Truman vs. Roosevelt in Progressivism Essay - 833 Words

Truman vs. Roosevelt in Progressivism Theodore Roosevelts New Nationalism and Woodrow Wilsons New Freedom were revolutionary thoughts in the early part of the 20th century. Well ahead of its time were the economic intervention policies introduced by these Presidents to transform America into a strong and fair country. The main concern of these progressives was the abuse of power by government and businesses. Even though Wilsons plan and Roosevelts plan would differ in several ways, the nationalistic tone was quite similar. They both believed in government intervention into businesses that were abusing the countries inability to control monopolies, exploitation of minorities, women and children etc. Roosevelt could have been†¦show more content†¦So he did by sending in negotiators on both sides to resolve the impending disastrous situation. Both sides came to amicable resolutions. Wilson on the other hand would have gone into a situation like that of the coal strike of 1902 with a stronger hand, so to speak. Wilson frowned on big business in every circumstance, and saw it to be the demise of America as a whole. Wilson would have gone into Pennsylvania and shut it down and replaced those who were striking with those who would appreciate that job. Break down the big businesses so that there is a chance for competition and less necessity to monitor and or regulate big businesses with the fear that they may become a monopoly. Roosevelt embraced big business and industry and saw it as a natural development and has done much good (Mini-lecture #44 Koudelka). Wilson thought of Roosevelts actions as extreme and a radical movement. He thought that Americans had the means to make good moral judgement on the labor issues and they would so act upon these thoughts. Roosevelt on the other hand would make the decisions for the American people and almost force views on the people as opposed to interrupting their wants and needs as expressed. Wilson wanted to return to old styles in regard to the law and to maintain traditional institutions. Roosevelt forged ahead withShow MoreRelatedModern History.Hsc.2012 Essay25799 Words   |  104 Pagesunsuccessfully tried to mediate a settlement. He repeatedly warned the U.S. would not tolerate unrestricted submarine warfare, in violation of international law and U.S. ideas of human rights. Wilson was under pressure from former president Theodore Roosevelt, who denounced German acts as piracy. - In January 1917, Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare. The German Foreign minister, in the Zimmermann Telegram, told Mexico that U.S. entry was likely once unrestricted submarine warfare beganRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesDifferent motives led to the joint proclamation. U.S. Presi- THE GENDERING OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEMS OF LAW †¢ 157 dent Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed the â€Å"four human freedoms† as key wartime principles to mobilize American public opinion in favor of the Allied cause before the U.S. involvement in the war. For Roosevelt, human rights principles were used to oppose all forms of totalitarianism, whether of the Right (fascism) or of the Left (communism). 30. Found in Burgers

Taking a Look at Standardized Testing - 1518 Words

Standardized Testing Currently Standardized Testing is one of the many issues currently plaguing the education community. Testing is a very touchy and controversial topic in the politics of education, particularly in the United States. There are many varying opinions debating on the successes and failures in the process of testing today. The controversies over standardized testing in the United State, and specifically New Jersey, stem from the testing process and the creation of these tests. Some claim that standardized tests are culturally biased, which is a disadvantage to minority students. These tests also are very costly, and affect the education budget. The tests also pose a large time commitment, with preparation for the tests, as well as the time allotted to take the tests themselves. Preparations for the tests can also have issues, with some educators teaching toward the test, to ensure a higher success rate for the students. The grading and processing of these tests also comes into question, because t he tests might not be an accurate measure of student achievement. Standardized testing is a very controversial topic because of the extremely high stakes. The successes or failures of students on these tests affect the students and the schools. With the new obsession with high performance rates, standardized testing has become more high stakes. There are many companies with stakes in the standardized testing business. One notable company is NCS Pearson. NCSShow MoreRelatedTaking a Look at Standardized Testing1478 Words   |  6 PagesStandardized testing is a test that involves all students in the same age group or grade level to take the same test with the same question. One of the purposes of standardized testing is that it uses a numerical component in test scoring reinsure that all students can be measure on the same scale. Grade point average is the only other way you can compare students but grade point average is not reliable because students have different teachers for different subjects for different years. StandardizedRead MoreTaking a Look at Standardized Testing598 Words   |  2 PagesStandardized testing is a global educational practice in determining the academic level of students and in turn, the aptness of teachers. W. James Popham (2005), former president of the American Educational Research Association , defines standardized test as any test thats administered, scored, and interpreted in a standard, predetermined