AP World History - 20th Century
Unit 7: Global Conflict
The World War I Era
At beginning of 20th century, most of world was colonized by Europe or had been colonized by Europe - everywhere was connected to instability in Europe
European countries had had feuds, but industrialism and rise in nationalism caused military build-up and more powerful weapons, alliances and power-grabbing rivals increasing
Triple Alliance (1880s): Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy - protect against France
France-Russian alliance to keep Germany in check
Schlieffen Plan: Germany’s attack on France through Belgium, a neutral country
Triple Entente: Britain, France, Russia - later joined by Japan
Ottoman Empire was in bad shape and kept losing territory - Greece, Slavic areas declaring independence, countries disagreeing on land arrangements and allies
Bosnia and Herzegovina still under control on Austria-Hungary, as decided by Berlin Conference of 1878
Austria-Hungary Archduke Franz Ferdinand visited Bosnia and was assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip - war was already on the horizon and this was the final blow
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia - Russia was allies with Serbia - France, Germany, Britain joined to honour their alliances (Italy later joined the Triple Entente in 1915)
Central Powers Alliance: Ottoman Empire, Germany, Austria-Hungary
Over 40 countries joined the war effort because in part of widespread colonial connections
US joined the Allies in 1917 after Germany sunk British boat Lusitania in 1915 which had over 100 American passengers on board and kept sinking American ships attempting to bring resources to Britain - final push was Germany trying to get Mexico to join the war in 1916 (Zimmermann telegram - a secret telegram between German diplomats saying Mexico could regain territory taken by US if they joined forces)
Previously had isolationism policy (neutrality, focusing on internal affairs instead)
The Great War lasted until Germany and Central Powers gave up in November 1918
8.5 million soldiers were killed
20 million civilians died
The Treaty of Versailles: signed in 1919 - official end to WWI
Germany was to pay war reparations, release territory, downsize military to prevent them from rising to power again - poverty and resentment in Germany led to Hitler’s rise
Austria-Hungary divided into other nations like Czechoslovakia
Departure from President Wilson’s Fourteen Points, more focused on future peace and workable balance of power - but was disapproved of by Britain and France who put strict punishments on Germany
President Wilson called for formation of council of nations called League of Nations to preserve peace and establish humanitarian goals, but was not widely accepted (even by US)
Russian Revolution
Socialists began to organize after Czar Nicholas II’s forced resignation in 1917, resentment was strong among working class
Had lost war against Japan over Manchuria in 1904
Fired at peaceful protestors in 1905 (Blood Sunday)
Alexander Kerensky established a provisional government - ineffective because it disagreed with the local councils, soviets, who represented workers, peasants, and soldiers
Socialist party is known as the Bolsheviks - led by Marxist leader Vladimir Lenin
April Theses: issues by Lenin - demanded peace, land for peasants, power to soviets
within 6 months took power of government - soon to be called Soviet Union
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (1918): armistice with Germany - ceded part of western Russia to Germany so they dropped out of WWI
Counterrevolutions began occurring in Russian empire - Bolsheviks created Red Army, military force under Leon Trotsky to defeat counterrevolutions
Soviet Union became a nation lacking of trust by Western neighbours with a powerful army
When Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers, a movement to reclaim Turkish culture spawned a genocide of Armenian minority and a shift to Turkish nationalism - which resulted in loss of most of remaining land in peace negotiations
Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk): led successful military against invading Greece and overthrew Ottoman Empire to become first president of Turkey
World War II Era
Stalin and the Soviet Union
Lenin first instituted the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1920s - allowed farmers to sell portions of grain for profit - successful, but Lenin died and new Communist leader, Joseph Stalin discarded it
Five-Year Plans: taking over private farms for state-owned enterprises (collectivization) - really was totalitarianism
Stalin industrialized the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) - relied on terror (secret police, bogus trials, assassinations)
The Great Depression
War was expensive and Europe owed a lot of money to America (especially France and Germany)
Money was based on credit, loans that would never be repaid = US stock market crash in 1929 leading to international catastrophe
US and Germany hit the hardest - 1/3 of workforce unemployed, loss of trust in government = fascism
Fascism
Main idea: destroy will of individual in favour of the people
Wanted a unified society like communists, but did not eliminate private property or class distinctions
Pushed for extreme nationalism - often on racial identity
Fascism in Italy
First fascist state - founded by Benito Mussolini in 1919
Squad called Blackshirts fought socialist and communist organizations to win over factory and land owners
The Italian king named Mussolini Prime Minister
Faced very little opposition and took over Parliament in 1922
Rise of Hitler
Revolt when German emperor was abdicated after WWI - a conservative democratic republic took over (Weimar Republic)
Mussolini’s success in Italy was influencing Germany - Nationalist Socialist Party (Nazis) rose to power in 1920s
People of Germany were rejecting Weimar Republic elected body the Reichstag due to economic crisis
Adolf Hitler became head of Nazi Party - believed in extreme nationalism and superior race - believed the Aryan race was the most superior race
By 1932, Nazis dominated German government and Hitler became leader of Reichstag in 1933
Seized control of the government - his fascist rule is known as the Third Reich
Appeasement?
