Unit 10: Global Society in a Post-Cold War World
The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 ended the bipolar military, political, and economic alignments that had structured life across the globe during the Cold War. The United States emerged as the sole remaining economic and military superpower, but the growing political and economic power of the European Union and industrial nations across East Asia gradually challenged this status by the beginning of the 21st century. In the post-Cold War world, developing nations across Africa, Asia, and the Americas struggled under a crushing burden of international debt, lack of economic development, internecine warfare, and the social impact of infectious diseases like AIDS and malaria. Now, at the end of the first decade of the 21st century, the global community faces profound challenges brought about by climate change, religious violence, and economic uncertainty.
In this unit, we will examine the political, economic, and social realignments that followed the end of the Cold War and look at the consequences of globalization in the developed and developing world. We will evaluate current economic, political, and social trends from the broader perspective of the past 400 years and address how the world community can meet the challenges ahead.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 7 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- describe the political, economic, and social realignments of the post-Cold War era;
- reflect on the concept of globalization and describe its causes and consequences; and
- describe the term global community and evaluate how political and social trends in the 1980s and 1990s have shaped contemporary life.
10.1: Global Society and the End of the Cold War
10.1.1: Fall of the Iron Curtin
10.1.2: Reorganizing and Realigning
10.2: Developing Nations in the Modern Era
10.2.1: "Chinese Democracy?": Tiananmen and Communist Rule in China
This article discusses the contentious relations between the U.S. and China after the crackdown by the Chinese army at Tiananmen Square in 1989.
10.2.2: The Asian Miracle
10.2.3: Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Republics
In this lecture, T. Mills Kelly of George Mason University discusses the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. He focuses on popular dissatisfaction with the Communist and post-Communist political regimes in Yugoslavia and efforts by ethnic nationalists to resolve centuries of political and cultural tension in the region through military force. Kelly goes into great detail about the breakup of Yugoslavia and explains the motivations of different ethnic groups involved in the decade-long conflict.
10.3: Historical Consequences of Global Development
10.3.1: Population Growth and Immigration
10.3.2: Economic Inequalities
10.3.3: Technology, Information Flow, Development, and Globalization
In this thought-provoking article, journalist and social commentator Kirkpatrick Sale addresses the place of technology and industrialization in the modern global society. Sale argues that technology is not neutral and can have a detrimental impact on society. Similarly, industrialization is a cataclysmic process that always leads to social turmoil and destruction. He argues that people have a moral responsibility to take a stand against mindless industrialization and challenge the assumptions of pro-technology and pro-industry advocates. In doing so, society will be able to ensure social stability, economic equality, and environmental reform.
Unit 10 Assessment
Review the Chapter 36 outline, and take the multiple-choice, true/false, and short answer quizzes to assess your understanding of the subjects covered in Unit 10.
Unfortunately, the original provider for this quiz has rearranged the site in such a way that Submit Answers for Grading button does not work and no longer indicates the correct answers. This quiz should be fairly straightforward and easy for students with a good understanding of the course materials. Therefore, you should use this quiz as a self-assessment of how comfortable you feel with the material before you move forward.
Review the Chapter 32 overview, and then take the 12 question "self-check" multiple-choice quiz to assess your understanding of the subjects covered in Unit 10.