Contemporary Western World1970 CE – 2006 CE

Key Events Political and social changes led to the end of the

Cold War and the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union

Economic challenges helped bring about and accompanied these sweeping political and social changes

Society and culture reflected these changes with the advent of the women’s movement, the growth of technology, and a rise in terrorism around the world

Energy prices continued to climb as world oil supplies diminish, causing economic problems for oil-dependent nations

The computer and Internet contribute to the creation of a truly global society

Film, television, music, and advertising spread the American way of life throughout the world

Decline of the Soviet Union By the 1970s, the United

States had entered a détente with the Soviet Union A détente is the

relaxing of tension between two nations

Trade with Soviet Union was increased

In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, ending the détente and intensifying the Cold War The United States

refused to participate in the 1980 Olympics, held in the Soviet Union

President Reagan gave military aid to the Afghanis (those weapons would later be used against the US).

When Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the USSR in 1985, he brought a dramatic end to the Cold War

Gorbachev agreed to the INF Treaty (Intermediate-range Nuclear Force) that eliminated intermediate-range nuclear weapons

Gorbachev also ended USSR aid to governments in Eastern Europe, which led to the overthrow of most of the communist regimes

In 1989, the Berlin Wall came down and by 1990 Germany was reunified

Finally, in 1991, the Soviet Union was dissolved

Gorbachev

Upheaval in the Soviet Union

The fall of the Soviet Union began in the 1960s, when Leonid Brezhnev became the dominant leader in the USSR The Brezhnev Doctrine was a policy that the USSR would

intervene if communism was threatened in any communist state

Brezhnev benefitted from the détente and felt secure because the USSR and US had equal amounts of nuclear arms; Brezhnev allowed the USSR to have more access to Western culture

Brezhnev still punished dissidents – people who spoke out against the communist regime

The USSR had several problems that led to its decline – the government, which ran everything, became to big and cumbersome, which led to inefficiency and indifference

The ruling class (government workers and leaders) became complacent and corrupt; they enjoyed a much higher standard of living than everyone else

By 1980, the USSR was in deep trouble, which opened the door to reformers like Gorbachev

Brezhnev

End of the Soviet Union Gorbachev came to power in 1985 and preached the need for

radical reforms The basis of the reforms was perestroika, or restructuring

Gorbachev tackled economic policy first, by adding limited free enterprise and some private property

Gorbachev allowed non-communist political parties to organize and did away with a provision in the constitution that guaranteed the Communist party a “leading role” in government

He also created a state presidency, he was the first and last president of the USSR

As Gorbachev reduced government intrusion, tensions emerged between Russians and non-Russians who lived in territories ruled by the USSR

In 1989 and 1990, several USSR territories began to call for independence, including: Soviet Georgia, Latvia, Estonia, Moldavia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Lithuania

Gorbachev was arrested in 1991 by Communist leaders who feared the loss of their privilege and power; they tried to seize power but failed because of the efforts of Boris Yeltsin, the president of the Russian Republic, led efforts to resist the rebel forces

After this attempt, numerous Russian territories voted for independence; the USSR was officially declared over in December of 1991; Gorbachev resigned on December 25, 1991 and turned over control of Russia to Boris Yeltsin

Boris Yeltsin

Yeltsin introduced a free market economy, but the transition was difficult. Organized crime grew, Yeltsin attacked the Chechens, who wanted to secede from Russia, and Russia was in turmoil. Yeltsin was defeated by Vladimir Putin in 2000, who is still leading Russia today.

Fall of the USSR

Eastern Europe As a result of Gorbachev’s policies, revolutions broke out throughout Eastern

Europe, which had been under Soviet Control since World War II. These four countries demonstrate how the independence process worked in Eastern Europe.

Poland Czechoslovakia Romania GermanyWorker’s protests in Poland led to demands for change. Lech Walesa organized a national trade union known as Solidarity. Walesa was arrested in the 1980s, but his movement continued. In 1988, Poland held free elections and a new non-communist government was elected, ending communist rule in Poland.

Communists used repression to maintain power in Czechoslovakia from the 1960s to the 1980s. In 1988 and 1989, mass demonstrations took place throughout the country, in December of 1989, the Communist government collapsed. Vaclav Havel became the new president . In 1993, the country was divided between the Czechs and Slovaks, two ethnic groups that had been in conflict. The new countries were the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

In 1965, Nicolae Ceausescu was the dictator of Romania; his economic policies led to a sharp drop in living standards. In December 1989, the secret police murdered thousands of demonstrators, and the army refused to support Ceausescu, who was quickly caught and executed. A new government formed after his death.

