Intelexual-Media
The video titled "The End of The 80s | Global Events 1985-1989" covers several significant events, starting with the premiere year of popular TV shows such as The Simpsons, Baywatch, and Seinfeld, as well as the construction of the first McDonald's in the Soviet Union. The fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, after which East Germans poured into West Germany, bringing down communist regimes across Eastern Europe, is also covered, as is the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of Marxist-Leninist governments in Africa. Finally, the video details the Palestinian Intifada, violence resulting from Palestinian frustration with Israeli occupation and settlements, and Israel's response.
In this section, the video covers events from 1985 to 1989, starting with the premiere year of The Simpsons, Baywatch, Seinfeld, and Dragon Ball Z, as well as the construction of the first McDonald's in the Soviet Union, which attracted around 30,000 customers on its opening day. The video also mentions the Baltic way, a peaceful protest for independence from the Soviet Union held in Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia, which gathered two million people. The fall of the Berlin Wall between West and East Germany in November 1989 is also included, which created a ripple effect throughout the world with transitions from communism following soon after. The video concludes with a syllabus for the series that includes over 1,200 sources and encourages international viewers with additional sources or insights to share them.
In this section, we learn about the 1987 UK General Election where the Conservative government was re-elected for a third consecutive term under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher. Thatcherism, or privatization, played a significant role in her popularity. However, her government was not popular among all of the population, with the passing of section 28 in 1988 prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality, leading to protests against the law. The UK also faced censorship controversies, including the banning of Salman Rushdie's book, The Satanic Verses, in 13 countries with large Muslim communities, including India and Pakistan.
In this section, we learn about the controversy surrounding Salman Rushdie's book, The Satanic Verses, which led Iran's supreme leader to issue a fatwa condemning him to death. The book was seen as blasphemous by the majority of Sunni Muslims, but many disagreed with the fatwa and called for a thoughtful, constructive response to such concerns. The controversy sparked debates about censorship and the limits of free speech, with publishers and booksellers facing harassment and threats. Meanwhile, Thatcher's popularity was waning due to her relentless pursuit of the poll tax, and the Chernobyl disaster would cause lasting health and economic consequences for the Soviet Union.
In this section, we see the flaws of communism in action as State control over enterprises led to falling output and revenues, even in countries that were once considered economic successes like East Germany. The East German government attempted to ease the unrest of citizens by changing travel restrictions. However, it backfired, and East Germans wanted to leave permanently. Finally, in November 1989, thanks to a blunder by a government spokesman, East Germans poured into West Germany, leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall. The fall of East Germany was just one of several ends to socialist regimes, fueled by rapid printing and communication technology, the global rise of human rights groups, and growing international expectations of respecting human rights.
In this section, we learn about the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and how it impacted the Eastern European countries. The ascent of the solidarity movement in Poland led to semi-free elections, and Hungary and Czechoslovakia also ended their communist regimes. The Soviet Union lost power, and the Baltic Way saw the start of mass immigration of Jewish people from countries no longer in the Soviet Union while the Eastern Europeans moved to America or Western Europe. Meanwhile, the US and the Soviet Union continued their peace talks and signed a treaty eliminating medium-range nuclear land-based missiles. The Soviet Union withdrew its troops from Afghanistan, and the socialist failures of all Eastern European countries had ripple effects on the Soviet Union's Allied Nations. In the mid-80s, Radio Martin began broadcasting propaganda from the US to Cuba, leading to riots by detained Cubans facing deportation at the Oakdale federal prison in Louisiana, and the federal US penitentiary in Atlanta.
In this section, we learn about the 1987 New Mexico State Prison riot, which lasted from November 20th to December 4th. Almost 1400 inmates took part in the riots, holding 94 hostages, most of whom were treated well. The riot ended with the release of all hostages alive, with one Cuban man being shot by a guard on the first day. Additionally, the five leaders of Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica signed the Escuela Peace Agreement in 1987, promoting a range of peace initiatives across Central America. Lastly, we hear about the escalation of the Medellin drug cartel's power in Columbia, with their leader Pablo Escobar making an unsuccessful assassination attempt on the future president of Columbia in November 1989.
In this section, we learn about the turmoil that plagued Peru in the late 1980s, which was characterized by poverty, unemployment, and natural disasters. Marxist groups, Shining Path and Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, gained popularity during this period and caused 30,000 deaths due to their extreme brutality and assassinations of politicians, civilians, and even competing socialist groups. Meanwhile, in Chile, civil resistance led to the end of the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, which had been supported by the US since 1973. In Africa, socialist regimes were also ending, either through democratic elections or violent coups, with the overthrow of Thomas Sankara in Burkina Faso and the rise of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe.
