Museum Entrance

1. Welcome to the Museum of The Cold War (1980-1991) Museum Entrance Room Two Room Three Room One Room Four Room Five Curator’s Offices

2. Curator’s Office Adam Elsner I am a sophomore in mr. Collins 4th period pre-ap world history class. I play football and basketball and I really want a good grade on this project!!! worldhistory244@gmail.com Return to Entry Note: Virtual museums were first introduced by educators at Keith Valley Middle School in Horsham, Pennsylvania. This template was designed by Dr. Christy Keeler. View the Educational Virtual Museums website for more information on this instructional technique.

3. Room 1 Room 1 Return to Entry

4. Room 2 Room 2 Return to Entry

5. Room 3 Room 3 11 Return to Entry

6. Room 4 Room 4 Return to Entry

7. Room 5 Room 5 Return to Entry

8. Strategic Defense Initiative, ”Star Wars” The Strategic Defense Initiative was proposed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on March 23, 1983, to use ground-based and space-based systems to protect the United States from attack by strategic nuclear ballistic missiles. The initiative focused on strategic defense rather than the prior strategic offense doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD). The Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO) was set up in 1984 within the United States Department of Defense to oversee the Strategic Defense Initiative. "The Cold War Museum." Cold War Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. Return to Exhibit

9. Mikhail Gorbachev ascends to power in U.S.S.R. Mikhail Gorbachev born March 2, 1931, Privolye, Stavropol kray, Russia, U.S.S.R., Soviet official, the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991 and president of the Soviet Union in 1990–1991. His efforts to democratize his country’s political system and decentralize its economy led to the downfall of communism and the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. In part because he ended the Soviet Union’s postwar domination of eastern Europe, Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1990. Return to Exhibit The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Mikhail Gorbachev (president of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.

10. Gorbachev ends economic aid to Soviet satellites Gorbachev ends economic aid to Soviet satellite. Soviet satellite states refers to Communist satellite states of the Soviet Union, in the Eastern block. The soviet satellite lost all the funding, along with the support needed to get through the fall of the soviet union. This is a factor contributing to the fall of the USSR. Return to Exhibit "Fall of the Soviet Union." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.

11. Reagan and Gorbachev resolve to remove all intermediate nuclear missiles from Europe The Treaty Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles, commonly referred to as the INF (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces) Treaty, requires destruction of the Parties' ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers, their launchers and associated support structures and support equipment within three years after the Treaty enters into force. Return to Exhibit "Treaty Between The United States Of America And The Union Of Soviet Socialist Republics On The Elimination Of Their Intermediate-Range And Shorter-Range Missiles (INF Treaty)." U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

12. Poland becomes independent From 1944 to 1989, Poland had a Soviet-imposed Communist government and was part of the Soviet bloc. The Solidarity trade union movement, born in 1980, carried out a decade-long struggle against communism, mostly underground due to the government's imposition of martial law. Solidarity's resistance eventually forced the Communist authorities to agree to hold semi democratic elections for parliament in June 1989. Solidarity's massive electoral victory led to the fall of communism in Poland and the Soviet bloc generally. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004, bringing it fully within the community of democratic nations. Today, after nearly two centuries of foreign domination and brutal occupation by two nondemocratic powers, Poland is once again a free and independent country. Return to Exhibit "Free, Fair, & Regular Elections: Country Studies - Poland." Democracy Web. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

13. Hungarian Independence In 1945, during World War II, the Russians came in to liberate Hungary from the Nazis, but when the Communists took over in 1949, liberation became domination and the Hungarian government was totally subordinate to Soviet control. There was freedom in the air on October 23, 1956 when Hungarian students began demonstrating against the Communist government. The Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin had died three years before; and in March of 1956, Nikita Khrushchev had spoken out against Stalin at the 20th Party Congress. Repression was easing within the Soviet Union, and the leaders of the Satellite countries like Gomulka of Poland and Nagy of Hungary felt they could try to liberalize. Led by students and workers, the spontaneous Hungarian Revolution began. The Soviets, however, felt that they were losing control in Hungary, so they sent in their tanks and troops. The Freedom Fighters fought hard, but by November 4th, the Hungarians had lost. It wasn't until 1989, with the fall of the Berlin Wall that the Soviet Union finally collapsed. "Hungarian Revolution." Hungarian Revolution. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. Return to Exhibit

