S pointed there atomic bombs at Cuba. Kennedy did not want an atomic bomb war and so he wanted a peace agreement to not us bombs.

NATO and The Warsaw Pact

NATO was created because the countries of Western Europe were to weak after the war to stop communist from spreading and so the Western Europe went and allied them self's with other nations. The countries that were in NATO were Western Europe, 12 nations, the United Kingdom and the United States. NATO was an organization that was made up of countries in Europe and North America that were in an agreement of peace and that the U.S would protect all the countries that were in NATO against any communist country.
The Warsaw Pact was formed of communist military alliances so they could maintain power over Eastern Europe and also the Warsaw Pact was formed in respond to the creation of NATO. The Warsaw Pact was made up of communist countries but mostly the leader was Russia.

Film Lesson: "The Right Stuff"

The U.S and the U.S.S.R competed by seeing who had better technology then the other one had by building better atomic bomb or who ruled space. The U.S was the one who had ruled the sky so now the U.S.S.R wanted to rule space and the U.S.S.R did rule space for a wail because the U.S had not even built a satellite like the Russians. In this competition the U.S.S.R was wining because the U.S.S.R were the first to put a satellite in space and then the first to put a man in space. But not the first to put the first man to be on the moon. Some scenes from the film that will help me remember the Cold War event will be when the U.S had meeting's and discussed the technology of U.S.S.R and there own.

Film Lesson: "Schindler's LIst"

The scene that were more impacting on me was the scene were the little girl with a red coat was walking the street's alone when the Nazis were taking all the Jew's to the concentration camp, and then later when the Nazis are burning the "evidence" the Jew's also when Schindler saw the little girl with the red coat dead on a pile or other dead Jew's and being ready to be thrown in to the burning pile of dead Jew's. Also what was interesting about the movie was that it showed that Schindler a Nazi was actually good to the Jew's.

Film Lesson: "Night and Fog"

Some of my reactions about the movie was that the Nazis were very bad people not only bad but the had no heart because of the way they treated the Jew's. What bothered me was the way the adults influenced the children to hate the Jew's when the Jew's did nothing wrong to them.

The film "Night and Fog" was more powerful then the film "Schindler's List" but only at the part with the dead body's and the corpse the evil and that is all.  I think that the documentary version would illustrate the Holocaust more effectively then the Hollywood version.  Why because the Hollywood version is just a bunch of actors acting the part that they were assigned and in truth they are not being treated like what really happen to the Jew's or are felling like what the Jew's were felling at that time because the actors now that there just acting that nothing really bad will happen to them.

The Treaty of Versailles (Ended WWI)

The treaty of Versailles affected Germany at the end of WWI because it made Germany the cause of the first world war and the treaty of Versailles made Germany lose 10% of there land. Also all of Germany's oversea lands were taken away and given away to the other allies and Then 12.5% of Germany's people found out that they no longer belong to Germany.
Some historians say that the Treaty of Versailles led to the rise of Fascism and Adolph Hitler, I think that the historians believe that because of the many history story's they have read or heard or discovered. Also because of that it says that Adolph Hitler came to power after the Treaty of Versailles had made Germany a very helpless place. Adolph toke that the chance of over powering a weak Germany with some people that believed that a strong leader would bring Germany back and so they believed all that Adolph said like that the Jew's were to blame for all this.

Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk)and the Modernization of Turkey

Mustafa Kemal was a triumphant commander who crushed the invaders of his country and he was a grate leader of the Turkish national liberation. He also lead many victory's against all odds. Then after that he became the first president of Turkey in 1923. That's how Mustafa Kemal modernized Turkey and made it more secular. The changes he made were give women more rights, economics, political rights and his culture. He is known as a peacemaker.
Secular is

Film Lesson: "Gandhi"

ˆ-ˆ Gandhi helped his nation of Indians gain Independence from Great Britain by simply making a campaign that would help them gain independence.  Some of the things that Gandhi did was to do the non-violent act and that he did not by clothing from the British. Also he did the grate salt walk. Gandhi used the non-violence act effectively because Gandhi did not us violence to get his independence so in doing that he influenced the other people that were just like him. When the massacre of the Indians happened Gandhi could have resorted to violence but in steed he said that he would not want to gain his independence by shedding blood. ˆ-ˆ

Joseph Stalin and Totalitarianism

Totalitarianism is a system of government where the people have virtually no authority and the state wields absolute control.
Stalin used Totalitarianism to rule the Soviet Union for his benefits only he rose to power with the support of he's allies and then when his allies were not of use to him he would betray them and Allie him self with some one different. He used totalitarianism as an excus to rule the Soviet Union and get more power then he already had.
The Five Year Plans was called the five year plan because they intended that they turned the country into a major industrial power. They aimed to turn the country into a major industrial power within five years. Also the government began to forcibly collectivize agriculture. The state sought not only an increase in agricultural output, but also to export grain abroad, in order to gain financial capital to buy important technologies for the industrial parts of the Five-Year Plan.

Film Lesson: Doctor Zhivago

Some of the reasons the Russian people wanted a change were because the people wanted that the the land and work be controlled by the workers not by any leader or emperor. The revolution happened because the Russian people were





How did the film Dr. Zhivago depict the Russian Revolution? What are some of the reasons the Russian people wanted a change? (In other words - why did the revolution happen in the first place)? Also - how did the film depict communism? How was Dr. Zhivago given a first hand look at communism when he returned home to Moscow?

Causes of WWI

The primary causes of the War were Nationalism, Militarism, Assassination of Franz Ferdinand and the collapse of the alliance system. Nationalism is a term that refers to political movement that holds that a nation usually defined in culture has the right to constitute an independent or autonomous political community based on a shared history and common destiny. Militarism was one of the main causes of the First World War. The military men had more influence upon the polices of the civilian government and it had a preference to using force as a solution for problem. The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand was the excuse for the war to start. The nations were in the border of war but none of them wanted to start it, but then the assassination happens a grate excuse to start the war.