manner. In the United States, standardized testing became more prominent in 2002 due to the adoption of the No Child Left Behind Act. All public schools wereRead MoreEmphasis on Standardized Testing Essay1525 Words   |  7 Pageseducational career, students are required to take standardized tests to show their progress and if they meet certain requirements they could qualify them for higher educational opportunities. Some common standardized test include: Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), American College Testing (ACT), Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), Missouri Assessment Program (MAP), and Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL). Standardized tests are designed so that each person taking the test has the same chance to do wellRead MoreStandardized Testing is not a Gauge of a Student ´s Knowledge Essay904 Words   |  4 PagesAmerican Literature Testing the nation(must change) â€Å"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.† Standardized testing has had a negative impact on the US educational system. Standardized testing alone is not an accurate gauge of a students overall knowledge. We start indoctrinating our children in the first grade with standardized testing to prepare them for the next 11 years of testing. These tests putRead MoreStandardized Testing Was Originallycreated In China And972 Words   |  4 Pages Standardized testing was originally created in China and from there it grew, in 1905 Alfred Binet had developed the IQ test and by the time World War One standardized testing was standard practice (Fletcher). The SAT and ACT are the most common standardized test today, while a lot of college bound students take the ACT and SATs to show how smart they are and how well they will do in college theses test are not the best way to determine a student s potential, â€Å"these test have also been shown thatRead MoreStandardized Testing Is The Best Way For Measure Students Intelligence Levels1155 Words   |  5 PagesBelieving that It is Stupid’†(Baskerville). This is a quote that is theorized to have been said by Albert Einstein and can easily be applied to standardized testing in our schooling system. Although some think that standardized testing is the best way to measure students intelligence levels, research suggests that it is ineffective due to factors such as not test ing over all subjects, changing how schools teach, discrimination, and the mindset that it creates, therefore colleges should not use them inRead MoreStandardized Testing Is Taking Up So Much Time1568 Words   |  7 Pages â€Å" I want my kids classrooms back† says many parents (Deutermann). School standardized testing is taking up so much time it is taking time away from students learning time in the classroom. Taking the many portions of standardized test is not benefiting the students. The point of standardized tests in schools to get measure of a student’s knowledge. Education plays a big role in the assessments. Education is the process of gaining knowledge, or different skills and attitudes. The tests are alsoRead MorePros And Cons Of Standardized Testing1201 Words   |  5 Pages Standardized testing is all based on your performance as a student on a specific day, time and place. What it doesn’t show is how you perform on a day to day basis. These types of test can be given in any type of form that requires test takers to answer the same questions, and is then scored in a â€Å"standard† or consistent manner. Students should not have to take standardized test be cause of many reasons. As a human I have days where I’m tired and didn’t get enough sleep the night before or it isRead MoreThe Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing Essay674 Words   |  3 PagesStandardized testing is a down fall to many students but also an opportunity for many others. Standardized testing has its pros and its cons. It can be the make it or break it factor into getting into colleges you are hoping to attend or the scholarships you want to earn. Some people may have their opinions about the test, whether they hate it or not but the fact is that it’s here to stay. What exactly is standardized testing you may ask, it is a test which measures the knowledge among differentRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing800 Words   |  4 PagesStandardized tests are not for everyone. Some students are naturally good at taking tests, while others struggle. These tests start as early as the third grade. Students should not have to worry about their future being determined by a test. Standardized testing also causes many problems to some students, such as lowering their confidence level. Schools and teachers have started protests, refusing to participate in in-school testing. †Anti-testing protest is extending beyond Seattle. Across the

International Marketing for International- myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theInternational Marketing for Global and International. Answer: International marketing refers to the business activities of more than one country in terms of the application of the general marketing principles. However, the international marketing is not the global marketing, though the two terms seem to the similar. The global and international marketing are interchangeable. The marketing strategies of the multinational organization or company are referred to the international marketing as one of the marketing area of the same which is further based on the marketing, targeting, identification and decisions on the international basis (Terpstra, Foley and Sarathy 2012). Trade is one of the primary and the basic elements of the international marketing which includes import and export. However, the export is found to be the fundamental and basis of the international