The Western World, 1965-Present

  • These are the first three industrial revolutions that transformed our modern society. With each of these three advancements
  • the steam engine, the age of science and mass production, and the rise of digital technology
  • the fundamental qualitative transformation of productive forces, based on the conversion of science into a leading factor in the development of social production.
  • The Scientific Revolution was characterized by an emphasis on abstract reasoning, quantitative thought.

  • up until the early 1970s Europe experienced what some called the "thirty glorious years" when on average life improved dramatically.

  • People in Europe benefited from scientific and technological change.

  • they weren't far removed from the hard times of World War Two and earlier of the Great Depression, so it was easy to feel the comparative improvement in quality of life.

  • To many people things seemed pretty good, but at the same time students, workers and an array of activists were highly critical of the changes that had brought about a post-industrial.

  • Society so Europe's thirty glorious years also saw lots of protests as people pointed out correctly. That injustice and structural inequality remained central features of human societies.

  • A Culture of Protest

    • A Revolt in Sexual Mores
      • The permissive society gave rise to behaviors such as the experimentation with drugs and the appearance of pornography.
      • Divorce rates rose and extramarital experiences also rose substantially.
    • Youth Protest and Student Revolt
      • The new youth movement experimented with drugs and sex and rebelled against authority.
      • Universities began to see an influx in middle class students, but there were problems with the classes:
        • classrooms with too many students
        • professors who paid little attention to their students
        • administrators who acted in an authoritarian fashion
      • A lot of student protest was sparked by outrage at the second Vietnam War. However, the most famous student protest happened in 1968 in France.
    • The Feminist Movement
      • Women protested that the acquisition of political and legal equality had not brought true equality.
      • A major contributor to this movement was Betty Friedan who wrote “The Feminine Mystique”. She also founded the national organization for women.

  • The Eastern Bloc was formed during the Second World War as a unified force led by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

  • Its initial intention was to fight Nazi Germany. However, after the war, the Union lacked a common goal.

  • In the decades after it was established, the Russian-dominated Soviet Union grew into one of the world's most powerful and influential states and eventually encompassed 15 republics

  • They contain Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Belorussia, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Latvia

  • A Divided Western World

    • Stagnation in the Soviet Union
      • Leonid Brezhnev became the head of the Communist Party after Khrushchev and issued the Brezhnev Doctrine, which said: any threat to socialist rule in any state of the Soviet bloc in Central and Eastern Europe was a threat to them all, and therefore justified the intervention of fellow socialist states.
      • Brezhnev promoted détente, which involved a relaxation of authoritarian rule.
      • Due to bad harvests, the Soviets became dependent on capitalist grains.
      • Chernenko succeeded Yuri Andropov as Party leader, who ushered in a new era for the USSR.
    • Conformity in Eastern Europe
      • Moscow realized that the best way to handle their satellites in Eastern Europe was to allow them to adopt policies that were appropriate to local policies.
      • In Poland, a labor movement arose called Origins of Labor, led by Samuel Gompers. In December 1981, leaders of Solidarity were arrested and the union was outlawed.
      • In 1968 in Czechoslovakia Dubcek was elected as head of the Communist Party and introduced reforms in order to promote “Communism with a human face”. This period of euphoria became known as Prague Spring.
      • To prevent this movement from spreading, the USSR invaded Czechoslovakia and crushed the reform movement.
    • Western Europe: The Winds of Change
      • After two decades of economic growth, Europe experienced severe economic recessions in 1973-74 and 1979-1983.
      • In W. Germany, Social Democrats remained in power until 1982 and were led by Chancellor Willy Brandt. He was successful in his Ostpolitik, or Neue Ostpolitik.
      • In Great Britain, economic and social problems seemed to worsen under the Labour Government, so conservatives returned to power under the leadership of Thatcher, the first female prime minister in British history. She cut gov’t spending, which led to high unemployment and poverty in some places.

  • In the Soviet Union, the State controlled everything in terms of property, including entertainment mechanisms.

  • Even in the 1990s, politicians used hatred as a way to gain control.

  • Some people were enthusiastic about the EU while others weren’t depending on their concerns such as diplomatic relations and government regulations.