Hitler began rebuilding military (against Treaty of Versailles) and withdrew Germany from League of Nations
Spain was in turmoil after fall of Spanish monarchy - nationalist army under General Francisco Franco took control of large parts of Spain - established a dictatorship in Spain in 1939 with help from Germany and Italy
Hitler continued restoring Germany: took back the Rhineland part of Germany, formed alliance with militant Japan, annexed Austria, given Sudetenland at Munich Conference of 1938 (Hitler, Mussolini, Neville Chamberlin of England) to cease his expansionist activities (appeasement) - did not work
Hitler invaded rest of Czechoslovakia in 1939 and Italy invaded Albania in 1939
Germans and Soviets signed a pact to stay out of each other’s countries (Nazi-Soviet Pact) and agreed to divide rest of Europe’s land between them
Germany invaded Poland and Britain and France then declared war on Germany - start of WWII
Japan
Became a world power when accepting an alliance with Britain in 1905
Economy thrived after WWI until the Great Depression - Japanese militarists gained momentum
Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 and renamed in Manchukuo
Withdrew from League of Nations and signed Anti-Comintern Pact (against communism) with Germany, beginning their alliance
In 1937, began war on China which eventually merged into WWII
Review of WWII
Hitler’s blitzkrieg technique destroyed everything in its path - by early 1940 Germany had control of Poland (half with USSR), Holland, Belgium, France
Britain’s PM Winston Churchill did not give in to Germany’s pressures - even with German airstrikes from their more powerful airforce (Battle of Britain)
Germany invaded Greece in 1941, breaking their deal with Soviet Union, so they invaded the Soviet Union too
US didn’t want to get involved, but froze Japan’s assets in US to respond to their hostility - Japan entered Tripartite Pact with Rome and Berlin, making the war worldwide
in response to US sanctions, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii in 1941 and declared war with US
US began working on Manhattan Project: development of the atomic bomb
1943: US and Britain take control of Italy
1944: US, Britain, and Canada land on French beaches (D-day) and eventually liberate France
1945: Allied forces close in on Germany and end Europe war when Hitler commits suicide
To end war in Pacific, US drops atomic bomb on city of Hiroshima in Japan - when Japan refused to surrender, they dropped another bomb on Nagasaki, causing them to surrender
The Consequences
The Holocaust
Millions of Jews under German control were rounded up and killed in concentration camps to create the Aryan race
The Peace Settlement
US and Soviet Union became superpowers and Germany and Japan forced to demilitarize
Europe Torn to Shreds
US instituted Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe (only accepted by Western Europe nations) and rebuilt their economies in less than a decade
Decline of Colonialism
War inspired native populations to rise against their oppressors
Big Changes for Women
Women took over the workforce while men were fighting - after the war, many women kept their jobs
Creation of International Organizations
United Nations, established in 1945, to prevent break out of another great war - goal was to mediate and intervene in international disputes
UN published Universal Declaration of Human Rights in response to Holocaust
World Bank, International Monetary Fund, General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs also formed to manage a global economy
Cold War
US or Soviet Union did not want each other to spread its influence beyond their borders, so they were strategizing how to contain each other - lasting for the next 50 years
Unit 8: Cold War and Decolonization
Communism and the Cold War
Cold War lasted from 1945 to early 90s
US and Soviet Union tried to get the rest of the world to side with them
An arms based race between - nuclear arsenals became large enough to wipe out the whole world
Power Grab
Biggest conflict over future security - both wanted their worldview to dominate:
US: capitalism, democracy
USSR: communism/totalitarianism
At conferences in Yalta and Potsdam in 1945, parts of Eastern Europe were divided among Allied forces - Soviet Union demanded control of its neighbouring states (Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria), which the US disagreed with
1948: French, US, British sections of Germany merged into one, while Eastern Germany was under Soviet control - they cut of access to Berlin from Western side (Berlin Blockade)
US flew in resources to trapped Western side (Berlin Airlift) until Soviets relented and split Berlin in half - built a wall on their side (Berlin Wall)
