...other’s benefit instead of personal gain. However, the state of communism in the world in the twentieth century was very different from the utopia Marx alluded to as seen in the communist Russian government. One of the major issues with communism is that it can kill any ambition or motivation of the people in the communist country. Because individual efforts only benefit the community as a whole and there is no chance of moving up in class, communist citizens often have no motivation to work hard in their jobs. This is one of the major reasons for the economic downfall of the Soviet Union during the late twentieth century. The Soviet Union tried to unite the multiple countries and ethnicities under a central, Russian state. “First, the Soviets underestimated the degree to which the non-Russian ethnic groups in the country (which comprised more than fifty percent of the total population of the Soviet Union) would resist assimilation into a Russianized State.”(coldwarmuseum) Many Non-Russian...
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...Soviet Union Collapse In the 1980’s, Mikhail Gorbachev, the 8th leader of the Soviet Union embarked on several reforms that were aimed at modernizing the Soviet Union to help the economy and improve relations with the West. These were Glasnost (political openness) and Perestroika (reduced governmental control of the economy). Gorbachev also withdrew Soviet military presence from the Warsaw pact nations in Eastern Europe like Romania, Poland, and Czechoslovakia, which reduced the span of Russian Influence. Gorbachev also reduced the power of the internal institutions like the Politburo (Communist Party leadership) in June of 1990. His goal was to implement these reforms that would modernize the Soviet Union while keeping it intact. Many in the Western governments supported his goals, In particular both US Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush predicted Gorbachev’s reforms would succeed. However his plans did not succeed as he had hoped. The KGB was alarmed at the progressive weakening of the strong central government and organized a coup attempt. Gorbachev’s vision had not been fulfilled. His attempt to modernize the Soviet Union had some serious flaws. The first was that existing economic structures were abandoned before new structures could take root. The results were that there was economic decline, which caused discontent among the populace. Also the power elite saw a chance to gain wealth and property by supporting democratic change, though they were not...
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...AP* World History Study Guide and Graphic Organizers – Unit 5: The Modern World, 1914 CE – present 1. World War I Students are required to know the causes, major events, and consequences of WWI 1) Causes a) Imperialism i) No new lands to expand into – some nations didn’t have many colonies (Germany, Italy) ii) Rivalries as nations competed for colonies iii) Sometimes armed conflict in colonial lands for control over resources b) Nationalism i) Pride in one’s nation, want one’s nation to be the best and most powerful ii) Fostered conflict as nations competed to be the best iii) Justified imperialism, militarism iv) Caused disruptions in multi-ethnic nations (Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire); rebellions, revolts against foreign rule c) Militarism i) Build up of a country’s military; keeping a large standing army ii) Nations expanded their militaries as a show of power iii) Arms race: each nation needed to have a standing army because their neighbors had standing armies d) Alliances i) Bismarck: German chancellor behind alliance system in Europe ii) Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy allied; France, Great Britain, Russia allied 2) Events a) Assassination of Archduke Frantz Ferdinand: Serbian terrorists kill the Austrian duke and his wife as they honeymooned in Sarajevo i) Austria demands Serbian submission ii) Russia offers to back Serbians in defying Austrians iii) Austria and Germany declare war on Serbia and Russia (along with Russia’s allies) b) Schlieffen...
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...of the Kremlin portrays a grim image of inevitable confrontation with the Soviet Union. In the context of describing the Kremlin’s design, the document positions the US as a perceived obstacle and adversary of the Kremlin and assumes that the Kremlin view includes an imperative to destroy or subvert the US by any means necessary. While the document called for a massive peace time mobilization and increase in spending to contain the military threat in the Soviet Union, decades later, the fall of the Soviet Union can be seen as either the ultimate success of the policies it advocated or rather the repudiation of its gross exaggerations of Soviet power. Contrary to assumptions in NSC-68, the economic power of the Soviet Union would turn out to be on path of decline rather than improvement and it would eventually lead to the unraveling of the Soviet Union. With indicatives lead by Soviet leaders Boris Yeltsin and Gorbachev, the Soviet Union aligns itself towards marketization in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. With the economy in limbo, a re-alignment of Soviet foreign policies ensues virtually ending the cold war. Gorbachev pursues what is seen as concessionary foreign policy based on the idea that the world is all interdependent and that global relationship would prevail over East-West divide, effectively an annulment of the idea of the Cold War. In the 1950’s, NSC-68 had portrayed the Soviet Union as an expanding antidemocratic oppressor entity that worked to enslave populations...
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...Which did more to cause the collapse of the Soviet Communism by 1991, developments inside or outside the USSR? 1991 marks the end of Soviet Communism. Leading to 1991, USSR started to lose support from the Eastern European as USSR was in a situation that provided them with undesirable economic situations, low living standards, political instability and lack of freedom. As a whole, the cause for these situations, thereby leading to the fall of Soviet Communism, can be categorized in two main reasons – developments inside of USSR, and developments outside the USSR. While the external developments such as role of Ronald Reagan & his policies, the Pope’s involvement, rise of non communist movements in Eastern Europe and price of oil and effects on USSR did played a significant role in breaking the Soviet Communism, it is still undeniable that the internal developments, mainly the USSR leaders’ (Brezhnev and Gorbachev) policies, made larger and more tangible impacts that raises the resentment and opposition to Soviet domination, causing it to fall apart. The developments inside the USSR therefore did more to cause the collapse of the Soviet Communism. To begin with, one of the early causes of the fall of communism is due to the stagnation period under Brezhnev where economy did not improve, or rather, declined (which can be seen from USSR’s continuous importing of grain from US). This stagnation was due to expanded military and neglected domestic economy. As a whole, this period...