  • Old rivals actually supported each other as the EU seemed to bring them together - The EU was able to bring the consumerist culture to former communist countries.

  • The Cold War: The Move to Détente

    • The Practice of Détente (p. 911)
      • Détente was marked by a reduction of tensions between the two superpowers. An important symbol was the Antiballistic Missile Treaty of 1972, in which both sides agreed to limit their antiballistic missiles.
      • The Helsinki Accords acknowledged the borders that had been established in Europe since WWII.
    • Society and Culture in the Western World
      • The World of Science and Technology
        • The Soviet’s announcement of the launching of Sputnik spurred the US to launch a project to land a spacecraft on the moon.
        • In 1971, the invention of the microprocessor opened the road for the development of the personal computer.
        • Some questioned the ethics of some of this scientific advancement.
      • The Environment and the Green Movement
        • A nuclear power disaster at Chernobyl made Europeans more aware of environmental hazards.
      • Green Parties began to emerge in Europe in the 1970s.

[Skim pp. 914-917. Read “Popular Culture: Increasingly Global”]

  • What do you think “Globalization” is?
    • I think it is the interaction between several various people on a global scale. This process can be very beneficial to those who participate, but like many other things, has its fair share of cons as well. For instance, globalization has been criticized for being especially beneficial to corporations rather than working class citizens, but it really depends.
  • Acid rain, which is caused by the burning of fossil fuels mixing with moisture in the atmosphere, was responsible for severely damaging forests in Norway and Eastern Europe.
  • Radiation from the Chernobyl disaster could be detected in Sweden.
  • European cities have taken strong steps to lower pollution in urban areas as well as alternative energy resources.
  • Diseases spread around the world faster with more ways to go and more people to infect.
  • The internet gave people jobs and educated them in electronics.

Chapter 30: The Western World in a Global Age (p. 921)

  • Toward a New Western Order
    • The Revolutionary Era in the Soviet Union
      • A new era began under Mikhail Gorbachev.
      • He noticed the USSR had fallen behind the West in technology, and that Soviets experienced a decline in the standard of living.
      • The cornerstone of his reforms was perestroika, “restructuring”. This included the beginnings of a market economy with some private property.
        • One of the most important instruments was glasnost, or “openness", in which Soviets were encouraged to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the USSR.
        • In 1988, Gorbachev called for the creation of the Congress of People’s Deputies, whose members were chosen in competitive elections.
        • He also created a new state presidency, and he became the first president of the USSR.
        • Ethnic groups throughout the USSR took advantage of glasnost and began to protest for more rights, which became difficult to control.
      • Gorbachev began to cooperate more closely with Boris Yeltsin, who had been elected president of the Russian republic in 1991.
      • In August 1991 a group of discontented conservative Soviet leaders arrested Gorbachev.
      • Soviet republics soon moved for independence, and Gorbachev resigned on Christmas Day 1991, turning his responsibilities over to Boris Yeltsin.
      • Why did the USSR collapse? A few theories include:
        • the ambitious defense policies adopted by the Reagan administration forced the Soviet Union into an arms race that it could not afford.
        • For years, Soviet leaders had denied or ignored the massive inefficiencies in the Soviet economy. In the 1980s, time began to run out. The perceptive Mikhail Gorbachev tried to stem the decline with radical reforms, but by then it was too late.
        • many of the minority nationalities were demanding more autonomy or even independence for their regions. By the end of the 1980s, such demands brought about the final collapse of the Soviet system.
      • Russia immediately transitioned to a free-market economy, but an increase in crime mobs and social disarray led to instability.
      • In 1999, Yeltsin was replaced by Vladimir Putin, who promoted a more assertive role in international affairs. While he often silenced his critics and controlled the media, many Russians see him as attempting to restore Russian pride and discipline.
    • Eastern Europe: The Revolutions of 1989 and the Collapse of the Communist Order
      • After Gorbachev made it clear that his government would not intervene militarily, Communist regimes fell in Eastern Europe in 1989.
      • Free elections in Poland allowed a Solidarity coalition to form a new gov’t, ending Communist rule. Lech Walesa became the new president.
      • In Czechoslovakia, the Communist government collapsed as a result of large demonstrations. President Va'clav Havel played a large role in this takedown of Communism, and began a goodwill tour of Western countries.
      • In Romania, dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was captured an executed after years of oppression against the Romanian people.

