In this forum we will discuss key points in Chapter 21, which covers developments from 1970-2000, and also the Epilogue, which covers events since 2000. Please note: this is a chance to share what you are learning from the reading. You might give some of your own insight, but please make sure this is grounded in the reading.

You may discuss any topic covered in these readings. You may use my questions (below) or write your own questions.

Please feel free to start a thread if you have a topic that nobody else has started. Otherwise, it is a great idea to join threads that other people have started.

This discussion is officially worth 20 points, but you can earn up to 25 points if you do extra. We are going to focus on short but meaningful posts. You can get five points for a really good paragraph that introduces a topic or that adds to what someone already posted on a topic. You will be graded not just on what you write, but also on how you contribute to the discussion by following directions, adding new material, and responding to other students.

Here are a few suggestions for questions:

Collapse of the Soviet Bloc. Why did the pact among these countries fall apart? How did this collapse cause uncertainty and tension in much of the world?

Nelson Mandela. Why was he such an important leader for South Africa?

European Union. How did the EU come to be? Why was this such a remarkable accomplishment?

Demographic Change. How are various societies changing in response to trends in the population, such as smaller families and longer lifespans?

Natural Resources. How did societies in the late twentieth century address the challenge of diminishing natural resources in relation to the world’s growing population?

China in 1989. What happened at Tienanmen Square in 1989? How do these events relate to global trends we have been studying? You could also relate these events to China’s earlier history, including the rise of the Communists under the leadership of Chairman Mao Zedong.

Global environmental challenges. The Epilogue is especially good on recent challenges.

These are just a few of the many possible questions you could develop. Please feel free to develop your own question based on the readings. If you include page numbers that could be helpful to other people.

example of how to solve this homework:

Student name

What are some of the causes of famine in Africa since the 1940’s. (Page 1012)

Sen Amartya is an economist and Nobel laureate. On Page 1011, there is discussion about the increasing famines in Africa. Sen noted that they are not “natural disasters but human-made”. The government ignored the farmers. Primary source document “Democracy as a Universal Value,” Journal of Democracy” (1999). Sen Amartya talks about how there has never been a famine in any independent democracy; even the poor democracies. Sen also talks about how the response of government depends on the pressure put on it and this is what happened in Africa (government was not responsive). Sen points out how it is the free press that gives government incentive to respond to these types of crisis. Free press holds government accountable and this has prevented large scale famines in independent democratic government. (Page 1028)

Without a free press there is not a democracy.