Chapter 21 Revolution, Socialism, and Global Conflict (pp. 1035-1068) + Ch 21 documents (pp. 1069-1085)

As I read about the The Rise and Fall of World Communism from 1917 to present; I learned that there was a growing disbelief in the ability of the communist regime to provide a decent life for the people and this would play as an important factor in the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Earlier in this century communism had been welcome with open hands by countries like Russia, China, Cuba, and Vietnam, as a promise to the people of liberation from inequality, oppression, exploitation, and backwardness. This all sounded like a great life for the people and everyone quickly agreed that communism was the way to go towards achieving a better life. Due to the wake of war, revolution, or both communist regimes were able to quickly rise to power all throughout the world. After communist regimes were established then they would begin a thorough and revolutionary transformation of their societies by building socialism. Western world of capitalism and democracy feltht threat from the world communism that posed a strong military and political/idealogical power. Quickly there was separation and division between continents, countries, cities into communist and noncommunist halves. With the spread of communism there would be a rise of rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union (also known as USSR) for who would have greater influence in the southern part of the globe. Then came about and arms race for destructive nuclear weapons that would strike fear in all of the people around the world because schoolchildren would scramble under their desks during air raid drills, and sober scientist conjectured of possible extinction of human life or even all life if a major war were to break out. Then thankfully within the last two decades of the twentieth century there was the collapse of the communist regimes or also the abandonment of communist principles everywhere. The huge struggle between capitalism and communism, which was embodied by both United States and the Soviet Union, would all be resolved in a far more peaceful manner then anyone would have thought. As we read the Russian Revolution would bring to power the twentieth century's first communist government and would launch an intentional communist movement that embodied around one-third of the world's people around this time. Following the Russian Revolution would be a civil war through the Bolshevik eyes. The Bolshevik hoped to bring light of modernity and progress to a backward country, while depicting their opponent that they hoped to extinguish their light.