Nelson Mandela and Apartheid.

Apartheid was a racial segregation policy in Africa. It ran from 1948 to 1994. This policy did not give any rights to the black, mixed or Indian population of Africa.
Nelson Mandela was tired of the Apartheid policy, he wanted the liberation of Africans and minorities in Africa, throughout his life he constantly fought for the unity of the people, because this was the only way to beat the Europeans. His constant plea and struggles for freedom, lead him to jail which gave him more popularity and lead him to presidency in Africa. He was a good president who's 27 years spent in prison allowed him to become stronger and wiser creating journals and books of idea for his people and the road to independence. His ideas of "civil disobedience" were inspired by Ghandi and used by Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders such as AL Sharpton. His mission was to free the "oppressed and the oppressor". Which is why he is so admired by thousands of books and sites. Nelsons and Ghandi's ideas served as the basis for other black or national leaders. Promoting civil disobedience and eliminating the need some people have of getting physical or killing others as a way to prove their point. All his struggles awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

African Independance

Africa changed so much during 1955-1975, the African to began to study and become more educated. Many young men were enrolling and collage and a steady middle class began to emerge.They made the negritude movement, celebrating all Africans. One African leader who really made a difference was Kwame Nkrumah. He studied in the United States and went to the University of Pennsylvania. He often held boycotts and strikes and was often imprisoned by the British. Other leaders included Leopold Senghor, he was a poet and a politician. Through his poetry he was able to support African traditions and emphasized the need for Africa to separate from Europe.He later on became president of Africa. Finally in 1957 Africa gained its independence and established one of its first nations ran only by blacks, which was Ghana. The Africans were regaining power of Africa and slowly becoming stronger. The Africans were creating a middle class, people began to advance. Other African leaders included, Marcus Garvey, who although being Jamaican born focused on having Africans rise to full power of Africa. Jomo Kenyatta was another African leader, who studied and educated himself in London. He was a nationalist who led the African people toward independence.

The Cuban Missile Crisis

After the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, Fidel Castro and many other governmental officials in Cuba felt that another attack was inedible. Cuba felt threatened by America and was looking for a way to defend themselves in case of an attack from the United States. Russia on the other hand, was considerably behind in Nuclear arms, during the Arms race. The United States quickly became a country to be feared. With their overwhelming amount of nuclear arms, we could easily attack anyone, and other countries like Russia had great to fear.
In order to protect themselves, Russia came up with a plan to put missiles in Cuba. Do to Cubans proximity to the United States this location was ideal. This would serve as one of Russia's strategic plans against the U.S in case of an attack. Fidel Castro quickly agreed to the missile plan from the Soviets, do to their need of protection as well. This way both Russia and Cuba would have benefits from the missile. The Cuban missile crisis became the closest time in period were Nuclear war became possible, this is why it is considered the hottest moment during the war.
When Kennedy found out about the missiles being built in Cuba, which was suppose to be a secret, he immediately launched the EX-COMM. It was a group of 12 important advisers who were capable of handling and managing the crisis. Kennedy's main focus now became to prevent more Soviets from arriving on the island of Cuba. On October 28th, teh situation was finally resolved, after a long time of tension, the United States finally came to an agreement with the Soviets, promising not to attack Cuba. Once the Russians felt sure of this promise they returned the missiles back to Russia.

NATO and the Warsaw Pact

The NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was established April,4,1949. It was an agreement which involved 12 nations, some of these nations included the United states and the United Kingdom.The NATO was established with the singing of the North Atlantic Treaty. The NATO was basically a defensive system of alliance for some European countries and North America. The system was used as defense against the soviets and other countries, stating that if any country in the NATO, had to go to war, the other countries of the NATO would come to their aid. The NATO became very important the to the U.S, as the Soviets expanded in territory and spread communism, the NATO became an even greater symbol of the Unites States power.
The Warsaw pact was made up by the Soviet Union and its Satellite Countries. Satellite Countries were bordering countries around Russia. They were a method of protection for the Soviets. The Warsaw pact like the NATO was the Russians defense system. The Soviets kept military in their other countries, this was the Soviets first attempt to strengthen themselves after the war.

The right stuff

The United States and the Soviet Union were competing during the space race in the movie. When Russia sent the first satellite into space, America was infuriated. We wanted to win this race and by them putting the first satellite, it showed them to look better. The United States needed something more powerful, but putting a person in space was to risky, so instead we decided to send out a monkey into space. We looked really foolish when right after Russia followed up by sending the first Man into space. Although they seemed to be the victorious ones, at the end we one the space race because we were able to send the first man to the moon. The scene that I will most remember about the movie was when the man was trying to break the sound wave. I thought this scene was an important part of the movie because it showed the frustration of the US trying to break the sound barrier, and also our reaction when we were able to actually break it. This is the beginning of the movie and I feel it sets the tone for the rest of the film. The Warsaw pact was successful in showing neighboring European countries that they in fact were the biggest military and political power.

Schindler's List

Schindler's List, in my opinion did a great job in showing the
hardships that the Jews and others went through during the holocaust.The most powerfulscenes in the movie were, when the people were thrown from the ghettos and into the cramped trains. Many people were brutally shot and killed in the process of removing people from the ghettos.This scene was the most powerful in the movie, because since it's in the beginning it seems to follow you throughout the whole movie. Every time a new train arrives the scene of them being kicked out seems to reappear over and over again. These images stayed with me throughout the entire film, because putting my self in there shoes and having to be taken out of my home and possessions, is devastating to for those who tried to hide in there homes the way the Nazis stormed the homes at night and just started to shoot up everything killing all of those who were hiding. The man who tied himself under the bed, the lady in the piano, the woman and children under the floor boards and the man in thesewer system all these images were so powerful. They showed the risk or the extent that some people went through in order not to die or be taken away. It also made some look very smart,those who hid knew what was coming there way. Although in the movie they didn't survive it is those scenes which to me speak the most.

Night and Fog.

My reaction to Night and fog is that's, you can seem remnants and artifacts left behind by the victims. You can see the crematoria or the "hospital". You can see flashbacks and see the cabins or the latrines. Everything is left only you can't see the sounds, cries and hopelessness of the people. The camp is alone and quiet. This film is a very impactful because while the man is visiting the camp they show flashbacks and videos of the time were the Jews still lived in the camp. I thought, that the film was successful in getting it's point across. Schindler's List,in my opinion was just as good as the documentary, or maybe even better. I liked the movie slightly more because the movie, I felt gave me a better understanding of the Holocaust and all the suffering the Jews went through. The Hollywood movie, showed them starting in the ghetto, and how people hid and how many were shot and killed. I thought the movie was more effective because, It showed us how everything progressed from the beginning. This is why I liked the movie better. They showed us the journey of the people from beginning to end. Overall I feel that the hollywood version was more effective because I was able to understand the overall concept better.