Latvia, a country which first established its independence in 1918, was taken over by the Soviet Union in 1940 as a result of World War II, and the establishment of this new communist rule had many ramifications. The country became one of many under the rule of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and was forced to adhere to the strict rules the Soviets put in place, such as replacing the Latvian language with Russian and reprimanding those who did not comply, and eradicating Latvian culture by not allowing ethnic natives to practice their traditions (Plakans). While most of the Russian citizens of Latvia were anti-independence for the country, there were also some who were anti-Soviet and contributed to freeing Latvians from Soviet rule (Cliness). Many people were against …show more content…
Through a series of peaceful movements, the Latvians finally fought back against the Soviets beginning in 1990, and success finally came in 1991 after the USSR collapsed (“Latvia”). Their newfound independence was amazing in the eyes of most citizens, but there were still some who were pro-Soviet and would have rather stayed under the reign of the Republic. While the country was again an independent one, members of the Soviet military still remained, patrolling the streets to enforce the Soviet laws that Latvians had to follow before. Russia during this time still believed that Latvia, along with all of the other Baltic states and other countries that had been seized by the USSR, still belonged to them. In an attempt to remedy the issue and to further protect their struggling country, Latvia joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, soon after declaring its independence
Igor Gouzenko’s defection to Canada in September of 1945 was “...One of the first shots fired in the Cold War”. The beginning of the Cold War started shortly after Gouzenko’s defection. The Cold War refers to a period of political and military tension beginning after World War II and ending in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Cold War pitted the capitalist powers of the Western Bloc (the United States & its NATO allies) against the communist powers of the Eastern Bloc (the Soviet Union and its allies). According to J. L Black and Martin
BOLIVIAN PARADISE Bolivia is an amazing country that is breathtaking and is similar to a paradise. Bolivia is an interesting country that practices an interesting style of living. Locals always have plenty to do. They can go out for pizza, go see movies, or simply sit and talk.
The arms race the Soviet Union had been involved in with NATO had bankrupted their economy. This in turn affected the people, when the economy started to collapse, the people started to lose their jobs, were not able to get the basic necessities from the local stores. In most cases when one form of government can not provide the basic needs for their people, then the people will look for a form of government that can provide for them. Then there is one aspect of human nature that the Communist Party in the Soviet Union was not able to control and the desire of the people of Eastern Europe to be free of Soviet control. Before World War II, the countries that made up Eastern Europe had been independent countries able to decide their own fate.
During the seventeenth century, numerous civilizations were flourishing in North America before Europeans came to the United States. When the Agricultural Revolution occurred 2000 B.C.E, Americans became sedentary and more cultures began to develop. Significant population centers and society developed a strong sense of belonging to a civilization. These civilizations were Hopewell, Adena, and the biggest one: Cahokia. The last one was considered the “City of The Sun” along with Mississippi River. Natural resources including water, gold, and silver were the most essential elements for trading. By 1500, The dominant economic activities were fishing, hunting, and agriculture. The first European civilizations to take over America during the seventeenth
...eeded in putting communism on the political map of the world. Governments across Europe and Latin America emulated Stalin and instituted their own brands of communism within their respective countries. Yet, what was to be the permanent revolution, has infected and affected the world for almost an entire century. Every year since 1917 has seen people in revolt. Economics, austerity, and political corruption have been the common causes of popular uprisings across the world, and whether the revolutions have been peaceful or violent, the result has nearly always been a change in the political structure and the redrawing of boundary lines. The continued presence of Russian-backed revolutions combined with the cries of the European people for independence and security reflect the ongoing influence of the Russian Revolution on the whole of Europe and, possibly, the world.
Italo Calvino was an Italian author who wrote a wide variety of stories, such as The Nonexistent Knight and many more. He was a master of postmodern literature which can be seen throughout all his stories, including The Nonexistent Knight. This novella follows Agilulf, a “perfect” yet nonexistent knight, and his acquaintances on quests to seek out their true identity and reveals to us that “where other people exist genuine individuality is never possible.” Through Calvino’s perspective, the perfect individual cannot exist in a world where there is greed, gluttony, lust, and other inimical qualities around him, which ultimately led Agilulf to his doom. Characters in the story cannot achieve that “perfect individuality” that everyone desires, simply because perfection is unattainable, which is depicted through Calvino’s use of satire and postmodern elements. In The Nonexistent Knight, Italo Calvino creates a parodic satire on medieval romances where genuine individuality is not possible, making us question the verisimilitude of the characters in the story through the use of different types of satire, character development, and postmodern themes.