marketing. Therefore, the role of the exporting in the international business and marketing is important and the necessary for the sustainability of the organization in the internationa l market. The following essay focuses on the export marketing and the consumer behavior as one of the vital factors of the same. Export marketing entails the exporting of goods to other countries according to the business terms and procedures of the exporting as well as the importing countries. For the exporting o the goods the both the exporting and the importing countries has to maintain and follow certain regulations and laws proposed by the government of two countries. In addition, the exporting country must consider and follow certain criteria that determine the successful exporting of the goods as well as the future sustainability of the same in the importing country (Singh and Kaur 2014). The first criteria for the exporting are the understanding of the present trends in the export and plan the strategies for the exporting of the goods accordingly. The trends in the export refers to the present demand and the need o the consumers in the international context and understanding the lacks of the importing countries the in fulfilling the demands of the consumers. The recommendation for the exporting companies refers to the study of the trends of the past five years in the international business and marketing. Therefore, according to the study of the trends over the five year the company must produce their product and plan their strategies in order to fulfill the initial criteria of the exporting. The second criterion refers to the production capacity and the product availability of the company to meet the demand of the international consumers. It is the responsibility of exporting company to choose its product which has the enough availability or for which the company has capacity for sufficient production. This criterion must be followed by the company in order to meet the desired quantities of the consumers in the international market. The capacity and the availability of the product by the company will ensure the success of the company in the international market. The next criterion is based on the consumer behavior of the importing countries. The exporting company must investigate and understand the adaptability of the product by the consumers. It may happen that the consumers of the importing country have the adaptability of certain product, which the consumers of another importing country do not have. Therefore, examining the adaptability of the international consumers must be taken into account by the exporting company in order to decide the export of the product to the specific countries. The demand of the potential export market is another important criterion that determines the successful exporting of the product in the international market. This demand is further based on the factors including demographic or physical environment, political environment, economic environment, cultural or social environment, market assessment and the potential of the product. All the factors indicates the demand of the products as well as the potential of the product to fulfill the same such as the demographic environment refers to the population of the importing country, political and socio-cultural environment refers to the individual adaptability of the products, market assessment presents the risk and opportunities of the market, and the potential of the product entails the ability of the product in fulfilling the demand of consumers. The next criterion indicates the trade restriction by the exporting as well as the importing counties for the international business across the borders. There can be restriction from the government on both the exporting and importing of the products according to the regulations or legislations. In other hand, the restriction on certain products can refer to the public safety and health, environment protection and so on (Musso and Francioni 2014). Hence, the exporting company must consider and follow the laws and regulation in the context of the international business in terms of exporting the goods. The shift in the spending pattern is another major criterion for the exporting companies in the exporting of the products across the borders. The financial ability of the consumers determines the spending patterns of the same on the certain products. In broader sense, the economical condition is the determinate of the spending pattern of the consumers on certain imported product (Bilgic et al. 2013). Therefore, the any change in economical condition of the importing countries can shift the spending pattern of the customers. Hence, the exporting company must consider the shift in the spending pattern of the customers to before exporting to any specific country. The last and final criterion for exporting is the quality of the product and the niche marketing. It is recommended to the exporting companies that they must ensure the quality of their exporting product and effective and niche marketing of the same in the importing country. For the niche marketing of the product or the goods, it is implied that the exporting company must acquire both new and traditional method in order to reach every customers and attract them in the international context of business (Koh 2015). The basic discussion of the article of de Mooijs is based on the consumers behavior in terms of international business (De Mooij and Hofstede 2002). The basic focus of the country is on the divergence and convergence in the behavior of the consumers which implied on the international business. As discussed previously in the essay the behavior of the consumers on certain product determines the successful and effective business of the company producing the