Marie-Ann's Global Blog

Mikhail Gorbachev and the end of Communism

2007-05-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

Mikhail Gorbachev, had many supporters when he started. He was known for being very energetic, his youth and his great leadership skills. When being elected he promoted glasnost meaning openness. He encouraged peoples ideas, to improve their country, unlike the passed leaders of the Soviet Union who promoted totalitarianism. The openness brought on many changes and allowed citizens to express their economic problems publicly to the government. After hearing a lot of complaints , he came up with perestroika, meaning economic restructuring. Some changes made with this policy in place were that local farmers, gained more authority over their farms and factors and people were know able to open private businesses. According to the text book his goal wasn't to overthrow communism but to make a more efficient and productive system .
Then after Gorbachev realized his plans he put into place were going well he then established democratization, which was a gradual opening of the political system. This meant that voters were now allowed to choose from a list of candidates for each office.
Gorbachev actually achieved more than he wanted to, for he ended up paving a road for the end of Communism in the Soviet Union.

Collapse of Communism

2007-05-10T16:29:00.000-07:00

The Collapse of Communism had a great effect on the world as well as the USSR. The cause for the Collapse of Communism was because many people were afraid, they were being threatened by nuclear annihilation. When people were following Communism they would only be provided by the government as long as they worked, where as when Communism crashed and Capitalism came into the sequence, persons were now able to provide for themselves.
Many people were annoyed at the fact that they couldn't cross the borders, without worrying about their lives, because those who tried to cross the borders between the Eastern and Western were shot and faced tear gas. So in turn they tore down the Berlin Wall, so that Eastern and Western Germany could form a more balanced economic and social ties with one another. But getting the cooperation they needed with one another wasn't very easy. The Soviet Union then separated into fifteen different Republics, many people rebelled against the newly formed Republics.
Many ethnic tensions arose across the country because everyone all of a sudden wanted self-rule and others wanted religious freedom. This started rivalry and everyone turned to Gorbachev , for they were angry at him for giving up the Soviet Unions role as the dominant force in Eastern Europe. As well as this, they were mostly afraid of losing their power and privileges. The sudden urge for them to overthrow the government lead to the end of the Soviet Union, which gave way for countries within the Soviet Union to gain their independence.
Dispite the many faults the rest of Eastern Europe mange to stay stable.

Creation of Israel

2007-05-07T08:55:00.001-07:00

The reason for, Jews and Arabs to have such conflict is because, both countries religion trace back to the roots of Abraham, and both are fighting over a area that supposedly belongs to one of them threw Abraham.
A Zionism is defined as a an international movement originally established for Jewish national or religious community in Palestine and later for the of support modern Israel.
The tension got hotter between the Jews and Arabs in 1920. And the Jews longed for the day when they would settle on Holy Land. When the British, won the area in which the Arabs thought was theirs, after World War I, this brought on more conflict between the two. When the a mandate was given to the British by the League of Nations, towards the former Ottoman, they renames it Palestine. As frustration grew between Jews and Arabs, and they saw no change in their statehood thought the mandate, they immediately clashed with one another and fought with the British. As revolt rose towards the British, Jewish immigration increased. But the revolt was put an halt when the British forward a document Known as White Papers, limiting land sales to Jews and giving Palestine independence with 10 years. It also stopped Jewish immigration into Palestine.
In 1947, the British gave up the mandate and decided to hand the problem to the United Nations. When the problem was handed over to the United Nations they decided to divided Palestine into two states, one being Arab the other being Jewish. But they rejected the efforts of the UN, because the Arabs believed that the land belong to them. However the Jews agreed to this, but following that the Arabs were attacked. According to a source the attack of 1948, was the birth , the beginging of what is known as Israel.