East Vs. West
Europe was clearly divided in East and West
East: East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Hungary = Soviet bloc
West: Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, West Germany, Greece, Turkey = Western bloc
Truman Doctrine (1947) said US would aid countries threatened by communism (containment) - Western bloc formed military alliance NATO for this
In response, Eastern bloc formed Warsaw Pact
Two alliances became heavily weaponized - line between them was called the Iron Curtain
Many countries were part of nonalignment - accepted investments from US and USSR but didn’t side with either
Helped many former colonies find cooperative economic relations
Bandung Conference (1955): leaders from Africa and Asia meet to discuss these partnerships - Non-Aligned Movement
China
After fall of Manchu Dynasty in 1911, Sun Yat-sen led the Chinese Revolution of 1911 for China to become more Westernized and powerful
Sun Yat-sen’s Three Principles of the People: nationalism, socialism, democracy
Established his own political party for his own goals - the Kuomintang (KMT)
Chiang Kai-shek established KMT in 1920s while Japanese and Soviets also struggled to control China
US helped drive Japan out, but communists and KMT continued to fight Chinese Civil War for next 4 years
Communists recruited millions of peasants under Mao Zedong to drive KMT out of China into Taiwan (where they established Republic of China)
Mainland China became People’s Republic of China and the largest communist nation in the world
Taiwan and People’s Republic of China are still separated
Mao Zedong
At first was successful in increasing China’s productivity and agriculture
Implemented Great Leap Forward by creating communes (local governments) to achieve a Marxist state - they couldn’t keep up with their agricultural quotas, so they lied about it causing starvation of over 30 million Chinese people
After withdraw of Soviet support, military became his focus and capitalism was implemented into economy - Mao didn’t like it
Mao’s Cultural Revolution: got rid of all Western influences to prevent privileged classes - universities shut down and most worked as farmers from 1960s to 70s
Deng Xiaoping
New leader - focused on restructuring economy, reimplemented education
Free-market capitalism elements, property ownership, foreign relations - but still largely communist
Tiananmen Square Massacre: hundreds of protesters for democratic reform killed by government troops
Division of Korea - Korean War
After WWII, was held half by Soviets and half by US until Korea could achieve stability
Soviet communist regime in North Korea
US democracy in South Korea
North Korea attacked South Korea in 1950 to unite the two countries - United Nations, under General MacArthur, supported South Korea and China supported North Korea - armistice didn’t happen until 1953
North Korea remains an isolated and dangerous nation today
Vietnam War
After WWII, France attempt to hold on to colony of Indochina, but Vietminh nationalists fought back until it was agreed to split the nation into two
Communists - North under Ho Chi Minh
Democrats - South under Ngo Dinh Diem
Soon war broke out between them - France and US supported South, but eventually the South was taken over by communist Viet Cong fighters, which looked very bad for US
Genocide in Cambodia
Communism took over Cambodia and communist faction Khmer Rouge took over the government - goal to get rid of professional class an religious minorities led to 2 million deaths by the government
The Cuban Revolution
US remained involved in Cuban affairs after Spanish-American War under Platt Amendment
US supported the Batista Dictatorship from 1939 to 1959 until peasants began revolting in 1956 under leadership of Fidel Castro - led to Cuban Revolution in 1959
Castro promoted democracy but immediately established a communist dictatorship instead, so the US imposed economic bans on trade with Cuba - strengthened Cuba’s ties with Soviets instead
US organized Bay of Pigs Invasion with a small force of Cuban exiles, authorized by President Kennedy, to overthrow Castro - they were immediately captured
In response, Soviets installed missiles in Cuba and when US found out, they established a navel blockade around the island - Cuban Missile Crisis
Soviets eventually backed down when US agreed to not invade Cuba - closest brush with nuclear war
Cold War Tensions and Democratization in Latin America
US’s capitalistic destruction of resources in Latin America stirred radical political parties in Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Brazil - US was the imperialist “Good Neighbour”
US distracted by wars and Cold War led to single-party rule in Mexico, brutal militaristic leaders in Argentina and Chile, and socialist democracies in Nicaragua and Guatemala
US focused on Nicaragua - ground for Bay of Pigs Invasion, targeting of Sandinista guerrillas in 80s
Reliance on export economies has resulted in poor domestic economies and debt
Only in 2000 did Mexico have first multi-party election - opposition, PAN party, won
Cold War Ends
People in Eastern Europe, under communism, began to revolt over poor living conditions compared to the West, democracy, and self-determination in the 80s
Poland
A Solidarity movement under Lech Walesa brought thousands of workers wanting reform of communist economic system
Not until reform-minded Mieczyslaw Rakowski became the Prime Minister did Solidarity become legalized in 1989
Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Solidarity member, became PM in first open elections
Communism fell in 1990, Lech Walsea become president, and economy improved swiftly
German Reunification
Decline of communism in Soviet bloc led to East Germany cutting ties with Soviets
Berlin Wall was torn down in 1989 and East and West reunified
Germany now focused on peace and economic reform instead of violence
The Soviet Union Collapses
Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in 1986 and urged restructuring of Soviet economy - elements of private ownership instituted, nuclear arms treaties with US
When Poland and other former Soviet nations separated from USSR, Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991
Mostly peaceful, but ethnic cleansing occurred in the Balkans and many Muslims were murdered by Christian Serbians - led to UN troop involvement
Most new countries formed constitutional democracies, Cold War was over, and US emerged as the world’s only superpowers
Democracy and Authoritarian Rule in Russia
New Russia looked like a perfect federal state, but their abrupt intro to democracy and capitalism led to corruption, high unemployment, poverty, widespread crime
First president, Boris Yeltsin, had the challenge of reforming Russia
Yeltsin resigned in 1999 and former KGB agent Vladimir Putin became the head and has between the President and Prime Minister since then
Has caused significant unrest in relations with other nations
Independence Movements and Developments in Asia and Africa
Indian Subcontinent
Indian National Congress, mostly Hindu, established in 1885 and Muslim League in 1906 to increase rights of Indians under colonial rule
In 1919, Amritsar Massacre catapulted resistance - 319 Indians killed by the British during a peaceful protest
Mohandas Gandhi became an important figure in resistance - philosophy of passive resistance (demonstrations, boycotts instead of violence)
Hindu and Muslim groups disagreed while fighting for the same cause - Muslims pushed for their own nation called Pakistan
Independence Won by India
Britain granted independence to India after WWII
Muslims and Hindus disagreed with how the independent nation should function - one group wanted unity between Hindus and Muslims, the other wanted to partition the subcontinent and form a separate Muslim nation (led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah)
British separated the subcontinent into three parts: India (Hindu), and Pakistan (Muslim) in two parts
Many died by religious persecution as they migrated across religious lines - created international conflict between Pakistan and India
Africa
In 1910, South Africa established its own constitution, that was discriminatory to native Africans, and in 1912, the African National Congress was formed to oppose European colonialism
in 1950s, independence movement across Africa grew and Gamal Nasser, general in Egyptian army, overthrew Egypt king and established a republic - inspired other Islamic nationalists along Mediterranean to also become independent
Many Africans were undereducated and did not have skills to build productive, independent nations and European influence had caused major destruction in social dynamics
Algeria fought war for independence against France from 1954-1962
Nigeria and Ghana negotiated their freedom from Britain
Kenya also negotiated constitution with Britain
Angola and Belgian Congo overthrew colonial governments causing civil wars
Zimbabwe was among last to establish majority African rule in 1980
53/54 of African nations belong to African Union - replaced Organization of African Unity
Still, Chad, Sudan, Uganda, Somalia, Rwanda, Congo continue to be wrecked by civil wars
Rwanda
Conflict between Tutsi and Hutu groups (Tutsi, 15% of pop., governed the Hutu) caused ethnic strife, genocide, and human rights violations after colonial authorities left
