The World Since 1945Samantha Perugini

“The Great Liberation” When WWII ended in 1945, the balance

of world power dramatically changed. The two countries in the world with the most power were the Soviet Union and the United States who were the main enemies in the Cold War.

Empires in the west collapsed and people in colonies established in the Imperialism age in Asia and Africa demanded freedom

Because of a lack of military and financial resources, powers could not fight to keep their colonies.

Almost 100 new countries developed during the “great liberation”.

New nations in Latin America, Africa and Asia were all determined to modernize themselves. Most of the joined the United Nations where they had an important voice in determining global political and economic affairs.

The Cold War Goes Global The world

became divided and divided by the Cold War.

Many nations chose to be nonaligned or not allied to either side in the war.

With the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Cold War was finally over. But unlike what most people expected, global problems would not come to an end.

Interdependence is the dependence of countries on goods, resources and knowledge from other parts of the world.

The United Nations was set up in order to keep peace in the world. It eventually provided service for people worldwide. The World Health Organization helps deal with the AIDS crisis and helps make sure people have safe drinking water.

Other Organizations The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

(GATT) tried to establish fair trade policies for all nations. Italy, Germany, France, Canada, The United States, Britain and Japan meet annually to discuss economic problems

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) makes loans to developing nations.

Other important groups are the International Red Cross and The International Olympic Committee.

Enduring Issues The number of nuclear weapons increased from 3

to over 50,000 in the 1980s. Military spending in many countries has grown,

even after the Cold War. There has been a huge increase in terrorist

activities The Human Declaration of Human Rights was

approved by the UN in 1948 and states that all people are entitled to basic rights.

The Helsinki agreement states that the basic human rights are freedom of speech, religion, the press and the right to a fair trial.

The Global North and South: Rich and Poor

Nations

Multinational corporations are enterprises with branches in many countries. They bring new technology to mining, transportation and other industries.

Because of the oil crisis of the 1970s, the Operation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) stopped exports from the Middle East and raised prices.

In order to pay back debt, people turned to privatization which is the selling off of state-owned industries to private investors.

Obstacles to Modernization Geography- Many new

formed countries have few natural resources, difficult climates and disease.

Population and Poverty- Because medicine has improved, more people are living longer. This means there are more people to provide with jobs, food, housing, education and medical care. Thousands of children die each day from effects of poverty.

Economic Dependence- When a country only has one major export, their entire economy depends on the world demand for that product.

Economic Policies- Most countries made the wrong decision that socialism would help them modernize more quickly.

Political Instability- Nations were devastated by civil wars and dictators spending money on unnecessary things.

Economy and the Environment Strip mining

provided vital ores for industry but destroyed land. Chemical fertilizers harmed the soil and water. Oil spills also polluted water.

Gases from power plants and factories produced acid rain which is a form of pollution in which toxic chemicals in the air come back to the Earth as rain, snow or hail. Acid rain has damaged forests, lakes and rivers .

An accident at the Chernobyl power plant exposed people, animals and crops to deadly radiation.

In 1922, the UN sponsored the Conference on the Environment or Earth Summit where leaders discussed how to preserve the planet.

Common environmental challenges include deforestation, desertification, waste disposal and endangered plants and animals

Village life began to fade because of urbanization and new technology.

Westernization- People began to adopt western fashions and ideas but at the same time tried to preserve their older traditions.

The liberation theology movement which urged the Roman Catholic Church to take a more active role in changing the social conditions that contribute to poverty was adopted.

Women’s Rights By 1950, women won the right to vote

in most European countries. They also began to win government positions.

More women worked outside their homes and got educations.

Despite the changes, some countries kept women confined to their houses and completely segregated from men.

Science and Technology The first computers were built in

the1940s The Soviet Union launched Sputnik, a

tiny satellite into orbit. In 1969, the first man landed on the moon.

Vaccines were developed to prevent diseases such as smallpox. Surgeons learned transplants and laser surgery.

During the Green Revolution, food production greatly increased.

Regents Questions “Germany Recognizes the Independence of Slovenia”

“United States Establishes Diplomatic Relations with Croatia”“Latvia Joins the United Nations”

These headlines illustrate the

 1.  collapse of the governments of these nations

 2.  strength of the Russia Empire

 3.  beginning of a united Europe

 4.  increase in international support for self-determination

One reason North Korea has been the focus of worldwide attention in the mid-1990’s is because of its

 1.  nuclear weapons development programs

 2.  commitment to increasing political freedoms

 3.  development of a strong and expanding economy

 4.  efforts to revive communism in Eastern Europe

In France, a person drinks coffee imported from Brazil, works at a computer made in Japan, and uses gasoline from Saudi Arabia in a German automobile. This situation illustrates the concept of

 1.  empathy

 2.  scarcity

 3.  interdependence

 4.  world citizenship

Since the creation of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), member nations have joined together to

 1.  determine the supply of oil on the world market

 2.  establish a policy of independence in trade

 3.  maintain a low price of oil per barrel

 4.  isolate themselves from the rest of the world

Today, human rights violations most often occur in nations in which

 1.  freedom of the press exists

 2.  government is limited by law

 3.  leaders have absolute control

 4.  government has a multiparty system

Answers 1) 4 2) 1 3) 3 4) 1 5) 3