Natalie's Global Blog

Mikhail Gorbachev and the collapse of Communism

2010-05-07T11:33:00.000-07:00

Mikhail was arguing with another man about who would take over after the death of two successors died after a year in office. People praised Mikhail's youth, and he became the youngest Soviet leader at age 54. In choosing Mikhail people supported the mild reform of the Soviet Union. Mikhail also made up his new own new ideas instead of following other leaders like Stalin. Past leaders had encouraged totalitarianism, and rewarded silence and discouraged people from acting on their own. However, Mikhail did not want this. So he announced a policy called glasnost, which was an openness that allowed citizens to discuss ways to improve their country and society. He also introduced perestroika, which was economic restructuring. Both these policies made a pave to the collapse of communism. Because it gave the citizens a voice in opinions and more power to make decisions for themselves. Which could have then led to the overthrow and defeating of the Soviet Union. Plus no supporting them.

The Collapse of Communism

2010-05-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

Communism in Eastern Europe collapsed because there was no support, economical issues and political downfall. The USSR collapsed because Stalin put all his money into defensive arms and none into the country itself. The Soviet Union collapsed because they had no money, they had a lot of competition, and socialism failed. It did change the world because it was a huge relief, and almost every country under communism turned into capitalism.

Nelson Mandela and Aparthied

2010-04-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

The apartheid was a racial segregation policy in South Africa. It was very similar to the one in USA. They were segregated from 1948-1990. The policy stated that white people were above everyone else and can vote, while the "Bantu" ,which is everyone else that is black mixed or Indian, is not able to do these things. And so Nelson Mandela was put into jail because of this. Nelson Mandela fought for the independence of South Africa. Mandela was in the ANC's fight to promote non-violence methods to gain freedom and justice. He also tried to stop the Apartheid. He was considered a hero for these things. Mandela was in jail for 26 years but then got out and wrote a book called "Long Walk To Freedom". The book was about his struggle to overcome segregation and gain freedom. He still continued to fight for his country and his people admired him for that. When the elections came in 1991, he was elected over the other candidate with 61% of the votes.

African Independence

2010-04-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

After WWII, the Europeans wanted to bring government to the African people. However, they weren't very fair with the Africans. They took advantage of them and treated them unequally. The Europeans were also very racist towards the Africans, they thought they were better than them. The Africans grew tired of being under the rule of the Europeans and started fighting back to the Europeans. The Europeans thought that they were helping the Africans by civilizing them, and thought what they did was not wrong. So the Africans went against the Europeans. And they won their freedom against the Europeans. They tried to become civilized themselves but really couldn't get it together after they were no longer under the rule of the Europeans. They're still trying till this day. But they got a new president, and tried turning things around. To this day all of Africa's countries have won independence by the year 1994.

Film Lesson: "The Right Stuff"

2010-04-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

In the film "The Right Stuff", both USSR and US were competing against each other in many different things. One of the competitions were trying to be faster than the speed of sound/light. In which they put a pilot in a plane and try to go faster than the speed of sound/light. They also competed in the first man to go into space. The US were getting ready to put a group of men into space however scared that something might go wrong, they sent a monkey up there first. Doing this gave the USSR the advantage to go into space first. Making the US look stupid for sending a monkey up there. A few weeks later the US went to space also. The scenes that they put of Russia, where it was pretty dark and mysterious will always remind me of the Cold War. This is because they made Russia seem so bad and such enemies.

NATO and The Warsaw Pact

2010-04-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

NATO was an alliance made against the Soviet Union. It stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It includes North America and Europe. So if one of their countries was attacked then all of NATO would come and defend that one country. Since the Americas made the NATO alliance, the Soviet Union decided to make the Warsaw Pact. Which included Russia. They were both a mutual defense. These alliances were made so that if one country decided to attack with the nuclear defenses they claimed to have had, they would have backup with other countries who would also jump into the war.

Film Lesson: "Schindler's List"

2010-03-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

Schindler's List demonstrates the Holocaust by showing how families would/could have been affected by the Holocaust. Also certain scenes where taken from real images and footage from the Holocaust. The most powerful scene in the film was the scene with Auschwitz. Where the women thought they were going to work for Schindler's and instead they ended up in Auschwitz. While being taken over there in the train, the woman looked out the window to see a little boy motioning that the women were going to be killed. This image will definitely stay with me for a long time. However, as a viewer I think that the documentary "Night and Fog" was much powerful than the film "Schindler's list". I think this because the images from "Night and Fog" were realistic and actually real footage. Which made it more real to believe and not just to think "Oh it was just a movie".