product for the international business. The articles implies that the homogenization of the consumer behavior is based o the cultural differences within the country. In other hand, the convergence of the consumer income across the country manifests the value difference and makes the same stronger. In the article, the author presents an argument on the consumer behavior which is based on the various factors. The convergence in the consumer behavior comes from income, media and the technology and leads the same towards the homogenizati on of the consumer needs, lifestyle and taste. For example, the any cross border music channel showing new trend of music show is able to influence teenagers in the global context and as the result the global teenagers will possess and show similar values irrespective of their countries. The argument of de Mooij is centralized by the cultural dimension of the different countries in terms of the acceptance of the international business products and service. The article presents analyzed divergence and convergence in the ownership, consumption and the usage of the wide range of the service and products across the countries. In addition, the cultural dimension of Hofstede is exemplified in the article which refers to the socio-cultural and psychological factor based on the demographic aspect are influential on the consumption variation (Hofstede 2010). The cultural dimension refers to the power distance of the society within the culture, which further indicates that the consumption of the product according to the consumer behavior based on the power distance. The next dimension refers to the individualism and collectivism which is major factors indicating divergence as well as the convergence in the consumer behavior. The next dimension, the uncertainty avoidance refers to the consumer behavior in certain culture in terms of their cultural beliefs and practices. The final dimension is the long-term or short-term orientation by consumers based on the perspective of the society, which is further a major and important indication of the consumer behavior in terms of the divergence and convergence. Therefore, to understand cultural influence on the behavior of the consumers based on the consumption of the product or the service, it is necessary to understand the cultural dimension of the international business context including the import and export as reflected by the article of de Mooij. The argumentative article presents that the cultural dimension of any country is capable of converging as well as diverging the consumer behavior as based on the needs, capacity, demands and overall perspective of the society (De Mooij and Hofstede 2002). For example of the divergence, the food preferences of the two cultures can be different and the behavior of the consumer can diverge according to that for the same food exported by the company into two different countries. In other hand, launch of any vegetarian new food product in the market can determine the behavior of the consumers which are vegetarian by culture, which can be considered as the convergence of the consumer behaviors. As stated above in the essay and reflected by the author idea of consumer behavior on convergence and divergence the technology can also determine the behavior of the consumer. For example, any online retail industry is capable of influencing its customer with the help of the help of the social medi a and behavior of the consumers from the global context will be the same for certain product of the company. This is an example of the converging behavior of the consumers. This same online retail company is capable of diverging the consumer behaviors by proposing different offers to the global customers as per the cultural needs and demand of the same. Therefore, the arguments in the article are justified in terms of the different cultural dimension as well as the factor influencing international business (De Mooij and Hofstede 2002). Therefore, it is evident from the above discourse that the cultural dimension and the consumer behavior is internally dependent and linked that is capable of influencing the international business of a company. In addition, there is presence of the other factors that determines the success of the product as well as the consumers behavior in the context of the international business. Moreover, the success of the international business and the acquisition of the product or the service by the exporting company to a major extent is dependent on the behavior of the consumers and determined by the same. For the better understating of the topic the article of the converging and diverging behavior of the consumers has been presented in the essay which reflects importance and capability of the culture on the specific product. Reference: Bilgic, A., Florkowski, W.J., Yen, S.T. and Akbay, C., 2013. Tobacco spending patterns and their health-related implications in Turkey.Journal of Policy Modeling,35(1), pp.1-15. De Mooij, M. and Hofstede, G., 2002. Convergence and divergence in consumer behavior: implications for international retailing.Journal of retailing,78(1), pp.61-69. Hofstede, G., 2010. Geert hofstede.National cultural dimensions. Koh, A.C., 2015. An Evaluation of the Current Export Marketing Practices of United States Firms. InProceedings of the 1989 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference(pp. 198-202). Springer, Cham. Musso, F. and Francioni, B., 2014. International strategy for SMEs: criteria for foreign markets and entry modes selection.Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development,21(2), pp.301-312. Singh, F. and Kaur, M., 2014. Bank Choice Criteria of Exporting SMEs.SAMVAD,7, pp.37-50. Terpstra, V., Foley, J. and Sarathy, R., 2012.International marketing. Naper Press.