Nelson Mandela and Apartheid

2007-05-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

The word or term "Apartheid ", usually refers to movements regarding racial conflict. The era of Apartheid took place around the late 1930's by the South African Bureaus for Racial Affairs. The law was designed as a separation method. It band mix marriages. It caused a resettlement policy,where in certain area , only certain people live in that area. For example, when Indian was given its independence, they were divided into two countries, India and Palestine, the Muslims that were in a certain area that was Hindu territory, had to migrate.
On Feb.11, 1990, a man by the name of Nelson Mandela, came out of jail with a dream, a plan to better South and take away all its misery and pain. His plan was to bring the white supremacists government down. His dream when he got out of prison was to liberate the oppressed and the
opresser, for he knows how it feels, for he spent 27 years in prison, having his freedom taken away from him............, longing for a friend, longing to be with family. He knew how it felt to be left without nothing.............. It was said that while he was in jail, he became symbolic , his body and blood was symbolic for the anti-apartheid.
After being released from jail, he put up a fight against the apartheid government because his vision of all South Africans living in harmony. The period in which the apartheid was passed, many violent acts took place, many died in the worst ways; it took away the true meaning of humanity.
A while later international pressure started to overcome South Africa's policies, so the President at the time had no choice but to open the door for protests against apartheid. Then after this it opened the door to a new constitution being signed in 1990 to abolish the Separate Amenities Act. Within that same year Nelson Mandela became the new leader of South Africa.

African Independence

2007-04-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

Taking a back track to the 1800's, when various European countries raced to Africa to get land. European nations colonized most of Africa. But that didn't last for long because of World War II, Africa began their struggle for independence and working towards building a new nation of their own.
For decades Africa has being endlessly struggling for its freedom from Europe, even before World War II. To make their voices more known and heard, they formed a group called "Negritude movement", it was where they celebrated their unique culture and values. Around this very moment and period in history, more and more Africans began stand up for their independence, through expressing oneself and getting on a "higher level". But when World War II came, African soldiers help Europe to fight in the war. This experience they had made them unwilling to take any orders of any form from European government.
The first country to open the gates of independence was Ghana, which was known as the British colony of the Golden Coast. They started to pave the way to their independence by making it possible that more Africans be nominated to Legislative Council. Kwame Nkrumah was elected. He organized boycotts and organizations, which were looked down on by the British government. But in 1957, his efforts were successful, Gold Coast gained its independence in 1957, with the new name Ghana, it was named after a well known West African Kingdom.
After Ghana gaining its independence, others followed, such as; Kenya, who was lead by Jomo Kenyatta, Algeria, lead by Ahmed Ben Bella, Angola and Congo, lead by Mobutu Sese Seko.
The map from 1955 to 1975, shows a transition of African countries to their independence. In 1955, as shown, most countries were still colonies owning to Europe and five others that had gained their independence; Libra,Union of South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Libra. Then in 1975, it shows how most countries in Africa gained their independence. Leaving a few still under the European rule, countries such as; Spanish Sahara, South-West Africa, and Rhodesia(now known as Zimbabwe).
Africa when through many struggles and changes to get their deserved independence. They had to deal with creating new government and starting a stable economic system. But they made it through on a long rocky road to independence.

9th Grade Review - Neolithic Revolution

2007-04-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

The Neolithic Revolution was known as the beginning of agriculture, it was a change in th way people lived. As many have heard, long ago there were people who roamed the earth known as Nomads. These people survived by hunting for food. When hunting for food became scarce in an area, they would move to another location and rebuild their living environment and hunt for food again. According to scientist, their not sure how this period in history took place, but they assumed that a 10,000 years ago women scattered seeds near one of their camp site, and when they came back to that very camp site they found crops growing(figuring that women were the ones who gathered fruits, berries, and grass). This shifted their culture from food-gathering to food-producing culture.
Eventually they made permanent settlements, creating villages that were ran by chief elders. Social classes were also established during this period,a persons social class was determined by the work they did. Priest and warriors were on the top of the class , while craftsmen and farmers were at the bottom of the class. As well as creating civilization, they created new technology, such as tools, calenders,plows, and weapons. They also came up with new methods on how to maintain their crops, methods such as the slash - burn farming, which was where they cut trees or grasses and burned them clear a field. The ashes that remained after burning the fields would remain in the soil , the ashes fertilized the soil. They came up with the process of domestication, meaning the taming of animals, and plants.
The Neolithic Revolution as you can see paved the way for us to live in ease many years later.

