Material for June 2 nd Exam

Collapse of Communism in USSR In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in USSR. He wanted to end Cold War tensions. – He pulled soviet troops out of Afghanistan.

Perestroika He restructured the failing state-run command economy in a process called Perestroika. The goals were to stimulate economic growth and to make industry more efficient. Gorbachev supported free market reforms. Negative effects of Perestroika were increased inflation and shortages of food and medicine.

Glasnost Gorbachev also called for glasnost or openness. This policy ended censorship and encouraged people to speak openly about the problems in the Soviet Union.

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania regained their independence. The soviet republics declared their independence soon after. Gorbachev resigned shortly after a failed communist takeover.

Lech Walesa & Solidarity in Poland Workers organized Solidarity. (an independent trade union.) The workers were led by Lech Walesa This union pushed for political changes. Lech Walesa will become president of Poland.

Fall of the Berlin Wall Wall built in 1961 to keep East Germans from fleeing to the West. East German leaders could no longer count on support from the Soviet Union. Wave of protests forced the communist government from power. In November 1989, the Berlin Wall was torn down.

Impact of Reunification of Germany East Germany and West Germany will be reunited. There will be economic problems in the short term. Germany ends up becoming one of the dominant economies in Europe.

Ethnic Tensions surface In the 1990’s : Czechoslovakia peacefully breaks into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Other nations, ie: Yugoslavia, will be torn apart New Independent states such as Bosnia were created.

Ethnic Cleansing However, ethnic conflicts have continued. Ethnic cleansing (killing a people of a certain ethnic group) took place.

Latin America Dictators have come to power and been able to stay in power in most instances. Latin Americans have tried to revolt against military dictatorships and install democracies with limited success.

Latin America still lacks investment capital needed to develop industry, but outsiders are unwilling to invest money in such an unstable region. It is unstable b/c of: – Political unrest – Drug trafficking – Guerilla warfare

“Arab Spring” This term refers to the wave of demonstrations, protests, riots, and civil wars in the Arab world beginning December 18, Countries impacted included: Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria, and Bahrain

Tunisia Had repressive government. Man set himself on fire to show his frustration with the government and police. Protests spread and the president flees Elections in October 2011 Protests continued in 2013/2014

Egypt: The people were able to organize and gather via Facebook and Twitter. Huge Protest took place 1/25/2011 President Hosni Mubarak resigned by 2/11/11 Military took over Jan 2012 elections occurred

Syria Protests mounted against President al-Assad Full scale Civil War Hundreds of thousands of people have died as a result. Millions more have become refugees.

Libya Muammar Qaddafi led Libya for 40 years. The UN was outraged over him using artillery, helicopter gunships, and anti-aircraft missile launchers against protesters. Qaddafi will end up being captured and killed in the streets.

Yemen Among poorest country in the Arab world. Some people have pushed for two separate nations. In 2011, new clashes forced the resignation of the president of 33 years. Since the 1990’s a branch of Al-Qaeda has been growing in southern Yemen. It has been tied to terrorist attacks within Yemen

Terrorism Terrorism is the deliberate use of unpredictable, violence, especially against civilians, to gain revenge or achieve political goals. It is usually used by groups that do not have their own military power They use tactics such as bombings, kidnappings, assassinations, and hijackings

Terrorism Major terrorist groups include: – ISIS – Al Qaeda – Boko Haram These groups recruit via social media.

**FYI NOT ON EXAM** Tunisia: President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali ousted, and government overthrown.Zine El Abidine Ben Ali Egypt: President Hosni Mubarak ousted, and government overthrown.Hosni Mubarak Libya: Leader Muammar Gaddafi killed following a civil war that saw a foreign military intervention, and government overthrown.Muammar Gaddafi Yemen: President Ali Abdullah Saleh ousted, and power handed to a national unity government.Ali Abdullah Saleh Syria: President Bashar al-Assad faces civil uprising against his rule that deteriorates into armed rebellion and eventual full-scale civil war.Bashar al-Assad Bahrain: Civil uprising against the government crushed by authorities and Saudi- led intervention. Kuwait, Lebanon and Oman: Government changes implemented in response to protests. Morocco and Jordan: Constitutional reforms implemented in response to protests. Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Mauritania, and other Arab countries: Protests