END OF THE COLD WAR

END OF SOVIET UNION - KHRUSHCHEV Khrushchev steps back from Stalin’s cold philosophy $$ on military & space – Sputnik I Military spending strain on Soviet economy Economy-shifts from heavy industry to consumer goods-economy stagnates Committed to command economy (production, investment, prices, and incomes are determined centrally by a government.) “Thaw” seen in Moscow – Eastern Europeans move towards independence

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION/USSR Many in the Politburo called for Khrushchev to resign his office He refused and was forcibly removed from power and committed to what became known as “internal exile” Because of the large amounts of money spent in Khrushchev’s arms and space race, the USSR was once again faced with massive unemployment and debt

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION/USSR Brezhnev, just as Khrushchev before him, promised massive reforms Strengthen communism in communist countries – intervene if needed This leader, however, kept his word Leonid Brezhnev had been a Politburo member since the time of Stalin He had fought in World War II, was wounded and decorated

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION/USSR In 1964, Brezhnev began a series of reforms that greatly improved the working conditions of his people He signed nuclear arms reduction treaties with the USA and allowed the conquered countries of Europe more freedom He even allowed a joint Soviet/American space flight in 1975

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION/USSR He was the most liked ruler since Lenin The only problem was that now that the people had enjoyed so much freedom, they only wanted more Brezhnev died in 1982 after ruling peaceably for almost 20 years After Brezhnev a series of rulers tried for power in the USSR Each was unacceptable to the Politburo and was quickly removed from power Finally, a moderate named Mikhail Gorbachev came to office in 1985 Many people thought Gorbachev would turn around what had become a serious economic problem as once again, the USSR faltered under its own weight

Mikhail Gorbachev: Last President of the USSR

Mikhail Gorbachev Becomes Leader of USSR (1985) Gorbachev Inherits a country plagued by economic and political problems He institutes glasnost- Democratic openness policy Institutes perestroika- Economic reform & restructuring policy Over time, Gorbachev’s efforts could not keep the Soviet Union together Afghanistan, building of the military, & space race crushes USSR’s economy The Soviet Union’s government will collapse and fall in August of 1991 never to exist again as a nation

GORBACHEV’S POLICIES Perestroika” (“restructuring”) and “glasnost” (“openness”) introduced changes in economic practice, internal affairs and international relations. Within five years, Gorbachev’s revolutionary program swept communist governments throughout Eastern Europe from power and brought an end to the Cold War

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION/USSR People were nearing revolution, as many of them would prefer death to continued life in the so-called Communist system Massive protests ensued as Gorbachev would give more and more freedom to the people The Politburo became very afraid of losing power and in 1990 attempted to remove Gorbachev from office and replace him with someone who would keep the people in line

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION/USSR When news of this reached the masses, millions of people hit the streets demanding that Gorbachev be returned to power The Politburo told the people that Gorbachev was very ill and was near death This was of course untrue and the people knew it

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION/USSR Finally, Boris Yeltsin, a Politburo member and democrat, asked the military to support Gorbachev and his reform efforts The military agreed to this and quickly returned Gorbachev to power in Moscow So grateful for his freedom, Gorbachev allowed the Baltic States and Georgia to succeed from the USSR Yeltsin then took control of the republic called Russia and the Soviet Union was no more

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION/USSR Yeltsin invited the fifteen former Soviet republics to join Russia in creating a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) modeled after the America’s “states” system Each republic would be completely independent, but would merge in economical and social matters Eleven of them agreed as of January 1, 1992

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION/USSR The other four, Georgia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia negotiated at a later date for entrance into the CIS, and did eventually join the CIS One republic has stated a desire to return to its ethnic homeland, this republic is called Moldova

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION/USSR In August 1991, Moldova declared its independence In December of that year became a member of the post-Soviet Commonwealth of Independent States In 1992 the country achieved formal recognition as an independent state at the United Nations

Fall of the Soviet Union, August, 1991 After the Communist Party of the Soviet Union broke up and disbanded in 1991, the Soviet Union fell as a country and ceased to exist Each republic became totally independent countries They decided that it would be to their advantage as independent countries to create an organization whereby they could help each other as new nations in the areas of trade, security and other things. This organization became known as the CIS.

What is the CIS?  The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is an alliance of 12 of the 15 former Republics of the Soviet Union (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldava, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan).  The headquarters of the organization is in Minsk, Belarus.  The three non-members are Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

The Commonwealth of Independent States/ 1991

THE WALL COMES DOWN !