Challenges of the 21Challenges of the 21stst Century Century

AP World History

Presentation Outlines

1) Fall of Communism2) Population Growth3) Economic Inequality4) Migration5) The Global Economy6) Environmental Impact7) War on Terror8) Universal Rights and Values9) Global Culture

1) Fall of Communism

A Home-Grown Insurgency• Massive, home-grown

insurgency, led by a number of different participants, contributed to the collapse:– Workers– Dissident intellectuals– Advocates of national

self-determination– Reformers

The Gorbachev Revolution • Mikhail Gorbachev, who

came to power in 1985 as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), recognized that the Soviet Union could not remain politically and economically isolated and that the Soviet system had to be changed if it was to survive.

Gorbachev's Five-Point Plan

• The key pieces to Gorbachev's plan for the survival of the Soviet Union were a series of reforms:1. Glasnost (openness) – greater freedom of

expression 2. Perestroika (restructuring) – decentralization

of the Soviet economy with gradual market reforms

3. Renunciation of the Brezhnev Doctrine (armed intervention where socialism was threatened) and the pursuit of arms control agreements

4. Reform of the KGB (secret service)5. Reform of the Communist Party

Reforms Were Too Slow

• The gradual market reforms and decentralization of the economy (perestroika) were too slow and failed to keep pace with the crisis and his people's demands.

• The Soviet Union was suffering a deterioration of economic and social conditions and a fall in the GNP.

The Rise of Nationalism

• With the iron grip of the centralized Soviet state relaxed and the growing failure of the state to adequately feed and clothe its people, nationalism in the republics surged and separatist movements threatened the very existence of the Soviet Union.

Super Cute Protesters: Moldova: The hot, angry face of

nationalism - Apr 13, 2009

Lech Walesa'sSOLIDARITY

Gorbachev’sREFORMS

John Paul II’sCATHOLICCHURCH

GlasnostRonald Reagan’sFOREIGN POLICY

No BrezhnevDoctrine

Perestroika

ReformKGB

ReformComm Party

EVIL EMPIRESpeech

MILITARY BUILDUP

ARMS RACE

East GermanNATIONALISM

The Collapse of the Soviet Unionand the End of the Cold War

Ordinary MEN & WOMEN

WILL POWER

COURAGE

Eastern Bloc

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

2) Population Growth• Demographic Transition

– Rural to Urban– Urban to Suburban

• Industrialized societies– Lower fertility rates

(fewer children born)

• Women in work force• Families delaying

starting a family– Graying of society

• Developing nations– Population growth “out of

control”• Lack of education• Lack of birth control• Lopsided—more males

than females– Some improvements

being made

3) Economic Inequality

• Improvements in transportation and communication combined with improvements in industrial and agriculture have been beneficial– Most of the world still

lives in poverty and these improvements have not affected them

• Gap between rich and poor nations just as large as in 1945

4) Internal Migration

• Developing countries seeing shift between rural and urban– Infrastructure cannot support– Housing unavailable– Jobs difficult to find without education

Global Migration

• Millions leave developing world and emigrate to developed nations– Creates racial and ethnic problems– Developed nations worried about their

cultural identity• France—great influx of non-Christians

– Immigrants hold on to traditional values of early marriage and large families

• Places burden on some societies

• Immigrant groups growing larger than native groups in some countries– US: fastest growing ethnic group --

Hispanics

French cultural identity challenged

Global Migration

5) New Technologies & the World Economy

• New technologies have improved productivity– Computers, robots,

mechanization in general, has reduced labor requirement

– Improved information (Internet, fax machines, conference calls) has made markets more efficient

• New issues arise: “work smarter, not harder”– Demand for unskilled

workers declined– Education, more than

ever, is important

Transnational Corporations• Businesses owned in one

country but operate across national borders– In operation since 18th century

joint-stock companies– East India Companies

• Multinational Corporations– Companies with multinational

ownership and management– Daimler Chrysler (now in

bankruptcy)– Ford

• Easier to outsource production• Easier to relocate if pollution

laws are too strict• Bottom-line more important

than workers rights or environment

Global Economic Trends

• Rapid Integration of world trade and markets– Interconnected economies what effects

one, effects others (Current world-wide recession)

– Free trade agreements• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)• European Community• Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay)• World Trade Organization (WTO) encourages the

reduction of trade barriers & enforces trade agreements

– Common currency (Euro)

Member nations of the WTO

But what does

globalization have to do

with me?

Jeans from Jeans from

MalaysiaMalaysia

Backpack Backpack from from ChinaChina

Shirt Shirt from from MexicoMexico

Cap from Cap from BangladeshBangladesh

Video gameVideo gamefrom Japanfrom Japan

Sneakers from Sneakers from

IndonesiaIndonesiaSoccer ball Soccer ball fromfromPakistanPakistan

Globalization and Democracy

• By turn of 21st century 140 countries regularly held elections– 125 freedom of expression

• Biggest gains in Eastern Europe following the fall of communism

• Asian democracies have been stable• African democracies have struggled

– Nigeria voting irregularities, Muslim-Christian violence

– Frequent military coups• Sudan• Rwanda

– Zimbabwe & Kenya currently dealing with election woes

– South Africa great success story

6) Environmental Impact

• Deforestation & Pollution have become major concerns– Depletion of ozone global warming????– Nuclear and industrial wastes cancers– Erosion may lead to agriculture crises– Prince Charles rainforest campaign

(Launched 5/5/09)

• Clean Air & Water Acts, Anti-pollution laws

• Wind power windmills • Hydroelectric power• Hybrid cars

Rainforest erosion

Pollution

7) War on Terror• Regime changes in Afghanistan

& Iraq– Current war

• Response to September 11, 2001

• Search for Osama bin Laden & al-Qaeda

– Afghanistan Taliban removed• Resurgence

– Iraq search for WMD• None found• Saddam Husain overthrown,

tried, executed - Boko Haram + Al Shabaab

kidnappings and bombings in West Africa (BK) and East Africa (AS)

8)Universal Rights & Values• US Declaration of Independence, US Constitution/Bill of

Rights, and French Declaration of the Rights of Man set the example for the world– Anti-slavery campaigns– Suffrage movements for all citizens (including women)

• United Nations– Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948

» “a common standard of achievement for all peoples and nations”

» Freedom of movement, assembly, and thought» Right to life, liberty, and security to person» Right to impartial trials, education, employment and

leisure– International consensus against racism

» Racism is learned, education extremely important

• Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs)– Promote human rights– Amnesty International

9)Global Culture

• Trade, travel, migration, and mass communication has led to a common culture world wide– Transistor radios, TV….Internet, MTV, DVDs…– Blue jeans and t-shirts– Fast food junkies– Cell phone and I-pods in the ear

• Cultural Imperialism– Traditional cultures see western culture as a threat to

their way of life• Major argument of Islamic Fundamentalists

– Global Elite• Prevalence of English language• Standardization of science & technology• Universities

– Structure of curriculum similar– International students world wide