To what extent was Mikhail Gorbachev responsible for the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union free essay sample

Many Historians contributed the fall of Soviet Union directly to Mikhail Gorbachev and his reforms. They argued that Gorbachev’s Glasnost, (openness) and Perestroika, (restructuring) directly led to uprisings within the Soviet Union, and its Soviet republics that brought the downfall of Soviet Union. This is however a very shallow analysis of the downfall of the Soviet Union. For one to truly understand the fall of the Soviet Union one must understand the history of The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), and the political and economic situation of the former empire when Gorbachev took reign. For example the USSR’s stagnating economy compounded with the arms race, ethnic tensions, war in Afghanistan, as well as the communism ideology itself, all played great roles in the downfall of USSR. Gorbachev’s reforms merely torpedoed an already sinking ship, as the Soviet Union was doomed to fail at the moment Stalin took over. We will write a custom essay sample on To what extent was Mikhail Gorbachev responsible for the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Gorbachev’s reforms also played a part in the dissolution of the Soviet Union. He tried to combat all these problems with glasnost and perestroika, however it was too radical at the time and was too little too late. The reforms themselves were flawed, as they were too radical and not properly implemented. Gorbachev’s reforms were literally the polar opposite of the policies of his predecessors. This radical change plunged the USSR into chaos and eventually the fall of the Soviet Union. If one were to truly comprehend the cause of the Soviet Union’s downfall one needs to understand the economic and political situation of USSR before Gorbachev came into power. One may argue that the Soviet Union was doomed to fail from the moment Stalin took power. The command economy under Stalin took the capitalist world by surprise. Large scales of industrialization, and economic growth had many critical flaws as one Polish economist states, â€Å"state socialism was not a good idea badly implemented, but a bad idea which was implemented surprisingly well† (Mazower, 329). The command economy model produced a ratchet effect: over production by an institution in a given plan cycle, causing even more over production in the next plan cycle to match the new expected standard (Jefferies, 15). This is very problematic as it reduced the quality of Soviet goods as workers were rushed to complete the plan at the end of a planning cycle. This in turn had two detrimental effects. First Soviet goods were shielded from the world economy, as the quality was too poor. Second, when Soviet goods were rejected from the world market, citizens of the Soviet Union were targeted as consumers (Jefferies, 22). This meant that the consumers were neglected, and as information technology progressed the people of USSR began to see the gap between their standard of living, and that of the West. This caused citizens to become disgruntled. Another critical flaw that command economy possessed was its inability to adapt to the dynamic world economy as it was run according to state plan not to the market as it was supposed to. This can be seen very clearly in the Soviet Union’s economy. A prominent example to illustrate this point is the effect of the arms race on the Soviet economy. By 1980 Soviet Union’s defense budget raised from an already horrifying 22 percent to 27 percent its GDP compared to 7% of the U. S. (Hilton). The United Stated solved its problem by amalgamating a unique relation with its private defense sectors. The Soviet Union however did not have such option as everything was run by the state, and the defense budget continued to sap an already crumpling economy, eventually to its grave. The political situation of the Soviet Union when Gorbachev came to power in 1982 was dire. There had been much history of tension between the people of the satellite states, and the installed governments of the Soviet satellite states. A prime example of this was the failed Hungarian revolution. In October 1956 hundreds of thousands of people rose up against Erno Gero’s regime. The people succeeded in toppling Erno Gero’s rule, but despite their success, the unfortunately met with Soviet tank columns. After the Soviet intervention a new government under Janos Kadar was installed. Wide oppression soon followed, and hundreds of thousands of refugees fled the country, tens of thousands were imprisoned, and hundreds were executed (Holodkov, 1956). One decade later in 1968, Prague Spring saw the invasion of 200,000 Warsaw pact troops. Although there was not much bloodshed, the message was clear, radical democratization will be replied in force by the Soviet Union (Zaninovich, 1973). From these two failed uprisings one thing was clear, the oppressive governments of the Eastern bloc were doomed to fail. These regimes were installed and backed by the Soviet Military instead of the people. These governments had no public support, and at worst they were not even considered legitimate by the people. Instantly, when the progressive leader came into power, all citizens were soon silenced. With all the oppression, bloodshed and historical grievances, there had ought to be tremendous animosity between the people of the satellite states and the USSR. When the economy of the Soviet Union began to crumble, and when it could no longer afford backup by the dictators they had installed, Eastern Europe was a powder keg waiting to explode. When Gorbachev came into power he initiated a series of economic and political reforms known as Perestroika (restructuring). Perestroika granted a great degree of autonomy to state enterprises. These enterprises for example were free to determine output levels (they still had to fulfill state orders), sell their own goods and the freedom to import their own material (Rogers, 1987). Essentially managers could run their enterprises however they saw fit without much state intervention. Perestroika allowed foreign capital to flow into the Soviet Union, and even permitted ownership of private property (David, 1987). These reforms seemed like a huge step toward repairing the sluggish Soviet economy, however in practice it created much chaos and eventually put the final