Chapter 21 The Contemporary Western World - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Chapter 21

The Contemporary Western World

Slide2

Section 1 – Decline of the Soviet Union

QOD – How and why did the Cold War end?

Objective – Discuss the end of the Cold War and the Soviet Union.

Slide3

From Post-War to Cold War

By the 1970s, United States-Soviet relations had reached

détente

—a relaxation of

tension and

improved relations. By 1979, however, a new period of

East-West confrontation

began when the Soviets invaded

Afghanistan.

They wanted to restore

a pro-Soviet

regime there. The United States viewed this as an act of expansion.

Slide4

From Post-War to Cold War

In 1980, President

Ronald Reagan

began a military buildup and a new arms race

with the

Soviet Union. Reagan gave military aid to the Afghan rebels to fight the Soviets

.

In 1985,

Mikhail Gorbachev

became the leader of the Soviet Union. His willingness

to rethink

Soviet foreign policy led to a dramatic end to the Cold War. In 1987

Gorbachev made

an agreement with the United States—the Intermediate-range Nuclear

Force (INF

) Treaty—to eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles.

Slide5

From Post-War to Cold War

Gorbachev changed Soviet policy by stopping military support to Communist

governments in

Eastern Europe. This led to the overthrow of Communist regimes in

these countries.

Germany was reunified in 1990– signaling the end of the Cold War

.

In 1991 the Soviet Union was dissolved.

Slide6

From Post-War to Cold War

In 1964, Nikita Khrushchev was removed from office. Alexei Kosygin and

Leonid Brezhnev

replaced him. During the 1970s, Brezhnev became the main Soviet

leader. He

wanted to keep Eastern Europe as Communist states. He issued the

Brezhnev Doctrine

which asserted that the Soviet Union had the right to intervene if

communism was

threatened in another Communist state.

Slide7

From Post-War to Cold War

Under Brezhnev, the Soviet Union was allowed more access to Western

culture. Dissidents—people

who spoke out against the regime—however, were still punished

.

The Soviet Union’s economy continued to emphasize heavy industry. The Soviet

economy was

weakened by the government’s bureaucracy that discouraged efficiency

and encouraged

indifference. Collective farmers had no incentive to work hard in the

collective work

brigades. By the 1970s, the Communist ruling class had become

corrupt. By

1980, the Soviet economy was seriously declining.

Slide8

From Post-War to Cold War

In 1985, the reformer Mikhail Gorbachev was chosen to lead the Soviet

Union. Gorbachev’s

basis of reform was perestroika, or restructuring, of the Soviet

economy and

government. Gorbachev created a new state presidency. Gorbachev began a

new era

of

glastnost

, or openness, in public discussion of Soviet problems.

Slide9

From Post-War to Cold War

As the Soviet government eased its control, ethnic tensions emerged throughout

the Soviet

republics. During 1990 and 1991, several of these republics called for

independence from

Soviet control. In 1991, conservative leaders arrested Gorbachev and tried

to seize

power. Boris Yeltsin and others defeated their attempt. Soviet republics

moved for

independence, and the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus declared the

Soviet Union

dissolved. Gorbachev resigned in December 1991.

Slide10

From Post-War to Cold War

Boris Yeltsin became president of the new Russia. He worked to introduce a free

market economy

in Russia. Chechens tried to secede from Russia and form their

own independent

republic. Yeltsin used brutal force against the Chechens

.

In 1999 Yeltsin resigned and in 2000

Vladimir Putin

was elected president.

Putin’s economic

reforms have led to budget surpluses and a growing economy.

Slide11

Section 2 – Eastern Europe

QOD – What caused the East German government to open its border in 1989?

Objective – Describe the changes and revolutions of Eastern Europe in the late twentieth century.

Slide12

Revolutions in Eastern Europe

Workers’ protests led to demands for change in Poland. In 1980,

Lech Walesa

organized a

national trade union in Poland known as Solidarity. In 1988, the Polish

regime agreed

to free parliamentary elections—the first free election in Eastern Europe in

40 years

. In 1990, Walesa was elected president of Poland. Poland’s rapid

free-market reforms

led to severe unemployment and discontent. Today Poland’s free-market

economy is

becoming increasingly prosperous.

Slide13

Revolutions in Eastern Europe

In 1968, Soviet troops crushed the reform movement in Czechoslovakia. In 1988

and 1989

, mass demonstrations throughout Czechoslovakia led to the collapse of

the Communist

government. In December 1989,

Václav

Havel, a dissident against

the Communist

government, became president. In 1993 ethnic conflicts between

Czechs and

Slovaks led to the peaceful division of Czechoslovakia into the Czech

Republic and

Slovakia.

Slide14

Revolutions in Eastern Europe

In 1965, Communist leader

Nicolae

Ceausescu

and his wife Elena led a

dictatorial regime

in Romania. His actions angered Romanian people. The army refused to

support his

repressive regime and, in December 1989,

Ceausescu

and his wife

were executed

. A new government was formed

.

