Maria A.'s Global Blog

Mikhail Gorbachev and the Collapse of Communism

2010-05-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

In 1982, a man named Leonid Brezhnev died, and the Politburo (a leading committee of the Communist party) was trying to hold on to the powers of the communist states. However, Brezhnev's successors died after only a year in office. So, Mikhail Gorbachev, with the committee backing him up, became the new general secretary. However, he didn't agree with the original government laws, and decided to pursuit new ideas.

In 1985, he created a policy known as glasnost, which encourages Soviets to discuss ideas that will improve their society. Eventually, the policy reopened the churches, republished the books whose authors were banned, and released political prisoners from jail. In the same year, he introduced the idea of perestroika which allows the economy of the Soviet Union to reconstruct.

The Collapse of Communism

2010-05-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

Communism in the eastern side on Europe started to collapse in the 1980s due to their rejection of communism. Democratic revolutions and reforms caused the whole Soviet Union to break up. In East Germany, the people forced the totalitarian government to step down and made the new president to allow free elections. On November 9, 1989, he gave orders to obliterate the Berlin Wall that separated the Western world from the Eastern world during the Cold War. On October 23, 1990, both sides of Germany united together once again.

On New Year's Eve in 1991, the whole Soviet Union collapsed, after the rest of the countries overthrew their communist leaders. However, there were still communist countries in the world. By the beginning of the 21st century, only the countries of China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam were still under Communist rule. They still needed to stimulate growth in the economy, so China, Cuba, Laos, and Vietnam reduced state control of the economy.

Nelson Mandela And Apartheid

2010-04-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

Apartheid is a policy of the government in South Africa based on segregation that was made in the late 1930s and legislated in 1948. It was coined by the South Africa Bureau for Racial Affairs, or SABRA for short. Under the system, colored people did not share the same rights and privileges as the whites. Apartheid was used to segregate the blacks from the whites. For example, a black cannot marry a white, and vice versa. Plus, any blacks over the age of 16 had to carry identity documents with them. In the 1970s, the Bantu Homelands Citizenship Act revoked the South Africans's citizenship.

One man, Nelson Mandela, was a leading member of the African National Congress, a group in which they opposed the white government and its apartheid. However, the white government outlawed the Congress in 1960 and captured Mandela and sent him to jail in 1962. He spent 27 years as a political prisoner, and in 1990, President F. W. De Klerk released Mandela. He used his position to overthrow the apartheid and create a multi-racial democracy. In 1993, he received the Nobel Prize along with the president, and in 1994, he was elected for the 1st black president of South America. Because of his determination to overthrow the apartheid, he was known as a hero.

African Independence

2010-04-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

Many African leaders supported independence of their country from Britain and worked hard to get it. In the 1940s, one of the leaders, Kwame Nkrumah, had led the Africans who live on the Gold Coast to independence. The British nominated more Africans to the Legislative Council. However, the Africans wanted elected representatives, not nominated ones. So, Nkrumah organized strikes and boycotts. Despite being apprehended by the British government, his efforts worked, became the first prime minister, and the country became known as Ghana.

Kenya also gained its independence from the British with the help of Jomo Kenyatta, who is a nationalist. Kenyan farmers were kicked out of their lands by the British, and some of them came together and made a group called the Mau Mau. Their objective was to frighten the British from their lands. Kenyatta opposed to the idea, yet he didn't stop them. He leaded the rest of the civilians to independence, and in 1963, they gained their independence.

Film lesson: The Right Stuff

2010-04-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

In the film "The Right Stuff", the Americans tried to beat the Soviets in the Space Race. In the beginning of the film, people were trying to break the sound barrier. One person died trying to attempt the mission. Then, a person with a bad arm tried to break the sound barrier, and he succeeded. A person tried to tell the press, but another person said that the Soviets would find out and try to make it better and more advanced.

One day, the Soviets succeeded in making the 1st rocket. The Americans tried to make a rocket, but the 1st 8 tries failed. (I especially like the eighth attempt, when the rocket popped like a bottle of champagne. Hahahaha!) On the 9th attempt, they succeeded, but then the Soviets sent a man to space. So they decided to send a man, but then they went to send a monkey, just to make sure it's safe.

For me, the reminder of the Cold War in the film would be when the Americans tested the rockets. It was educational, yet it was funny. That scene would totally remind me of the Cold War.

NATO and the Warsaw Pact

2010-04-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

NATO, otherwise known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is an alliance organization that was created on April 4, 1949 by the United States, Canada, and Western Europe (a total of 12 nations). According to the North Atlantic Treaty, they will protect each other from the spread of Communism as long as the countries cooperate each other. After the fall of Communism, NATO turned from a military organization to a political organization.