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...Assess the success of Stalin in implementing his economic policies in the Soviet Union. Stalin had decided by 1928 that the Soviet Union could not survive unless it rapidly modernized its economy, so he completely reshaped Soviet agriculture and industry through two main economic policies: Collectivization and the Five Year Plans. These policies had economic, political, and social successes and failures. Stalin’s main economic success was industrialization, achieved by his Five-Year-Plans. The aim of this policy was to establish a war economy by increasing industrial production. Stalin and Gosplan set ambitious targets for each year, and people were rewarded if targets were met, punished if not. By enforcing harsh punishments upon the peasants, Stalin was sure people would work harder than they thought was physically possible just to achieve set targets. In the first Five Year Plan (1928-1932), there was a huge increase in the production of heavy industry: oil production rose from 11.7 to 21.4 tonnes, coal production 35.4 to 64.3 m tonnes, steel production increased by one-third. New towns and new tractor factories were built to meet the needs of mechanized agriculture. In the second Five Year Plan (1933-1937), oil production rose to 28.5m tonnes, coal production to 128m tonnes. By 1937, the USSR was essentially self-sufficient in machine-making and metal-working. Transport and communications grew rapidly. In the third Five Year Plan (1938-1941), production continued...
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...Causes and Origins of the Collapse of the Former Soviet Union An Honors Research Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Graduation ―with Honors Research Distinction in Russian Economic Studies‖ in the Undergraduate Colleges of the Ohio State University by Erik Lauritzen The Ohio State University June 2011 Project Advisors: Professor Jason Blevins, Department of Economics Professor Jennifer Suchland, Department of Russian Table of Contents Abstract.................................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3 1. Macroeconomic Planning in the Soviet Union ................................................................. 5 1.1 The Early Policies of Period One ................................................................................................... 5 1.1.1 War Communism .......................................................................................................................... 5 1.1.2 The New Economic Policy (NEP) ............................................................................................... 9 1.1.3 Democratic Centralism ............................................................................................................... 11 1.2 The Significance of Economic...
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...Origins of Modern Europe During the 14th and 15th centuries, Europe experienced a period of heightened intellectual and artistic activity. This rebirth of classical learning is called the Renaissance. The 15th century marked the beginning of the age of exploration. Christopher Columbus and other European seamen opened the way for increased world trade and great colonial empires. The cities on or near the Atlantic replaced those of Italy as the commercial centers of Europe. Rich merchants began to rival the nobles in wealth and power. A growing abundance of money permitted kings to hire officials and soldiers, gradually removing the need for feudal relationships. World known by Europeans in the 14th century This map shows how much of the world's lands and seas were known to Europeans by the A.D. 1300's. Areas that Europeans knew about included northern Africa, far northeastern North America, much of Asia, the Mediterranean Sea, and parts of the North Atlantic and Indian oceans. The 16th century brought the Reformation, when many Christians rejected the authority of the pope and the Protestant movement was begun. The 17th and 18th centuries formed a period of savage wars by which the various European monarchs sought to increase their territories. England became a limited monarchy and aspirations for political freedom appeared in other parts of Europe. Low Countries in the 16th century. The Low Countries, including most of present-day Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands...
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...war with America today?" This is what it was like for many people living in the Soviet Union, a.k.a the USSR, or present day Russia, around 1985 during the Cold War. The Cold War was a period of tension and, on many occasions, near-war conflicts mostly between the Soviet Union and the United States. It was basically started after so-called diplomatic relations between the USA and the USSR started to dissolve after World War II. The war ended in 1991,leading to the downfall of the Soviet Union. Many factors brought upon the end of the Cold War. One major thing that led to the end was the internal problems the Soviet Union was facing. Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, also contributed in more ways than most to the end of the Cold War. Ronald Reagan, the American president at the time, was considered one of the greatest factors. One of the less frequently mentioned issues leading to the end was communism itself. The Cold War, by the late 1980's, had been going on for about forty years. The Soviet Union was racing against the United States to develop better weapons and more of the weapons they already had. This cost the Soviets a pretty penny. In fact, they were spending an estimated fifty percent of their national product on building weapons and trying to be better than the United States. All of this wasted effort eventually came back to ruin them, causing severe economic decline. People were not living like they lived in a country with a superpower status....
