Canada from 1980 – 2004

The end of the cold war How did the Cold War come to an end? This was due to the collapse of Communism in the Soviet Union This did not happen as easy at that may sound… Détente: The relaxation of tensions between the two Superpowers involved in the Cold War – this occurred between the late 1960s and 1979… Nuclear Parity: Both superpowers achieved nuclear parity Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: Signed in 1968 between the USA, Soviet Union, & Great Britain; this treaty limited the spread of nuclear weapons. 1973, 93 other countries signed this agreement France, China, Egypt, Japan, Israel, and South Africa did not

Détente continued… Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT): 1972, the first SALT Treaty (SALT I) stated that the Soviet Union and the United States would limit the number of “certain missiles” that they had SALT II was set to be signed in 1979, as we will soon see events happened that limited this… The Helsinki Accords: 1975, the superpowers along with major European powers met in Helsinki, voted to: Accept the Division of Germany and the existing boundaries in Europe The USSR (Soviet Union) agreed to accept human rights Soviet Constitution directly violated the UN Declaration of Human Rights Make the movement of people across borders easier Helsinki is viewed as the most successful part of Détente era, as the super powers accepted a divided Europe

But wait… the cold war heats up again The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan: In 1979, as the period of Détente came to an end, the Cold War heated up again with the invasion of Afghanistan The Soviet Union placed 350 missiles in Eastern Europe They placed a new dictator, Babrak Karmal as President of Afghanistan Caused China and India to be alarmed as Afghanistan lies between the Soviet Union and the Persian Gulf It was an invasion rooted in oil… Early 1980, Soviets escalated this war; 2,000 tanks and squadrons of aircraft supporting the cause Afghan rebels still controlled most of the country War lasted from 1980 – 1988, caused refugee problems (Pakistan), Soviets withdrew due to length of war & the problems at home…

Problems within the soviet union Economic Stagnation: The economy of the Soviet Union had failed its people; the state-controlled economy could not meet the needs of the state (no $$, country bankrupt) Flaws included: Economic growth went from 5% in 1960s to 2% in the 1980s Black market developed – people were tired of waiting for government supplied goods Soviet economy could not provide enough for its people (jobs etc.) Consumer goods were inferior in quality Resources were used inefficiently

#SovietProblems II Military Spending: The Soviet Union – through their nuclear program etc. – chose to compete with the United States (a good old fashion peeing contest) This caused their military spending to vary from 15 to 25% of their GNP (remember Soviets were broke…) GNP = Gross National Product (measures countries wealth) Compare that to the United States, they only spent 5 to 7% of their GNP on military (they had more money, so took a lesser chunk of the pie…)

Soviet Problems III Political Stagnation and Corruption: Ideology: Tens of thousands of Communist Party officials lived privileged lives, they wanted to keep it that way – reforms did not occur, this did not help things… Ideology: By the 1970s, few people believed that communism would leave people classless and stateless (all one big happy family). Economic failures of the communist system made people question it, capitalism didn’t seem so bad all of a sudden Nationalism: 50% of population was ethnically Russian. As more and more people were becoming dissatisfied with the Soviet system and economy, they wanted “out”

Mikhail gorbachev Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union in 1985 His intention was to reform communism, starting with getting rid of the corruption, he soon realized he had to do more… Glasnost, 1986: Policy based on “openness” This shocked not only his people, but also the West (us), as it was the first time that a Soviet leader was willing to engage in a debate about the issues facing the country He wanted to “democratize communism” making it better than communism Perestroika, 1987: Meaning “restructuring”, Gorbachev focussed on economic reforms to deal with common human values – he was completely committed to reform

Gorbachev’s plan collapses… There were a few “glitches” in Gorbachev’s intended plan… He wanted improvements, but wouldn’t change the communist ideology He wanted openness, but only allowed for one political party The Soviet people, who were promised changes for the better, suffered too long, a revolution was afoot! People took their new found independence and wanted a life that resembled the West – Soviet Republics began to separate The standard of living was so low, politics was on the burner, as were the new found freedoms “I don’t care about politics, I want sausage!”

Attempted Coup D’etat, august 1991 While out of country, Gorbachev asked Boris Yeltsin (leader of the Russian Republic) to stay in Russia; Yeltsin emerged as the leader of the Country at this time During Gorbachev’s absence an attempt to overthrow the country by a group of conspirators (military and political) was undertaken (Aug 18, 1991) Yeltsin saved the day – this hurt Gorbachev’s credibility Yeltsin also took steps to outlaw the Communist country in Russia, allowing for the independence movements to gain further momentum A really poor quality video… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7lZKyDgMgo

The end of the soviet union, Dec. 1991 Following a critical vote for independence, the Soviet Union was broken down into 15 smaller states This included Poland, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia Dec 31, 1991 Gorbachev officially signed the documents that dissolved the Soviet Union