The Warsaw Pact is a Soviet version of NATO. Like NATO, it promised the Communist countries from Western attacks if they cooperated each other. The Soviets saw NATO as a threat, so 6 years later (on May 14, 1955), they created the Warsaw pact. However, it wasn't as powerful as NATO. After democratic revolutions erupted within the Warsaw Pact, it was labeled as "nonexistent" in 1991.

Film lesson: Schindler's List

2010-03-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

In "Schindler's List", a man named Schindler saved some Jews from death camps like Auschwitz and placed them into labor. What I don't get is this: the whole screen is shown in black and white, yet there is a girl with a pink jacket. (Can anybody respond to the question as to why is that possible?) What really moved me in the movie is how the Germans burned the camp and the dying Jews. It really made me cry a little.

To tell you the truth, I really like the documentary better. The whole event is more accurate in the documentary than the movie. However, the documentary was gruesome. Plus, both of them demostrate the horror of being in the Jew's position in the Holocaust.

Film lesson: Night and Fog

2010-03-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

"Night and Fog" is a documentary that shows the negative effects of the Holocaust. When I first saw the movie, it fills me with horror to see so many Jews being killed by those evil Germans. The Germans even used the body's remains to make disgusting things like soap and wigs. It all seem like I've been there to see how depressed the Jews are, living in poor conditions. The documentary really had moved me.

What I also hate about the Holocaust is that the women and young kids had to die because they are useless. They shouldn't deserve that type of death. Some parts of the movie made me cry, while others made me feel anger. It is a very powerful movie that teaches them how the Jews suffered throughout the horrible events, from living in ghettos to dying at the death camps, especially at Auschwitz.

The Treaty of Versailles (ended WWI)

2010-02-25T11:07:00.000-08:00

The Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I, states that Germany was to be blamed completely for all the damages they did (e.g., deaths, destruction of the cities). Germany was to also limit its army and navy. The Allies had confiscated all of Germany's colonies in Africa and parts of the German Empire. Some of Germany's former lands had been shared upon the Allies.

I'm not sure if the treaty was fair. After all, Austria-Hungary declared a war on Serbia. Also, Russia declared war on Austria-Hungary, since Russia and Serbia are allies. Then other countries declared war on each other, trying to defend their allies. Austria-Hungary should also get blamed for starting a war.

Some historians say that the treaty was the cause of Fascism and Adolph Hitler. I agree, because I think that it also started WW2. Germany had a hard time in their time period, being humiliated from the Allies and having financial problems. They needed someone who could lift their spirits and make them believe in the fact that they are still a strong country. That's when Adolph Hitler came into the picture.

Mustafa Kemal and the Modernization of Turkey

2010-02-24T11:09:00.000-08:00

Secular means having objects that are not religious in any kind. Mustafa Kemal, otherwise known as the Ataturk, made many secular changes to the country of Turkey. He made the Turkish men wear hats instead of a fez, which is a headgear but with no border to protect the face from sunlight. Men are also to wear clothes like the Westerners (suit and tie, pants, and either boots or shoes). He also made women stop wearing a veil that covers the face. Mustafa believed that wearing the Ottoman clothes is being barbarians, according to a document that I read yesterday.

When it came to voting, Mustafa gave women the right to vote. He replaced the original law of the former Ottoman Empire and replaced it with a secular law. His motto, "Peace at home, peace in the world," signifies that Turkey is avoiding conflicts within the country and in the outside world.

Film Lesson: "Gandhi"

2010-02-11T11:09:00.000-08:00

In the film "Gandhi" (based on history), Mohandas Gandhi used nonviolence to gain independence of India from the British. He had organized marches, like the Salt March, in which he and a group of people has to walk about 240 miles to the Indian Ocean and make their own salt. It was to represent the hatred of the rule that Indians can only buy English salt. He also made the Indians boycott English products and, in the movie, burn the government passes that allowed the Indians to enter the govenment buildings. He showed them how to spin cloth so that they could make their own clothes.

In the movie, he told the Indians not to defend themselves and not to engage in violence. However, in one part of the movie, a protest group chased a group of police officers to the police station andburned the building down. When Gandhi heard of this, he started a fast and didn't ate until the Indians decided not to react in violence.

I think that India's independence was all Gandhi's doing. If he hadn't stepped in to get British rule out of India, the country would have still be under Britain's control. After all, it was the British who got control of India during the time of Imperialism. If India was still under British control, they would have been forced to fight for the British in World War II.

