1 / 14

The End of the Cold War: 1981 to 1991

The End of the Cold War: 1981 to 1991. Ronald Regan. U.S. President 1981-1988 Ideas: Confront the Soviets everywhere Increase military spending. 25% of Soviet GDP spent on arms Result: Soviet economic problems U.S. military build-up. New Soviet Leadership. Yuri Andropov (1983).

chaz
Download Presentation

The End of the Cold War: 1981 to 1991

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The End ofthe Cold War:1981 to 1991

  2. Ronald Regan • U.S. President 1981-1988 • Ideas: • Confront the Soviets everywhere • Increase military spending

  3. 25% of Soviet GDP spent on arms • Result: • Soviet economic problems • U.S. military build-up

  4. New Soviet Leadership Yuri Andropov (1983) Konstantin Chernenko (1984) Mikhail Gorbachev (New General Secretary in 1985)

  5. Gorbachev’s Reforms • Glasnost: encouraged Soviet citizens to discuss ways to improve society • Perestroika: Soviet economic restructuring 1985 1985

  6. Gorbachev’s Reforms • Democratization: gradual opening of political system leading to election of new legislative body • Foreign Policy: diplomacy over force and arms control 1987 1987

  7. Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) • December 1987 • Banned nuclear missiles with ranges of 300 to 3,400 miles

  8. Poland Breaks Away • April 1989: Solidarity Party legalized • 1989-90: Free elections out Communist reign • FIRST TIME EVER! Hungarian Communism Falls • October 1989: reformers take over communist party & disband party • October 1990: Free elections put non-communist govt. in power

  9. Communism Continues to Fall • Czechoslovakia: • December 1989: Milo Jakes & communist govt. resigns • Romania: • December 1989: uprisings lead to execution of Ceausescu • Free elections held in 1990 &1992

  10. Fall of the Berlin Wall • October 1989: Closed borders leads to demonstrations & Honecker resigns • November 1989: new leader Krenz opens the Berlin Wall

  11. German Reunification • By end of 1989: East German communism falls • October 3, 1990: officially reunited

  12. Unrest in Soviet Union • Georgia, Ukraine, Moldavia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia demand self-rule • June 1991:voters elect Boris Yeltsin as first directly elected president Boris Yeltsin

  13. The August Coup • August 1991 • Gorbachev detained • Protestors gather outside Yeltsin’s office in Moscow and demand constitution

  14. Fall of the Soviet Union • December 25, 1991: Gorbachev resigns • Soviet parliament vote to stop all party activities………………….. Soviet Union falls!! • By early December all 15 republics had declared their independence

More Related