The Collapse of Communism

Discuss all of the following questions using several different examples from the text, or video, and original analysis of your own.

What factors led to the collapse of communism?
What role did nationalism play in the collapse of communism?
What caused revolutionary protest movements to arise in communist countries?
How did protest movements affect communist governments?
What role did generational differences play in the collapse of communism?

Resouces:

Shubert, A. & Goldstein, R.J. (2012). Twentieth-century Europe. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

To successfully complete this week’s assignments, read the following chapters from the text, Twentieth-Century Europe:
Chapter 5 – From World War II to the Age of Prosperity, 1945 to 1973
Chapter 6 – From the End of Prosperity to the End of Communism, 1973 to 1991
To successfully complete this week’s assignments, read the following speech from Winston Churchill:

Churchill, W. S. (March 5, 1946). Iron curtain speech. Retrieved from http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/mod/churchill-iron.asp
To successfully complete this week’s assignments, read the following article from Fordham University:

(October 22, 1956). Sixteen political, economic, and ideological points. Retrieved from http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/mod/1956hungary-16points.asp
To successfully complete this week’s assignments, read the following chapters from the text, The Second Sex:

de Beauvoir, S. (1972). Introduction: Woman as other. (H. M. Parshley, Trans.). From The second sex. New York, Penguin. Retrieved from http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/ethics/de-beauvoir/2nd-sex/introduction.htm (Original work published 1949)
To successfully complete this week’s assignments, read the following chapters from the text, The GULAG Archipelago, 1918-1956: An Experiment in Literary Investigation:

Solzhenitsyn, A. (1974). The Interrogation. The GULAG archipelago, 1918-1956: An experiment in literary investigation (pp. 93-117). New York: Harper and Row. Retrieved from http://ia600304.us.archive.org/29/items/Gulag_Archipelago_I/Gulag_Archipelago.pdf
To successfully complete this week’s assignments, read the following articles from the timeline, The History of the European Union (http://europa.eu/about-eu/eu-history/index_en.htm):

1945-1959: A peaceful Europe – the beginnings of co-operation (http://europa.eu/about-eu/eu-history/1945-1959/index_en.htm)
1960-1969: The “Swinging Sixties” – A period of economic growth (http://europa.eu/about-eu/eu-history/1960-1969/index_en.htm)
1970-1979: A growing Community – the first Enlargement (http://europa.eu/about-eu/eu-history/1970-1979/index_en.htm)
1980-1989: The changing face of Europe – the fall of the Berlin Wall (http://europa.eu/about-eu/eu-history/1980-1989/index_en.htm)

To successfully complete this week’s assignments, it is recommended that you watch the following video from the George C. Marshall Foundation:
George C. Marshall Foundation. (2009). The Marshall Plan speech [Video]. Lexington, VA. Retrieved from http://www.marshallfoundation.org/library/MarshallPlanSpeech.html
To successfully complete this week’s assignments, it is recommended that you watch the following videos from Czech Republic: Radio Free Europe:
Green, R. (Producer). (n.d.). Eyewitness: Invasion of Prague [Video]. Czech Republic: Radio Free Europe. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XgxLgnpRYw&feature=relmfu
Jacobs, B. (Producer). (n.d.). The revolutions of 1989 [Video]. Czech Republic: Radio Free Europe. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc2XGHA7NK4&feature=related