Film Lesson: "Night and Fog"

2010-03-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

The film "Night and Fog" was a very powerful documentary. I think this because it tells you what really happened during the Holocaust. My reaction was overwhelming because I felt very depressed over what had happened and the images that i was viewing. Scenes from "Schindler's List" compare to the documentary when the Jews were being deported in trains or when there were thousands of dead bodies on the floor. Or the Auschwitz scene. "Night and Fog" showed the Holocaust more effectively because it showed realistic images and footage from the Holocaust.

Th Treaty of Versailles (ended WWI)

2010-02-25T11:16:00.000-08:00

The treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty made at the end of WWI. Made to end the war between Germany and the Allied powers. This treaty made by the Allied Powers, blamed all the wreck on the Germans. They had to pay for everything. The treaty was signed after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. 10% of Germany's land was lost, all of Germany's oversea colonies were taken away. I think these rules were unfair. It made Germany's economy become poor. The treaty led to the rise of Hitler because he came across to the people of Germany as a savior. He told everyone he could take them out of the depression and make things better. Which allowed him to gain the trust of the Germans. And he made Germany into a Fascist country, in which he was the dictator.

Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) and the Modernization of Turkey

2010-02-24T11:14:00.000-08:00

Mustafa modernized Turkey because he wanted Turkey to evolve like the rest of the world was. He made such changes as everyone could not wear the usual holy clothing the Hindus wore. Instead people from Turkey had to wear ties, pants, dress shoes and button shirts. He allowed women to vote in 1934. He banned Fez's from the country and told the people they had to wear hats. He said that the hat represented ignorance and how they didn't adapt to the rest of the world. Mustafa separated religion from cultural, educational and legal affairs. Everyone was free to practice any religion they desired. Secular is relating to the doctrine that rejects religion and religious considerations. Which is what Mustafa did in Turkey.

Film lesson: "Gandhi"

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

Ghandi was a great influence on India during the 1940's. He helped get India freedom from the British. Ghandi was against violence and thought that if the Indians were nonviolent during the British then it would make the Indians look better than the British. Which he was right. So how did they gain independence without violence? Ghandi organized strategies like everyone making their own clothing instead of buying it from the British. They also went on a Salt March in which they walked the whole beach and collected and made their own salt. The British made it a law in which the Indians only could buy salt from the British. This got the British upset. Nonviolent acts like these led to the independence of India.

Russian Revolution

2010-01-13T09:34:00.000-08:00

The Russians had a revolution because of the February and October revolution. The February revolution was caused because of Tsar Nicholas II was removed from power. This was because he was blamed for all the crisis that had happened in WWI. The October revolution was caused because the overturn of interim government and the establishment of the Soviet Unions. Some of the major causes of the Russian Revolution was social and economic changes. Also because of political issues. The leaders of the Russian Revolution was Vladimir Lenin, Gregory Zinoviev, Lev Kamenev, Anatoli Lunacharsky, and Alexandra Kollontai. They were communist who opposed the war. "Peace, love and bread" was a a quote be Lenin during the October revolution. He promised peace, love and bread to the people of Russia after the war.

Causes of WW1

2010-01-11T09:17:00.000-08:00

Nationalism is a main reason of WWI because Europe thought that they were better than everyone else and every other country. So countries like Elba, Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia went against Europe.

Militarism is a main reason of WWI also because all the countries in the hostile camps were building large armies. So then a large class of powerful and professional military officers conquered the civil authorities. However these armies made plans for mobilization. But these secret battle plans nourished greater fear and hatred.

Assassination of Franz Ferdinand was another main reason to the WWI because since Ferdinand was assassinated in Austria, countries like Russia tried to put the blame on Austria. And then countries after countries started declaring war on each other. Then leading to one big world with two alliances.

Opium Wars- Imperialism in China

2009-12-18T09:35:00.000-08:00

From 1839 to 1842 China fought Britain that was called the "Opium Wars". It all started when Great Britain loved tea from China and wanted to trade with them. China wasn't very fond of the idea but accepted only with the exception that they used the port in Canton. However, Britain decided they should expand their trade by selling and trading with China. So they decided to sell Opium to China, which is a drug grown in India. Opium is used to make morphine and heroin. Then China banned the import of Opium because of the effects of the drug and the silver leaving China to pay for it. Then in 1838 China said that anyone using, selling or buying Opium would be put to death. However Britain's technology and army was too strong for China. Therefore Britain won the war. Also China was made to legalize the imports of Opium.

Film lesson: "Mountain of the moon"

2009-12-10T09:51:00.000-08:00

Some of the hardships the Europeans faced in Africa are when they didn't have enough food or water. There was also a lot of diseases and sicknesses around. Every time they went to a different location, they had to deal with different tribes and leaders. There was also a lot of bugs and the grounds were difficult to walk on. It's weird that the lake was named after the British Queen because the lake was in Africa and not in the UK. The advantage of technology the British had over the Africans were the guns and other weapons. Which allowed them to later on to conquer Africa so easily.