14. Berlin Wall falls The Berlin Wall was both the physical division between West Berlin and East Germany from 1961 to 1989 and the symbolic boundary between democracy and Communism during the Cold War. The Berlin Wall was erected in the dead of night and for 28 years kept East Germans from fleeing to the West. Its destruction, which was nearly as instantaneous as its creation, was celebrated around the world. Return to Exhibit "Berlin Wall - The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall." About.com 20th Century History. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

15. Soviet troops withdraw from Afghanistan On 25 December 1979, the Soviet Union deployed its army in Afghanistan, in support of the Afghan Communist government against a group of Muslim opponents. For the next nine years, only the active military involvement of the Soviet Union maintained any political control in Afghanistan, primarily through their control of the capital city of Kabul and its airport. With a long-drawn out military conflict that the Soviet army could not win, the Soviet-Afghan War was a constant embarrassment for Soviet military might. The expense of causalities and supplies was a constant drain on the already weak Soviet economy. As part of Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms, economically and through his support of disarmament, the Soviet Union began to withdraw its troops in May 1988, with total withdrawal to be completed by 15 February 1989. Return to Exhibit The Soviet Withdrawal from Afghanistan | Making the History of 1989." The Soviet Withdrawal from Afghanistan | Making the History of 1989. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

16. Fall of Communism in Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia's Communist Party took efforts to prevent Gorbachev's reforms from being enacted at home, where an autocratic political system prevailed, government dissent was not tolerated, and political activists were punished harshly through the second half of the 1980s.[2] Through purges of suspected dissidents and their family members, the Communist government established tight control over its citizens. The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia continued to carry out these policies in the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent democratic transition of other Soviet-bloc countries such as Poland and Hungary. These politically repressive conditions, combined with the collapse of the Soviet Union, inspired the Czechoslovaks to demand change from their government. In the last six weeks of 1989, opposition activists staged what became known as the "Velvet Revolution," to overthrow the Communist government in Czechoslovakia. The Velvet Revolution: A Peaceful End to Communism in Czechoslovakia." Tavaana. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. Return to Exhibit

17. Communist government falls in Bulgaria n 1989, democratic reforms were initiated after some few years period of unspoken liberalization and after in the autumn of 1989 the long ruling Todor Zhivkov was removed from power in a BCP congress. In 1990 BCP changed its name to Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and adopted a centre-left political ideology due to Georgi Parvanov, then political historian at the BCP Institute, in place of Marxism-Leninism. Following first free elections since 1931 were held (won by the BSP), the country's name was changed to Republic of Bulgaria. Return to Exhibit "People's Republic of Bulgaria." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Apr. 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2014

18. Communist government falls in Romania The Romanian Revolution started in the city of Timișoara and soon spread throughout the country. It ultimately resulted in the violent overthrow and execution of longtime President of Romania Nicolae Ceaușescu, and the end of the Socialist Republic of Romania. It was the last ouster of a Communist regime in a Warsaw Pact country during the events of 1989, and the only one that forcibly overthrew the country's government and resulted in the death of its leader as well as of many of the protesters "Romanian Revolution." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Apr. 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. Return to Exhibit

19. Lithuania becomes independent The Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania or Act of March 11, was an independence declaration by the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic adopted on March 11, 1990. Signed by all[citation needed] members of the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR, the act emphasized restoration and legal continuity of the interwar-period Lithuania, which was occupied by the USSR and lost independence in June 1940. It was the first time that a Union Republic declared independence from the dissolving Soviet Union. Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Apr. 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. Return to Exhibit

20. Boris Yeltsin elected to Russian presidency On 13 June 1991, millions of Russians went to the polls for the first time in an open election to choose a president. Emerging as winner was 60-year-old Boris Yeltsin, a maverick with a reputation for alcohol abuse who had for some time advocated political and economic reforms. "Boris Yeltsin Elected Russia." OUPblog. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. Return to Exhibit