In this section, we see that the end of the 1980s was marked with global events such as the fall of Marxist-Leninist governments, increasing anti-apartheid activism, and tension between the US and Libya. As South Africa continued to suppress dissidents, several activist groups worldwide pressured universities, governments, and citizens to divest from trade with the country. Meanwhile, Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi was seeking pan-Arab unity, but faced opposition from pro-western Arab governments as well as the US due to his socialist policies and involvement in terrorist activities.
In this section, we see the US blaming Libya for a terrorist attack in Turkey, leading Reagan to authorize airstrikes on Libyan territory in self-defense. While the US Congressional politicians supported the airstrikes, citizens in European countries protested, and some even disagreed with Thatcher's decision to authorize the airstrikes. The final years of the 80s saw the consequences of economic sanctions, as Libya's oil revenues declined, and Gaddafi reopened small businesses and limited the violent activities of revolutionary committees. Additionally, tensions between Israel and Palestine increased with the hijacking of the Achille Lauro, resulting in the assassination of Palestinian activist Alex O'Day and an intifada in the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem.
In this section, we learn about the Palestinian Intifada, which lasted from 1987 to 1991, and its violent consequences. The uprising began as a result of Palestinian frustration with Israeli occupation and illegal settlements. Palestinians organized economic cooperatives, boycotts of Israeli goods, and underground schools. However, the radicals in the movement called for an escalation of force, leading to numerous violent attacks, mostly by Palestinians, resulting in the death of over 1,900 Palestinians and around 179 to 200 Israelis being killed in four years. Meanwhile, Israel responded by imprisoning around 6,000 Palestinians without trial, while Israeli soldiers were instructed to break the bones of Palestinian protesters. In the end, the United Nations granted the Palestinian Liberation Organization the right to speak to the council, while Israel released 28 members of the Jewish underground, a terrorist organization that targeted and assassinated Palestinians, after being imprisoned for seven years, with divided support from Israeli citizens.
In this section, we see various global events that occurred between 1985-1989, including the continued Iran-Iraq war and the looming threat of war with the West, as Saddam Hussein positioned his troops at the Iraq-Kuwait border. In India, there were four assassination attempts against Rajiv Gandhi, the elected successor of his controversial mother, Indira Gandhi. Additionally, there were numerous bombings and attacks by Sikh militants in Punjab, who had not forgotten the thousands of murders of Sikhs following Gandhi's assassination. The 888 Uprising for democracy also occurred in Burma, and in the Philippines, the non-violent People's Power Revolution led to the end of Ferdinand Marcos' 20-year dictatorship with US involvement.
In this section, the video discusses events that took place from 1985 to 1989, including the extravagant lifestyle of Imelda Marcos and her husband, Ferdinand, who was deposed but never faced consequences for their crimes. South Korea saw protests for greater civil rights while Japan was experiencing unprecedented economic growth with corporations investing billions in the United States. However, this investment led to concerns of Japanese businesses taking over American workplaces, sparking fear of an economic Pearl Harbor, which turned out to be just a bubble.
In this section, the focus shifts to Japan and China, and the rise of otaku culture and KFC in China in the late 80s. The bubble economy in Japan was fueled by speculative investments, and otaku culture emerged as a counter-culture phenomenon that became popular but was heavily demonized and criticized by the mass media. Meanwhile, in China, the introduction of KFC in 1987 marked the beginning of a new era of international travel and trade as well as franchising and private enterprises. However, amid the country's economic and cultural transformation, political and social tensions were beginning to brew and would boil over in the form of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.
In this section, the video discusses the events leading up to and the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing, China in 1989. The protests began as a peaceful demonstration by students calling for greater political freedom, but eventually turned violent when the government sent in military forces to quell the unrest. There is still no consensus on the number of casualties that occurred, but the incident had far-reaching implications for China's relationship with the West and for the Communist Party's hold on power. Additionally, the video covers the Iran-Contra scandal in which the US was found to be selling weapons to Iran to fund Nicaraguan contras, despite being under a trade embargo at the time. The scandal brought into question the integrity of President Reagan's administration and caused a drop in his approval rating.
In this section, we learn about the Iran-Contra affair and the various investigations that followed. While an official commission found that Reagan had not acted illegally, independent prosecutor Lawrence Walsh concluded that the scandal had been authorized from the top levels of the administration. Oliver North's testimonies in Congress were watched by millions and revealed that his secretary, Fawn Hall, had helped shred and alter classified documents. While the full extent of the CIA's involvement in drug trafficking with the contras remains unclear, investigations did find links between the two. North ultimately faced federal felony charges, but he was seen by many as a hero for being a "willing scapegoat" for an embarrassed Reagan administration.
