Mikhail Gorbachev and The Collapse of Communism

Mikhail Gorbachev was one of the candidates to replace Leonid Brezhnev. He was elected and he wanted to change the way things were done. Mikhail didn't want a totalitarian state because he knew it wouldn't change. He decided on a policy called Glasnost. Glasnost is a policy for openness. He let the citizens decide what to do. They suggested some ideas like opening churches, publishing books of banned authors, and releasing dissidents. Peristrokia was an idea for economic reform. Glasnost wanted some people to change the economy too. Small private businesses were allowed to operate and managers controlled more of their farms and factories. Instead of the old political system, Mikhail made people choose the candidates. It made it more like a democracy instead of a communist state.

The Collapse of Communism

Communism and the USSR collapsed because Mikhail Gorbachev used glasnost and perestroika. Certain countries wanted to leave the Soviet Union and did not want to be communist anymore. The economy was worsening and Gorbachev resigned as leader. The Soviet Union turned into 15 different republics because of revolts. The Berlin Wall separated East and West Germany. People tore down the Berlin Wall because they wanted people to cross with private roads and soon everyone wanted to cross. They started breaking it with hammers and soon it fell. People were worried less about nuclear warfare. There were less communist countries to deal with.

Nelson Mandela and Apartheid

Apartheid is when black and other colored people did not have the same rights as white people in South Africa's government. He was sentenced to life in prison but was released in 27 years. Nelson also won a Nobel Peace Prize. He was the president of South Africa. He was the leader of the African National Congress. Nelson Mandela is so well liked because he helped outlaw Apartheid and helped a lot of things in South Africa. Mandela wanted everyone in South Africa to live in peace and that helped make everyone like him.

African Independence

Africa changed so much from 1955 to 1975 because a lot of the countries in Africa were trying to gain independence. World War 2 was over and Europeans wanted to give back their countries. Africa's country had many third world countries that were poorly-developed. They needed support from larger countries like the United States. Some countries have no definite form of government. Leaders helped lead some revolutions and most of them succeeded by using the examples of past revolutions. Kwame Nkrumah was a nonviolent protester who wanted Gold Coast to gain its independence. He used protests and strikes against the British. Mobutu Sese Seko wanted the Congo to be ruled by him. He overthrew Tshombe and ruled for 32 years. Ahmed Ben Bella was the leader of the Algeria National Liberation Front. The French thought they couldn't contain the rebellion and decided to make them independent.