21. Iraq invades Kuwait At about 2 a.m. local time, Iraqi forces invade Kuwait, Iraq's tiny, oil-rich neighbor. Kuwait's defense forces were rapidly overwhelmed, and those that were not destroyed retreated to Saudi Arabia. The emir of Kuwait, his family, and other government leaders fled to Saudi Arabia, and within hours Kuwait City had been captured and the Iraqis had established a provincial government. By annexing Kuwait, Iraq gained control of 20 percent of the world's oil reserves and, for the first time, a substantial coastline on the Persian Gulf. The same day, the United Nations Security Council unanimously denounced the invasion and demanded Iraq's immediate withdrawal from Kuwait. On August 6, the Security Council imposed a worldwide ban on trade with Iraq "Iraq Invades Kuwait." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. Return to Exhibit

22. West and East Germany unite Less than one year after the destruction of the Berlin Wall, East and West Germany come together on what is known as "Unity Day." Since 1945, when Soviet forces occupied eastern Germany, and the United States and other Allied forces occupied the western half of the nation at the close of World War II, divided Germany had come to serve as one of the most enduring symbols of the Cold War. Some of the most dramatic episodes of the Cold War took place there. The Berlin Blockade during which the Soviet Union blocked all ground travel into West Berlin, and the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 were perhaps the most famous. With the gradual waning of Soviet power in the late 1980s, the Communist Party in East Germany began to lose its grip on power. Tens of thousands of East Germans began to flee the nation, and by late 1989 the Berlin Wall started to come down. Shortly after, talks between East and West German officials, joined by officials from the United States, Great Britain, France, and the USSR, began to explore the possibility of reunification. Two months following reunification, all-German elections took place and Helmut Kohl became the first chancellor of the reunified Germany. Although this action came more than a year before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, for many observers the reunification of Germany effectively marked the end of the Cold War. "East and West Germany Reunite after 45 Years." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. Return to Exhibit

23. 3AD in Operation Desert Storm On February 24, the ground war began. Although the bombing lasted for weeks, American ground troops declared Kuwait liberated just 100 hours after the ground attack was initiated. American foot soldiers moved through Kuwait and entered southern Iraq. This posed a dilemma for the United States. The military objectives were complete, but Saddam, the perpetrator of the rape of Kuwait, was still ruling Iraq from Baghdad. President Bush feared that the allies would not support the occupation of Baghdad. Concerns were raised that if Saddam's regime were toppled, the entire nation could disintegrate into a civil war. Soon Iraq agreed to terms for a ceasefire, and the conflict subsided. Return to Exhibit "Operation Desert Storm." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

24. Warsaw pact ends By the late-1980s anti-Soviet and anticommunist movements throughout Eastern Europe began to crack the Warsaw Pact. In 1990, East Germany left the Warsaw Pact in preparation for its reunification with West Germany. Poland and Czechoslovakia also indicated their strong desire to withdraw. Faced with these protests and suffering from a faltering economy and unstable political situation the Soviet Union bowed to the inevitable. In March 1991, Soviet military commanders relinquished their control of Warsaw Pact forces. A few months later, the pact's Political Consultative Committee met for one final time and formally recognized what had already effectively occurred—the Warsaw Pact was no more "Warsaw Pact Ends." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. Return to Exhibit

25. USSR—Cold War ends Throughout the 1980s, the Soviet Union fought an increasingly frustrating war in Afghanistan. At the same time, the Soviet economy faced the continuously escalating costs of the arms race. Dissent at home grew while the stagnant economy faltered under the combined burden. Attempted reforms at home left the Soviet Union unwilling to rebuff challenges to its control in Eastern Europe. During 1989 and 1990, the Berlin Wall came down, borders opened, and free elections ousted Communist regimes everywhere in eastern Europe. In late 1991 the Soviet Union itself dissolved into its component republics. With stunning speed, the Iron Curtain was lifted and the Cold War came to an end. The End of the Cold War." The End of the Cold War. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014 Return to Exhibit