The Russian Revolution

2010-01-13T09:28:00.000-08:00

There were many reasons why the Russians created a revolution. For one reason, the Russian Czar Nicholas II had sent troops to fight against Germany in World War I. However, it ended up with many people either dead, wounded, or taken in as Germany's prisoners. The second reason is because of food shortages during the winter period of 1916-1917. Many people were starving and were demanding for food. Unfortunately, the czar sent his troops to prevent the people from protesting. Eventually, Nicholas had to leave his throne and the people executed him.

The phase "Peace, land, and bread" is a slogan that is associated with the Russian Revolution. Lenin had promised the workers peace (via communism), their own land, and food (hence the mention of bread). The workers were willing to overthrow the czarist government, hence the execution of Czar Nicholas II.

Causes of World War I

2010-01-11T09:13:00.000-08:00

There were 3 major causes for World War I. One of the reasons is nationalism. Nations want to become the most powerful nation in the world. They will compete for land with other countries, and it usually ends up with a war with the other country. Other countries want to be independent, like the country of Serbia. They don't like to be controlled by Austria-Hungary.

Another main cause of the War is militarism. Many countries went to build an army of solders to protect their native land. They built more railways so supplies can transfer from 1 area to another. They also built modern weapons that can kill more people than if you were to use a rifle. Britain and Germany also made a navy and battleships.

The 3rd main cause is the separation of the alliance systems in Europe. When the Franco- Prussian War ended, secret alliances were formed in Europe. However, it ended up with the alliances feeling suspicious of their fellow countries. They suspect that their allies are being secret allies with other countries, sometimes with their enemies.

Opium Wars - Imperialism in China

2009-12-18T09:29:00.000-08:00

The Opium Wars were named that because the British and the Chinese were fighting over the opium. Opium is a highly-addictive drug given to the Chinese. It is grown in the East Indies. The British would give the opium, which was used to make medicine, to the Chinese in exchange for some Chinese tea. In 1838, the Chinese government demanded not to give them any more opium due to people being highly addictive to it and dying. In 1840, the First Opium war began. The British won the war because they had advanced weapon technology and the Chinese doesn't.

In 1842, the Chinese were forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing, which allows the British to trade in ports around China, including Hong Kong. In 1843, they signed the Treaty of the Bogue. It states that the Chinese were responsible for destroying quantities of opium in the sea during an anti-opium campaign. Unfourtunately, in 1856, the Second Opium War began due to an argument over the treaties. Once again, the British won and made the Chinese sign the Treaty of Tianjin, which opens up 11 additional ports in China.

Film Lesson: "Mountains of the Moon"

2009-12-10T09:29:00.000-08:00

For the last 2 days, our class and I had watched a movie named "Mountains of the Moon". It's about 2 European men who wanted to find the source of the Nile River. The Europeans had to face dangers as they explored Africa. They had to deal with hostile tribes, a lot of mosquitoes (in the movie, one of the Europeans got a bug in its ear and he ended up with a bleeding ear), robbers, malaria (a type of disease that resulted in death for some people), and starvation. They went to Africa with guns, so they had a better advantage of conquering Africa (it's because in the past, the Africans had spears and swords for weapons).

As for Lake Victoria, it's named after a British queen because the European men had "discovered" it, even though the Africans knew about the lake. (I mean, seriously people, the lake's in Africa!) Unfortunately, one of the European men (I think it was a guy named Speek) had committed suicide when they returned back to England to tell many people of their discovery.

Imperialism Project

2009-12-07T09:15:00.000-08:00

In Global class, we did an Imperialism project. The project is supposed to show and teach us how Imperialism spread around the world. Imperialism occurs mostly because the main country needed to get objects that they don't have. So they had to trade with other people to get the things they need. Another reason for Imperialism is to get new lands. There were some lands (like Africa) that carry a disease so disastrous it can kill millions of people. There were other cases when people, like the British, brings an unknown disease to a new country (like the New World) and kill people in the new land with the disease.

Karl Marx and Communism

2009-11-19T09:50:00.000-08:00

Karl Marx is a German who developed Communism. His idea of Communism is people sharing the wealth with each other and overthrowing the government and the bourgeoisie (owners of factories). He thinks that the bourgeoisie are the "bad guys" and the workers are the "good guys". He believes that the Industrial Revolution brought evil to the world, and the bourgeoisie treated the workers like slaves. He believed that if Communism were to take over the world, there would be prosperity in the world and people don't need a government to tell the people what to do.

