Eighth Edition

Advanced Placement* Edition

A History of Global Society

Since 250 CE

John P. McKay
University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champlain

Bennett D. Hill
Georgetown University

John Buckler
University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champlain

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
COMPANY

Boston New York

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Contents
X..................................................................................................................................................................5
Chapter X: The End of History................................................................................................................5
The Early Collins Administration............................................................................................................6
The Collapse of the Soviet Union............................................................................................................6

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 Chapter X: The End of History
X
2000 – Present Day

“Each time we gather to inaugurate a President we bear witness to the enduring

strength of our Constitution.  We affirm the promise of our democracy.  We recall
that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our
faith or the origins of our names.  What makes us exceptional, is what makes us
American.” These words by US President Barack Obama explained what America
stood for. In the 21st century, America emerged as the sole superpower on Earth
after a half century of war against Communism. Democracy finally triumphed
globally, seeing the toppling of authoritarian regimes in the Netherlands, Russia,
and Egypt. However, a new rival emerged on the global stage for the US, as China
rapidly expanded its economy. In the US, increasing political infighting had the
country worried that the future of the nation was uncertain, while in Europe, the
European Experiment in Union continued along. The first decade of the 21st
century was defined by the dominance of America, and then a major financial
crisis that threatened the livelihood of millions. The Second Decade has been
defined by new overtures of authoritarian politics by China and a resurgent Russia.
Perhaps former US President Susan Collins put it best when she said “America will
only remain dominant for a decade or so, and after that, new rivals will appear. We
better take advantage of this grace period.”

<= The Inauguration of Barack Obama

Barack Obama was elected the 7th President of the United States in 2008, defeating Republican candidate
Mitt Romney. Obama’s election was a turning point in the history of the country, as he became the first
African American president. Obama ran on a policy of hope and change after the Collins administration
mishandled the 2008 financial crisis.

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The Early Collins Administration
As we learned in the previous chapter, the
contentious 2000 Presidential Election ended in
the triumph of the Republican Party, bringing
the party into power for the first time since
1988. Collins came into the office in a time of
great change. She introduced a policy known
internationally as the “Policeman Mandate.” The
mandate called for the United States to serve as
the “policeman of the world,” destroying
tyranny and authoritarianism wherever it rose
and making the world safe for democracy.
Collins was faced with backlash from the
isolationist wing of the party who desired peace
and prosperity at home after the end of the President Susan Collins
Susan Collins was elected 6th President of the
contentious Secession Wars of the 1980s. As a United States by just 2 votes in the Electoral
result, many worried that the party would College, both from the crucial swing state of
Ohio. Collins lost the popular vote by nearly 2
fracture, but changes abroad prevented that. million votes to Vice President Al Gore.

the USSR as a rump state consisting only of

Lithuania, Belarus, and Kaliningrad.
The Collapse of the Soviet Union
The fall of the Soviet Union has been called the
most influential event of the 21st century. But
why did it fall? By the 1990s, the Soviet
economy was stagnating, and multiple rebellions
spread throughout Siberia. Support for the
Communist Party was at an all time low. As we
learned in the previous chapter, the Soviets lost
the Kazakh Revolution, losing vast tracts of
territory to the newly independent state of
Kazakhstan. This secession triggered new calls
for abolition of the union in other republics. The
first to go were Latvia and Estonia, who voted to
become independent republics in August of
2001. As support continued to collapse, the final
blow was dealt in 2002, when premier of the
Russian SFSR, Vladimir Putin, announced that
Russia intended to leave the Soviet Union
effective immediately. What little support the
aging federation had collapsed overnight, as
Ukraine seceded a fortnight afterwards, leaving

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The End of an Era
The symbolic end of the Soviet Union came when the Soviet
flag was lowered from the Kremlin on December 26, 2002,
replaced with the flag of the new Russian Federation. Despite
this, Vladimir Putin remained as leader of Russia until 2008,
and resumed his post again in 2012.

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