End Of The Cold War[1]

End of the Cold War

• Iranian Revolution and Islamic fervor- Invasion of Afghanistan– U.S. supports Afghanistan

• Economic success in western Europe– Communism takes a defensive role

• 1978- China participates in the world economy– Gain international investment and rapid growth

• Jimmy Carter points out deficiencies

• Ronald Reagan “the evil empire” and massive military spending– Reagan Doctrine: anticommunism

• Intense reform, political movements in eastern Europe dismantled the Soviet Union

• Forced industrialization- environmental problems, diseases

• Production stagnated

• Growing inadequacy for health care and housing

Reform

• More participation in world market

• Opening of McDonald’s symbolized economic change

• Commercial

• Japan

• Russia

Gorbachev’s Reforms

– Western style– Relatively open press

conferences– Reduction in arms

production– Ended the war in

Afghanistan– Glasnost (openness) new

freedom to criticize and comment

– Reduced bureaucratic inefficiency

– More decentralized decision making

• Limits on political freedom

• Reduced isolation while criticizing Western politics and social structure

Perestroika

• Economic restructuring

• More leeway for private ownership and decentralized control in industry and agriculture

• Encouraged foreign investment

• Self help

Gorbachev’s Politics

• 1988 new constitution– Abolished communist monopoly on elections– Opposition groups develop in response

• Radicals vs conservatives

• Reform and economic stagnation caused tension

Women “return to their purely womanly missions”

Tearing it Down

• Bulgaria (1987) economic liberalization

• Hungary installed noncommie president, and free market

• Poland- non commie, and dismantled state run economy

• East Germany 1989

• Wall down in 1990

Effects of the Dismantling

• Sluggish production, pollution, and economic problems leads to political and social discontent

• Free market in Poland= unemployment and price increases

• Gorbachev “any nation has the right to decide its fate by itself.”

Back to Russia

• 1991 Yeltsin proclaims the end of Soviet Union and the beginning of a republic

• But what would happen with the economy now that the state is not involved?– Hesitancy to convert to a complete market system

• Yeltsin loses power as the economy goes down• Many Russians wanted a return to state operated

economy

Rise of Democracy

• 1970s- trend of democracy in regions where it was once shunned

• Fall of communism reflected and encouraged the trend of democracy

• 1980s Taiwan, South Korea, and Philippines embraced the democratic idea

• By 1990s nearly all of Latin America was democratic

• Dismantling Apartheid helped bring democracy in Africa

• American invasion in Iraq brought some ideas of democracy to the Middle East

– Kuwait granted women the vote

Limits of Democracy

• China made movements toward democracy in the late 80s – Tianamen Square

• Democracy seemed linked to the economy• Democratic systems struggled against poverty

and social unrest• Despite all of this, never had there been such an

international agreement on political standards

Problems Emerge

• The Soviet totalitarian government kept the lid on social, ethnic, and religious conflict, once it fell…– Czechs vs Slovaks– Serbs and Croats

• Acts of Genocide

• Ethnic “cleansing”

1994 & 1999 ChechnyaChechnya

1976: Cambodia

1976: Cambodia

1994: Rwanda

Now: DarfurClip

Old School Problems

• Israeli-Palestinian conflict

• Iraq, Iran, and Kuwait

• India and Pakistan

Ethnic Issues

• Ethnic issues had always existed– Some groups increased their investment in

ethnic identity– Global interaction allowed from hostilities to

generate among groups

• Migration of workers in to Europe– Fear of foreigners– Competition for jobs