The Collapse Communism

This was a shock to everyone because people thought communist was building up.
The people of Russia were disapointed with how things were in their communist country and were feed up. So they gathered up and overthrew the communist party for Democrat party. Many of the countries that were in the Warsaw Pack drop communism also, this was because of Russia the most biggest country in the world failed at keeping a communist goverment so they dropped it as well. On New Year's Eve 1991 USSR finally collapsed and at the same time the Berlin Wall fell. Berlin wall was that separated West Berlin from East Berlin. People tore down the Berlin Wall because their wasn't two different system they both were the same. Many countries became capitalism and democratic. The only countries that remained communist is North Korea and Cuba.

Mikhail Gorbachev And Collapse Of Communism

Peristrokia- economic restructuring people were finally able to open their own small business.
Glasnost- openness, meaning the society had the ability to use speech to the government to improve its society.

Mikhail Gorbachev was elected the President of Russia at the age of 54. Gorbachev was very well educated on economics and politics. Gorbachev wasn't as strict as Joseph Stalin and opposed the idea of Totalitarianism. Knowing that Communism was an ineffective system of government and was bringing down the economy. It was only obvious that communism in Russia was going to collapse. Then Glasnost was made so people can talk about the government and take somewhat part in the government affairs. Peristrokia was a increase of rights they were able to receive they were able to own their own business before they couldn't. By doing this people started not liking communism it made it seem like a bad idea and made the people think about how life was in America and other Democrat countries.

Nelson Mandela and the Aparthied

The Apartheid was a policy of segregation among the black and white people. This policy was established by the British which were controlling South Africa during 1948-1994. This policy stated that whites were superior than everyone else. This forced the whites and the Bantu to separate. The Bantu was any race that was black colored, or Indian(not white). The Bantu people had no rights what so ever meaning they didn't have citizenship and the right to vote, the British had taking everything from them. Many people went against this policy because it unfairness to colored people and because of this the ANC(African National Congress) formed. ANC was a organization formed to fight for the rights of the Bantu people. Nelson Mandela was one of the ANC member that stood out and went against this policy and fought against the British to gain rights. Nelson Mandela was then arrested and put into jail for 26 years.

After Nelson Mandela was released prison he continued his fight for independence in South Africa from the European. Nelson Mandela had all the support from the Bant people after he got out of jail. Nelson used non-violence methods to fight against the Europeans for their independence of South Africa, just like Ghandhi did for India. Nelson then wrote a book called the Long Walk to Freedom, this inspired many people such as writers and helped him get elected in 1991. After his election he continued fighting for the independence of South Africa. By 1994 South Africa received their Independence from the British.

African Independence

During 1955 and 1975, African countries have progressed a lot in their independence from European rule. Europe controlled all of Africa for their natural resources during the 1800's. In the past 20-40 years many countries in Africa have started a revolution against the Europeans to gain their independence. The Europeans were very racist and believed they could take over the Africans because they were gonna "domesticate" them. Africans grew tired of being under the country of the Europeans and started fighting against the Europeans. Europeans also named a country after Cecil Rhodes called Rhodesia which is funny. Rhodesia is a example of the the African up rise against Europe and changed their name to Zimbabwe.

There was many African leaders that lead their people to freedom. Jomo Kenyatta was a African leader. Jomo Kenyatta was an African from Kenya, he was a very educated person growing up. Jomo attended school in Europe for his school years and learned many things. The time Jomo spent in Europe he also fought for African Independence. He then returned to Kenya and was arrested after arriving for his actions in Europe. He spent 7 years in prison and when he got out, he was elected president of Kenya just like Nelson Mandela did. After Jomo was elected President of Kenyatta he led his country to a revolution and eventually won the revolution and Kenya gained their independence from the Europeans.

Film Lesson The Right Stuff

U.S and the USSR were competing in everything during the Cold War. In the movie The Right Stuff it shows how competitive the Americans and Russians got during the Cold War. In The Right Stuff Americans finally broke the sound barrier while the Russians already sent a empty ship up to outer space. This was the beginning of the Space Race, who was going to be the first country to send someone to outer space. Then the Americans started trying to build Space ships to send to outer space but that didn't work out so well. Then the Americans were finally able to send a monkey to outer space, but the Russians beat them by sending the first man to outer space. This really upset the American's but the Americans were finally able to catch up and beat the Russians by sending the first man to the moon Launched on July 16, 1969. A sence from the movie that will remind me its during the Cold War is when they are making all the Astronauts go through crazy funny looking training.

NATO and The Warsaw Pact.

The NATO was a defensive pact made in the during the Cold War by the USA with European countries that were not communist so they could be able to fight off the communist countries. This was their only way to fight communism if it was to spread by the Russians. Another reason why alliance system was formed to protect each other if one of the countries were attacked by communist countries.

The Russians felt threaten because of the NATO pact and made their own. The Russians created the same defensive pact which was called the Warsaw pact with the eastern communist countries incase NATO was to attack they would be able to fight against them.
Its a good thing they didn't fight but if they were maybe WW111 would have happen because of all the Alliances going on in the time.

Film: Schindler's List

Schindler's List was somewhat of a powerful movie. It wasn't as bad as Night and Fog but it had its moments. The reason it cant be as powerful as Night and Fog is because its a movie with actors and they have to act it out. In Night and Fog the Jews weren't acting you could really feel the pain in them. Night and Fog had real footage of what happen to them in the Death Camps, just waiting to die. Its the worst thing knowing your gonna die but having to wait until they decided to kill you is worst.