nails in the economy of USSR. There were numerous reasons of how Gorbachev’s perestroika failed to keep the Soviet Union intact. One main and most prominent reason of how perestroika failed to repair the USSR’s economy is that the economy needed fundamental changes not just some modifications (Hosking, 207). Gorbachev merely wanted a human face on socialism so that it would make it more efficient. He never desired to transform the system to free market economy. For example, perestroika gave enterprise managers control over their plants and provided them incentives to produce better quality goods which would translate to a profit for the plant, and in return boost the Soviet economy. However in practice it yielded opposite results. Most managers were incompetent to run their respective enterprises, as they were inexperienced with such degree of freedom. What they often did was they ran their plants the same as before, which resulted inevitable bankruptcy (Hosking, 209). Instead of boosting the economy successfully, perestroika essentially drained the economy. The government’s spending increased drastically as they had to bail out an increasingly number of failed enterprises. This coupled with two decades of stagnation, the war of Afghanistan and a horrifying defense budget, the economy of the Soviet Union soon collapsed. Perestroika also had a huge impact on the moral of the Soviet citizens. In perestroika Gorbachev introduced the concept of privatization for the first time since Lenin’s New Democratic Party (NDP). Although this seemed like a step toward a brighter future for the Soviet Union it created much tension between the government and its people. Gorbachev’s introduction of such a concept contradicted his vehemently commitment to preserve Marxist- Leninist principles which he clearly stated in his speech to the CPSU in 1985 (Rogers, 1987). In retrospect he was trying to maintain the socialist ideology while moving toward a market approach economy. This proved disastrous, as the two economic systems could have never been compatible with each other. Free market economy inevitably led to inequality of wealth and the creation of a capitalist class who exploited the proletariat. This is exactly what happened in the Soviet Union after perestroika was implemented. A small number of enterprises did become successful and their profiteering was much resented by the general population (Hosking, 215). This resentment along with the failure of perestroika, as well as shortage in basic essential items (bread and milk) much discredited Gorbachev’s rule among the Soviet people. The citizens of the USSR became increasingly more demoralized as shelves were empty and saw the grim picture that perestroika painted for the ordinary folk. Elena Bonner the widow of Andrei Sakarov in November 1988 said that she lost all faith in perestroika as she stated â€Å"I was always was a believer†¦ but today my faith in Perestroika is waning. † (Hewitt, Winston 145). Along with Perestroika, Glasnost (openness) was also introduced within the Soviet Union. The goal of glasnost was to make Soviet Union more transparent by allowing freedom of speech, press, basically opening the country for debates and criticisms (Rogers, 1987). This meant Soviet citizens no longer had to fear neighbors turning them into the KGB or arrested and exiled for negative thoughts against the state. Gorbachev even allowed some form of democracy within the Soviet Union by allowing the people to vote for CPSU candidates. Glasnost had unintended consequences however. In a regime based on oppression and propaganda, allowing freedom in any sort will discredit the regime. By removing ideology control the party (CPSU) had to depend on the people’s support in order to stay in power (Rogers, 1987). This however was unachievable as Perestroika was moving the country toward a more bourgeoisie, capitalist society. In addition giving the people freedom of speech and removing media censorship all the atrocities committed by the Soviet Union were realized. It was inevitable that there will be extreme hostility toward those who were responsible, Namely the USSR who has been oppressing the people of Eastern Europe for more than 40 years (Kagarlitsky, 103). The tension between the people of the satellite states and the Soviet Union will no doubt intensify and eventually there will be nothing the Soviet Union could do to control the people of Eastern Europe. Nationalist movements swept across the Soviet satellite states like a storm and one by one these states declared independence. This time without the backing of the Soviet military the communist dictators fell like dominoes. Gorbachev could do nothing but watch as the Soviet Union was in no shape to intervene especially after its defeat in Afghanistan. Glasnost was too sudden and too radical and it isolated Gorbachev from the people instead of bringing him closer to the public. One important point worth mentioning that contributed to the downfall of the Soviet Union was the communism ideology itself. Gorbachev unlike his predecessors was born and raised under the communist ideology. He was educated within the Soviet system ad had no recollection of the past. So in theory he should be the fruit of communist propaganda. However the fact that Gorbachev chose to implement reforms and move the country toward democracy revealed the incompatibility of communism and human nature. Karl Marx’s idea that with time communism would led to the creation of an utopia where everyone is equal and there will be no incentive to compete was proven false. Inequality and competition are embedded in the human nature and to ignore this is to ignore oneself. It is true that Mikhail Gorbachev and his reforms played great parts in the downfall of the Soviet Union. However one cannot ignore other aspects that brought down the USSR namely the obsolete command economic model and the repression imposed on the people for more than 70 years. Perestroika failed to restructure the economy as it merely sought to modify it instead of replacing it. Glasnost failed to keep the Soviet empire together as it was too sudden and radical. Finally the communism ideology itself proved to be incompatible with human nature. All of this coupled with some bad decisions made by Gorbachev’s predecessors e. g. the war in Afghanistan ultimately brought down the Soviet Union that ruled Russia for more than 70 years.