The European Union

2007-04-23T17:31:00.000-07:00

According to a source the European Union is defined as a intergovernmental union of 27 states in Europe. It was a treaty passed in 1992, after the collapse of the USSR. Its alliance contented about 25 nations within Europe. These countries being joined together in this union benefited Europe because it changed the old ways of Europe, making it more productive. It also allow new superpowers to form. The new powers were the US and the European Union. It was passed after World War II as an economic union between several coal and steel producing nations within Europe. This economic union began to get popular amongst other countries. The EU now became its own parliament; it had various organizations that would help them keep track of trade between other EU countries, as well as cooperations.
With the EU in place, people from all over the world have a easier time traveling back and fourth.People in living in the EU can now be able to work in other EU countries without it being a major problem. Also these countries that joined the EU, shared the same currency, the Euro. Which eventually becomes one of the leading currency in the world. The EU was known as the third largest country in the world, since it was large in size it became an important figure for economic in the world. This organization of countries made the chance slim for one country to gain total control. It also lessened the chances of any nations going into any major confrontation.

Film Lesson - "The Right Stuff"

2007-04-22T19:45:00.000-07:00

The film "The Right Stuff",showed the competition between the USA and the USSR in what was called the Space Race. It was when both countries were competing to be the best in space exploration. It took place during the period of the Cold War. Both countries tried to out smart one another. When one made a record the next, would come back in full blow, making a even better one. The first to launch a rocket in Space,that orbit around the Earth, was the USSR, with a human inside. In response , the United States began to created rockets of their own. The US had many difficulties launching the rockets. When they did they launched it with a living being inside;a chimp. They still didn't top the Soviet Union, which frustrated them, they wanted so badly to be on top. The USA then broke the sound barrier, which was gold, but they still didn't top the USSR. Eventually the USA won the Space Race because they topped the USSR when they sent the fist man to the moon.
This film showed the drive these two countries had to be the best. With hard work and determination they did the impossible, because they wanted to be first. In my opinion their was no true winner of this competition because each showed their true colours and what their creativity. If this competition didn't take place we would not have so much knowledge of the world around us , as well as other planets.

Cuban Missile Crisis

2007-04-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

While the competition was hot between the United States and the Soviet Union. The United States on October 15, 1962, received photographs showing that the Soviet Union were setting up missiles in Cuba. The Soviet Unions missiles were powerful enough to destroy Europe, while America's own was good enough to destroy the Soviet Union. When hearing of the Soviet Unions plan President John F Kennedy quickly organized the Ex-Comm, which was a group of advisor's known as the Executive Committee of the United States National Security Council , they helped the Prescient through the crisis that was occurring. With their help, Kennedy concluded it would be best to impose a naval around Cuba, so that way they would avoid any sudden fired weapons from the Soviet Union. As the news got out to the world, tension started to stir amongst people. Then a letter came from Khrushchev, the Soviet Union's leader at the moment; making a proposal that he would remove his missiles if the United States agreed not to invade Cuba. In reply a AU-2 was shot over Cuba, and the U.S received another letter from Khrushchev demanding the removal of their army . But Robert Kennedy decided it was best to ignore the second letter and just to contact the Ambassador of the Soviet Union, to settle an agreement.
This period in history was the closest the world has ever begin close to a nuclear war. By October 28 1962, the tension that there was going to be a nuclear war eased up. Both Countries made agreements and the missiles were removed from Cuba.

NATO and The Warsaw Pact

2007-04-12T16:03:00.000-07:00

The initials NATO, means National Atlantic Treaty Organization, the purpose of this organization was that Europe and North America wanted a mutual defense alliance just in case any of them were attacked by another country , NATO would be there to help them. As competition rose between the Soviet Union and the western powers the purpose of the NATO worsened. The problems started because the Soviet union started to try to spread communist throughout out the world. While this was going on many European countries hoped and prayed the United States would honor the agreement with the NATO, and rescue them. But they lost faith in the United States after they entered the Vietnam War. As things worsened the NATO build a shield to protect themselves from the Soviet Unions plan to build a nuclear weapon. This protection lasted for a good while, until the Soviet Union felt threatened and created a treaty called Wars pact.
The Wars pact was established exactly six years after the NATO, it was signed on May 1, 1955. It was the organization of basically the Soviet Union and their satellites countries. It was another version of the NATO. The treaty was their first step in recovery. It was used as a military defense for the Soviet Union. Until the Soviet Union attacked Czechoslovakia and Hungary, which were joined in agreement with the Wars pact. This act caused the Wars pact to be renewed in 1985. After it was renewed the Soviet Union's system weakened and they began to take their troops out of countries that had signed the Wars pact with them. As everything fell the Wars pact disappeared.

