After the Fall: The Western World in a Global Age (Since 1985)
"It would be naive to think that the problems plaguing mankind today can be solved with means and methods which were applied or seemed to work in the past."
- Mikhail Gorbachev
"It would be naive to think that the problems plaguing mankind today can be solved with means and methods which were applied or seemed to work in the past."
- Mikhail Gorbachev
CHAPTER 30: AFTER THE FALL: THE WESTERN WORLD IN A GLOBAL AGE (SINCE 1985)
Since 1985, the lines that divide the eastern and Western worlds have become drastically blurred. The Gorbachev years in the Soviet Union brought the policies of glasnost and perestroika, which opened the USSR to Western ideas, culture, and even Western capitalism. The year 1989 brought the fall of the Soviet Union, as one by one, Soviet Socialist Republics declared their independence, the Berlin Wall came down, and Germany was unified (again). However, instability continued in some parts of Europe, notably Yugoslavia, the Balkan nation that was built to quell nationalist tensions, and actually caved under the pressure of repression and ethnic nationalism. The wars of the Balkans in the 1990's once again brought American involvement in foreign affairs to the world spotlight. After a period of conservatism in the West in the style of Thatcher in the UK and Reagan in the United States, the West appeared to swing to the left as it went through a new social and cultural awakening and new attitudes of war, sex, and discrimination. Meanwhile, the Middle East continued to struggle with instability and oppression, and has become a hotbed of radicalism. Perhaps the most formative event at the beginning of the 21st century were the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, which launched the U.S. and its allies into a seemingly never ending series of conflicts and wars in the Middle East, wreaking instability and giving way to the Arab Spring and new revolutions for freedom in the region. And finally, the generations of today must deal with some of the greatest threats to the world and its peace- terrorism, global warming and pollution, corporate oligarchy, all while sifting through all the information they can get their hands on as the first generation to be raised within the Digital Age.
Since 1985, the lines that divide the eastern and Western worlds have become drastically blurred. The Gorbachev years in the Soviet Union brought the policies of glasnost and perestroika, which opened the USSR to Western ideas, culture, and even Western capitalism. The year 1989 brought the fall of the Soviet Union, as one by one, Soviet Socialist Republics declared their independence, the Berlin Wall came down, and Germany was unified (again). However, instability continued in some parts of Europe, notably Yugoslavia, the Balkan nation that was built to quell nationalist tensions, and actually caved under the pressure of repression and ethnic nationalism. The wars of the Balkans in the 1990's once again brought American involvement in foreign affairs to the world spotlight. After a period of conservatism in the West in the style of Thatcher in the UK and Reagan in the United States, the West appeared to swing to the left as it went through a new social and cultural awakening and new attitudes of war, sex, and discrimination. Meanwhile, the Middle East continued to struggle with instability and oppression, and has become a hotbed of radicalism. Perhaps the most formative event at the beginning of the 21st century were the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, which launched the U.S. and its allies into a seemingly never ending series of conflicts and wars in the Middle East, wreaking instability and giving way to the Arab Spring and new revolutions for freedom in the region. And finally, the generations of today must deal with some of the greatest threats to the world and its peace- terrorism, global warming and pollution, corporate oligarchy, all while sifting through all the information they can get their hands on as the first generation to be raised within the Digital Age.
Click below for the Ch 30 Spielvogel Slides
ch_30_spielvogel_slides.pptx | |
File Size: | 15340 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
Click below to download the Chapter 30 Primary Source Packet
ch_30_reading_packet.pdf | |
File Size: | 2061 kb |
File Type: |
Click below to download the Reading Guide for Chapter 30 in Spielvogel
ch_30_reading_guide.docx | |
File Size: | 22 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Click After the Wall: A World United Documentary from PBS
The following link shows you a list of punk and rock music bands that were banned in the USSR for reasons such as "violence", "neo-fascism", "anticommunism", etc.Interestingly enough, these were very popular bands in the U.S.!
https://consequenceofsound.net/2014/06/heres-what-music-was-banned-in-the-soviet-union-and-why/
The following link shows you a list of punk and rock music bands that were banned in the USSR for reasons such as "violence", "neo-fascism", "anticommunism", etc.Interestingly enough, these were very popular bands in the U.S.!
https://consequenceofsound.net/2014/06/heres-what-music-was-banned-in-the-soviet-union-and-why/
Click below for Kagan's The Western Heritage Chapter 22 Identifications and chapter summary
Click below for Chapter 22 PowerPoint Lecture Slides
Watch this video clip from Comedy Central's The Daily Show; Jason Jones, a journalist/comedian, is in Sochi during the Olympics to discuss Russian-American relations after the end of the Cold War.
CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE