The Cold War Part 8 The End ?

Reagan and the ”Evil Empire” 1980 Ronald Reagan ran for President on a “strong military and foreign policy” platform He renewed the cold war, he… Used cold war rhetoric like calling the SU an “evil empire” Visited Berlin which had been divided by a Wall and demanded: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” Raised US military spending This not only put military pressure on the soviets but also encouraged anti-Soviet protests in Eastern Europe and forced the SU to spend more on its military Which its weaker economy could not afford

Gorbachev and Glasnost 1982 Brezhnev dies the Politburo chose Mikhail Gorbachev as Secretary General He was a reformer and stared a new policy of Glasnost or “openness.” He… Allowed more Free speech, Churches to open, banned books were ‘unbanned,’ reporters could criticize the government. 1985 started Perestroika, an economic restructuring allowing independence for Government managers and small businesses 1987 Democratization rather than just approving the communist candidates the people would have a choice. 1989 The Berlin Wall was torn down and Germany United Realized that the USSR’s economy could not keep pace with US military spending he negotiated the INF (Intermediate range Nuclear Forces) treaty which reduced the number of nukes

The Union begins to crack Gobachev’s reforms encouraged nationalist and other critics in and out of the USSR In Eastern Europe soviet authority was challenged 1980 The Solidarity movement in Poland: Dock workers struck to force the gov. to recognize them 1989 Free elections in Poland Solidarity Candidate Walsea wins! 1990 Lithuania declares independence, at first he economically blockades it, Jan, 1991 Worried that others will secede he invades June 1991 Boris Yeltsin, former mayor of Moscow & MP, criticized the slow pace of reform & Lithuanian crackdown, was elected President of the Russia (The Russian SSR)

The August Coup and the C.I.S. 1991 August 18 Old Hardline Communists in the Party kept Gorbachev “detained” in his vacation home. Protestors demonstrated before Parliament Tanks Rolled Yeltsin climbed on a tank and called the detention “illegal” and called for a return to “normal constitutional” rule. August 20 Tanks are withdrawn, Gobachev returns Result, by the end of 1991: -The communist party collapses The Union breaks up into 15 republics They form the Commonwealth of Independent States, C.I.S. Gorbachev Resigns on Dec. 25 1991 as last of the SU

Yeltsin to Putin Yeltsin’s policy: immediate move to a free market caused bad inflation (800%), thousands lost jobs, millions suffered Chechnyna rebelled…and Yeltsin put it down brutally Having lost the support of the legislature and people In 1999 Yeltsin resigned…naming Vladimir Putin (1999-present) Putin is a pragmatic nationalistic (even imperialistic) Russian he has led Russia back to relative economic health by committing to the free market, Russia style (with Oil!) So with Germany united & Russia capitalist this must be the end of the Cold War Right?

But Putin has acted imperially intervening in former soviet republics, militarily if necessary: 2008 Russia backs South Ossetian rebels in Georgia, invaded Georgia, & ethnically cleansed So. Ossetia March 2014 Due to a change in the Ukrainian Government Putin: Took control of the Crimea, and “accepted” it into the Russian Federation Supports Russian speaking rebels in Eastern Ukraine He also has opposed US policies in Syria, and regularly denounced the US In response we’ve put economic sanctions on them. So is the Cold War Over?