Hutu revolted and killed as many as 800000 Tutsis over 100 days of genocide
Apartheid in South Africa
Union of South Africa formed in 1910 combing British and Dutch colonies, the year after South Africa Act, completely excluded Black people from politics
1923: segregation established and enforced
1926: Black people banned from certain occupations
1948: system of apartheid (racial separation) established - Black people forced into the worst parts of the country and city slums
Nelson Mandela became leader of African National Congress in 1950s determined to abolish apartheid
Sharpeville massacre: 67 protesters against apartheid killed - African National Congress then supported guerrilla warfare (resulted in Mandela being jailed in 1964)
Mandela was released in 1990 and apartheid crumbled - he was the
first president elected in a free and open election
Middle East
After WWI, France was put in charge of Syria and Lebanon, Britain in charge of Palestine, Jordan, and Iraq (Iran between Britain and Russia) - Arabia united itself as a Saudi Kingdom
Creation of Modern Israel:
Many Jews left Israel region as Palestine became more and more Islamic
During WWI, Zionists (Jewish nationalists) convinced Arthur Balfour (Britain’s foreign secretary) to issue Balfour Declaration of 1917 - declared that Jewish people had right to live in Palestine, without displacing current Palestinians
Jews fleeing antisemitic mobs (pogroms) began flooding into Palestine, a lot more came during the 30s to escape Hitler
Jewish Wait for a State Ends in 1948 - two Palestines, one for Jews and one for Muslims, officially created
As soon as David Ben-Gurion became first prime minister of Israel, Muslims attacked Israel (1948 Arab-Israeli War)
Israel fought back and eventually controlled most of Palestine, while Jordan held remaining portions (West Bank)
1967 Six-Day War resulted in Israelis taking over all of Palestine - West Bank, Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip (Egypt), Golan Heights (Syria)
In 1977, Egypt recongized Israel’s right to exist when Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt signed the Camp David Accords - a huge blow to Palestinians (did not recognize West Bank in accords)
Since then, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), dedicated to reclaiming land and Palestinian state, has been unsuccessful in negotiating a homeland
In 2000, violence continued and Israel PM Ariel Sharon constructed a wall between Palestinian West Bank and Israel
In 2005, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas signed a cease-fire with Israel after previous president Yasser Arafat failed to do so
Intense division, military violence, and terrorism still exists between the groups and no advancements have been made
Iranian Revolution
When Reza Shah Pahlavi rose to power and lead the shah in 1925 in Iran, Westernization was introduced to the nation
In 1960s, rights of women increased drastically which angered Islamic fundamentalists
President Jimmy Carter of US visited Iran to congratulate them on their modernization, which was the breaking point for fundamentalists - in 1979 Iranian Revolution ousted current shah and went back to a theocracy led by Ayatollah Khomeini
Human rights advancements were reversed and women went back to traditional roles - Qu’ran became basis of legal system
Iraq soon after invaded Iran over border disputes - Iraq received quiet support from US but still led to 8-year Iran-Iraq War
Power struggle still continues in Iran and American-led war that began in Iraq in 2003 complicated matters further
Oil
Middle East was sitting on more than two-thirds of world’s oil reserves
Multinational corporations rushed to gain drilling rights in 20th century
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, and Iraq started to earn billions annually, so they organized with some oil-exporting nations to form a petroleum cartel (OPEC) leading to more money and modernization
Unit 9: Globalization
International Terrorism and War
After WWII, there was an increasing interest in maintaining international security - organizations like NATO, United Nations, International Criminal Court in The Hague (prosecutes war crimes), and NGOs (Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders) to provide international aid to those in need
War in the Gulf
Iraq wanted to gain more control of oil reserves so they invaded Kuwait in 1990 under leadership of Saddam Hussein
United Nations sent forces to drive Iraqis out in early 1991 - now called Persian Gulf War
UN liberated Kuwait and put severe limitations on Iraq’s military and economic activity (although Hussein remained in power for another 10 years)
