The End of the Cold War and the Shape of a New Era: World History 1990- 2006

1. The End of the Cold War and the Shape of a New Era: World History 1990- 2006 By: Quinn Reilly and Marisa Pallatto

2. The End of the Cold War • Lasted for 30 years • Why did the USSR fall apart? • New US policy • Conservative leadership intent on maintaining status quo • Pressure from surrounding areas • Hard to hide W. Europe’s economic success • China goes the pragmatist route and joins global market 1978 The destruction of the Berlin Wall, 1989

3. The Explotion of the 1980s and 1990s • Soviet economy falling apart • Simultaneously: military spending increased • Environmental destruction from forced industrialization • Decrees in industrial production

4. The Age of Reform • Mikhail Gorbachev • Withdraws troops from USSR • Reduces nuclear arms • Takes on Western behavior • Internal change • Encourages freedom/criticism • End bureaucratic inefficiency • Some companies allowed in to Russia • Perestroika: economic reform • Political changes • Effects of reforms • Social Effects -> mainly impacting woman Mikhail Gorbachev, Cold War

5. Dismantling of the Soveit Empire • Soviet Bloc countries take this opportunity to revolt • Nation’s government /opens economy • Different methods used • Ethnic tensions emerged • Difficult to get on “the right track”

6. Symbolism in the Breakdown of the Soviet Bloc • Latvians strongly opposed the Soviet, but too afraid to express this • After WWII- strong nationalist movement, but was supprssed • Tens of thousands Latvians were killed • Perestroika opened possiblities for change in the SU • Parliament proclaimed a transition to independance

7. Renewed Turmoil in the 1990s • 1991 – attempted military coup ->stopped w/ popular demonstrations • Gorbachev unable to use authority to agree on economic goals • Becomes Commonwealth of Independent States • Main Issue = should economy turn to full market system? • Vladimir Putin (1999) Vladimir Putin, 2013

8. The Spread of Democracy • Theme of 20th century = spread of multiparty democracy w/ freely contested elections • Communism, fascism, authoritarianism replaced w/ democracy • Why was democracy/capitalism attractive?

9. Democratic Protest and Repression in China • Protest for democracy in Beijing by many young Chinese students in 1989 were crushed by the Chinese army. • The motivation behind the repression of these democratic movements • Upset of production, work, studying, and everyday life for people involved in these protest • Hunger strikes- causing health risk for participants • Protests lead to law breaking and other destructive behavior • Overall protests have only cause turmoil and not solved any problems Li Peng 1989, made speech in described in this section

10. Democracy and its Limits • Never before had democracy spread so widely • China, N. Korea, an parts of M. East and C. Asia did not adopt • Elsewhere political stability and economic success • End of Cold War-> reduced the need for great powers-> democratic reforms • US, in particularly, led reform under Jimmy carter • Freer market and economic growth • US spread democracy and allied w/ authoritarian regimes • Resistance • Russia retreats from full democracy • Democracy struggled in Latin America

11. The Great Powers and New Disputes • Changes in the superpowers • US gains power while Russian declines • Led to Russian nuclear weapons • Nations threaten US dominance • China and Europe-> politically and economically • September 11, 2001 – Terrorists frustrated by US policy • What does US do with power? • New threats from emerging nations • Intervenes in regional conflicts • Starts war against terrorism

12. The Former Sovit Empire • End of US-Soviet rivalry led to: • Regional rivalries flaring up again • Middle East –> constant conflict • India/Pakistan • Regions working together • NATO purpose in question • European Union looks to Eastern European countries • Economic alliances

13. Endemic Conflicts • Middle East remained a troubled spot in the 1990s • Persian Gulf War (1991): Iraq, under Hussein, invaded oil-rich Kuwait. • US-led UN forces counter Iraq • 2003: Invasion of Iraq, led by US and UK, to depose Hussein • Israeli-Palestinian conflict persisted. • Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated in Kashmir from a disputed territory Map: Persian Gulf War, 1991

14. Ethnic and Other Conflicts: A New Surge • Upsurge of Ethnic conflict post cold war • Potential group identities generate hostilities • A number of ethnic groups developed in Europe • Brit gov’t limited autonomy • France and Spain became more tolerant • Australia gov’t (right-wing) rhetorically hostile to immigrants • Within Africa-> Rwanda – Hutus vs. Tutsis Genocide • No policies emerged to push back ethnic conflict

15. The United States as a Sole Superpower • US military commitments remained high after the Cold War • US heavily militarizes –>countries increased their militaries • The growth and success of the European Union –>potential counterweight to the USA. • Economically ahead • Free market • Became suspicious of international agreements

16. Terrorism, Then and Now • Terrorism Epidemic beginning in late 1960’s • Wasn’t major concern in America until after Sept 11th attack • Terrorism was also a major threat during the decades before WWI • Technological advances and new Social and Cultural issues cause terrorism from these time periods to be different • Targets change due to new security measures and differing motivation and purpose of the attacks 1964 Brinks Hotel Bombing in Vietnam

17. Terrorism, Then and Now

18. Anti-American Terrorism and Response • American interests have been targets of terrorist attacks since the 1960’s. • US policy diverted to the “war on terrorism.” in response to 9-11 • US turned to Iraq and Afghanistan following September 11th, 2001 attacks. • Iraq: accused of amassing weapons of mass destruction • Afghanistan: attack topples Islamic fundamentalist regime September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the Twin Towers