When WWII ended in 1945, the balance
of world power dramatically changed.
The two countries in the world with the
most power were the Soviet Union and
the United States who were the main
enemies in the Cold War.
 Empires in the west collapsed and
people in colonies established in the
Imperialism age in Asia and Africa
demanded freedom


Because of a lack of military and
financial resources, powers could not
fight to keep their colonies.

Almost 100 new countries developed
during the “great liberation”.

New nations in Latin America, Africa and
Asia were all determined to modernize
themselves. Most of the joined the
United Nations where they had an
important voice in determining global
political and economic affairs.


The world
became divided
and divided by
the Cold War.
Many nations
chose to be
nonaligned or
not allied to
either side in the
war.

With the sudden
collapse of the
Soviet Union in 1991,
the Cold War was
finally over. But
unlike what most
people expected,
global problems
would not come to
an end.

Interdependence is the dependence of
countries on goods, resources and
knowledge from other parts of the world.

The United Nations was set up in order to
keep peace in the world. It eventually
provided service for people worldwide.
The World Health Organization helps
deal with the AIDS crisis and helps make
sure people have safe drinking water.

The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
(GATT) tried to establish fair trade policies for all
nations. Italy, Germany, France, Canada, The
United States, Britain and Japan meet annually
to discuss economic problems

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) makes
loans to developing nations.

Other important groups are the International
Red Cross and The International Olympic
Committee.





The number of nuclear weapons increased
from 3 to over 50,000 in the 1980s.
Military spending in many countries has
grown, even after the Cold War.
There has been a huge increase in terrorist
activities
The Human Declaration of Human Rights
was approved by the UN in 1948 and states
that all people are entitled to basic rights.
The Helsinki agreement states that the basic
human rights are freedom of speech,
religion, the press and the right to a fair trial.
Multinational corporations are
enterprises with branches in many
countries. They bring new technology to
mining, transportation and other
industries.
 Because of the oil crisis of the 1970s, the
Operation of Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC) stopped exports from
the Middle East and raised prices.
 In order to pay back debt, people
turned to privatization which is the selling
off of state-owned industries to private
investors.


Geography- Many new
formed countries have few
natural resources, difficult
climates and disease.

Population and PovertyBecause medicine has
improved, more people are
living longer. This means
there are more people to
provide with jobs, food,
housing, education and
medical care. Thousands of
children die each day from
effects of poverty.
Economic DependenceWhen a country only has one
major export, their entire
economy depends on the
world demand for that
product.
 Economic Policies- Most
countries made the wrong
decision that socialism would
help them modernize more
quickly.
 Political Instability- Nations
were devastated by civil wars
and dictators spending
money on unnecessary things.


Strip mining provided
vital ores for industry
but destroyed land.
Chemical fertilizers
harmed the soil and
water. Oil spills also
polluted water.

Gases from power
plants and factories
produced acid rain
which is a form of
pollution in which
toxic chemicals in
the air come back to
the Earth as rain,
snow or hail. Acid
rain has damaged
forests, lakes and
rivers .

An accident at the
Chernobyl power plant
exposed people,
animals and crops to
deadly radiation.
In 1922, the UN
sponsored the
Conference on the
Environment or Earth
Summit where leaders
discussed how to
preserve the planet.
 Common environmental
challenges include
deforestation,
desertification, waste
disposal and
endangered plants and
animals

Village life began to fade because of
urbanization and new technology.
 Westernization- People began to adopt
western fashions and ideas but at the same
time tried to preserve their older traditions.
 The liberation theology movement which
urged the Roman Catholic Church to take
a more active role in changing the social
conditions that contribute to poverty was
adopted.

By 1950, women won the right to vote in
most European countries. They also
began to win government positions.
 More women worked outside their
homes and got educations.
 Despite the changes, some countries
kept women confined to their houses
and completely segregated from men.

The first computers were built in the1940s
 The Soviet Union launched Sputnik, a
tiny satellite into orbit. In 1969, the first
man landed on the moon.
 Vaccines were developed to prevent
diseases such as smallpox. Surgeons
learned transplants and laser surgery.
 During the Green Revolution, food
production greatly increased.


“Germany Recognizes the Independence of Slovenia”
“United States Establishes Diplomatic Relations with
Croatia”
“Latvia Joins the United Nations”
These headlines illustrate the
1. collapse of the governments of these nations
2. strength of the Russia Empire
3. beginning of a united Europe
4. increase in international support for self-determination

One reason North Korea has been the focus of
worldwide attention in the mid-1990’s is because
of its
1. nuclear weapons development programs
2. commitment to increasing political freedoms
3. development of a strong and expanding
economy
4. efforts to revive communism in Eastern Europe

In France, a person drinks coffee imported from Brazil,
works at a computer made in Japan, and uses
gasoline from Saudi Arabia in a German automobile.
This situation illustrates the concept of
1. empathy
2. scarcity
3. interdependence
4. world citizenship

Since the creation of the Organization of
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC),
member nations have joined together to
1. determine the supply of oil on the world
market
2. establish a policy of independence in trade
3. maintain a low price of oil per barrel
4. isolate themselves from the rest of the world

Today, human rights violations most often
occur in nations in which
1. freedom of the press exists
2. government is limited by law
3. leaders have absolute control
4. government has a multiparty system
1) 4
 2) 1
 3) 3
 4) 1
 5) 3
