Monthly Archives: April 2015

Sarotte on the Factors of the Soviet Union’s Collapse

Posted on by

In “1989”, Mary Elise Sarotte questions the factors at play in the fall of the Soviet Union. In her first chapter, she discusses the changes that occurred in 1989 and argues that the Soviet Union’s collapse was propelled as a result of changes within the Soviet Union’s internal status quo, unstable relations with between Americans and Soviet politicians, and changing international relations in Europe. She also points to the looming fear of nuclear warfare that characterized the Cold War and defined the era in general. She argues that “technology of both weapons and surveillance [as a result of constant threat of nuclear war]…created a unique era” (Sarotte 13). This fear led to both the United States and the Soviet Union to negotiate arms treaties and nuclear disarmament programs. These discussions were led by Reagan and Gorbachev in the 1980s and was considered internationally to be a step towards better cooperation between the two superpowers. However, despite these advances in foreign policy and relations, “the [American] public wanted more” (Sarotte 15). Sarotte argues that this step towards nuclear disarmament was perceived by subsequent president Bush as a policy in the United States’ foreign policy towards the Soviet Union, thus leading bush to refocus his political aggression back on the Soviet Union. However, Sarotte goes on to show that a European stance towards non-violence had cultivated by 1989, and thus the fear of nuclear warfare was dissipated.

In her analysis of the factors that contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union, Sarotte paints Gorbachev as a progressive leader trying to “producing a better socialism, not an imitation of social democracy” (Sarotte 14) whose reforms were stalled by Bush’s shift in his policy towards the USSR. She also claimed that Gorbachev’s new thinking policy, well-intentioned as it was, was not able to withstand the demands that it set upon itself. She claims that this policy “raised expectations among the broader population that he could not fulfill” (Sarotte 15). Openness, the opportunity to voice concerns and the doors to opposition were opened. This led to a rise of opposition parties throughout Eastern Europe, and this newly harnessed freedom gave rise to a national self-confidence (in East Germany and Eastern Europe) that led to the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

Is Sarotte implying that the collapse of the Soviet Union was inevitable? How instrumental was Gorbachev in this collapse and how much of it was due to the underlying problems that had been stacked on top of each other for the preceding 60 years?

Post-Cold War Consumerism; Mary Elise Sarotte

Posted on by

Mary Elise Sarotte’s book, The Struggle to Create Post-Cold War Europe, aptly depicts the status of West/East Germany and how it was the centerpiece for the recreation of Europe after the Cold War.  Sarotte begins the book by discussing five major changes that occurred in the summer of 1989 which opened up the Berlin Wall. 1) The failure of events like Tiananmen to transfer over to a European context; 2) the choice of the American government to remove itself from the issue; 3) East Germans taking on the status quo; 4) an increase in East German self-confidence; and 5) the impact of television at this pivotal moment.  I will not go into detail for each of these, as Sarotte does so in the book, however number 5 did provoke some questions from me.  For instance, how is a media snafu like one such as this not caught or fixed before being released to the public?  Is it possible that this fumble of information was intended?

To focus on a more relevant topic of which we have been discussing, in the second chapter of Sarotte’s book, she talks about consumer goods.  The lack of consumer goods in East Germany posed a large problem for stores in West Germany as refugees settled in the West.  Stores had a difficult time managing the extreme increase in demand resulting from new consumers entering the market.  East German citizens were fleeing not only from the poor living standards but more specifically the poor economic status that contributed to it.  They were experiencing a massive demand deficit in East Germany thanks to low wages and high priced goods.  Refugees placed a large stress on the economic system of the West which could have had unpredictable effects on reunification of Germany.

THE MAASTRICHT TREATY

Posted on by

The Maastricht Treaty was signed in 1992 which know as the symbol of the establishment of European Union.

The Maastricht Treaty marked the cooperation of European countires became more close and expanded from economic regions to politic, military and diplomatic regions. The predecessor of European Union is European Communities which only made cooperation among economic as European Coal and Steel Community and  European Atomic Energy Community. Now with the new signed treaty Eurpean countries strated more comprehensive cooperation such as common currency and the expansion of Parliament’s power.

The Treaty of Maastricht – Unity for Europe?

Posted on by

Signed in 1992, the Maastricht Treaty established a supranational body comprised of countries, which would be known as the European Union. The Treaty dictates that the Union will help keep peace in Europe and will help facilitate good economic relations amongst member nations. Moreover, it will assert itself as an important body of interdependence. Essentially, the Treaty was signed almost immediately (a year or so) after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Following this logic, it would be reasonable to assume that members would comprise of all regions of Europe. This is a false assumption to make; the Treaty signers were primarily from Western Europe.[1] Founder nations included the likes of Belgium, France, Italy, West Germany, Denmark, the U.K., Spain, and others. It left out much of Eastern Europe, who had just collapsed along with the Soviet Union. In fact, many of these nations would not join until 2004, when ten primarily Eastern European countries joined the European Union. It is questionable to consider why the Treaty was not extended into these nations immediately. Perhaps it had to do with the still lingering fear of communism or the thought that these nations would bring the Union down. Moreover, perhaps the Eastern European nations were still in fear of those leaders in Moscow.

What do you think? Why was Eastern Europe excluded initially from the Treaty of Maastricht and the European Union?

Also, here’s a map:

Map showing the member states of the European Union (clickable)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Member_States_of_the_European_Union_(polar_stereographic_projection)_EN.svg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EC-EU-enlargement_animation.gif

[1] “European Union.” Wikipedia. Accessed April 21, 2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union#Member_states.

European Common Market and The Free Trade Area

Posted on by

Author- United States Department of State press statement on the European Common Market and the Free Trade Area, January 15,1957, the US government writes back offering support for these negotiations because it unifies different countries and improves their economy.

Context-Belgium, France, the German Republic, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands are all joining together to establish a European market where there are no barriers during trade. This is in order to keep peace between these six countries. It will help each of these six countries prosper and raise their economies. Tariffs would be put on all foreign goods being export to those not in the market.

Language- The document was designed for those who are educated and it is directed towards the people. It is also spoken in a way that is understandable as well as informative. It was showed to the U.S to gain their approval. It was a convincing document that showed all the pros of this arrangement.

Audience- The document informs the people about the situation, the audience who is reading this would most likely be those who are educated and interested in the economy as well as politics

Intent- the intent of this press statement is to get the people aware of how this could help their economy and help build their economy back up after the war. The author was trying to bring the people and the countries together.

Message- It was to convince the people that this change would be beneficial to all involved. They have gained the U.S approval and are able to form a market representing all of the six countries. This treaty helps prevent the spread of communism.

European Common Market (1957)

Posted on by

This document is a press statement written from the United States’ perspective that described a potential European Common Market and free rade area. This common market was to be comprised of Belgium, France, the German Federal Republic, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. The intent of these negotiations was to eliminate trade barriers between member countries and to establish a common external tariff towards outside countries. Both the United States and Great Britain favored this initiative because it would further the political and economic strength of Western Europe by unifying this market. It would also be aligned with the U.S.’s vision of having freer, nondiscriminatory multilateral trade, as well as further increase the prevalence of convertible currencies. This trade relationship would also be in the U.S.’s interest because it would continue a positive trend by further liberalizing imports from the dollar area.

Do you believe that, although not mentioned, the U.S. vehemently supports this treaty because it will halt the spread of communism in Europe by creating a strong, economically expanding, western Europe?

At the end of the document, is the use of the words “welfare of the entire free world,” meant to include every free country, even if it was a freely elected socialist or communist government?

Treaty on European Union

Posted on by

The Maastricht Treaty, also known as the Treaty on European Union, was signed on February 7, 1992. It became active on November 1, 1993, during the Delors Commission. It established the European Union and led to the creation of the Euro. It was amended by the treaties of Lisbon, Nice, and Amsterdam.

Upon creation, the European Union was comprised of three pillars: the European Communities, which dealt with economic, social, and environmental policies, the Common Foreign and Security Policy, which handled foreign policy and military matters, and the Police and Judicial Co-Operation in Criminal Matters, which focussed on law enforcement and fighting crime. The three pillar structure was abandoned on December 1, 2009, when the Treaty of Lisbon became active.

European Common Market (1957)

Posted on by

This reading focuses on negotiations related to a trade union between Belgium, Grance, the German Federal Republic, Italy, Lxembourg, and The Netherlands. However, the U.K. was also interested in joining the trade union. These countries would remove barriers of trade, and would not impose tariffs upon one another, although they would establish a tariff to all external countries. The United States supported this decision, as this union will help to further unite Western Europe, both politically and economically. In addition, this union is a move towards convertible currencies, and the United States hopes this move will expand trade among countries outside of the union.

UN Declaration of Granting Independence to Colonial Countries and People

Posted on by

The Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and People was created by the UN General Assembly on December 14, 1960. It was a resolution that provided independence for once colonized people. The assembly declared that these people were no longer the subjects of other. One of its main goal was to promote freedom and provide basic human rights to all. It states, ” All States shall observe faithfully and strictly the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the present Declaration on the basis of equality, non-interference in the internal affairs of all States, and respect for the sovereign rights of all peoples and their territorial integrity” (legacy.fordam.edu/halsall/mod/1960-un-colonialism.asp). The declaration signifies the changing attitudes towards human rights that countries collectively share.

Jawaharlal Nehru

Posted on by

Jawaharlal Nehru was the first prime minister of India, he ruled from the time that India gained its independence until his death. He was a supporter of Ghandi and embraced peace as the most important attribute his country could have. Due to the fact that Nehru found peace to be of utmost importance, he decided that India should follow Marxism in order to maintain the most likely course to peace. Nehru believed that following Marxism was the best path to take because violence was only used in order to gain peace in the long run. He also believed with the help of Marxism and government planning, much like the five year plans of Russia, could allow the new country of India to catch up in the world. India also took a very isolationist approach to world politics, Nehru believed that being involved in other affairs would only lead to violence with other countries, a result which he was most adverse to.