Imperialism project

2009-12-10T09:32:00.000-08:00

In the imperialism project we had a map and a paper with pictures of resources on them. We had to cut out the resources and then put it on places of the map. We also had a paper that determined where the resources went and what countries to color in with the color pencil. The places we colored in determined which country had taken them over. I learned that Africa had a lot of resources like coal, gold and silver. I also learned that the British took over alot of places in Africa.

Karl Marx and Communism

2009-11-19T09:34:00.000-08:00

Karl Marx's idea of Communism is that the government owns everything. No one owns their own house or buisness. Everyone gets paid the same amount, no matter what occupation you have. Marx believed that soon everything would be so perfect that there would be no need for a government, soon it would slowly disappear. Marx wanted communism to take over the world so that everyone could live in peace. Marx thought that the bad guys was Capitolism. The rich people who owned buisnesses and let the poor be poor.

Karl Marx and The Industrial Revolution

2009-11-18T13:24:00.000-08:00

Karl Marx didn't like the Industrial Revolution because he thought that it was very unfair. The way some people were richer than others, or how workers had become so stuck to working, it had become their life. Marx thought that the Industrial Revolution caused pollution, hurt the animals and took over people's lives. The Industrial Revolution inspired Marx to come up with Communism. Communism is the opposite of Capitolism. Communism is when everyone's payment is equal, therefore men are equal. The government owned every business and mortgage. Soon, Marx figured that government would slowly disappear and there would be no use for it. However, this method was better said than done.

Nationalism and the Creation of Italy

2009-10-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

Nationalism is when a country has its own border, speak the same common language, have the same currency and share the same history. They also share the same common religion, symbols and common culture. Nationalism also is when people love their country and show their affection for it. Nationalism also defines serving your country and fighting, possibly dying, for your country. I am a nationlist because I support American sports like baseball, football, the Olympic games. Also I take part in the culture, and it is the way I grew up.
Nationalism created Italy by when Italy decided that it was not fair that Austria was ruling them. They figured that why would they be honoring a king so far away? So they made thier own country and became nationlists.

Simon Bolivar and Latin American Revolutions

2009-10-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

Simon Bolivar is called the "George Washington of South America". This is because he won victories over the Spainards. Bolivar was so famous and had a country named after him because he helped countries defeat Spain from conquereing them.

John Locke and "The Enlightenment"

2009-10-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

The rights that Jefferson is talking about in the U.S Constitution is the right of the people to alter and abolish and institute new Government. Also the right that the Government are instituted among Men. Also the right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Government gets its powers from citizens. According to the U.S Constitution, Government is suppose to protect and provide happiness to the citizens. Also Government should not be changed due to light and transit causes.

Copernicus and the Trial of Galileo

2009-09-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

The heliocentrism theory was a solar theory. It stated that the sun was stationary and in the center of the universe. This was believed by the new scientists during the Scientific Revolution. Geocentrism was a theory believed that the Earth was in the center of the universe. This was believed by the Catholic Church during and before the Scientific Revolution. The geocentrism theory came before the Scientific Revolution. The correct theory that was proved using the Scientific Method is heliocentrism.

Galileo was put to trial by the Catholic Church in 1633. This was because Galileo stated that the Earth was not the center of the universe. As the Catholic Church believed otherwise. The Catholic Church labeled Galileo guilty and he was tortured in jail.

Scientific Revolution: The Scientific Method

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

The Scientific Revolution was a period of time during the 1500's when scientists tested theories made by the Bible and other scientists before them. Before the 1500's people believed scientists like Aristotle or Greek scientists. They also believed the Bible for questions they could not answer. During the 1500's, scientists like Galileo started proving other scientists like Aristotle wrong in some theories. These new scientists then staring experimenting and proving others wrong. They went on to go by the Scientific Method. This included such steps as: 1. Observe 2. Hypothesis 3. Predict 4. Results 5. Conclusion.

Some examples of the Scientific Revolution include when Galileo went on to prove Aristotle's theory wrong. Aristotle theory was that heavier objects fell faster than lighter objects. For more than a thousand years people believed him. Then came Galileo and tested that theory by going on the Leaning Tower of Pisa, dropped to stones of different weights and confirmed that objects of different weights fall at the same speed. Another scientist who used the Scientific Method was Isaac Newton. Newton went on to prove Aristotle wrong by explaining the laws of gravity. Aristotle said that there was one set of physical laws governing Earth and another set governing the rest of the universe. Newton proved him wrong by proving that there was one set of physical laws for the whole universe and heaven.