1. The End
Chapter 30

2. Mikhail Gorbachev Told his wife “we cannot go on living like this”
Began to reform the Soviet Union
Perestroika= Restructuring of economy, political, social
Glasnost= Openness. People could discuss the problems they saw In the USSR and try to fix them
By 1990 he legalized the creations of different political parties
Ethnic groups complain and break off
Dec. 25, 1991 Gorbachev resigned and USSR broke up

3. Boris Yeltsin
Wanted to quickly establish a market economy and new government with a two chamber parliament
Struggled with the transition and ultimately in 1999 resigned and replaced by Vladimir Putin

4. Vladimir Putin
Wanted to eliminate the corruption of the government and establish a stronger economy
Struggled with Chechnya and the economy

5. Fall of the Berlin Wall
In 1987 Ronald Reagan comes to the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and gives a speech asking Gorbachev to tear down the wall
Late 1989 the wall is torn down in pieces by the people
This was symbolic of the end of the Cold War and a new connection of the West and the East

6. The Euro
Trade between European countries had been difficult with different currencies.
nations in Europe had agreed to use a common currency called the Euro
June of ‘99 a central European bank had been formed
2007 the Euro had replaced the currency of 13 nations
Good for trade but when one country is hurt it hurts all

7. The Persian Gulf War
Iraqi soldiers overthrew the country of Kuwait in 1990
Soviet Forces tried to persuade the Iraqi soldiers to withdraw
From ‘90-’91 the US came and destroyed the Iraqi forces to liberate Kuwait
Russia and US. forces work together as a test of the “New World Order”

8. 9/11/01
Four groups of hijackers took commercial planes and crashed them into the twin towers, pentagon, and Pennsylvania
Attack led by Fundamentalist group known as Al-Qaeda led by Osama Bin Laden
They used the Afghanistan fundamentalist group known as the Taliban
President George W. Bush declared war on “Terror”

9. Iraqi War
2002 George Bush claimed that Saddam Hussein, dictator of Iraq, gave funding to Al-Qaeda
Bush claims that they were developing weapons of mass destruction
Invasion of Iraq defeats military quickly but causes anti-American sentiment in Middle East

10. Muslims
Shiites= group believed that Muslims needed to have a relative of Muhammad become the new leader of Islam
Sunni= Group that believed in the election of the Caliph
Kurds are an ethnic group of Muslims living in the corners of Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria