The Fall of the Berlin Wall, November 9, 1989

"The opening of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989 was the first in a series of stunning events that culminated in the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War" (Moss, 2010 p. 263).  The fall of the Berlin Wall was a crucial moment marking the end of the Soviet Union, the democratization of Russia, and the beginning of American global dominance. Arguably the most important event for the Global Economy in the twentieth century, the fall of the Berlin wall allowed for open trade between the Russia and the U.S., and also enabled the Western and Eastern European economies to merge together.


Economic Freedom of the World: An Interactive Map.  Gwartney, Hall & Lawson (2011) utilize an interactive map to view economic freedoms around the world respectively.  Viewed incrementally from 1990 to 1998 the user can clearly see the impact of the fall of the Soviet Union on the Global Economy, as well as the growing economic freedoms in Russia and Eastern and Central Europe (CEE).

The Fall of the Soviet Union and Reunification of Europe.  Drumea (2008) discusses the consequences of the fall of the Soviet Union: "almost all the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have submitted their applications to join the European Union (EU) and NATO".  As more nations join the EU the Global Economy continues to grow.   

 

Nov. 9, 1989: The Berlin Wall Falls.  The 1989 ABC news report broadcasting to viewers the amazing news that the Berlin Wall had fallen, allowing travel to and from East Berlin for the first time since the beginning of the Cold War.  Click here to link to the Youtube video.

Resources

Drumea, D. (2008, May 6). The fall of the soviet union and reunification of europe. Retrieved from http://www.thenewfederalist.eu/The-Fall-of-the-Soviet-Union-and-Reunification-of-Europe 

Gwartney, J., Hall, J., & Lawson, R. (2011). Economic freedom of the world: An interactive map. Retrieved from http://www.cato.org/pubs/efw/map/index.php

Jennings, P. (1989). Nov. 9, 1989: The berlin wall falls. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnCPdLlUgvo

Moss, G. D. (2010). Moving on, the american people since 1945. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

 

Nixon’s visit to China, 1972

"Nixon's most dramatic foreign policy achievement was the famed opening to China" (Moss, 2010 p. 174).  Nixon's 1972 visit with Mao Zedong culminated the ongoing reconciliation process and easing of the trade boycott and loan ban against China that had been in place for over twenty years.  Nixon’s visit was the turning point in the opening of China, easing the ideological differences between the two countries, and was the final diplomatic steppingstone for future commercial, diplomatic, and cultural relations between the two nations.  This turning point allowed China to participate in the Global Economy.  Currently China is second only to the U.S. in global exports (mapsofworld.com, 2011), making China a key player in the Global Economy.  

 The Made in China label has become ubiquitous with cheaply made goods, and can be found on multitudes of products around the world.  This photo depicts the Made in China label printed in three different languages, demonstrating the global reach of Chinese production.  Click here to view original image.

City of Sound.  Hill (2010) discusses Mao's legacy in China, and the implications of the "opening up" for Chinese culture, which is being threatened by "consumerism and late stage capitalism. 

Resources

Hill, D. (2010, August 7). World design congress 2009, beijing: Zhu dake. Retrieved from http://www.cityofsound.com/blog/2010/08/world-design-congress-2009-beijing-zhu-dake.html

Moss, G. D. (2010). Moving on, the american people since 1945. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

mapsofworld.com. (2011). Top ten countries with highest exports. Retrieved from http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-top-ten/world-top-ten-exporting-countries-map.html 

radionetherlands.nl. (n.d.). Made in china. Retrieved from http://cdn.radionetherlands.nl/data/files/imagecache/must_carry/images/lead/Made-in-China.jpg

 

ARPANET, 1969

After the launch of Sputnik in 1957, "President Eisenhower created the Advanced Research and Design Projects Agency (ARPA) with the Department of Defense to ensure that U.S. scientists retained their lead over Soviet scientists in developing new technologies applicable to the military" (Moss, 2010 p. 251).  In 1969, ARPA scientists created ARPANET as a way for "universities, defense contractors, and military command centers" (Moss, 2010 p. 252) to communicate via computer networks.  The Granddaddy of the Internet, which revolutionized international communication, trade, and banking, was born.  Without the development of ARPANET, the Internet as we know it would not exist, and the Global Economy would be a mere shadow of it’s current self.  

The Global Internet Economy discusses "The intertwining of the Internet and the globalization of finance, corporate governance, and trade" (Kogut, 2003).  How corporations respond to new technology is key to understanding the impact that technology has had on the Global Economy. 

The Initial ARPANET-1969 depicts the original network connecting Stanford Research Institute (SRI), the University of California (UC) Santa Barbara, the University of Utah, and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).  The modern Internet was born in these four nodes, and continues to grow exponentially.

From ARPANET to Internet.  The article is about half way down the page (sorry guys!).  From ARPANET to Internet discusses how "internet based technologies have demonstrably reshaped the economic landscape over the past few years" (nsf.gov), and is an interesting read on the evolution of the Internet and its impacts on the Global Economy.

Resources

Kogut, B. (2003, February). The global internet economy. Retrieved from http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?tid=9549&ttype=2

Moss, G. D. (2010). Moving on, the american people since 1945. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Nsf.gov. (n.d.). From arpanet to internet. Retrieved from http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf0055/pages/fyi.htm 

sri.com. (2009, October 27). The initial arpanet-1969. Retrieved from http://www.sri.com/news/releases/images/ARPANET.gif

Sputnik, October 1957

Sputnik "was small, about the size of a beachball, but it circled the earth every 90 minutes, traveling at a speed of 18,000 miles per hour" (Moss, 2010 p.93).  The launch of the first space satellite by the Soviet Union marked the true beginning of the space race, and Sputnik was ultimately the first of the many satellites that now orbit our planet.    Our Global Economy relies on such technological advancements as Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) for trans-oceanic shipping and navigation, weather imaging satellites, and communication satellites that enable global communications.  All of these systems owe Sputnik pride of place as the first of its kind.  

David Hoffman Shares His Sputnik Mania (2008).  Filmmaker David Hoffman discusses the launch of Sputnik and it's consequences on the Arms Race, the Space Race, and the Global Economy.  Click here to link to original video at TED.com.

NASA.gov (2011).  The NASA website details current satellite missions.  All of these current missions owe their inception to Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth.

n2yo.com allows users to track any satellite currently in orbit in real time.  An interesting site if you want to see what is in our sky right now. 

 

Resources

Hoffman, D. (2008, April). David hoffman shares his sputnik mania. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/david_hoffman_shares_his_sputnik_mania.html

 n2yo.com. (n.d.). Real time satellite tracking. Retrieved from http://www.n2yo.com/ 

 Nasa.gov. (2011, December 13). Current missions. Retrieved from http://www.nasa.gov/missions/current/index.html

 Moss, G. D. (2010). Moving on, the american people since 1945. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

 

The Marshall Plan, 1947

After World War II, America needed Europe and Japan to be economically strong in order to oppose the combined Communist threat of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.  The U.S. also needed Europe to be strong because “Europeans could not buy U.S. products unless they received dollars from the United States” (Moss, 2010 p.29).  The Marshall plan was instituted to tie America and Europe together both financially, and can easily be viewed as the foundation of the current Global Economy.  “It also proved to be a major stimulus to American economic activity” (Moss, 2010 p.30), as well as allowing Western Europe to get back on its feet economically after the costly War.

Many Western European nations were assisted by the Marshall Plan.  The Marshall Plan created strong economic ties between Western European countries and the U.S., which would become foundational to the Global Economy with the creation of the European Union.  Click here to link to the original image.  

Europe in Ruins and the Marshall Plan (2009) details the consequences of WWII, and the effects of the Martial Plan to bring Western Europe back from the brink of economic failure.  Click here to link to video on You Tube.

References

loc.gov. (n.d.). Western europe's recovery. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/marshall/images/wholemap.jpg 

 Moss, G. D. (2010). Moving on, the american people since 1945. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. 

youtube.com. (2009, June 7). Europe in ruins and the marshall plan. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUt7Lr3lubc&feature=related