The secret police had been used to rule East Germany for nearly 20 years. In 1989, many East Germans fled the country. Mass demonstrations broke out in 1989, and the communist regime fell. The government opened their border to the west, and hundreds of thousands of East Germans swarmed across the border. People on both sides began tearing the wall down, until the government ordered it pulled down. In East Germany’s first free election, the Christian Democrats won 50% of the vote; soon after, East and West Germany were reunified on October 3, 1990.

Disintegration of YugoslaviaYugoslavia was made up of six republics and two provinces, held together by communist rule from World War II until the 1980s.

In 1990, the republics began to lobby for independence. Slobodan Milosevic wanted to redraw the borders to include the Serbian minority in a new Serbian state.

Negotiations failed, and Slovenia and Croatia declared their independence in June, 1991. In September, the Yugoslavian army attacked Croatia.

The army was dominated by Serbians, who turned to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1992, after recapturing one-third of Croatia’s territory. By 1993, Serbians controlled 70% of Bosnian territory.

The Serbs followed a policy of ethnic cleansing – killing or forcibly removing Bosnian Muslims from their lands. By 1995, 250,000 Bosnians had been killed. Two million others were left homeless.

In 1995, the Croatian army regained much of their territory. Air strikes by NATO forces were launched against the Serbs in retaliation for Serb attacks on civilians. A peace treaty was signed in December of 1995.

War in Kosovo

Peace in Bosnia did not end the region’s conflicts.

A new war erupted in 1998 over Kosovo, a province within Yugoslavia.

Kosovo’s inhabitants were mainly ethnic Albanians.

In 1989, Milosevic stripped Kosovo of it’s autonomous status, bringing it under the control of Yugoslavia

The Albanians founded the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and began a campaign against Serbian rule in Kosovo

In 1999, Albanians in Kosovo gained autonomy from Serbia. Elections in 2000 brought an end to Milosevic’s rule.

In 2002 Serbia and Montenegro formed a loose union and dropped the name “Yugoslavia”

Europe Between the 1950s and 1970s, Europe experienced almost full employment

An economic downturn occurred in the 1970s and early 1980s; inflation and unemployment rose dramatically

The Western European nations moved toward a union of their economies after 1970; called the European Economic Community, in 1973 it included Great Britain, Ireland, and Denmark; by 1986, Spain, Portugal, and Greece were members

In 1994, the Treaty on European Union went into effect, which solidified the European Union (EU)

The EU created a common currency, called the Euro; 12 or the 15 member nations abandoned their currency in favor of the Euro in 2002

France’s deteriorating economic situation in the 1970s caused a political shift to the left; by 1981 the Socialists were the chief political party in France, led by Francois Mitterrand Mitterrand increased the minimum wage, instituted a 39-hour work week, and

imposed higher taxes on the rich

The government also socialized the steel, space, and electronics industries, along with banks and insurance firms

The socialist polices did not work well and France continued to decline, and conservatives took over the government by 1993

Reunification of Germany

In 1969, the Socialist Democrats replaced the Christian Democrats as the leading party in West Germany

In December 1972, the German Chancellor, Willy Brandt, signed a treaty with East Germany that led to greater cultural, personal, and economic contacts between the two countries; Germany was fully reunified in the 1980s

Problems with reunification arose when West Germany realized the costs of rebuilding eastern Germany were far higher than anticipated; the government had to raise taxes

East Germany also had vast unemployment problems, as the economy essentially collapsed after communist rule ended

Germans also increased attacks on foreigners, as for years illegal immigrants and foreigners seeking refuge found haven in Germany because of its liberal immigration laws

England and Thatcherism

Between 1964 and 1979, Great Britain’s Conservative Party and Labour Party alternated being in power

The parties had to face intense fighting between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland

The economy was struggling and labor strikes were frequent

In 1979, the Conservative Party came to power and made Margaret Thatcher the Prime Minister Thatcher promised to limit social welfare, restrict union power,

and end inflation; she was able to break the power of the unions and control inflation

Her policies were known as Thatcherism; the economic outlook improved, but old industrial areas were beset by high unemployment, poverty, and violence

Thatcher lost her position as Prime Minister in 1990

United States

Nixon & Watergate

Carter Regan Clinton

In 1968, Richard Nixon was elected president and the U.S. shifted to the political right.