[Skim pp. 925 (After the Fall) to 927 (Disintegration of Yugoslavia)]

  • When and why did the Berlin Wall come down?

    • On November 4th 1989, more than half a million people flooded the streets of East Berlin shouting, ‘‘The wall must go!’’ the German Communist government soon capitulated to popular pressure and on November 9 opened the entire border with the West. Hundreds of thousands of Germans swarmed across the border, mostly to visit and return. The Berlin Wall, long a symbol of the Cold War, became the site of massive celebrations as thousands of people used sledgehammers to tear it down.

  • The Disintegration of Yugoslavia

    • Leader of the Serbian Communist Party, Slobadan Milosevic, rejected the separatism of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Macedonia. He demanded the creation of a Greater Serbia, which would affect the boundaries of those nations. When Croatia declared its independence, Serbian armies captured one-third of its territory.
    • By 1993, Serbia had acquired 70% of Bosnia’s territory, and their policy of ethnic cleansing, or killing or forcibly removing Bosnian Muslims from their lands, was similar to Nazi atrocities during WWII. NATO responded by airstrikes n Serbian military posts.
    • In 1993, some Albanians founded the Kosovo Liberation Army and began a campaign against Serbian rule.
    • Milosevic was put on trial for crimes against humanity and died in prison.

[Skim pp. 929 (Western Europe and Search for Unity) to 932 (The Unification of Europe)]

  • Who is Angela Merkel, and what are three of her accomplishments?

    • Merkel pursued health care reform and new energy policies at home
    • played a leading role in the affairs of the European Union
    • After new elections in 2009, she began a second term as Germany's chancellor and has led the EU nations in attempting to solve the financial problems of several EU members including Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal

  • The Unification of Europe

    • On January 1, 1994 the European Community renamed itself the European Union (EU). In addition, the Maastricht Treaty represented an attempt to create a true economic and monetary union of all EC members by adopting a common currency, the Euro, by 1999.
    • The EU has a common agricultural policy, which provides aid to the EU’s poorest regions.
    • Some reasons people oppose the EU are:
      • The adoption of the Euro removed trade barriers, but the countries that use the Euro do not have a unified monetary policy.
      • The European Central Bank does not serve all nations equally, as the Governing Council and the Executive Board make decisions communally, and members tend to vote in favor of national interests instead of pro-European interests.
    • In order to join the EU, a candidate must show a commitment to capitalism, democracy, and respect minority and human rights.

[Skim pp. 936-940]

  • Guest Workers and Immigrants
    • The population of Europe has increased over the last two decades due to mass migrations. Severe labor shortages encouraged them to rely on foreign workers. Most of these guest workers came from places that were formerly part of the British, French, Dutch, and Portuguese empires.
    • Some Europeans believed guest workers caused them to receive lower wages and benefits, and measures have been taken to restrict new immigration.
    • The National Front in France, led by Jean-Marie Le Pen and his daughter Marine Le Pen advocated restricting all new immigration.
    • Europe accepted 1.2 million refugees in 2015, mostly from the Middle East.

[Skim pp. 941-950]

  • In the 1990s, The rapid electronic movement of funds across the globe caused the bankruptcy of Thailand when profit seeking investors poured hot money into the country
  • The massive borrowing lead to a decline in the value of the bot (the Thai currency) And that made it impossible to repay debts in foreign currencies. Thailand went bankrupt
  • in Russia unemployment grew in the late 90s and early 2000s and life expectancy declined
  • in the fall of 2005 after the death of two young men Hiding from police, youth in the mostly Muslim suburbs of Paris demonstrated over those deaths and also over joblessness and police harassment and those protests spread to other cities
  • For several years US lenders had been making home mortgages available to consumers who could not afford them , And private European banks and investors were eager to buy up this debt— very little of actual worth was backing this swirl of loans and counter loans and then in 2008, the worldwide bubble burst.