Mikhail Gorbachev and the Collapse of Communism

Mikhail Gorbachev opened up to the Soviet Union by being a communist leader and concentrating on his own ideas. He didn't like the ideas of Stalin on government. Russia was led by totalitarian leaders. The collapse of communism started to happened when Gorbachev brought glasnost and peristroika. These were policies in Russia when it was still a communist country. Glasnost was a, "policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union." Peristroika was a "political and economic reform." These policies was to reform communism. Gorbachev wated to improve Russia's society by the policies and communism was losing control. Russia was becoming more of a democratic country because of the glasnost and peristroika policies and Gorbachev's ways of making Russia a better country. People started to own small businesses ad the economy was starting to be better too. 

The Collapse of Communism

Communism collapse in eastern Europe and the USSR because of the economy, couldn't keep up with the United States, many people turned against communism, and statues of Lenin and other communists leaders were torn down. Before people tried to escape the Berlin Wall no one couldn't cross the wall and whoever did would get killed. The wall separated East and West of Germany. Many people teared down the Berlin Wall into large groups because they wanted to cross the border. The Soviet Union

Nelson Mandela and Apartheid

Apartheid was a system of legal racial segregation in Africa between 1948-1994. It was enforced by the National Party government. Nelson Mandela was such a hero because he he didn't like the idea of apartheid and wanted to abolish it. He freed South Africa from the government that used apartheid. He was against the white people ruling the government and not the white people in South Africa. Mandela was in trial called the Rivonia Trial so he can go to jail for being against apartheid and the government. He went to prison and was freed in 1990 when the apartheid was ended. He is admired by authors and articles written about Mandela in sites because he fought something that people weren't happy with and gave freedom to Africa. He sacrificed a lot things for Africa. His books influenced many people and is known as a freedom fighter.

African Independence

Africa has changed so much in the 20 year period from 1955 to 1975 by having more independent countries in Africa. There had been more independent countries in the 20 year period because some countries in Africa fought to be independent against colonists. Africans wanted to show the world and other people that they can run its own country and industrialized Africa. Some of the leaders in Africa was Leopold Senghor who was the first president of Senegal. Another leader was Jomo Kenyatta, who was a nationalist leader of Kenya. Then there was a leader named Mobuto that ruled the country Zaire.