Section+4

=CHAPTER 24, SECTION 4 =

-A WORLD IN TRANSITION-
 "The End of the Cold War?"  ~Since the end of World War II, the Soviets dominated governments controlled the nations of Eastern Europe ~ Those who attempted revolt, had harsh punishment ~ 1989 and 1990, the Eastern bloc changed drastically ~ Communist governments began to collapse ~ In 1981 the Polish government had outlawed Solidarity, an independent labor union ~ In 1989, the communist government allowed Solidarity candidates to run for the Polish parliament. ~ They all won ~ Germany built the Berlin Wall in 1961 to prevent it's citizens from fleeing ~ The wall represented Cold War hostility ~ In Nov. 1989, East German government announced they were opening the wall ~ Summer 1990, East and West Germany charted a course of reunion ~ After being divided for 45 years because of the cold war, on October 4, 1990, Germany became one nation again ~ Soviet President Gorbachev accepted the movement toward democratic reform in Eastern ~ With the Cold War possibly coming to an end, members of congress talked about a "peace dividend". Money that once had funded the arms race could now be used to expand social programs or reduce the [|deficit].

 "New Directions in Latin America"  ~ Bush took a less militant approach than Regan did towards the affairs in Nicaragua ~ He did not continue to press for military aid to the contras ~ Instead, he worked out a bipartisan agreement with Congress ~ It would provide the contras with food, clothing, and medical supplies ~ Nicaragua held elections in Feb. 1990 ~ Many thought Daniel Ortega and his Sandinista party would win ~ But, Violeta Chamorro won ~ However, Ortega's brother retained control of the military ~ By the end of 1990, Chamorro's hold on power was slipping ~ Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega was a friend of the U.S. ~ He had helped American support get to the contras ~ He also became involved in drug smuggling ~ December 20, 1989, President Bush sent American military forces into Panama ~ The dictator went into hiding, but eventually surrendered and sent to trial ~ The U.S. installed a new government and offered to help rebuild the nation's shattered economy

 "Unrest in China"  ~ In the spring of 1989, Chinese students began to campaign for democratic reforms ~ Hundreds of thousands gathered at the Tiananmen Square in Bejiing ~ Americans watched the demonstrations, hoping the world's most rigid communist regimes would begin its own reforms ~ In June, the regime struck back ~ President Bush disapproved of the return to recession ~ He refused to take strong action against the Chinese government ~ He wanted to keep diplomatic channels open in hopes of being a better influence

 "A Policy Toward South Africa"  ~ During the 1980's, the South African government had continued to the pursue the policy of apartheid, or separation of the races ~ President Reagan opposed apartheid, he argued that economic actions taken would hurt the black majority by destroying jobs ~ Instead the Reagan administration adopted a policy known as "constructive engagement" ~ They called for economic sanctions, or limits on trade and investment, to pressure the South African government to end apartheid ~ In October 1986, Congress passed a sanctions bill over President Reagan's veto

 "War clouds in the Middle East"  ~ After the Iran-Iraq war ended in 1988, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein rebuilt his military ~ August 1990, his troops invaded Kuwait, one of the richest oil-producing nations ~ During the 1980's, the industrial nations had become more dependent than ever before from the Persian Gulf ~ If Saddam were to conquer Saudi Arabia as well as Kuwait, he would control more than 80% of the oil in the region ~ If not stopped, he could expand his strong military forces and attack other Arab nations ~ President Bush immediately dispatched American forces to Saudi Arabia ~ In response, Saddam held many Americans and other foreigners hostage in Kuwait and Iraq ~ If the U.S. or any other country bombed Iraq, these captives would die

 "Fugitives in a Desert Drama"  ~ Saddam allowed some foreigners to leave Kuwait, but only women and children ~ Many American citizens went into hiding rather than be taken into custody ~ If any Kuwaitis helped the Americans they were taken into their homes and shot ~ Americans had to constantly change where they were hiding out because the Iraqi troops were always searching for them ~ Many made underground bomb shelters and had to smuggle letters to assure family and friends they were safe ~ One couple went across Kuwait by car trying to reach the American embassy

 "War in the Persian Gulf" <span style="color: rgb(195, 9, 9);"> ~ In November 1990, President Bush convinced the United Nations Security Council to declare January 15, 1991, as a deadline for Iraq's removal from Kuwait ~ Preparing for attack, Bush sent 200,000 additonal troops to the Middle East ~ This would allow the United States to launch an attack against Iraq the President and Congress needed to ~ In Dec. Saddam released many of the foreign hostages, including the Americans ~ Congress and some European nations, argued that they should give the boycott against Iraq more time to work ~ As the deadline approached, Congress debated and then adopted a resolution authorizing the President to deploy military force against Iraq ~ Sec. of State Baker met the foreign minister of Iraq as a last effort to advert war ~ The meeting got them nowhere,a dead end ~ As the deadline for Iraqi withdrawl from Kuwait passed, the U.S. and forces from several other nations, launched an air attack on Iraq on Jan. 16 ~ Iraq defeat only took six weeks