The only part that really affected me in Schindler's List was when the Nazi lined up couple of Jews in a straight line and then shot one bullet to save up ammo, it left me shocked that they cared more about the cost of the bullets then the lives of the Jews they were taking with the one bullet. I though it was a great thing that Oscar Schindler did for the Jews. He wasn't able to save all but he did the best he could and managed to save couple hundred of them.

Night and Fog

The movie Night and Fog is a documentary about the Holocaust it was made 10 years after WWII ended at Auschwitz. The documentary shows footage of the Nazi mass killing and starving the Jews. When I saw Night and Fog, my reaction was just sickening because if you imagine your self in the shoes of the Jews it sad.The Nazi first just wanted to kill Jews in ghettos, but it wasn't killing them fast enough. Then the Nazi tried shooting them but that was costing too much money then the Nazi started gassing them and was the fastest way. The Nazi would send them to death camps (like Auschwitz) to work with no pay and barely any food.

Night and Fog and Schindler's list shared alot of the same images. But that's because the director of the Schindler list took scenes from Night and Fog for his Movie. The difference between Night and Fog, and Schindler's list is that Night and Fog is a documentary with real footage of Jews suffering. And Schindler's list is a Hollywood version of it. I think that Night and Fog is too grafic but gets right to the point of the Holocaust.

The Treaty of Versailles (end of WWI)

The Treaty of Versailles was a treaty written by the French and the English. This treaty declared the of ended WWI. This treaty was unfair, because it basically blames Germans for everything that happen in the war. The treaty said that Germans caused WWI and were responsible for all the lives lost. They also added in the treaty that the German are responsible for the expenses of the war and have to pay them. The Germans had no choice and were forced to follow this treaty. The treaty also made the German army to reduce in size only being able to have a limited number of people. After WWI the all of the world went into a depression and many people didn't have or lost their jobs. This also impacted the Americans because the Germans borrowed some money from the Americans and that led to a Great Depression.
In 1923 a man named Adolf Hitler tried to overthrow the government and was sent to prison. During his time in prison he wrote a book. In the book he wrote how they lost the war because of the Jews and they couldn't be trusted and promised he was going to get the people out of the depression. They wanted a strong leader and fast they didn't want to suffer no more. In January 1933 Hitler and his party of Nazi took over Germany. Hitler then became a dictator and eventually this led to WWII and historians say that it was the Treaty of Versailles that led to WWII. i agree with this because with out of the treaty the Germans would have been so desperate for someone to save them in which led them into more trouble. They were broke, starving, with out government, and that was all because of the treaty.

Mustafa Kemal (atartuk) and the Modernization of Turkey.

Mustafa Kenmal was a military leader before he became the president. He fought for the independence of Turkey which was known as the Ottoman Empire before World War I. The Ottoman Empire was a country full of religious Muslims before Turkey got its independence. Mustafa became the 1st president of Turkey for 15 years. During the time he wanted to modernize the people of Turkey. He wanted his people to dress more like the Europeans and American. He though his people was behind time and were being ignorant to change in the world. He wanted the people to be more secular meaning and less religious. One thing Mustafa was really know for was banning the Fez. The fez was a hat which Muslims wore and he though it was symbol of not wanting to change because of old religious ways.

Film Lesson Gandhi

Gandhi was born on Oct 2,1869. Mohandos Gandhi was an Indian philosopher who fought for the independence of India which was under the control of the British for hundreds of years. Gandhi fought against the British using non-violence methods, he believed that violence will only lead to more violence and he didn't want that to happen. He led his people in many boycott against the British, Gandhi told his people to not buy anything from the British. He told his people to stop buying British goods and to make their own cloths and cloths. One of Gandhi's most known Boycott was the salt march. He marched there with thousand of Indians to make their salt because it was against the law. Gandhi did not just want India to be free but for all Muslims and Hindus to get along and be one peaceful country. When India got their independence it separated into the Hindu part which is all of India Pakistan east and west was Muslim but Pakistan east later changed to Bangladesh.

Extra-credit: Do you think India's Independence was all about Gandhi? Or do you think it would have happened anyway? What was happening in Great Britain about the time of Indian Independence (1947) that may have influenced events? I think it was all about Gandhi with out Gandhi India wouldn't have of been able to group up and fight against the British they needed a leader and that was Gandhi.

The Russian Revolution

The Russian Revolution started because the people of Russia were tired of the czar. Because of the czar they were dragged into WW1 and had a shortage of good and people were starving. Then Lenin and the Bolshevik came into Russia to take over because they saw an opportunity promising peace and bread for people. People were excited Lenin and the Bolshevik came and they took over and put out foundation of communism in Russia who the idea of communism originated form Karl Marks who was a German who hated the Industrial Revolution. Russia was the first country to have communism as a form government with workers controlling the country. Many years later Lenin dies and and Joseph Stalin comes a takes over Russia and becomes the dictator of Russia.

Cause Of WWI

The cause of the World War One was because of the assassination of the Archduke of Astria-Hungray Franz Ferdinand the Astrianhungrian empire blamed Serbia and declared war on them. And at the time many countries in Europe had alliances. The triple entente had France, Russia and England and they jumped in to help out Serbia. the triple alliance included the Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary and jumped in for Austria-Hungary. These alliances were just waiting to fight each other and when the Archduke was assassinated it just light the spark and the first biggest war the world has seen happen.

Opium Wars - Imperialism in China

The Opium War started when the British wanted to trade with China but they refused to trade with westerners. The Chinese were also very isolated and thought they were better than everyone. The British wanted tea from the Chinese and since they refused to trade they came up with a plan to make them trade. The British started giving Opium (drug) to the Chinese which they became addicted and had to trade with the British cause they wanted more.

Later on the British stopped trading Opium and told the Chinese tot trade with them and they refused again. So the British declared war on China and they defeated them because Chinese weren't as advance as the British were military wise.