In 1988 unrest led many East Germans to flee their

Communist country

. In 1989,

mass demonstrations

against the Communist regime broke out. By November,

the Communist

government tore down the Berlin Wall and opened its border with

the West

. Large numbers of East Germans crossed the border. In 1990, East and

West Germany

were reunited to form one Germany.

Slide15

The Disintegration of Yugoslavia

At the end of the 1980s, Yugoslavia was caught up in the reform movements of

Eastern Europe

. By 1990, new political parties had emerged and the Communist Party

had collapsed.

In 1990, the Yugoslav republics of Slovenia, Croatia,

Bosnia-Herzegovina,

and Macedonia

worked for independence.

Slobodan

Milosevic

´,

leader of Serbia,

rejected independence

. In June 1991, Slovenia and Croatia declared their independence.

In September

1991, the Yugoslavian army attacked Croatia.

Slide16

The Disintegration of Yugoslavia

In 1992, the Serbs attacked Bosnia-Herzegovina. Many Bosnians were Muslims.

The Serbs

followed a policy of

ethnic cleansing

—killing them or forcibly removing

them from

their lands. In 1995 air strikes by NATO bombers helped Bosnian and

Croatian forces

regain territory lost to Serbia. On December 14, the Serbs signed a

formal peace

treaty splitting Bosnia into a loose union of a Serb republic and a

Muslim-Croat federation

.

Slide17

The Disintegration of Yugoslavia

In 1998, a war began over

Kosovo.

In 1974, Tito had made Kosovo an

autonomous,

or self-governing

, province within Yugoslavia. In 1989,

Milosevic

´ took away

Kosovo’s autonomous

status. Albanians fought against Serbian rule in Kosovo. Serbian

forces massacred

ethnic Albanians. The United States and NATO tried to arrange a

settlement. In

the fall elections of 2000,

Milosevic

´ was ousted from power, and tried for

war crimes

at the International Court of Justice for his role in the massacre of Kosovo

civilians. In

2003, Serbia and Montenegro formed a republic.

Slide18

Section 3 – Europe and North America

QOD – What problems faced Western Europe after 1980?

Objective – Discuss the European Union and domestic affairs of Western nations in the late twentieth century.

Slide19

Winds of Change in Western Europe

After 1970, Western European countries had greater economic unity. The

European Economic

Community (EEC) greatly expanded between 1973 and 1995. By 1992

the European

Community (EC) made up the world’s largest single trading bloc

.

In 1994, the EC became the principle organization within the European Union (EU

). Most

EU nations planned to abandon their currency in favor of the common

European currency

, the euro, by January 2002.

Slide20

Winds of Change in Western Europe

France’s

economy declined in the 1970s. By 1981, the Socialists had become the

main party

in the National Assembly. Socialist president François

Mitterand

began

measures to

aid workers. He nationalized many businesses. Socialist policies failed,

however, and

France’s economy continued to decline. In 1993, politics in France became

conservative. In

May 1995, conservative Jacques Chirac was elected president of France

.

Willy Brandt

was the first Social Democrat chancellor of West Germany. He

received the

Nobel Prize in 1971 for his work on a treaty with East Germany that led to

greater contact

and interaction between the two countries. In 1982, Helmut Kohl formed

a new

, more conservative government.

Slide21

Winds of Change in Western Europe

Reunification of the new Germany in 1989 made it the leading power in

Europe. Reunification

, however, led to economic problems. Eastern Germany needed to

be rebuilt

and the economy of eastern Germany collapsed. There was high

unemployment and

severe discontent. This led to attacks against foreigners by

right-wing extremists.

Between 1964 and 1979, Great Britain’s government faced the intense fighting

between Catholics

and Protestants in

Northern Ireland,

an ailing economy, and frequent

labor strikes

. In 1979, Conservative

Margaret Thatcher

became prime minister. She

limited the

social welfare system, broke the power of the labor unions, and controlled

inflation. Thatcher’s

economic policy was known as

Thatcherism

. Thatcher introduced

an unpopular

flat-rate tax paid by every adult. In 1997,

Labour

Party candidate,

Tony Blair

, won the election for prime minister.

Slide22

The U.S. Domestic Scene

Richard Nixon

became president of the United States in 1968. Nixon’s campaign

for “law

and order” and a slowdown of

racial desegregation

appealed to southern

whites. The

South began a new allegiance to the Republican Party

.

Nixon used illegal methods to gain information about his political opponents,

which led

to the Watergate scandal. On August 9, 1974, Nixon resigned as president

instead of

facing possible impeachment.

Slide23

The U.S. Domestic Scene

Vice-President Gerald Ford became president after Nixon’s resignation. Jimmy

Carter beat

Ford in the 1976 election. Carter’s administration faced high inflation rates and

a drop

in the American standard of living. Carter was unable to gain the release

of American

hostages held by the Iranian government. He lost the 1980 election

to Ronald

Reagan

.

The Reagan Revolution changed years of U.S. policy. He cut back on the welfare

state and

greatly increased the military buildup. Spending by Reagan’s administration

produced a

record government

budget deficit

—spending more money than collected

in revenues

.

