Mikhail Gorbachev and the Collapse of Communism

The Collapse of Communism

Communism has been going on since 1917 to 1991. It took awhile for it to realize that type of government just can't work, and Russia and the Eastern Europe were ready for Democracy and change. They all knew that it will fail and that's how it collapsed. They also tore down the Berlin wall as the sign of the collapse of Communism. They wanted Europe to unite again. It took awhile for them to change, because after they banned Communism, they didn't know what to do after. They didn't know how to switch to Democracy. It changed the world, because we are all now working on Peace around the world, so we can avoid war and such. Even though there's still some Communism government in some countries, like North Korea and Cuba. 

Nelson Mandela and Apartheid

Nelson Mandela fought for his country's freedom, its racism, and apartheid. Apartheid is a racial-segregation policy in South Africa back then. That policy included everyone. But the white minority get the full citizenship and not the majority of the people in South Africa. For example the Blacks, colored, Indian, and even Asian. Many of them were restricted to vote during elections. The term Apartheid came from the 1930's in South Africa, by the South African Bureau for Racial Affairs. It was a policy that caused separation developments for the races. To me I think it's called Apartheid because the word "Apart" is to keep races apart and all their rights from the higher race, which is the whites, but they're the minority in South Africa. Even if there was more blacks, colored (mixed), Indians, and Asians, the whites get more privileges. Everyone thought it was unfair, and not just that, but according to the whites, the "minorities", were treated wrong. South Africa was full of Racism and Racial segregation.

Nelson Mandela was a hero, because he fought his way for independence. Not just his independence and rights, but also for his people. He no longer wants to follow the un-just system of government. He was imprisoned for 27 years and after that, he became the president of South Africa. He destroyed the corrupt system of the government. He fought for change and still even after all the racism that followed before, South Africa is still in healing.

African Independence

During the years, the African people didn't have their own independence. Africa was taken over by many European countries. They were trying to convert them to their religion or either how they act also.  They were also trying to change their society. Some Europeans were cruel and they turned them to slaves. Most of them at least. After World War II, many countries were seeking for independence in their countries, but also the European countries were ready to transfer to government to the government people. 

It took a while for African and its countries to gain independence by European rule. Of course, Ethiopia became its own country. It was the only country in Africa that was not under European rule. There was this Negritude Movement, where Africans around the world, celebrate their own culture, heritage, and values. Kwame Nkrumah was one of the non-violent protests leaders. Jomo Kenyatta, Mau Mau, Zaire Again, were one of the strong leaders that helped gained their African country gain independence. 

Film Lesson:"The Right Stuff"

NATO and the Warsaw Pact

NATO represents The North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They're also known as the North Atlantic alliance. The organization was about agreeing to have mutual defense in case there was an attack or any party. The countries in the United States and Europe get involved. Their goal was "to keep the Russian out, the Americans in, and the Germans down". North America basically formed this group, because they want to prevent Communism being spread.

Film Lesson: " Schindler's List"

The movie "Schindlers list" illustrated the Holocaust more detailed than the other movie that we watched in class. I thought both movies were very powerful. It was shocking and scary seeing those actually happened to the Jews though. It was cruel and brutal. It was that cruel, that I got myself asking why would they blame the minorities for their problems and just kill all of them. Does that make any sense and very unfair. It shows how the world can be evil. Seeing the liquidation of the Ghettos was really heart-breaking. A lot of Jewish families would be in a small apartment with probably 6 or 7 other Jewish families. It was very crowded, since the Nazis just put all of them in. Many Jews were very wealthy, and the Nazis took it away from them. Later on, they were just capturing all of the Jews that they saw and found to round them up to go to the concentration or labor camps. People who hid, got either killed or caught. But most likely killed. Many were really desperate to hide from them, that they would hide in floors, sewers, walls, or they would make their own secret passage way.

Other events that was more heart-breaking, was when they were taken to Auschwitz or other death camps, and they're being separated from their families, and never to been seen again. But there are a couple of small amount of survivors who were lucky to re-connect with a few of their family members. I guess evaluating on which movie was more powerful, it would be "Schindler's list", because in the movie, it showed the meaning of things. Like the girl in the red-coat, also it showed how A Nazi officer, Oskar Schindler, who saved 1200 Jews through his labor camps. It really takes a brave man to save Jews, especially that during that time of the war were you can get hated or killed for. Night and Fog was good too, but it mostly showed how Hitler invaded Europe and what he did to the Jews and the other minorities, and showed the camps that they were put it and what they would do to them.