The End of the Cold War - Part I

Mr. Turner

Mikhail Gorbachev

• Was the new, charismatic leader of the Soviet Union in 1985

• He was personable, energetic, imaginative, and committed to radical reforms in the Soviet Union

• The problems he faced were:– A stagnated economy resulting from the Cold

War arms race– A bureaucracy stuck in their ways– A population that did not trust their leaders

Reformers

• The two groups that wanted reform were:– Neo-Stalinists – who wished to bring Stalin’s

system back– Pro-western liberal democrats – who wished

to replace the existing system with something else

• Of the two, the neo-Stalinists were the more powerful group

Gorbachev Builds Power

• During 1985 to 1986, Gorbachev built his power base– Influential Brezhnevites

retired– New figures from the

provinces were introduced into leadership (i.e. – Boris Yeltsin)

Gorbachev’s First Actions

• In an effort to address the social problems facing his country, such as poor housing and health care, Gorbachev’s first actions was to shut down production and sale of vodka

• He launched an anti-corruption campaign in 1986

• He removed the Soviet troops from Afghanistan

Gorbachev’s Main Policies

• He announced two policies:– Glasnost –

• Means “openness”

• Aimed to introduce free speech and some other liberties

– Perestroika – • Means “restructuring”

• Was intended to revive the Soviet economy by adopting many of the free-market practices of the capitalist West

Glasnost• A liberal press was allowed to

grow and flourish• Books previously banned began

to appear• The work of Lenin was questioned• The government was more open

and honest (i.e. – Chernobyl nuclear disaster)

• Political prisoners were released from exile

Glasnost

• There were open political discussions (i.e. – Democratic Union organized mass street demonstrations)

• Religious freedom was given• Free elections were held• All enterprises were allowed to

establish trade relations with foreign partners (i.e. – PepsiCo)

Perestroika

• People could be motivated by profit• There was private ownership in agriculture• Private enterprises were allowed (i.e. – retail

kiosks and small restaurants)• Owners could pay their own workers and

seek their own resources• Farmers and individuals could now lease

land and housing from the government

The End of East-West Confrontation

• Both policies required that the Soviet Union shrink the size of its military operations and redirect its energies to the economy. So that meant they needed to end the Cold War

• Within 6 months, both Gorbachev and Reagan announced a 6-month freeze on the deployment of missiles in Europe

The End of East-West Confrontation

• Geneva Summit (1985)– Called for the abolition of all nuclear weapons– Called for the abolition of all bases on foreign soil

• Reykjavik Summit (1986)– Reagan proposed the “zero option” – elimination

of all INF and strategic missiles– However, Gorbachev insisted that SDI be

included, but Reagan refused

The End of East-West Confrontation

• Summit (1987)– Both signed the INF treaty, banning all

intermediate-range nuclear missiles from Europe

• Summit (1988)– Reagan praised Gorbachev– The Soviet army was reduced to ½ million men– USSR would have a “defensive posture”– Withdrew 10,000 tanks in Eastern Europe

The Fall of Communism

• In Dec. 1988, Gorbachev announced that every nation had the right to choose its own government

• He also assured the leaders of the Eastern bloc countries that the USSR would no longer interfere in the internal affairs of any other state

• This placed Eastern bloc leaders in a dilemma, since their power ultimately depended upon the threat of Soviet force

The Fall of Communism

• August-November 1989– The communist regimes

collapsed in Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, and Romania

Fall of Communism in East Germany

• In October, huge crowds were gathering in the major cities to demand the end of Communist control

• On November 3rd, 1989, the ministers in charge of security and the police resigned

• The next day a million demonstrators demanded democracy, prompting the resignations of the Cabinet

Fall of Communism in East Germany

• When new arrangements for travel to the West were announced, reporters asked the government spokesman when the checkpoints would be opening. He said “Right away”

• Thousands of East Berliners began gathering at the checkpoints, to the surprise of the border guards, who had received no orders

Fall of Communism in East Germany

• The crowds told the guards that they had heard on the television that the Wall was to be immediately thrown open

• The commander at one of the check points decided to let the crowd through

• Soon crowds were clambering all over the wall, and many began to break it with hammers

Fall of Communism in East Germany

• December 1989– The government of East

Germany collapsed

– This marked the beginning of the end of the Cold War

• October 1990

– Germany reunited