The Collapse of Communism

Communism in the USSR was doomed from the onset. Communism was condemned due to lack of support from other nations, condemned due to corruption within its leadership, condemned due to the moral weakness of humanity, making what is perfect on paper, ineffective in the real world. The end of this system was very violent. It left one of the two most powerful nations in the world fearful of what was to come.

 Communism came to an end in Russia because the government went bankrupt. The arms race against the United States had cost so much, their current economy would not be able to recover from the loss. Since Communist governments own all property in their country rather than the citizens, the type of government in Russia had to be altered in order for the country to have any hope of recovery. Thus, the Cold War itself caused the end of Communism in Russia. 

Nelson Mandela and Apartheid

Apartheid was a government in South Africa.  The policy of the Europeans in South Africa to seperate the whites from the blacks. Nelson Mandela was the former president of South Africa. He fought for unity and liberation. He made a promise to himself that when he got out of prison he would liberate the oppressed and the oppressor both. While Mandela was in prison he dreamed of equality and freedom to all. Mandela envisioned South Africans of all races living in harmony. During Mandela's 27 years in prison, he became the symbolic body and blood of the anti-apartheid campaign. The South African government, which was reeling from world condemnation, economic sanctions and a fear that if Mandela died in jail, a black revolution would follow, finally released him in 1990. Mandela negotiated with the white government to end apartheid. Four years later he was elected president and served for five years.

Film Lesson: Schindler's List

Schindler's List was a movie based on The Holocaust. The movie was very horrifying, especially the way they got killed execution style. It was a really scary scene. Me as the viewer, which i found most horrific was the jews time in Auschwitz. It was basically survival of the fittest. The weak either got killed by nazi soldiers or left there to die of disease or hunger. I will never forget the jews time in Auschwitz. The bad part about it is that the way these innocent jews got killed. They had to do manual labor until they could keep up to their last breathe, they were shot in the spot if they misbehaved, some were beaten, and most of them were gassed thinking they would take a shower. And after the jews died they would either take them to a crematorium and burn them, or they would bury them.

Film Lesson: Night and Fog

Night and Fog had alot of horrific scenes. It was really scary. I think the documentary film was better because it really showed how most of the things happened. Alot of Jews were killed and all the children were seperated from mothers and fathers. They were sent to concentration camps where they were beaten, shot, and gassed. They also had the jews do manual labor and worked them until they couldnt work no more. Some Jews couldnt stand the little portions of food they had and had starved to death.When the jews have died they bulldozed their bodies into deep holes and most of the bodies were cremated in a crematorium or a fiery pit. Some jews managed to escape and flee to other countries.

The Treaty of Versailles (ended WW I)

-During WWI, there was much devastation done to Germany and other countries. People’s hopes and dreams were shattered. Almost 10,000,000 soldiers around the world died as a result of this war. The Allies wanted Germany to pay for this, so they wrote a treaty which held Germany responsible for WWI. It was called the Treaty of Versailles.

-The treaty said that Germany was the only country responsible for WWI. Some people say that Germany was not responsible for WWI. After all, it started when a Serbian shot an Austrian. Some Germans believed that Germany had been made a scapegoat, forcing it to take the blame for the entire war.

-The treaty also said that Germany would have to pay for all of the damage done to other countries. Germany’s size was reduced by 12.5%, resulting in a decrease in its population of 6,500,000. When the other countries took possession of German land, the people in it did not move. This made them "belong" to the countries that took over that land.

- I do think the Treaty and facism brought up Hitler because Germany wanted to stay strong despite defeat and they needed a strong dictator to help the rise with the fallen.

Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) and the Modernization of Turkey

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was a military hero at the Dardanelles in 1915. He was born in 1881 in Salonica (which is now Greece). Ataturk modernized Turkey by making the new legal system in Turkey that all citizens - men and women, rich and poor - equal before the law. It gave Turkey a firm foundation for a society of justice and equal rights. Successive wars had decimated manpower, agricultural production stood at a low level, and the huge foreign debts. Mustafa also developed a new language for his fellow Turks. It was based on latin script. Atatürk introduced other reforms like: European hats replaced the fez; women stopped wearing the veil; all citizens took surnames; and the Islamic calendar gave way to the Western calendar.

Film Lesson - "Gandhi"

The movie starts of with Ghandi getting thrown out of the train because he would not move to third class. Later in the movie, Gandhi realizes that British laws were bias against Indians and decides to start a non-violent protest campaign for the rights of all Indians in South Africa.
Gandhi declares a hunger strike, saying he will not eat until the fighting stops. The fighting does stop eventually, but the country is divided. It is decided that the northwest area of India, and eastern part of India ( Bangladesh) will become a new country called Pakistan. It is hoped that by encouraging the Muslims to live in a separate country, violence will come yo an end. Gandhi spends his last days trying to bring about peace between both nations. He thereby angers many dissidents on both sides, one of whom finally gets close enough to assassinate him.

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