Nixon promised “law and order” would prevail and he would end segregation issues in the south.

Nixon used illegal methods to gain political information about his opponents, which eventually led to the Watergate scandal. Men working for Nixon’s re-election campaign broke into the Democratic National Headquarters and tried to install listening devices.

Nixon lied to the public about his role, which led to his resignation in 1974.

Jimmy Carter became president in 1976. His administration was faced with two devastating problems. The first was high inflation and a decline in American earnings, especially in wages.The second was the Iran Hostage Crisis, when Iran took 52 Americans hostage in Iran. Carter was unable to gain their release, which led to his loss to Ronald Regan in 1980.

Termed the “Regan Revolution”, Ronald Regan was elected in 1980. He cut back on welfare, decreased spending on food stamps, school lunch, and jobs programs. He also oversaw the largest peace time military buildup in US history. Total spending rose from $631 billion to over $1 trillion by 1987. Regan produced record budget deficits, which exist when government spends more than it collects in revenue. He tripled the amount of government debt in six years. George Bush succeeded Regan as president, but economic problems and the deficit led to a loss in his second election.

Bill Clinton was elected president in 1992, and oversaw a long economic revival. He was able to end the deficit and left a surplus when he left office in 2000. Clinton’s term was marred by presidential misconduct that eventually led to his impeachment; he was tried but not convicted by the Senate, in an intensely partisan struggle.

Western Society & Culture

Women’s Movement

Terrorism Science & Technology

In the 1970s, the number of women in the workforce went from less than 30% to more than 44%The women’s liberation movement fought for the Equal Pay Act, because women were earning less than men for the same jobsA backlash occurred in the 1990s, when many women advocated a return to traditional roles

Acts of terrorism increased throughout the world in the 20th centuryMilitant nationalists in Northern Ireland, known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA), used terrorist attacks against Great Britain in their efforts to reunite Northern Ireland with IrelandOther areas of the world were also affected by terrorism. The United States was attacked on September 11, 2001, by the terrorist group Al Qaeda, led by Osama Bin Laden.The attacks were used as justification for wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Scientific and technological advancements revolutionized the world in the 20th century. The space race led to the United States sending a crew to the moon in 1969, and the start of the shuttle program, which were manned flights into space.

Technological advances also caused problems, including having a negative impact on the environment, and the development of genetically enhanced foods, which some people fear will harm humans.

Society & CultureReligious Revival

Trends in Art Popular Culture

Sports, Television & Politics

During the 20th century, Christianity saw a revival, with increasing attendance at worship services and increased church membership through the 1990s.

Since the end of World War II, the United States has dominated the art world. Abstractionism became a popular art form, along with other forms of modern art. Pop art, which took images of popular culture and transformed them emerged. People like Andy Warhol found success in modern art. Postmodernism also emerged, and was marked by a revival of traditional elements and techniques in art. Emerging technologies also allowed artists to create new art forms, including interactive art and a resurgence of photography.

In the 20th century the United States was the dominant force in shaping popular culture. Through television, music, and movies, the United States has spread its ideals and values to millions around the world.Movies were important vehicles for spreading American ideas and culture. Music was also popular, which led to artists around the world transforming music. Increasing technology has increased the influence of music, movies, and television in conveying popular culture.

In the postwar years, sports became a major product of popular culture and the leisure industry. The Olympic Games saw an increase in the number of sports and participants throughout the 20th century. Sports have become politicized, as sports like soccer are used to increase nationalism; the Olympics have been used the same way, to increase feelings of loyalty and national pride.

Warhol Pop Art

Summary

Conflict Change Regionalism Cooperation

• Serb forces carry out “ethnic cleansing” of Muslims

• Terrorist becomes a regular aspect of modern society

• Soviet troops crush a reform movement in Czechoslovakia

• Nicolae Ceausescu is arrested and executed

• The Soviet Union adopts a policy of perestroika under Gorbachev

• Lech Walesa becomes the first freely elected president of an Eastern European nation in 40 years

• The national debt triples in the U.S. during Ronald Reagan’s presidency

• Television, movies, and music spread American culture throughout the world

• Ethnic Albanians declare Kosovo an independent province

• Bosnian Serbs fight Bosnian Muslims and Croats

• Bands of German youths attack immigrants

• Intense fighting breaks out between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland

• British women hold anti-nuclear protest

• American culture spreads through popular media

• East Germany and West Germany are reunited into one nation

• The Soviet Union and United States sign the INF Treaty