In this section, we learn about the aftermath of Oliver North's indictment and trial, including support from the religious right due to his commitment to Christianity, but also his decline in popularity as merchandise sales and restaurant specials decreased. Despite his conviction, his sentence was later overturned, as were the convictions of other co-conspirators, after a presidential pardon from George H.W. Bush. Meanwhile, Reagan was still focused on supporting the contras in Nicaragua, even after Congress rejected his request for $36.2 million in aid. Additionally, his attempt to add Robert Bork to the Supreme Court was met with opposition by civil rights groups, the ACLU, and Planned Parenthood, causing Democrats to probe into his judicial history and personal life during confirmation hearings.
In this section, the impact of Reagan's judicial appointments on American politics and quality of life is discussed. Reagan added 402 mostly conservative and white judges to Federal benches, giving the Supreme Court two moderate conservatives and two deep conservatives, which pushed the court irrefutably right. Furthermore, many Supreme Court rulings in the late 1980s changed the course of history, including a 1989 decision in Texas versus Johnson that citizens have the right to burn the American flag as a form of political protest. While Reagan's impact on the judiciary is undeniable, his record on the environment is mixed, as he vetoed the Clean Water Act due to cost concerns and removed solar panels from the White House.
In this section, we learn about how Ronald Reagan's administration was not friendly to environmental protection. The Department of Interior and the EPA reduced budgets and opened up federal land to private uses but the successors stopped opening up as much federal land due to mismanagement and racism. Reagan also irked conservatives for supporting the Montreal Protocol which phased out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances. Though legislative battle lines were drawn, a solution wouldn't be mandated until the 1990s Clean Air Act. Despite all of this, private organizations grew in membership and got huge new sums of money. One of Reagan's final acts as president was signing the civil liberties Act of 1988.
In this section, the video discusses the notable events of the 1988 presidential campaign, including Dan Quayle's infamous gaffe comparing his experience to JFK's, Gary Hart dropping out of the race due to his alleged affair with Donna Rice, Joe Biden being exposed as a plagiarist, and Michael Dukakis being dubbed unpatriotic. These events marked a distinct turn in American electoral politics, where private lives and personal failings of candidates became entrenched in the increasingly mainstream cycle of 24-hour news coverage and election drama.
In this section, the 1988 presidential race is explored, particularly how Michael Dukakis failed to address his negative image of being a soft liberal Democrat who would be weak on foreign threats and terrorism. The Bush campaign created attack ads that capitalized on Dukakis's position on certain defense measures, such as being against aircraft carriers and anti-satellite weapons, and used the case of a black murderer and rapist named William Horton to attack his record on crime. Horton escaped during a furlough program that Dukakis supported, thereby allowing the Bush campaign to portray him as soft on crime as well. The 1988 presidential race also showed more interest in appealing to the growing Latino vote whose population had increased significantly in California and Texas.
In this section, the 1988 presidential election and the 1989 mayoral race for New York are discussed. In the 1988 election, Bush beat Dukakis with 53.3% of the popular vote, largely due to his Republican party's ability to appeal to the religious and social conservatism of certain voters. Although most Americans favored Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis's Universal Health Insurance proposal, only 50.1% of eligible voters participated in the election, the lowest level since 1924. As for the New York mayoral race, David Dinkins, a lawyer and Marine veteran, won the primary, defeating incumbent Ed Koch, and was then elected as New York's 106th mayor with support from those who appreciated his appeal to the city's sizable black population.
In this section, the video highlights former US President George H.W. Bush's efforts at the end of the 1980s to tackle drug use and expand the government's powers through new civil rights acts. However, he also grew the government's power through the failed Star Wars Defense Initiative and added barriers to US imports. The video emphasizes the complexity of global politics and the dangers of seeing things in black and white. It also reflects on how Reagan's effort to shrink the government only resulted in expanding executive power and growing the federal debt. The video encourages viewers to dig deeper into historical stories to gain a more nuanced understanding of the world.
In this section, the speaker discusses how the 80s saw a significant increase in wealth inequality, with the top one percent of Americans possessing 39 percent of the nation's wealth. The War on Drugs, Iran-Contra scandal, and devolution of social programs all played a role in exacerbating poverty and systemic inequality. Furthermore, Reagan's brand of conservatism was appealing to many Americans amidst growing immigration, racial tensions, and culture wars while the Democrats were forced to re-evaluate their priorities. The end of the Cold War ushered in a new era and the speaker foresees tribalism, wealth inequality, celebrity culture, and the neglect of mental health as factors that would continue to shape American politics and society in the coming decade.
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