World Civilizations How the Cold War Ended

How the Cold War ended ● Mikhail Gorbachev & President George H.W. Bush were then-leaders ● Ronald Reagan, although making progress to end the Cold War, was unable to because he wanted to continue SDI plans ● Counterculture Major Causes: ● Fall of Berlin Wall, November 1991 ○ Germany didn’t want any more traveling to the west (travel restrictions) ○ Miscommunication about travel restrictions to the west being released and crowds of people showed up to the wall ○ The guards had no information or orders ○ people were too overpowering, everyone broke down the wall ○ Increased chaos and violence ○ Steps towards reunifying of Germany ● Collapse of the Soviet Union ○ Leader change → Mikhail Gorbachev ■ new and modernized way of thinking ○ Gorbachev’s main goal: save Soviet economy, stabilize the government. ■ This failed. ○ Glasnost & Perestroika ■ The incorporation of new political parties, creating a multi party system caused Communist party to loose power and influence ○ Rather than sparking a renaissance, criticism opened ■ State lost control of the media and public atmosphere. ○ Economic factors: ■ Increased inflation ■ Soviet economy failing ■ Billions wasted on Cold War projects ■ USSR had slow production rates, while West had high production rates ■ Eastern Europe and Soviets unable to economically cooperate ● West able to cooperate economically w/ other nations ■ Oil and natural gas sales failed, external capital dried up (no business) ○ Withdrawal from Afghanistan ■ Fueled secession (division) ■ Controversial decision ○ FUN FACT: First Mcdonalds opened in Moscow, promoted Western capitalism and customers lined up around the block for their first taste of a big mac. ● Soviet was disgusted with wide-spread corruption of fast food. ○ Incident of Chernobyl Nuclear Unit 4 ■ exploded releasing a LOT of radiation and communist parties suppressed information about the severity of it. ● Gorbachev said AND I QUOTE “It’s a misfortune” like um excuse meeee radiation leaked everywhere and it’s just a misfortune ● A lot of people were affected by it and propaganda increased and thus the trust in the Union had been shattered. ● Iron Curtain fell, ended division of communist and capitalist worlds ● State of Eastern Europe ○ USSR unable to control satellite states and Eastern Europe ■ Loss of Soviet power and influence ○ “Velvet Revolution” → it was a chain reaction throughout Europe that was against Communism ● Warsaw Pact is dissolved