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...attended Moscow State University and graduated with a law degree in 1955. He would meet his future wife Raisa Titarenko whom he married in 1953. They had one daughter born in 1957. He joined the Communist party in 1950. Mikhail Gorbachev is still alive and is currently 83 years old. He was the only General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union to be born after the October Revolution. The October Revolution was a culmination of The February Revolution, which overthrew the Tsar autocracy of Nicholas II. The October Revolution was the start of Russian Civil War, which was fought between White Russians (non-communist) led by Alexander Kerensky and the Reds (communists) led by Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky. The Russian Civil War lasted until 1922, which saw the formation of USSR with the signing of The Treaty on the Creation of the USSR on December 30, 1922. 2: Rise in The Communist Party...
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...Human trafficking and exploitation have been in existence since the beginning of time. This paper focuses on the underground economy of human trafficking and its relation to the transitioning economies of Russia and Ukraine. To understand the scope of the issue of human trafficking on transitioning economies, the history and origination of the issue must be clearly understood. The emergence of human trafficking, also commonly referred to as modern day slavery, can be dated back to the beginning of the 20th century; the start of slavery when humans were trafficked for mainly for labor. Records of human slavery within Europe date back to ancient Greece and Rome, but the practice did not end in ancient history. There are long-standing historical precedents for the exploitation of Slavs within Western Europe. It is commonly perceived that slavery disappeared from Europe many centuries ago. There was little knowledge of the active slave market in Palermo Sicily, with slaves being brought from Africa until the middle of the nineteenth century. Much of the slave trade was ran by legitimate actors and companies sanctioned by the state. An active slave trade with Africa flourished in the large colonial powers of Europe such as England and some of the smaller colonial powers such as Portugal. In addition to Africans, indigenous American populations were also enslaved in the colonies of Central and South America and the Caribbean. When the importation of slaves was outlawed in the colonies...
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...The Cold War The Cold War, often dated from 1947 to 1991, was a sustained state of political and military tension between powers in the Western Bloc, dominated by the United States with NATO among its allies, and powers in the Eastern Bloc, dominated by the Soviet Union along with the Warsaw Pact. Role of USSR and USA to the conflicts in the Cold War The Cold War began after World War II. The main enemies were the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold War got its name because both sides were afraid of fighting each other directly. In a "hot war," nuclear weapons might destroy everything. So, instead, both sides fought each other indirectly. They supported opposing sides in conflicts in different parts of the world. They also used words as weapons. They threatened and denounced each other. Or they tried to make each other look foolish. Over the years, leaders on both sides changed. Yet the Cold War continued. It was the major force in world politics for most of the second half of the twentieth century. The Cold War world was separated into three groups. The United States led the West, including countries with democratic political systems. The Soviet Union led the East. This including countries with communist political systems. The non-aligned group included countries that did not want to be tied to either the West or the East. Harry Truman was the first American president to fight the Cold War. He used several policies. One was the Truman Doctrine. This was a plan...
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...the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in an effort to preserve the communist government and ensure its own security, but it failed due to the superior tactics of guerilla fighters in a unique landscape and the United States’ support of the Afghan rebels. This war between Soviet forces and Afghan rebels was a struggle between the communist government and its opposition. The Soviet Union was unable to adjust to the terrain and battle space and was forced to withdrawal. This struggle highlights the strategic game that the United States and the Soviet Union played to prevent control by one another during the Cold War. According to Joseph Collins’ analysis of the Soviet invasion, the motives for the Soviets to invade Afghanistan...
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...After World War II the U.S. faces many hardships while struggling to keep communism from spreading. The Cold War affected the U.S. both financially and politically while stopping the Soviet Union from spreading communism throughout Europe and Asia. After WWII America’s military demobilized and the public’s opinion swayed to becoming more concerned in global affairs. Relations with Russia were deteriorating and there needed to be a force to keep them in check. As The Soviet Union forced communism to other countries, the U.S. step in pushed them out. President Kennedy faced many issues regarding the nuclear weapons during his term. He trained Cuban exiles should an invasion of their homeland occur; this method was supposed to establish a non-communist friendly relationship with the United States’ government. The exiles were either killed or captured when they landed at Cuba’s Bay and Kennedy took full...
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...History Home > Modern History > International Studies in Peace and Conflict > The Cold War 1945-1991 > Overview of US-Soviet relations and the Cold War The Cold War 1945-1991 Overview of US-Soviet relations and the Cold War David Mclean Charles Sturt University Principal Focus: Students investigate key features and issues in the history of the Cold War 1945 - 1991 Outcomes Students: H1.1 describe the role of key features, issues, individuals, groups and events of select twentieth-century studies (Extract from Modern History Stage 6 Syllabus Board of Studies NSW 2004.) Key features and issues: • origins and development of the Cold War • influence of ideologies on the Cold War • impact of crises on changing superpower relations • the arms race • reasons for the end of the Cold War This is the transcript of a talk given at a seminar co-sponsored by the History Teachers’ Association of New South Wales and the US Information Service in Sydney on 2 September 1995. From this tutorial you will learn about: • influence of ideologies that led resulted in the division of the world into two opposed camps from 1945 • emerging differences between the superpowers Contents 1. US – Soviet relations were not synonymous with the Cold War 2. Chronology of the Cold War 3. Influence of ideologies of communism and capitalism on the Cold War 4. Soviet Objectives 5. American objectives 6. The Arms Race 7. The Third World was important for the Cold War 8...
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