Slide24

The U.S. Domestic Scene

Republican George Bush was elected president after Reagan. He was unable to

deal with

the deficit problems or the economic downturn

.

Democrat Bill Clinton was elected president in 1992. He oversaw a lengthy

economic revival

in the United States. During his second term, he was charged with

presidential misconduct

, but was acquitted of the charges in the Senate. Clinton’s problems

helped George

W. Bush to win the presidential election in 2000.

Slide25

Canada

Pierre Trudeau

became Canada’s prime minister in 1968. He worked to preserve

a united

Canada. His government passed the Official Languages Act, allowing

both English

and French to be used in federal civil service. He worked to increase

industrialization in

Canada

.

Brian Mulroney became prime minister in 1984. His government worked to

return some

of Canada’s state-run corporations to private owners. In 1993 Canada, the

United States

, and Mexico approved the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

to make

trade easier and more profitable for the countries. Many Canadians thought

that NAFTA

was too favorable to the United States, and Mulroney lost the 1993 election

to Liberal

Jean Chrétien

.

In 1995, voters in Quebec narrowly defeated a plan that would grant Quebec’s

independence from

Canada. Quebec’s status continues to divide Canada.

Slide26

Section 4 – Western Society and Culture

QOD – What have been the major social developments since 1970?

Objective – Discuss contemporary Western culture.

Slide27

Changes in Women’s Lives

Since 1970, the number of women in the workforce has continued to rise. Yet

women continued

to receive lower wages for the same work and fewer chances to advance.

During

the 1960s and 1970s, women formed “consciousness-raising” groups to

make people

aware of women’s issues, such as social and economic inequality.

During

the 1980s and 1990s, women became involved in activities that affected

the political

and the natural environments.

During

the 1990s, some women wanted a return to traditional values and gender roles.

Slide28

The Growth of Terrorism

Modern society has been faced with acts of terrorism by bands of terrorists who

use violence

to draw attention to their demands. They use the killing of civilians (

mostly by

bombing), the taking of hostages, and the hijacking of airplanes to achieve

their goals

.

Since

the early 1970s, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) terrorist group has killed

thousands of

people in

Northern Ireland.

The IRA’s goal is to unite Northern

Ireland, which

is governed by Great Britain, with the Irish Republic.

State-sponsored

terrorism has been involved in international terrorism. Militant

governments have

helped terrorist organizations with their attacks.

Slide29

The Growth of Terrorism

One of the most destructive acts of terrorism occurred on September 11, 2001, in

the United

States. It is believed that the terrorist organization al-Qaeda, led by Osama

bin Laden

, hijacked four commercial jet airplanes in Boston, Newark, and

Washington, D.C

. Two of the airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center Towers in New

York City

; one airplane was flown into the Pentagon; and one airplane crashed

in Pennsylvania

. These terrorist acts killed thousands of people. President George

W. Bush

called for a war on terrorism.

In

October 2001, the United States led coalition forces in a war against terrorists

in Afghanistan

. The Taliban was forced out.

Slide30

Science and Technology

Since World War II, scientific and technological achievements have greatly

changed people’s

lives. Wartime technology such as computers and jet airplanes was

adapted for

peacetime uses.

The

alliance of science and technology led to a fast rate of change in Western society.

Critics

pointed out that some technological advances had far-reaching side effects

that were

damaging to the environment.

Slide31

Religious Revival

During the twentieth century, a number of religious thinkers and leaders tried

to revive

Christianity.

Protestant

Karl Barth tried to show how the religious insights of the Reformation

were still

relevant for the modern world.

Two

popes—John XXIII and John Paul II—worked to revive Catholicism.

Vatican Council

II liberalized a number of Catholic practices.

Slide32

Trends in Art

After 1945, New York City became the artistic center of the Western

world. Abstractionism

was the most popular form of modern art.

Jackson Pollock

was

one famous

abstract expressionist artist.

During

the 1960s,

pop art

—which transformed images of popular culture into

fine art—emerged

.

Andy Warhol

was the most famous pop artist.

In

the 1980s, art styles described as

postmodernism

—a revival of traditional

elements and

techniques—emerged.

During

the 1980s and 1990s, new technologies, such as digital cameras and

computer programs

, created new art forms.

Slide33

Popular Culture

Through movies, television, and music, the United States has spread its ideals and

values of

material prosperity throughout the world.

Jazz

, blues, rhythm and blues, rock, and rap—the most popular music forms in

the Western

world—all had their beginnings in the United States. American singers

such as

Elvis Presley

inspired non-American musicians such as the

Beatles.

MTV

changed the

music scene after it was introduced in the early 1980s.

Slide34

Sports, Television, Politics

After World War II, sports became a major product of both popular culture and

the leisure

industry.

Television

transformed sports into a worldwide experience. Sports organizations

made enormous

revenues from television contracts.

Sports

have become big politics because they are used as a vehicle for national

feeling. The

Olympic Games are an example of the mix of sports and politics.