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Chapter 31 1985 to Present

Chapter 31 1985 to Present. Decline of Communism. Brezhnev Era : Re-Stalinization, collective dictatorship and coercion. U.S.S.R. seemed stable: Rising standard of living Great Russians : nationalistic Communist party leaders Censorship by govt. But there were changes happening

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Chapter 31 1985 to Present

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  1. Chapter 311985 to Present

  2. Decline of Communism • Brezhnev Era: Re-Stalinization, collective dictatorship and coercion. • U.S.S.R. seemed stable: • Rising standard of living • Great Russians: nationalistic Communist party leaders • Censorship by govt. • But there were changes happening • Growing urban pop. were educated and skilled • Educated pop. sought intellectual freedom • Soviet public opinion grew

  3. Poland • Aug 1980: 16,000 workers occupied Lenin Shipyard. • Demanded free speech, free trade unions, freedom of political prisoners, and econ reform. • Gdansk Agreement • Lech Walesa organized Solidarity • Free and democratic trade union • 1981 9.5 million members • Solidarity never tried to take over govt. • Solidarity weakens: • Rumors of bad leadership & economic problems led to decline • Dec. 1981 Communist leaders arrested Solidarity leaders • Solidarity survived: Poles continued to believe they were free

  4. Mikhail Gorbachev • 1985 Gorbachev became leader of Soviet Union • Reforms: • Anti-alcoholism and anti-corruption • Perestroika: restructuring of economy (failed) • Glasnost: openness of govt., relaxed censorship and conformity • Democratization: minor political elections • Détente: stop arms race, refused validity of Brezhnev Doctrine • These reforms led to Soviet satellites wanting independence • Gorbachev didn’t repress these wants so demands grew

  5. Collapse of CommunismRevolutions of 1989 • Poland: Solidarity legalized in 1989, first noncommunist leader in Aug. • Shock therapy: release of control over economy. Designed to move quickly into private ownership. • Hungary opened border with Austria, East Germans fled to WG through Hungary. • Nov. 1989 Berlin Wall falls: Germany re-united. • Dec. 1989 Velvet Revolution: non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia. • Romania: only country to have bloody revolution

  6. Communism Falls in U.S.S.R • Gorbachev’s new constitution abolished Communist monopoly of power. • Gorbachev’s lack of popularity led the way for Boris Yeltsin. • Yeltsin: reformed communist, embraced democratic ideals. Elected chairman of Russian Federation May 1990. • Gorbachev tried to save S.U. but failed.

  7. Communism Falls cont. • July 1990 hard-line communists disagreed w/ Gorbachev, kidnapped him & tried to take over the S.U. • People were outraged. Russian army rescued Gorbachev. • December 25, 1991 Russia declared independent – No more Soviet Union!

  8. End of the Cold War • E. Germany’s third way: socialism w/ independence from W. Germany - Didn’t work • ½ of E. German pop. fled • Chancellor Kohl’s 10 point plan and economic recovery. • Alliance for Germany: coalition against keeping E. Germany separate. E Germany eventually absorbed into W Germany. • Nov. 1990 Paris Accord: treaty that ended Cold War • Scaling down of armed forces • All existing boarders in Europe legal

  9. A New World Order • European nations accepted neoliberal, free-market capitalist economy. • Scaled back welfare programs • Poland and Hungary moved to privatize industry • Globalization: freer global economy. • Multinational corporations • International financial organizations • Low inflation and limited govt. deficits • Computer & electronic revolution • Nationalism and ethnic conflicts began anew • European Union (1993): formally EEC, shunned nations that promoted ethnic hatred ( i.e. Serbia)

  10. Gulf War • United States emerged as the greatest world power after Cold War. • Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s leader, invaded Kuwait Aug 1990. • U.N. imposed naval blockade • 500,000 American troops deployed on boarder of Kuwait waiting for Hussein to withdraw. • U.N. sanctioned invasion of Iraq. U.S. stopped short of ousting Hussein. • Implications: New world order included U.S. working w/ UN to maintain a stable balance of power.

  11. The New Russia • Pres. Yeltsin tries “shock therapy” • Freed prices of 90% of Russian goods • Rapid privatization of industry • Citizens received 10,000 rubles to invest in stock • Believed brief period of hardship, then economic prosperity – didn’t happen. • Production fell and inflation grew • Reasons: • Many factories closed – state no longer funded them • Production concentrated in a couple of factories – state monopolies became private monopolies. • To maximize returns, owners cut production to raise prices. • Govt. forced to give subsidies • Criminal activities by businesses – reduce competition

  12. New Russia cont. • Oligarchs: handful of Russians who controlled businesses. Managers, former officials, financers. • Majority of pop. fell into poverty. • Devalued pensions • Selling personal belongings • Life expectancy fell

  13. New Russia cont. • Chechnya: declared independence in 1991 • Civil war and conflicts with Russia lasted until 1996 • Many human rights violations on both sides • Estimated 3,829 Russian troops dead, 100,000 Chechen dead • Yeltsin began to lose support: became erratic and uncompromising. • Parliament revolted against Yeltsin and on Oct.4, 1993 military forces were sent to stamp out the mutiny. • Yeltsin banned political opposition, closed several newspapers, instituted curfew, etc. • Yeltsin consolidated power and failed to create a true representative govt.

  14. Managed Democracy • Vladimir Putin: First elected president (chosen by Yeltsin) in 2000. • Re-established semi-authoritarian rule, but kept free markets. • Economy boomed, middle class grew. • Nationalism grew under Putin • The Arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky • Owner of Yukos Oil Co. (big deal) • Financer for parties against Putin & possible political opponent. • Arrested for fraud, but motives were political • In reaction, market plunged (fell 10%)

  15. The New E. Europe • Eastern European countries faired far better than Russia in transitioning to democracy and capitalism. • Experience with market reforms prior to 1989. • Govt. policy was flexible. • Czechoslovakia peacefully resolved ethnic tensions by creating the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993. • 1997 Poland, Czech Republic, and Hungary were accepted into NATO.

  16. Tragedy in Yugoslavia • Yugoslavia had been a tolerant and successful multiethnic nation up until 1989. • Over 10 major ethnic groups • After Josip Tito’s death in 1980, civil war between ethnic groups began. • Serbia, led by Milosevic, wanted to unite all Serbs into a “greater Serbia” (1989): took over Kosovo. • Slovenia & Croatia declared independence (June 1991) • Serbia tried to take land from Slovenia & Croatia, only got a piece of Croatia. • Bosnia-Herzegovina gained independence in 1992: Serbs refused to live under Muslim govt.

  17. Tragedy cont. • Brutality of civil war prompted NATO intervention. • July 1995: Bosnian Serbs took over Srebrenica and killed thousands. • President Clinton and NATO negotiated agreement that gave Serbia and Croatia parts of Bosnia. • Kosovo, still repressed by Serbia, got nothing from the agreement. • Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) formed in early 1998 • Serbia attacked KLA, killing & uprooting thousands • Jan. 1999, Western powers threatened Milosevic with bombing if he didn’t stop. He refused. • NATO started bombing. Milosevic withdrew. • 2001 new pro-Western govt. handed Milosevic over to the war crimes tribunal.

  18. Western European Identity • Single European Act 1968: Revision of Treaty of Rome • 1991 Maastricht treaty: • Set financial criteria for joining Common Market (EU in 1993) • Single currency for countries in EU by 1999. • Support for Maastricht treaty: step toward European political unity, helps Europe’s economic problems, reduce high unemployment • Opposition: Rules & bureaucracy, undermining national & local practices, fear of yielding sovereignty, ordinary people would pay price.

  19. Success of European Unity • Jan. 1, 2002 Euro was introduced to Europe • May 1, 2004 EU added Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and many other E. European countries. • June 2004 EU constitution agreed upon. • Today the EU consists of 27 countries.

  20. 21st Century population decline • In the beginning of the 21st century population was on the decline. • In 2000, women in Europe were having 1.6 children on average. • Causes: • High unemployment of 1980’s & 90’s: no money to start family • Women’s movement: rejection of motherhood, striving for careers • Consequences: • Smaller, younger pop. would have to support larger, older pop. • Socialist countries with massive welfare programs would suffer most (social security, pensions, medical care)

  21. Immigration • Immigrant workers from before 1970’s eventually brought families with them. • Refugees from E. Europe (Yugoslavia), Middle East, and Africa. • Illegal immigration grew from 50,000 people in 1993 to 500,000 in 2003. • Economic opportunities attracted many people to European Union countries. • Human trafficking became way for crime orgs to get money.

  22. Terrorism in 21st Century • Civil war and terrorism in the 20st century often went together. • Examples: Ireland, Spain, Israel, Yemen, and much of the Middle East. • On the surface recent attacks have been blamed on Islamic extremists, however this is just one aspect. • Most recent terrorist attacks can be attributed to civil unrest, war, and political conflicts. • Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan in 1979. • Example: many Arab govts were viewed as un-Islamic and corrupt. • Some of these govts were pro-West in view. • These govts were not supportive of Islamic extremes & exiled many extremists.

  23. 9/11 and the War on Terror • September 11, 2001 • al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger planes. • 2 hit World Trade Center • 1 hit Pentagon • 1 crashed into Pennsylvania field, believed to be headed for White House. • United States, led by George W. Bush, launched massive campaign to destroy al-Qaeda and Taliban. • Western Europe, Russia, Pakistan, and Northern Alliance Afghanistan helped.

  24. War on Terror cont. • Mid-November Taliban collapsed – New Afghan leadership needed to be worked out. • UN worked out plans for new govt • U.S. continued to look for bin Laden • 2002 aid workers from around the world helped put Afghanistan back together.

  25. War in Iraq • Once elected into office, President W. Bush began planning on how to take out Saddam Hussein. • Admin believed if the was a new, pro-U.S. govtwould transform Middle East. • Americans also feared renewed terrorism and WMDs. • Saddam had promised to dismantle mass destruction weapons after Gulf War. • Late 2002: to avoid war, Iraq accepted UN weapon inspectors and vowed they had destroyed WMDs. • Bush administration was reluctant to agree. • U.S. & Britain said they hid the WMDs and moved troops to Middle East. • France, Germany, Russia, China all wanted to continue searching, but not attack.

  26. War in Iraq cont. • March 2003 United States and Great Britain invaded Iraq. • Mistakes led to chaos, not peace. • Troops allowed looting and bandits. • Disbanding Iraqi army led to alienation, unemployment, no security • Insurgents were able to collect guns & explosives. • U.S. and Britain found no WMDs. • 2004 Pro-West Iraqi govt set up. • War in Iraq had split the nations of the world in two. • Trust and legitimacy of nations involved was in question.

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