Outcome: Soviet Imperialism and the Fall of Communism Russian Imperialism and Communism Outcome: Soviet Imperialism and the Fall of Communism

Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism Setting the Stage: Joseph Stalin Lenin warned people of Stalin before his death in 1924 By 1928 Stalin was poised to take absolute control as a dictator Was an ally of the United States during World War II First enemy of the US during The Cold War

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism Killed many of his own people if they disagreed and attacked religion Known as rough and crude Encouraged people to think of him as “The greatest genius of all times and peoples” Did Truman use the Atomic Bomb on Japan to show off to the Soviet Union?

Gulags: Soviet Forced Labor Camps

Gulags

Gulags

Gulags

Gulags

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism Soviet Imperialism: The Soviet Sphere of Influence When the Soviet Union liberated Nazi occupied countries in World War II, they promised autonomy and free elections in those countries Instead, they took over and imposed Communism, “The Iron Curtain” Countries affected were Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, East Germany, Poland, Romania, and Albania

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance created for the countries listed above to offset NATO established by the free countries of the West

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism The Soviet Union supported Mao Zedong’s communist victory in China in 1949 as well as the communist regime in North Korea

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism The Soviet Union supported communist Cuba

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan in 1979 The US quietly supports Afghanistan freedom fighters; Soviets leave beaten and frustrated in 1989

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism Review: The Cold War Begins in 1945 Time of tension between US (capitalist & free) and Soviet Union (Communist) Neither side trusted each other, nor wanted to share in the post war victory over Germany or Japan US and Soviet Union never directly fight one another

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism Build of nuclear weapons, Nuclear Arms race (Soviets get bomb in 1949)

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism Space race starts when the Soviets launch satellite Sputnik in 1957

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism Korean and Vietnam conflicts were U.S. Cold War Containment policies The Korean Conflict ends in a stalemate at the 38th parallel The Vietnam Conflict ends with North Vietnam imposing communism on South Vietnam and renaming the capital in the south Ho Chi Minh City

Korean Conflict

The Vietnam Conflict

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 to keep Berlin divided

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 nearly brought us to nuclear war because the Soviets put nuclear tipped missiles within striking range of the US

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism Reagan teases Star Wars or SDI missile defense system

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism Miracle on Ice: US beats Soviet Union in Olympic Hockey in 1980

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism Communism Unravels Soviets spend too much money on nuclear weapons during late Cold War; economy is in shambles Mikhail Gorbechev introduces democratic changes (glastnost) and new openness (perestroika) in 1985

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism Polish workers union known as Solidarity led by Lech Walesa, forced the government in Communist Poland to agree to negotiations and establish (free?) elections

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989: Chinese army turns on crowd marching for democratic reform; hundreds killed and protest is ended violently

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism Eastern Bloc (Soviet Satellite) countries start breaking away Berlin Wall comes down in 1989 (Symbolic)

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism Communism falls apart at the end of the Cold War and in 1991, Boris Yeltsin is elected as a democratic leader Soviet Union goes back to being called Russia or Russian Federation Capitalism and democracy prevailed

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism Communism Today Communist countries today The People’s Republic of China Cuba Laos North Korea Vietnam

Soviet Imperialism and The Fall of Communism Result: The capitalists win the Cold War and The Soviet Union dissolves allowing Boris Yeltsin to be elected as the first democratic ruler of Russia in 1991. Today Russia is still facing a slow economy and is not the super power they once were, but are still a force to reckoned with.