Karl Marx and the Industrial Revolution

2009-11-17T10:02:00.000-08:00

Karl Marx was a German who didn't like the way the landlords were treating the workers. He believed that with industrialization, the rich people got richer and the poor people got poorer. I don't think he liked the Industrial Revolution. Because of the Revolution, he decided to invent Communism. It's a type of society in which people can get equal pay and the government will own everything. He also believed that with all the people sharing everything, they will fell like they don't need a government anymore. Russia tried to use Communism in their country, but it didn't work for them. Only a few number of countries (actually, 3) still continue to use Communism today, but it's not like what Marx hoped it will be.

Nationalism and The Creation of Italy

2009-10-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

Nationalism is the fact that you love, support, and protect your country. I show that I'm nationalistic by using the American dollars and saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Before Italy was the Italy that we know of today, it was separated into small states, ruled by different countries. By 1848, Italians don't like being ruled by foreigners anymore. 2 leaders, Giuseppe Mazzini and Camillo di Cavour, decided to unify Italy, but Mazzini and other nationalist followers were exiled. Di Cavour, with the help of France and a man named Giuseppe Garibaldi, managed to unify Italy and drive the foreigners out of Italy.

Simon Bolivar and Latin American Revolutions

2009-10-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

Simon Bolivar was a political leader who led the Latin American Revolution. He contributed to fighting for independence for the other Latin countries. Bolivia is named after Bolivar because he is considered a hero. People called him el Libertador, or the Liberator in English. He helped the countries of Columbia, Venezuela, Panama, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador fight for their independence. The fact that a French king, the brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, is ruling over Spain and Latin America had influenced him in the quest for a revolution.

John Locke and "The Enlightenment"

2009-10-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

Jon Locke is the most famous Enlightment thinkers that has inspired Thomas Jefferson when he was writing the Constitution of the United States. In the second paragraph, Thomas Jefferson was talking about the people's rights- that is; life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I thought it was life, liberty, and property. According to the Declaration of Independence, the government gets its power from the consent of the people. Should the government become too powerful, the people have the right to throw out the government and make a new one. They believed in a constitutional monarchy in which there is no king or queen whatsoever.

Copernicus and The Trial of Galileo

2009-09-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

There are 2 theories of the solar system; the heliocentric theory and the geocentric theory. The geocentric theory, which was the first theory that people believed in, is the belief that the Earth is the center of the universe. The Christians believed in the geocentric theory. The reason why they believed in the theory is because they want to follow their religion. They believed that the other theories that scientists like Nicholas Copernicus made are pure nonsense.

The other theory is the heliocentric theory. This theory is the belief that the Sun is the center of the universe. It's the theory that came from the scientific method, and it's also the most accurate one. Scientists like Copernicus and Galileo believed in the theory. They also believed the fact that the geocentric theory is pure nonsense.

On April 12, 1633, Galileo went on trial and stood before 10 cardinals. He believed that the Earth revolves around the Sun. The Christians, however, believed that the Sun revolves around the Earth. According to Father Firenzuola, Galileo was not supposed to "neither hold, defend, nor teach [the Copernican] opinion in any way whatsoever." In the end, Galileo "claimed" his error, even though he knew that his facts are correct.
He only did that so they can lessen his sentence.

The Scientific Method

2009-09-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

The scientific method is a method in which a person does multiple experiments to either prove or disprove a theory. It has been used by scientists from the past, like Galileo, and scientists today. It has also being used in science classes from schools all over the world. People like Galileo and Issac Newton proved many other people, like the ancient Greek scientist Aristotle, wrong by experimenting to disprove the theory. The scientific method is still used today.

One experiment that uses the scientific method is the theory that different weights fall at different speeds. Aristotle has this theory, along with other Greek scientists, that if you have an object that is heavier than the other object, it would fall at different speeds. Both Galileo and Newton proved him wrong by experimenting. Now, the theory that everyone believes is the fact that no matter how different the weight of the objects are, they will fall at the same time.

Evolution vs. Creation

2009-09-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

Evolution is the belief that the world was evolved over time and that all living things have an ancestor. Ancient Greek philosophers and a man named Charles Darwin had believed in that theory. They also believed that humans also came from an ancestor. There is this process called natural selection, in which animals who don't develop new traits that can help them survive will eventually die out. Christians don't believe in that theory.

Christians believed in creationism. Creationism is the belief that God made the world, especially the humans. In fact, they believed that their ancestors are the first humans, Adam and Eve. They also believed that He made the universe in 7 days, according to the readings of Genesis. Scientists don't believe in that theory, saying that there is no proof that God exists.

If I had to choose what theory I believe in, it would be the theory of evolution. For 1 reason, I'm not very religious. Another reason is that there is proof that we evolved from an animal ancestor. After all, Darwin did provide the proof that living things today came from a single ancestor in the past.