Following the death of Josef Stalin in 1953, the harsh policies he implemented in not only the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, but also its many satellite nations began to break down. There was a movement to distance all of the socialist nations from Stalin?s sadistic rule. In the Peoples? Republic of Hungary, there was much disillusionment with this Stalinist absolutism (Felkay 50). This disillusionment with the Soviet ideal of socialism lead the people of the fledgeling socialist state of Hungary to rise up in revolt, but ill-preparedness and the strength of the Soviet Red Army put down the insurrection within several days.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was made right after World War II ended. All the while many numbers of Soviet troops remained in Eastern Europe. Governments set up by these forces were pro-communist, are called the Warsaw Pact countries. Besides the USSR, these countries include Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania. Western nations formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1949. The member nations agreed that an attack on any one of them would be considered an attack against all of them. NATO was another event that triggered Stalin’s power and it was seen as a defensive tactic against USSR which caused tensions to rise.
Being an international student is exciting. It offers a lot of exposure and scope for improvement. Canada has a lot of institutions that accept foreign students, but before that, the practical difficulties an international student might face in the country should be noted.
I did my research on the country of Lithuania for this former communist paper. The country of Lithuania is located in the north eastern part of Europe. Lithuania borders the countries Poland and Belarus which are to the south of Lithuania and then Latvia to the north. Lithuania became a communist country in October of 1918, the communist party of Lithuania (2). There was several different leaders of this party but the one that was in power the longest throughout the years was Antanas Sniečkus (2). On March 11th 1990 Lithuania declared their independence but it was not till almost a year and a half later that the country’s independence would be recognized by the Soviet Union on September 6th 1991 (1).
Luxembourg is a country located in Western Europe, mainly composed of French and Germanic speaking and cultures. Luxembourg has an area of nearly 2,586 square kilometers making it one of the smallest sovereign states in Europe. In 2012 Luxembourg had a small population of 524,853 which is ranked 8th of least populous countries in Europe. Luxembourg ranked in size 179th out of 194 independent countries of the world. Luxembourg borders Belgium to the West, Germany to the East, and France to the South. The country being a representative democracy is headed by Grand Duke Henri. Luxembourg has a very developed and advanced economy, ranking to be with one of the world’s highest Gross Domestic Product per capita. Luxembourg is made up of a high income
The NATO and Warsaw Pact were formed. This war inevitably led to destructive conflicts like the Vietnam War and Korean War. The Soviet Union collapsed due to its economic weakness. Berlin was destroyed and the two German nations were unified. The Baltic States and some former Soviet Republics gained independence.
In the 13th century, Estonia was under constant rule and resisting assault from neighboring nations until declaring independence until the 1990’s. in 1346, the Danish, who were in possession of northern Estonia, sold their territory off to the Teutonic knight of Germany, a religious military order back in medieval times who had possession of southern Estonia and Latvia(past known as Livonia). Under the knight’s rule, the Estonians were reduced to serfdom, which classifies as the lowest class of society (peasants, slaves, etc.). In 1526, the Swedish were next to in line to take over. Less than 200 years later, in 1721, under the Peace of Nystad, Russia became Sweden’s successor in control over Estonia. Estonia was subjected under Baltic and Czarist until months ending of WWI. During that time, Estonia first achieved independence (1918-1920); shortly months after the start of WWII the nation was once again occupied by Rus...
Located deep within the vast open waters of the South Pacific Ocean is a nation that is seemingly hidden to the rest of the world. The country of Vanuatu is a world within itself full of cultural diversities, geographical wonders and natural beauty that cannot compare to anywhere else in the world. The natives who inhabit the cluster of islands that make up the country of Vanuatu are proud of their heritage and have strong beliefs in their ways of life. With countless influences from other cultures, they have become their own breed of sorts. Their richness and cultural diversity is one of its main attraction to visitors, who can witness rituals and traditional ceremonies that are an integral part of modern life. Due to the natural boundaries, large open stretches of water, and the jungle and mountainous terrain, tourism is very low, leaving Vanuatu as one of the most untouched native areas remaining on Earth today. By taking a deeper look inside at what all it has to offer, Vanuatu is a county of the South Pacific rich in culture and local traditions that many may soon realize that they need to discover.
Kuwait, also known as The State of Kuwait, is a small country that grabbed the attention of the world shortly after World War II because of its vast oil revenues. Sitting in the middle of trade routes from Europe to Africa and Asia, its geography and geology have shaped its development as a nation.