In 2003, coalition of countries, mostly US and Britain invaded Iraq to oust Hussein - Hussein was captured in December 2003 and a democratic government was formed in 2005
Despite conflicts and terrorism between Sunni, Shiites, and Kurds groups, a Kurdish president, Jalal Talabani and a Shia minister, Nouri ai-Maliki were elected, but they still have faced a number of challenges
Taliban, Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden
In early 1980s, Soviets sent troops to Afghanistan under at request of Marxist military leader Nur Muhammad Taraki
Afghanis opposed communism and fought back until Soviets withdrew troops - left a power void that warring factions vied to fill
Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist regime, filled the void after 14 years of fighting
Provided a safe haven for Osama bin Laden, the Saudi leader of the international terrorist network Al Qaeda, who specifically despised the US
US:
Supports Israel
Had troops stationed in Saudi Arabia
Is the primary agent of globalization believed to be infecting Islamic culture
On September 11, 2001, Al Qaeda attacked US by hijacking 4 US planes and flying 2 of them into the World Trade Centre in New York, 1 into the Pentagon, and 1 into a field in Pennsylvania - 3000 people died
US immediately declared a war on terrorism and invaded Afghanistan - the Taliban was removed from power and Osama bin Laden was killed, but Al Qaeda still survives
Many terror attacks linked to Islamic fundamentalists still occur throughout Europe and the Middle East
World Trade and Cultural Exchange
End of Cold War and the Internet/technology resulted in a new and strong wave of global connection - last obstacle to true global interaction
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and European Union (EU) were created to unite global currency/trade further
English became the language of global business and communication
EU banded Europe into a single market to give US some competition in 90s
Has 3 branches: executive, legislative, judicial
Eurozone, a monetary union formed in 1999, included all but 3 nations (UK, Sweden, Denmark)
Economies faltered again during the economic crisis in late 2000s - stronger economies like Germany were able to remain stable while over-extended economies collapsed badly
Global Culture
Some significant examples of pop culture are:
The Olympics
World Cup Soccer
Reggae Music
Bollywood
Social Media
McDonald’s
Rise of China and India
China had become a huge economic and industrial force in recent years - special economic zones developed to be exempt from communist rules and have since become worldwide production centres worth 100s of billions of dollars
Although, China has severely limited internet freedom and remains aged politically
India is one of the fastest growing economies - poor until the 90s, highly educated Indians brought the world of tech in Silicon Valley to India and made it a global hub for technology
Both are now nuclear powers with large military forces, but both also have serious problems with poverty and global emissions
Global Alphabet Soup
General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade (GAFF) - later World Trade Organization - developed to reduce barriers on international trade - has 153 member states
Group of Six (G6): forum for world’s major industrialized democracies - original members US, Britain, West Germany, Italy, Japan, France
Become G7 in 1977 (Canada) and G8 in 1997 (Russia) but became G7 again after Russia’s involvement in Ukraine
G20 is separate - 20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors
Environmental Change
Global integration has caused global environmental concerns
Green revolution of 50s and 60s led to destructions of traditional landscapes, reduced species diversity, and social conflicts to produce inexpensive food
Global warming is worsening at the fastest pace ever due to human activity - outcome is uncertain, but industrialized countries are not doing enough to limit their environmental damage
Global Health Crises
Epidemics in countries with poor sanitation are still an issue - WHO (World Health Organization) works to combat them
AIDS is a major crisis - 25% of African adults live with AIDS and treatment is expensive
Global health issues highlight the global disparities as the disproportionately affect low-income individuals
Age of the Computer
The personal computer was developed in the 1980s, followed by the Internet
In the 1990s, computers became commonplace in homes
Social Media has changed the way information spreads and has brought people closer together
Internet has also been a method of government surveillance and storing of user data, which is considered by many a breech of privacy