Film Lesson: "Night and Fog"

2007-03-25T17:23:00.000-07:00

The film the "Night and Fog" was more in detailed, of what actually happened during the Holocaust than the film "Schindler's List".It had the actual pictures and film production from that time. When I was watching the film my jaw dropped,while tears filled my eyes from the site of thousands of dead bodies piled on top of each other.It also showed the store-rooms, how they were filled with women's hair, shoes,and bodies of Jews. From the women's hair they made blankets, from the bodies they took the fat to make soap.Throughout the film they took the viewers back and forth, present to past. The present was a walk through one of the concentration camps, while watching that made me imagine that I was walking through this camp, and I imagined the screams of the long gone souls, haunting the place.In the film they showed you the gas chambers, with thousands of finger nail scratches on the ceilings, those were from the people who were locked in the gas chamber, begging to be released from the nightmare. They also showed the ovens were they would burn the bodies after they had being in the gas chamber. They showed the trains which a hundred of persons were stuffed in one cart, without a seat, fresh air, or food.
In my opinion "Night and Fog" had more to say to the viewers even though it was shorter than "Schindlers List", because through this film they walked you through the conceration camp giving you a tour of where the grief took place. In this film they gave you a now and then view. They brought you to present time then back to the past. When they brought the views back to the past it was an actual scene from that time and place, for around that time film production was in action.Where as in "Schindlers List", it focus more on the people who were on Schindlers, than on the entire view of the Holocaust itself.

Film Lesson: "Schindler's List"

2007-03-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

"Schindler's List" referred to the hundreds of thousands of names of Jews who worked in a factory, for a man name Oskar Schindler. Whoevers name was on Schindler's list, was saved from the harsh treatments of the Nazi Concentration camps, but those who weren't so lucky had to face hardship and pain . The film imitates the events that actually took place during the Holocaust. It showed how the Jews were forced to leave their comfortable lives, into one that would rob them of their pride and dignity, leaving their hearts battered and their minds with dreadful memories. It showed courage of a people. But as generations grow it teaches us that all men are moral, yet are cruel to one another.
Watching the film brought tears to my eyes, for there were so many powerful scenes. But the scenes that spoke to me the most, was when an innocent old man who had done no harm, was brought out of the group, and was shot once in the head. When he was shot he fell onto the snow, with his eyes open. His eyes looked up into the skies as if he was beckoning to God,for answers; while his blood was overflowing like a stream, turning the pure white snow red. The other scene that spoke to me was when the children were taken away from their mothers, left without a mothers care, not knowing where they were going or what would happen to them; not knowing their lives would be cut short.
The images from the film that will stay with me in my heart, are the images of rivers of blood, the endless tears of children, the screams and pleads for help, the many faces that lay with questioning eyes, and concentration camp. I will remember these images , because it will remind me of how lucky I am as an individual and that there are people in this world who are in far worst situations than me. Also , if i should ever say anything hateful to anyone, i will remember that a hateful word is what cause the Holocaust.

US Atomic Bombing of Japan in 1945

2007-03-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

Based on the article that I read about the top 100 20th century news, I believe that the US Atomic Bombing of Japan in 1945 should be number one on the list before all other events that took place in 20th century history because it was in my opinion a lesson for all humanity and to the leaders of the world.
Before 1949, Japan attacked the US at Pearl Harbor on December 7,1941, removing the US Navy in a split of a second, destroying there battleship and aircraft, a few 2400 Americans died, without warning. Japan thought they left the US hopeless and weak but they were wrong.
In 1949, the US came back in full force, dropping two atomic bombs on Japan, one on Hiroshima and the other bomb on Nagasaki(with the mind set to bring the war to an end). The dropping of the two bombs left the two cities in Japan laying flat and deserted. Through this hundreds and thousands of Japanese civilians died and were severely injured. The bomb had long term effects as well, apparently the radiations from the bomb lead to the exposure of many diseases, such as cancer and leukemia. People were left with permanent scars on there back from there Kimono's(Japanese traditional wear).
As you can see this event of the US Atomic Bombing of Japan in 1945, proved to all humanity that war only leads to more war. Finding people to work probably became hard because after a period of time more and more people were getting ill, this affected Japans economy greatly.The bombing on the two cities took the pride and dignity of many people, leaving them with only bad memories. This event was a reflection on how things that seem good to us can lead us into something such as mass destruction. In the end neither Japan or the US won. It just left scars of hatred and took away all value of human mortality and respect.

