AMSCO APWH U8+9


Unit 8.4 - Spread of Communism after 1900



  • Soviet Union’s influence:

    • USSR established communist regimes in Eastern Europe post-WWII (ex: Poland, East Germany, Hungary).

    • Warsaw Pact (1955) – military alliance of communist states.


  • China becomes communist:

    • Mao Zedong leads CCP to victory in 1949 after Chinese Civil War.

    • People’s Republic of China (PRC) founded.

    • Land reform, collectivization, Five-Year Plans modeled after USSR.


  • Cuba:

    • Fidel Castro overthrows Batista in 1959.

    • Nationalized industries, aligned with USSR.

    • Leads to Cuban Missile Crisis (1962).


  • Vietnam:

    • Ho Chi Minh leads independence from France, then communist North Vietnam.

    • US supports South Vietnam in Vietnam War.

    • After US withdrawal (1973), Vietnam unified under communism (1975).


  • North Korea:

    • Kim Il-Sung establishes DPRK in 1948 with Soviet support.

    • Korean War (1950–1953) ends in stalemate; peninsula remains divided.







Unit 8.5 - Decolonization after 1900



  • India:

    • Independence from Britain in 1947 via nonviolent resistance (Mahatma Gandhi).

    • Partition creates Pakistan (Muslim-majority) and India (Hindu-majority).

    • Massive refugee crisis and communal violence (1 million+ dead).


  • Africa:

    • Ghana first sub-Saharan African nation to gain independence (Kwame Nkrumah, 1957).

    • Algeria gains independence from France (1962) after violent war (FLN vs. French Army).

    • Kenya gains independence in 1963 (Mau Mau Uprising against British settlers).


  • Southeast Asia:

    • Indonesia declares independence from Dutch (1945); war until Dutch withdrawal (1949).

    • Vietnam’s independence from France (Dien Bien Phu, 1954); split into North/South.


  • Zionism and Israel:

    • British Balfour Declaration (1917) supports Jewish homeland in Palestine.

    • Israel declared independent in 1948; Arab-Israeli War follows.

    • Ongoing conflicts with Palestinians and neighboring Arab states.







Unit 8.6 - Newly Independent States



  • India:

    • Jawaharlal Nehru – first prime minister; nonaligned movement leader.

    • Green Revolution boosts food production.

    • 1971 war with Pakistan; creation of Bangladesh.


  • Africa:

    • Nkrumah promoted Pan-Africanism; eventually overthrown.

    • Julius Nyerere (Tanzania): Ujamaa socialism.

    • Post-colonial issues: borders, ethnic conflict, underdevelopment.


  • Middle East:

    • Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalizes Suez Canal (1956).

    • Suez Crisis – Britain, France, and Israel invade; US/USSR force withdrawal.

    • Ba’athist regimes in Syria and Iraq; authoritarianism often replaces colonial rule.







Unit 8.7 - Global Resistance to Established Power Structures



  • Non-aligned Movement (NAM):

    • Led by Nehru (India), Nasser (Egypt), Tito (Yugoslavia).

    • Sought independence from US/USSR blocs during Cold War.


  • Anti-Apartheid:

    • South Africa: legalized racial segregation since 1948.

    • African National Congress (ANC) and Nelson Mandela resist.

    • International pressure and internal protests end apartheid (1994).


  • Tiananmen Square (1989):

    • Chinese students demand democratic reforms.

    • Government violently suppresses protest; hundreds killed.


  • Liberation Theology:

    • Movement in Latin America combining Catholicism and Marxist ideas.

    • Priests like Gustavo Gutiérrez advocate for poor and oppressed.







Unit 9.2 - Technological Advances after 1900



  • Energy and environment:

    • Nuclear power developed during WWII, later used for civilian energy.

    • Fossil fuels continue to dominate despite environmental concerns.

    • Renewable energy (solar, wind) emerges late 20th century.


  • Medical innovations:

    • Antibiotics (penicillin mass-produced in WWII).

    • Vaccines eradicate smallpox; reduce measles, polio.

    • Increase in life expectancy globally.


  • Information and communication:

    • Computers, internet revolutionize communication (especially 1990s onward).

    • Cell phones and satellites make global communication instantaneous.







Unit 9.3 - Advances in Science and Technology



  • Green Revolution:

    • High-yield crop varieties (wheat, rice) developed (Norman Borlaug).

    • Use of fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation – boosts food production.

    • Helps India, Mexico; criticized for environmental and social impacts.


  • Medical breakthroughs:

    • Artificial heart transplants (1960s–1980s).

    • Birth control pill (1960) revolutionizes reproductive health.

    • Gene editing (CRISPR) and human genome project (2003).


  • Environmental impacts:

    • Climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions.

    • Deforestation, desertification, pollution increase.

    • Global response: Earth Day (1970), Kyoto Protocol (1997), Paris Agreement (2015).







Unit 9.4 - Economic Continuity and Change



  • Globalization:

    • Economic interdependence increases due to trade, tech, and communication.

    • WTO (1995), NAFTA (1994), EU promote free trade.

    • Multinational corporations (Apple, Toyota) dominate markets.


  • Economic liberalization:

    • 1980s–1990s: Neoliberal reforms (Reagan, Thatcher).

    • Privatization, deregulation, lower tariffs.

    • Examples: Deng Xiaoping reforms in hChina (1978), India’s 1991 economic liberalization.


  • Inequality and reaction:

    • Global wealth gap increases.

    • Anti-globalization protests (ex: 1999 Seattle WTO protests).

    • FRise of populism and protectionism (Brexit, America First).


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