Mikhail Gorbachev and the Collapse of Communism

Mikhail Gorbachev was the Soviet Communist leader who followed and pursued his own ideas. He followed his own ideas and demonstrated what a real government should be while straying away from Stalin’s ideas. Russia's history was ran by totalitarian rulers. Gorbachev represented a turning point because he didn't follow this way of government. The collapse started with Mikhail Gorbachev's policies of glasnost and perestroika. Glasnost is the declared public policy within the Soviet Union of openly and frankly discussing economic and political realities. Perestroika was an economic and political reform in the USSR which occurred during the Russian Revolution. These policies tried to open up and reform the old fashioned system of communism. In 1985 he announced a glasnost; this marked a turning point and brought many changes. The government allowed churches to open, he allowed books to be published by previously banned authors and freedom of the press rised. He encouraged Soviet citizens to discuss ways to improve their society. By opening the Soviet Union to other countries, Mikhail lessened the power of the Communist Party over the country. The political system slowly changed to something closer to a Democratic system, and the Communist Party lost control. Perestroika was another policy Gorbachev brought to the Russian economy. This policy allowed people to own their own small businesses which weren't owned buy the government. This made the economy more efficient and productive. He also introduced democratization, this allowed people to elect their own national leader through a list of candidates. Mikhail Gorbachev was one of the first leaders who slowly strayed away from communism. He opened up the economy, achieved his goals and allowed for positive change in Russia.

The Collapse of Communism

The collapse of communism was a result of the end to the cold war. After Stalin became leader nobody really believed in communism. Stalin made a bad decision and the "Class War" was declared. Many peasants were heavily affected and they were struggling to survive. The Soviet economy was declining and so the power of the armed forces was decreasing. Russians did not have enough money to support other allied communism countries. The economy of communist countries such as Cuba and USSR began to collapse. The waste of money on military and oppressive government could not hold up the economy. By the 1990s Russia collapsed. The Berlin Wall was the gigantic wall structure that separated East Germany from West Germany. It was a political boundary between USSR and US. East Germany was part of the Warsaw Pact, and West Germany was part of the NATO. Anyone who tried to cross the wall was shot and killed. After 30 years the Berlin wall was torn down by East and Western Germany once divided by communism and democracy. They were now joined together and formed social and economic ties. The wall was torn down because people began to want to travel. Roads were being built, but the people became tired and attacked the wall and destroyed it.
Communism was supposed to be an equal share of everything but instead people became very poor, this decreased the popularity of communism. After the fall of Communism the Soviets had to start all over again. Communism weighed down the USSR, and its collapse made the United States one of the biggest powers in the world. In 1991 the Soviet Union split up to many different countries. The Soviet red hammer flag was replaced with the original flag that was made up of three stripes .It became a Democratic Nation as well as all of the other parts that split up.

Nelson Mandela and Aparthied

Apartheid was a racial-segregation policy. This policy did not give any rights to the black, mixed or Indian population of Africa. It ran from 1948 to 1994. Nelson Mandela was a man who wanted to abolish the apartheid, and was tired of apartheid policy. He wanted the liberation of Africans and minorities in Africa so he fought for Africa to gain unity and liberty. He also fought many violent acts to gain freedom in South Africa. His struggles for freedom, lead him to jail which gave him more popularity and lead him to presidency in Africa. He was charged with treason for speaking out against Apartheid He was a good president whose 27 years spent in prison allowed him to become stronger and wiser creating journals and books of ideas for his people and the road to independence. He used civil disobedience, gained trust of his people and was elected to be the president of South Africa. South Africa had more population of African American people, and they supported Nelsons ideas. His ideas of "civil disobedience" were inspired by Ghandi and used by Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders such as AL Sharpton. His mission was to free the "oppressed and the oppressor". He didn’t give up serving for his country even after being punished for 27 years He was a hero because he used peaceful means to achieve his goals for his country. He fought many violent acts to gain freedom in South Africa. He was a great leader that Promoted and supported civil disobedience and the eliminating of people getting physical or killied by others as a way to prove their point. All his struggles awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

African Independence

African Independence was a period when African colonies gained there independence from the European countries. There were many changes in Africa from 1955- 1975. During the mid 1950's the continent of Africa was being ruled by European countries. The Europeans wanted there natural resources that were stored in Africa. After 20 years Africa was a whole different continent. The Africans began to study and become more educated. Many young men were enrolling in collage and a steady middle class began to emerge. They made the negritude movement, celebrating all Africans. It was a movement to celebrate there culture, heritage, and values. This movement viewed the black experience as unique. People were sparked by outsiders to make sure Europeans were wiped out of Africa.


One African leader who really made a difference was Kwame Nkrumah. He was the leader of their largely nonviolent protests. He studied in the United States and went to the University of Pennsylvania. He often held boycotts, strikes and the Gold Coast took the name of Ghana. The Gold Coast allowed more Africans to be nominated to the Legislative Council. Nkrumah also began to develop economic projects to help make Africa more advanced. It was the first nation to be governed by Africans. His hard word and effort was very successful. Other leaders included Leopold Senghor, he was a poet and a politician. Through his poetry he was able to support African traditions and emphasized the need for Africa to separate from Europe. He later on became president of Africa. The Africans were regaining power of Africa. Other African leaders included, Marcus Garvey, who being Jamaican focused on having Africans rise to full power of Africa. Jomo Kenyatta was another African leader, who studied and educated himself in London. He worked hard to unite the various ethnic and language groups in the country. He was a nationalist who led the African people toward independence. Then came the rise of the Mau Mau This was a secret society made up of Kikuyu farmers .The Mau Mau’s aim was to frighten the white farmers into leaving there territory. These important leaders made Africa what it is today.