Germany at War - WW II

2007-03-09T08:54:00.001-08:00

Based on the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary the word "Propaganda", means "The spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person."

The picture or poster on the left demonstrates, what Adolf Hitler was doing during World War Two. It shows the amount of control and power Germany was gaining. On the poster a cross is shown with "W.Churchill" written on it. This section of the picture is talking about Great Britain, I know this because W.Churchill is the name of one of England's former prim ministers, during the time when Germany Bombed London and other parts of England. The time in which Germany bombed London and other parts of England was known as "The Blitz". Germany bombed England for a long period of time killing a tremendous amount of innocent people, and destroying an extensive amount of land. Based on a resource one of the worst attacks on Great Britain during "The Blitz" took place during November 14-15, where Germany dropped 450 bombs, 1400 high explosive bombs, and 100,000 other explosives; on Coventry, the middle of England. They manage to destroy many buildings and killed and injured many people. The Cross on the picture symbolizes the many lives that where lost through "The Blitz".
Another thing that I noticed in the poster was what looked like a knights arm knocking a man in the face. This part of the picture represents Germany going into Russia and attacking them. Since Germany basically invaded an took over most of Europe , they still didn't have Russia under their wings. So not thinking about long term effects, and also not considering that they made a pact with Russia;not to turn its back on them,Germany invaded Russia . Every time Germany tried to invade Russia ,they failed because of Russia constant whether changes. The German soldiers would go to Russia in their summer army clothes, while in Russia the whether was harsh and bitter, and the snow was unbearable, making it hard to carry equipment and such that would help them to defeat Russia. So the knights arm is Germany, and the man ,the arm is knocking is Stalin, who was Germany's leader.
Last but not least I observed words in the poster that said "Eucopas Sieq dein wohlstand", which means "Europe's victory is your prosperity". This quote means that Germany's victory turned its back on them. Germany made numerous attempts to invade and take over Russia, until Russia sided with other European countries and declared war on Germany, because they couldn't take being bullied anymore. Since Germany stood alone during this battle, the were defeated.

The Treaty of Versailles (ended WW I)

2007-02-13T08:45:00.000-08:00

In the year 1919 the Treaty of Versailles was passed at the Paris Peace Conference, it was a peace treaty that helped to end World War One, between the Allied and Central Powers and the German Empire. At the conference the Treaty was signed, and the treaty accused Germany of being responsible for starting the war. It also stated that they were to pay back their fellow allies under war guilt of the treaty. The war guilt made Germany lose most of their lands, all of their foreign colonies were taken away and shared between their allies and some parts of Germany found themselves living outside of the German Borders.
The sign of the treaty caused Germany to end up in a long line of obstacles. Germany became behind in their payments and suffered great humiliation from the French entering into the Ruhr to secure their payments. This all meant that Germany had no way of getting out of their economic issues because now all their produce and profits went to their allies. Germany began to feel insecure about their lack of ability to fight for themselves or even to help themselves. They also feel excluded from the rest of the world since they were taken out of the league of nations. The German Empire fell down, their was lack of food, jobs, and people wanted accuse someone... but who?.
Many think that the Treaty of Versailles was to blame for the rise of Alford Hitler. The reason is because life for the German people became hard as a result of it being signed. Hitler came into power because, Germany at the time of their depression, had to regain their power. Hitler came into their mist, encouraging them, urging them they need to take a stand. He stated that Germany had lost the war and was facing hardship was because they were "stabbed in the back". Hitler blamed German's lack of power and control over the world on the Jews.
By 1933, Alford Hitler had full power and dictatorship over Germany and started the National Socialist party, also known as the (Nazi). All who opposed the Nazi were murdered or brutally treated. They taught teenagers that they had to fulfill Germany's destiny as a world power. As you can see Hitler came into place to help Germany get back on its feet. But the greed of power got in the way of what he was really in power for.Instead of Hitler really leading his country through their depression and lost, he brought them farther down into it , making matters worst than they were before.

Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) and the Modernization of Turkey

2007-02-12T13:18:00.000-08:00

Mustafa Kemal was the founder and the first president of the Turkish Republic. With his modern perspectives, he transformed Turkey into a whole new nation. According to a source, Mustafa Kemal "brought the Turks out of the ashes of the Ottoman Empire". It was an Empire that "was seen as the sick man of Europe at the turn of the century." Mustafa was known as a strong charismatic military leader amongst the Turks and many nations at large. Although he was a well known military leader, he was more known for leading Turkey through their national liberation struggles. He did this by first putting an end to the Ottoman dynasty, that was around for about six centuries and created what is now known as the Turkish Republic, hence creating a new government and a new way of living for the Turkish community. Since he was now the new leader of the Turkish society, he had to enforce some new ways of life. He believed that "the traditional way of running Muslim countries had outlived itself, and that Turkey's chances of surviving the future as well as gaining new strength would only be achieved through adopting principles from the European countries........". He did these reforms by imposing a new form of clothing, he made it that men stop wearing a fev on their head, and start to wear what is known as a hat instead. He also wanted them to wear ties and trousers just like the European society. He also introduced a new form of Latin alphabet for Turkish. He promoted equality of all citizens regardless of their religion and helped to fight for the rights of women and the education of the lower classes. One major change he made was introducing a political system that was the exact replica of the Western systems. The different was that he only allowed his own Republican People's party, he didn't believe in pluralism. His reforms within the Turkish Republic, helped to make Turkey a more secular place, meaning a more worldly place. His achievements in modernizing Turkey, lead to have the honorable title as "Ataturk", meaning "Father of the Turks", which was bestowed upon him by the National Assembly. On November 10,1938, Mustafa Kemal died at the age 57. Even though he died at a young age he will still be remembered as the one who brought Turkey through their struggles and shape them into the society they are today.

Film Review: "Gandhi"

2007-02-09T08:27:00.000-08:00

The word "leader" is defined as a person who inspires others. Throughout history we have had some leader amongst our mist who have, enlightened our hearts and minds with their powerful words. They have given us strength with their noble demeanor, they have given us hope for a brighter day and most importantly ,they have paved the way for many generations to come.
Like most countries we have someone who we look up to for guidance....India looked up to, Mohandas K Gandhi, he was Indians greatest political and spiritual leader. He helped to gain India's independence from the British. He did so without violence, he lead his protest through civil disobedience, meaning he and his followers, refused to obey any commands from the British, without using violence. To make this successful they burned all the manufactured goods to the British and bought their own goods instead. They even wove their own cloths by hand. They also boycotted, which ended Gandhi in jail a few time. Even thought the British tried to slow his protest down, he still persisted, even if it require him getting killed or beaten to death. One of his protests was, the protest against salt tax. He lead his followers to the sea, where they made their own salt from the seawater. He also helped to improve India's social and economic conditions. He even put his own health in danger, he fasted to gain respect from the untouchables and keep the peace between the Hindus and Muslims. His main goal though was to make the Indian society one, instead of having various groups. Indian did gain their Independence but still ,not as one, as Gandhi had wanted. Instead, the country was divided into separate nations, India and Pakistan. He believed that Muslims and Hindus were equal to each other and that no one is better than anyone. All his hard work and determination to better his country, cost him his life. On January 30, 1948, he was assassinated by a Hindu man who was against his protest and his belief that all Indians are equal. He had a tragic death, but had an honorable funeral. Gandhi will always be remembered throughout generations to come, because he showed that a disagreement can be settled without using violence. He wasn't only thinking of himself when he began his protest, this man basically put his own life at stake for his fellow men , because he felt that they should be treated with respect just like any other human bean, he felt that his people needed to take a stand and needed to be recongized for who they are. But some still didn't see ,what this one man had done for them because they continued to argue amongst themselves, ignoring the real reason why they were protesting. He was a man with great courage, who inspired many with his wisdom.

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2007-02-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

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