Collapse of the USSR/end of the Cold War

Reagan and the end of the cold war: Historian’s perspective Many credit Reagan for having have won the cold war Some credit him for having have had a ‘secret campaign’ to undermine the soviet economy (Caspar Weinberger) Others credit Regan for defeating the Soviet Union with massive arms buildup and simply led them to exhaustion Others saw the victory as a long-term bipartisan team effort dating from the Truman presidency (Schlesinger) His rearmament programmed forced the Soviet Union into recognizing its economic weakness and acknowledge that it could not keep up with America Personal Opinion: I do not think Reagan was the main reason for the end of the Cold War, but more so the disintegration of Communism in Eastern Europe and in the Soviet Union The disintegration of the Soviet Union began with the Baltic regions: Estonia (1987) followed by Lithuania and Latvia

Thesis Statement: Even though The Soviet Union and the USA have never declared war, the undeclared war during the time period of the Cold War led to tensions between the nations such as nuclear power struggle and fear of the spread of communism. The end of the Cold War came due to Soviet defeats in its own country such as a economic defeat and decreased interest in communism in combination with growing European opposition and the fall of the Iron Curtain.

Cold War Background: America and the Soviet Union fought an undeclared war after World War two between the end of 1940’s to the end of 1980’s The nuclear power struggle between both nations was part of the conflict The fear of communism in America raged The idea of having any communist spies or communist Americans was one of the greatest fears during the 1950’s in America The spread of this regime around the world was also a threat During the 1960’s, the erection of the Berlin Wall by the USSR and the Cuban Missile Crisis were both contributing factors as to why the world almost face war

Gorbachev and the USSR: When Gorbachev became president of the Soviet Union, he introduced ‘glasnost’ which stood for openness, and ‘perestroika’ which stood for economic reconstruction He rejected the Brezhnev Doctrine (the Soviet Union had he right to intervene in defense of its ideology in any communist country) He saw house arrest in Crimea known as the August Coup (led by hardline communists in the government) Yeltsin entered into agreements with the leaders of other Soviet republics shortly after, for the termination of the USSR, replacing it in December of 1991 with a “Commonwealth of Independent States.” 

The fall of the Soviet Union: Many citizens in the USSR wanted to see an end to communism Gorbachev seemed weak due to the loss of Eastern European countries in 1989/90 Economic issues did not get settled, prices kept rising together with food shortages The New president of Russia, Yeltsin, wanted a break up of the Soviet Union Withdrawal from the long lasting war in Afghanistan The destruction of the Berlin wall and thus the Iron Curtain The Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia and Poland used peaceful methods to remove communism Eastern Europe:

Gorbachev’s VS Reagan’s goals: Both leaders understood themselves quite well when they first met in Geneva in 1985 They made progress on the reduction of NATO and reduction in weapons thanks to the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) Gorbachev Reagan Reduce soviet aid worldwide To expand USA’s armed forces Seek détente (earning release from tension) is the name given to a period of improved relations between the United States and the Soviet Union that began tentatively in 1971) with the USA to reduce defense spending To place new missiles in European countries that wish to accept them Borrow money from Western to pay for certain imports such as food To launch the Strategic Defense Initiative ‘Star Wars’

Activity: Bush and Gorbachev Declare End of Cold War Kennedy and the Jelly Doughnut Reagan – Tear down this wall Link: http://www.history.com/speeches/bush-and-gorbachev-declare-end-of-cold-war#bush-and-gorbachev-declare-end-of-cold-war Link: http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/john-f-kennedy/videos/ask-history-kennedy-and-the-jelly-doughnut Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjWDrTXMgF8