GENERAL CURRICULUM TEST OBJECTIVE : 0006 Understand major developments in the history of the United States from precolonial times to the present.
After the U.S. exited Vietnam, the South Vietnamese region fell in 1975 to the communist North and the country became one.
The Cold War was named as it was because the two major players, the Soviet Union and U.S., did not engage in large scale fighting. The conflict was caused by both economic and political factors - there was competition for oil and food sources, and the USSR kept close control over countries in eastern Europe, many that made up a military organization called the Warsaw Pact. Many of the other Soviet allies were in Asia (China, N. Korea, N. Vietman), as were some of the U.S. allies (S. Vietnam, S. Korea, Taiwan, and Japan). In addition, tensions ran high over the proliferation of nuclear weapons that the USSR and the U.S. gathered. This escalation was known as the "arms race" and was costly to both. During the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's, the U.S. was engaged also in a race to develop technologies that could be used to explore outer space. The launch of the Soviet sattelite, Sputnik, spurred the Americans to escalate their space program resulting in 1969 with the first U.S. Astronaut to walk on the moon.
The Cold War was a cultural struggle as well and both sides supported negative feelings for the other. The Cold War continued in varying degrees from 1947-1991, ending with the collapse of the Soviet Union (the end of the Soviet Union as the central government for multiple countries in eastern Europe, resulting in their separation). At this time, what was known as "The Iron Curtain", the ideological symbolic and physical separation of Europe between east and west after WWII, ended.
The leader of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachov, led a series of reforms to try and improve the economies of the Warsaw Pact countries. Increased scrutiny from the press revealed corruption and economic problems formerly hidden. In the U.S. at this time, President Ronald Reagan led the government to increase military spending and to increase economic pressure on the USSR. The disolution of former Soviet countries from Russia continued throughout this period.
A symbolic and physical act that characterizes this period occurred in 1989 with the removal of the Berlin Wall. This was a wall within the city of Berlin in East Germany that cut off parts from West Germany from 1961-1989. It stood as a symbol of the stark contrast between communist and democratic ideals. Once removed the country of Germany was reunited.
The subsequent decade of the 1990's was marked by economic growth fueled in large part by the emergence of the Internet, and the large technology boom. Globalization, a theory by which the entire planet is deeply connected through the flow and exchange of goods and knowledged, accelerated and dominated this period.
The second half of the 20th Century and the beginning of the 21st were characterized by the threats and presence of international terrorism. Much focus was on the Middle Eastern region with conflicts between Israel and its neighbors. Airline highjackings, kidnappings, and the disruption of international gatherings, such as the Olympic Games were notable. Continuing into the 1990's and to the present, terrorism has continued with threats to safety worldwide and periodic acts of terrorism. One of the most horrific on U.S. soil were the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 when a terrorist group called Al Qaeda, led by Osama Bin Laden, issued attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and other targets. Subsequently, the U.S. attacked the region, targeting places where it was believed that terrorist groups were headquartered. Additionally, the U.S., under the leadership of President George W. Bush, attacked the country of Iraq and with it's allies overthrew the regime of Saddam Houssein, the dictator there.
In 2008, the election of U.S. President, Barrack Obama, brought to power the first African-American president. He was re-elected in 2012 and currently sits as President until 2016. His presidental period has been marked by economic turbulence, movements toward recovery, continued fights against terrorism, and controversial domestic policies.
Resources:
http://www.neok12.com/video/Cold-War/zX5b5d5a4c61786d516d7c0a.htm
http://www.neok12.com/video/Cold-War/zX45566f6d55786754567b51.htm
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/films-teaching-about-globalization-modernization-eileen-mattingly
https://gamesined.wikispaces.com/Global+Issues
http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks#
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