The Wall Came Tumbling Down The Fall of the Berlin Wall & the End of the Cold War

USSR 1985 Soviet standard of living had drastically declined Citizens faced constant shortages of basic groceries & consumer goods Most products except those used in military or space race were of poor quality Mounting military pressure from U.S. and the arms race promised to cripple the Soviet economy

Mikhail Gorbachev Takes control of USSR in 1985 Creates 2 Main Policies to help fix problems in USSR opened up the public’s ability to express grievances to the government (prior to this people expressing negative views of government would have resulted in jail time or hard labour) (Economic Reform): Sold off government owned businesses to give Soviet economy a taste of capitalism to help boost it

USSR vs. USA: Gorbachev Meets Reagan Gorbachev’s Proposal Offered massive reductions of Soviet nuclear weapons if USA would abandon SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative: proposed to mount laser beams on satellites to shoot down enemy missiles from space) Gorbachev’s Offer Eliminate all short-range & strategic nuclear weapons from Europe within ten years Reagan’s Counter Offer Eliminate all nuclear weapons of all sorts within ten years (he was later chastised by military officials for this offer and was warned against complete demilitarization)  

1989 the Year of Revolutions in Eastern Europe Free elections granted by Gorbachev resulted in massive defeat of the communist party in Poland Hungary: protesters demanded & were granted freedom of expression & assembly Berlin Wall is broken down by demonstrators on Nov. 4 ending communist rule in Germany July 1990 Gorbachev approves the reunification of Germany June 1991 Gorbachev wins the Nobel Peace Prize July 1991 he signs the START Treaty (Strategic Arms Reduction Talks Treaty)

The Berlin Wall Construction began on The Berlin Wall early in the morning of Sunday, August 13, 1961. It was a desperate – and effective - move by the GDR (German Democratic Republic) to stop East Berliners escaping from the Soviet-controlled East German state into the West of the city, which was then occupied by the Americans, British and French.

Berlin's unique situation as a city half-controlled by Western forces, in the middle of the Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany, made it a focal point for tensions between the Allies and the Soviets and a place where conflicting ideologies were enforced side-by-side. However, as more and more people in the Soviet-controlled East grew disillusioned with communism and the increasingly oppressive economic and political conditions, an increasing number began defecting to the West. By 1961 an estimated 1,500 people a day were fleeing to the West, damaging both the credibility and - more importantly - the workforce of the GDR. In a masterfully-planned operation, spanning just 24 hours, the streets of Berlin were torn up, barricades of paving stones were erected, tanks were gathered at crucial places and subways and local railway services were interrupted, so that within a day the West of Berlin was completely sealed off from the East.