The Fall of Communism & End of Cold War

1970s: Detente Period of détente in which the US & USSR’s relationship began to improve Détente ended when the USSR invaded Afghanistan President Ronald Reagan took the opposite approach & used tough rhetoric on the USSR USSR was struggling economically

Mikhail Gorbachev PEOPLE Leader of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1985 until its collapse in 1991. Reformed many Communist policies, bringing more freedom and openness (glasnost)

Ronald Reagan President of the United States from 1981-1989 PEOPLE Ronald Reagan President of the United States from 1981-1989 Tough on the Soviet Union Dramatically increased US military spending the Soviet Union realized they could not keep up

Lech Walesa PEOPLE Polish politician, trade union organizer, and human rights activist In August 1980 he led the Gdansk shipyard strike which inspired a wave of strikes throughout Poland Elected first President of Poland

1978: Election of John Paul II EVENTS 1978: Election of John Paul II He was the first non-Italian Pope in 400 years – inspired Polish nationalism Spoke out strongly against Communism, encouraging freedom for all people and human rights Pope John Paul II speaking to a crowd in Poland

1970s- 1980s Growth in the West Western capitalist nations experienced huge rise in the standard of living after World War II Homeownership became common along with car ownership

1970s- 1980s Growth in the West A wide variety of consumer goods were produced including radios, televisions, phones, VCR's, microwaves and clothing. Huge production of consumer goods fueled economic growth.

Problems in the Soviet Union 1970s- 1980s Problems in the Soviet Union In contrast, communist Soviet Union & its satellites experienced rapid industrialization but mainly focused on producing military equipment Production of consumer goods was limited, resulting in a shortage of basic living staples.  

Problems in the Soviet Union 1970s- 1980s Problems in the Soviet Union Standing in line for products and rationing became common along with a shortage of housing Eventually the spending on the military came at the expense of consumer production This led to the collapse of the Soviet economy.

1980: Solidarity Movement in Poland Lech Walesa inspired a series of workers’ strikes across Poland in 1980 The authorities were forced to negotiate with Walesa and gave the workers the right to strike and to organize their own independent union, called Solidarity. nt

Late 1980s: Gorbachev Reforms the Soviet Union When Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union in 1985, he wanted to preserve Communism but reform it in many ways He introduced two new policies: Glasnost and Perestroika nt

Gorbachev Reforms the Soviet Union Glasnost  political policy that allowed more “openness” such as freedom of speech. Perestroika  economic policy that encouraged more private ownership of business and innovation nt FREE SPEECH

1989: Fall of the Berlin Wall 1989-1990: Change in the UUSR 1989: Fall of the Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall, which had separated East and West Berlin since 1961, was opened in November 1989. Germans could now travel freely back and forth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK1MwhEDjHg nt

Protests throughout Eastern Europe Inspired by Poland’s Solidarity movement, people across Eastern Europe staged mass demonstrations calling for democratic reform Only in Romania, the protests turned violent nt

Election of Lech Walesa In 1990, Lech Walesa was elected President of the Republic of Poland Poland was the first Eastern European country to establish a non-communist government. By 1990, every Eastern European country had replaced its communist govt.

1990: Reunification of Germany West Germany’s leader helped negotiate the reunification of Germany which was official in 1990 Germany became a Democratic Republic nt

THE IRON CURTAIN FALLS

The Soviet Union Collapses Reforming the Soviet Union ultimately led to its break up Various ethnic groups began calling for their freedom from the Soviet Union After a failed overthrow, Gorbachev resigned and the Communist party disbanded

The Soviet Union Collapses In 1991, Russia, Belarus and the Ukraine all declared their independence from the Soviet Union. Other republics of the Soviet Union soon did the same, leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union

Newly independent nations formed after the collapse of the Soviet Union