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the fall of communism in the ussr.
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When a major event takes place in history it is not surprising that many interpretations of these events will arise. As humans we tend to have different feelings and therefore different interpretations, especially on events that impact our lives and society. The fact that our judgments are different does not entail that either of our interpretations are wrong. Rather, it means that our different judgments can be combined in order to gain a new form of knowledge that envelops various points of view. This is the case with the interpretations of the groundbreaking fall of Communism that took place in eastern European countries in the late 20th century. The book The Magic Lantern is Timothy Garton Ash’s interpretation of the Revolutions of 1989 that took place in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin and Prague. Bonnie G. Smith offers a similar but distinct contemporary interpretation of the Revolutions of 1989 in her book Europe in the Contemporary World. Lastly, John K. Glenn’s “Competing Challengers and Contested Outcomes to State Breakdown” offers his opinion about the events that led to a democratic Czechoslovakia. In Ash’s account of the fall of communism in Warsaw, Poland he focuses on the behind the scenes propositions and decisions that were pondered by organizations such as Poland’s Solidarity group. Ash had close relationships with the leaders of the Solidarity group. In describing their actions, he calls them his “friends” on numerous occasions and even describes instances when he spent times with individuals such as Jacek Kuron, who was the co-founder of the Worker’s Defense Committee. Ash reports that he “…had a drink with Jacek Kuron, who passed the time before his results came in by giving a hilarious account on his first trip t... ... middle of paper ... ...at are not influenced by personal beliefs or feelings. Above all the combination of their work allows us to absorb information that envelops all their points of view which makes for a better understanding of the Revolutions of 1989. I dare say that ultimately that was the main goal of Timothy Garton Ash, Bonnie G. Smith and John K.Glenn. Works Cited • Garton, Ash Timothy. The Magic Lantern: the Revolution of '89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin, and Prague. New York: Random House, 1990. Print. • Smith, Bonnie G. Europe in the Contemporary World, 1900 to the Present: a Narrative History with Documents. Boston: Bedford / St. Martin's, 2007. Print. • Glenn, John K. "Competing Challengers and Contested Outcomes to State Breakdown: The Velvet Revolution." Social Forces 78.1 (1999): 187-211. JSTOR. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. .
Transition from Communism to Democracy: A Case Study of Russia’s Democratic Transition Communism is a political system that has been used time and time again, where all property is publicly owned and people are paid according to their needs and abilities. Many countries used this political system in the years following 1917–such as Croatia and Russia–and is still used today. The ideology of Communism or more specifically Marxism is shown in the book The Communist Manifesto. Karl Marx, writer of The
behind followers of Garabandal, journalist Barry Hanratty reports “to speak of communism today almost seems anachronistic” (Hanratty). Communism today does seem to be an oxymoron. The United States’ Cold War politics have trapped communism in a different century and attached to this word those negative feelings once associated with foreign Communist powers. Americans have now forgotten the actual definition of communism, relying solely on the propaganda fed to America during its wars against communist
Containing Communism: Did It Work? Victorious in the previous World Wars of the twentieth century, America became a new superpower. The American economy became a dominant force during this century, featuring a major shift from its industrial roots near the end of the century. Throughout the mid-1900s, however, there was a challenge to this seemingly unstoppable American force—communism. Americans feared the prospect of a world ruled by idealistic zealots whose existence threatened the wealth accumulated
The Cold War was a period of strain between the two superpowers Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), or the Soviet Union and the United States, and their individual belief systems. It took after the Second World War and endured from approximately 1947 to 1991. Taking after the end of the Second World War, intricacies emerged focusing on the moving of universal force. The Soviet Union needed to procure extra region while the United States endeavored to constrain the increases sought by the
because he asked Congress to pass “The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution” This meant that LBJ could take any measure to repel attacks on the U.S. LBJ had a different perspective on the Vietnamese than JFK. JFK believed in the Communist Domino Theory, this theory was meant to show that if one nation falls to communism the surrounding countries could also fall to communism. JFK did not want this to happen in South Vietnam. JFK has increased the number of advisers. One of the main differences that JFK made that LBJ
Conduct” in 1947 by George F. Kennan, the article impacted and created a different perspective on the spread of Communism and the Soviet Union. Kennan’s philosophy behind stopping Communism from spreading was through containment, even though the telegraph did not have the word containment in it. The Truman Doctrine was established and the number of Presidents that viewed war in foreign soil. Kennan continued to fight Communism and had inputs and theories on other conflicts to include Vietnam and
most interesting work from this past half-semester, The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx is reacting to this fact by describing his vision of a perfectly balanced society, a communist society. Simply put, a communist society is one where all property is held in common. No one person has more than the other, but rather everyone shares in the fruits of their labors. Marx is writing of this society because, he believes it to be the best form of society possible. He states that communism creates the correct
Stalin was able to single handily finalize the great divide between capitalism and communism, destroying all hope of reconciliation. "...Stalin had proclaimed the superiority of the Soviet Communist system of government and declared that peace was impossible “under the present capitalist development of the world economy”3 is a point of view
rest of the century. From my point of view, the author extensively emphasizes what really determined what the 20th century, happened in a short period of time if the 20th century is looked as a whole. It is worth to mention that, Hobsbawm also coined the term “The Long 19th Century”, which he describes extensively in the areas in which it excelled, such as; science, arts, literature, politics, industry, economy, power, growth in population, among others. From my perspective, the author pairs these
imposing their ideology on them. And if any of these weaker nations try to resist, then the wrath of the United States will come upon them. In overthrow the author Stephen Kinzer tells how Americans used different means to overthrow foreign government. He explains that the campaign & ideology of anti- communism made Americans believe that it was their right and historical obligation to lead forces of good against those of iniquity. They also overthrew foreign government, when economic interest coincided
Revolution swept across China, as Mao Zedong called for the removal of western ideology, and the spread of communism. Though communism promised equality for all, it often brought death, destruction, and pointless labor. Ah Cheng, who lived through the Cultural Revolution and later wrote The King of Trees (three novellas, including The King of Trees and The King of Children), reveals his view on communism and Chinese policy through characterization and tone. Knotty in The King of Trees, and Beanpole in The
to achieve. Communism provided a perfect front for Mao to perpetuate his damaging political agenda. By claiming he would deliver a stable financial situation for a struggling China, Mao instead rushed into a major overhaul that resulted in lasting damage to the Chinese economy. Just as his country had begun to recover, Mao returned to create chaos. By urging China to convert to a militant form of communism, fraught with violence and class division, Mao again allowed his country to fall into turmoil
After World War Two the United States and Soviet Union quickly became enemies due to different ideals. The Soviet Union supported communism while the United States supported capitalism and democracy. Communism was an economic system where the state owned all means of production, and goods and services were shared. Under communist rule free elections were prohibited and media was censored. The United States did not agree with this system of government. They strived for the world to have capitalist
military type strategies to safeguard a victory in the Global Cold War. President Eisenhower’s foreign policies led to an effective involvement in the Cold War and enviably the Vietnam War from an American perspective. President Eisenhower’s foreign policies when implemented would facilitate the goal of containing communism, and also I will examine just a few of President Eisenhower’s foreign policies and how they played in to the influencing the United States involvement in the Cold War and how the Cold
Culture molds the character of writers and gives a variety of different perspective on certain life experiences. In Julia Alvarez’s short story Snow, Yolanda, an immigrant student, moved to New York. While attending a Catholic school in New York, bomb drills were performed. The teacher would explain why these drills were important. Yolanda later found out that her first experience of watching snow was not the best experience one could possibly have. Julia Alvarez was an example of how a Latina writer