Mikhail Gorbachev and the end of Communism

Mikhail Gorbachev helped to open the soviet union by modernizing their economy and introducing a market economy to Russia. This led to other countries establishing a market economy of their own and become independent. Glasnost was a program to try to get rid of tthe corruption and political abuse in the Soviet Union. Perestroika was an economic program.

Collapse of Communism

Communism collapsed in eastern europe because there were not that many goods to go around the econonmy was becoming weak and many of the people wanted there freedom. The citizens tore down the Berlin wall because they wanted to unify there city. The collapse of the soviet union changed the world because the treat of a nuclear war was decreased and the United States became the world's only superior power.

Creation of Israel

Zionism is basically the establishment of a Jewish State. When Israel was created there were many problems even a war. This all happened because countries such as Jordon,Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt didn't want to share the holy land with them.The dispute was between the Jewish Israeliains and Arab Palestianians, both claim the right to the land of Israel/Palestine. there had been much violence between both sides. Both group claim the land based on historical,ethnicity, religion and culture. Israelis has sovereignty over most of the land, because they won 2 major wars against arab armies

Nelson Mandela and Apartheid

Apartheid is a system of racial segregation which was used by the South African government from 1948 to 1994. Under this system people didn't have the same right as white people. Non-whites were classified as Bantu ( black ), colored ( mixed ), or Indian. This system separated the whites from the other races and made them the superior. Nelson Mandela did not agree with this form of government. He fought to change this. He became a cultural icon of freedom and equlitiy because he tried to remove the form of government in Africa and eventually did. Nelson Mandela was admired so much by the authors of the sites and articles because after his realse from prison he wrote a book of his life which was really good. Also, he made afria a equal nation

African Independence

During 1955 Africa had only like 5 independent countries. That is how little there independence was. As the years pasted there independence did increase and by 1975 there were around 20 countries who won there independence. As you can see the big change in Africa made it a independent area. People such as Blaise Diagne and Moise Tshombe helped them win there independence.