1 / 12

The End of the Cold War

The End of the Cold War. Détente . Date: roughly 1969-1979 Definition: thawing of relations between the US and the USSR Concrete elements Arms control talks Increased trade Scientific cooperation However, proxy conflicts continued. The Afghan War (no, not the one you already know about).

dunn
Download Presentation

The End of the Cold War

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 of the Cold War

  2. Détente • Date: roughly 1969-1979 • Definition: thawing of relations between the US and the USSR • Concrete elements • Arms control talks • Increased trade • Scientific cooperation • However, proxy conflicts continued

  3. The Afghan War (no, not the one you already know about) • 1978: Soviet-supported left-wing government takes over Afghanistan • Mujahideen – religious fundamentalists – rise up • December 24, 1979: USSR invades Afghanistan • Soviet goal: to prop up a friendly regime in the Middle East

  4. Results of the Afghan War • Carter denounces the invasion • Sanctions and trade embargoes • Boycott of Moscow Olympics • CIA supports mujahideen • USSR withdraws in 1989 • End of détente

  5. Ronald Reagan • Former movie star and staunch anti-Communist • 1980: Reagan elected president as a Republican • Reagan promises to be tougher on Communism

  6. Reagan Escalates the Cold War • 1985: “Reagan Doctrine” promises support for “freedom fighters” – i.e., anti-Communists • Shift from “containment” to “rollback • Supports intervention (covert or overt) against Communists in: • Afghanistan • Grenada • Nicaragua • Angola

  7. Mikhail Gorbachev • Becomes leader of USSR in 1985 • Committed to reform • Glasnost:political openness; more freedom of information • Perestroika: restructuring; introduced elections and economic liberalization • Strong personal relationship with Reagan • Negotiated arms control

  8. But life in the USSR is still no fun • Low economic productivity and standard of living • Chernobyl (1986) • Nuclear reactor melts down in Ukraine • Kills 400; exposes 60,000 to radiation • Soviets attempt to cover up news

  9. And the economy stagnates

  10. In your notebook: how do you think Soviets reacted to glasnostand perestroika?

  11. Reforms Backfire • Perestroika leads to economic disaster • Soviets don’t know how to live in capitalism • Reduction in welfare hurts the poor and the elderly • Glasnost unleashes a tide of criticism • Criticism of Stalin and political repression • Responses to Chernobyl • Criticism of perestroika • Democracy movement emerges

  12. The Soviet Union Collapses • November 9, 1989: Berlin Wall falls • Unpopular Communist governments fall in Soviet satellite states • 1991: Baltic states leave the USSR • August 1991: hard-lineCommunists kidnap Gorbachev • December 25, 1991: USSR dissolved; Gorbachev resigns

More Related