The Contemporary Era, 1991 to the Present
Primary Sources | Art History | Links
Theme
The end of the Cold War did not end of historical change or problems.
Summaries
Searching for Stability
The creation of the European Union during and after the Cold War brought peace and prosperity to much of Europe.
An Unexpected Revival
Nationalism in the Post-Cold War era revived old and creates new conflicts.
Haves and Cannots
Economic troubles increased in industrialized nations.
Values of Violence
Despite hopes for peace dividends, conflicts broke out over ethnic identity and political ideology.
The Walls go Up Again
Economic collapse, civil wars, and refugees, foster antagonism by Westerners agianst perceived enemies.
The Equivalent of War
A pandemic, a military conflict in Europe, and assault on truth.
Keywords
Searching for Stability
European Union (1991), subsidiarity, postmodernism
An Unexpected Revival
Cyprus, "Troubles" (1968-1998), Provisional IRA, Tito (r. 1945-1980), Kosovo, Slovenia, Croatia, ethnic cleansing, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Haves and Cannots
personal computers, internet, social media, globalization, global climate change
Values of Violence
Iranian Revolution (1978-1980), First Persian Gulf War (1990-1991), Taliban, Al-Qa’ida, 9/11 (2001), WMDs, Iraq or 2nd Persian Gulf War (2003-2011)
The Walls Go Up Again
"Great Recession" (2008), Arab Spring (2011), Identitarianism, Putin (r. 2000-2008, 2012-), ISIS/ISIL, drones, BREXIT (2016-2020), Trump (r. 2017-2021), Black Lives Matter
The Equivalent of War
COVID-19, January 6 Capitol insurrection (2021), Russia-Ukraine War/"Special Military Operation" (2022-)
Review Questions
- How did the Cold War come to an end?
- How did the European Union attempt to provide a new economic and political basis separate from the United States?
- How did nationalism resurge after the Cold War?
- How did Western economic practices dominate world trade?
- How did Western and non-Western societies use violence to achieve political and cultural ends?
- How did a pandemic affect nations around the world?
Other General Questions
- How does the basic principle that “the greatest difficulty for nationalists was how to define exactly who belonged or not” apply to conflicts during and after the Cold War? Or, how have democracy, fascism and communism dealt with nationalist and ethnic problems in the context of the Cold War and after?
- How does the basic principle that “there is no such thing as an entirely free market; all markets have rules and costs” apply to economic issues during and after the Cold War?
- Was the end of the Cold War a victory for democracy and mixed markets or a failure of central-planning and Russian hegemony?
- How have Western states changed since 1648? You might consider the following questions: What were the two competing forms of government before the French Revolution and how did they work in various states? How did the French Revolution change political action? What conflicts, reforms and expansions of political power took place in Europe in the 19th century, and the rest of the world? How did the Twentieth Century promote new authoritarian and totalitarian regimes and bring those down along with the colonial empires? What options remain today for political structures?
- Discuss the affect of the Cold War on global history. You might consider the following questions: How did the Cold war begin and in which ways was the Cold War different from previous wars? What were the major events and wars which continued the conflict through the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s? How did the conflict involve other countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America? How did the Cold War come to an end?
- Discuss how economic tensions, ideological conflicts, ongoing socio-economic differences, and increased numbers of refugees led to increased tensions within and against Western Civilization.
