1991: Communism falls, democracy triumphs
As the 90s hit in, the world took a giant sigh of relief. The Soviet Union had collapsed. The prospect of world peace seemed to be closer than anytime before. It was the day after christmas in 1991, when the Soviet flag was lowered and replaced with the traditional, pre-revolutionary Russian flag. Gorbachev resigned, and Boris Yeltsin became the first president of the Russian federation. The dissolution of the Soviet Union marked the official end of the Cold War.
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the crucial event that put end to almost 50 years of tene rivalries, espionage, and proxy wars. Communism had proven to become what Reagan and Thatcher said, a pile in the ”ash heap of history”. All previous socialist republics were admitted into the UN. There are still some countries, such as Armenia and Kyrzygystan, which have nostalgia for the Soviet regime (the Lenin statue stil lies on foot on Kyrzygystan’s capital). But Americans agree that the crumbling of USSR did good. Despite this, there are still various crisis and issues that must be addressed, and the risk of nuclear war is still possible.
1990s: Clinton, the most controversial presidency ever
Bill Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States, between 1993 and 2001. He oversaw the country’s longest peacetime economic expansion. After the crumbling of the USSR and the end of the Cold War, the US now remained as the world’s lone superpower. However, Clinton’s presidency got off to a rocky start. During his administration, he faced much of the Iran-Iraq War and the rise of terrorism. He also became controversial due to his alleged affair with congress intern Monica Lewinsky, much younger than him at the time. In 1998, he denied any sexual involvement with Lewinsky. However, the evidence was overwhelming. Clinton became the second US president, after Nixon, that got impeached by Congress. Despite this, Clinton didn’t resign, and rather gave up his position diligently after being beat at the 2000 election.
Bill Clinton was a very controversial political figure in his time. His wife Hillary ran for the 2016 election but was ultimately defeated by Donald Trump. Clinton, however, defined 90s America, a period of rapid economic expansion and prosperity, as well as overseas crisis.
1990s: Mandela for president and the end of apartheid
While the Soviet Union crumbled, in South Africa, a lawyer named Nelson Rolilahla Mandela was freed from prison. He’d spent almost 30 years jailed for his protests against the racial segregation system known as”apartheid”, which denies basic rights and freedom to the African colored people. But, in 1990, Mandela stopped being a prisoner, and thanks to him, the apartheid system dismantled. Then, in 1994, democratic elections were held for the first time, which Mandela won. As such, Mandela became the first colored president of his country and the first non-white head of state since the dismantling of apartheid. In a memorable incident, during the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, the Springboks (the South African national team) won in the final. Mandela appeared in the scene, wearing the team’s iconic green jersey to personally present the team captain with the trophy. The Springboks have been long hated, and everyone applauded at this sign of reconciliation.
Mandela is a man who greatly influenced the decade of the 90s, both in and outside of South Africa. He was the first colored head of state of his country, as well as the oldest inaugurated (he was seventy-five when he was inaugurated). After retiring from politics, he spent the last years of his life in various philantrophic enterprises. Mandela may have gone some time ago, but his legacy still lives as a true fighter for civil rights.
1990s: The rise of terrorism and gun violence
Most people associate the word ”terrorism” to the September 11, 2001 attack that brought down the Twin Towers in New York City. But the truth is, terrorism has played a long and painful part in human history. Ancient Romans used the threat of crucification to suffocate revolts against the Empire. During the French Revolution, Robespierre led a ”Reign of Terror” in which he used the guillotine to publicly execute those he saw as traitors. While terrorism has played a long part in human history, the creation of new technologies has created new ways to create fear and disturbance to achieve political goals. The 1990s saw a rise in terrorism worldwide. Notable examples of this include the bombing at Oklahoma City in 1995, and the bombings at the US embassies in 1998. The 1990s also saw alarming increases in gun use and violence, such as the Columbine High School Massacre in 1999.
Terrorism has always been a gruesome reality of human history, but it has become more alarming in recent decades. Terrorism will always be a human reality, and modern terrorism has left a permanent mark in the postwar world.