The End of the Cold WarDecember 1991

VS.

Mikhail GorbachevLast leader of the Soviet Union

http://www.history.com/videos/reagan-meets-gorbachev#reagan-meets-gorbachev

The Soviet Union (1922-1991)

The former Soviet Union today= 15 independent countries.

What caused the collapse of the Soviet Union and ultimately the end of the Cold War?

1. Mikhail Gorbachev, the last premier of the Soviet Union, wanted to improve the Soviet economy.

2. Gorbachev initiated perestroika= literally means restructuring of the Soviet economy. He allowed some private business ownership.

3. Gorbachev also initiated glasnost= openness. He encouraged openness of all government institutions and freedom of information was not suppressed. In addition, there was no censorship of the mass media. 

Once people had a taste of democracy, they no longer wanted to be part of a communist country. One by one, the soviet republics declared their independence. Today 15 independent countries exist from the former Soviet Union.

The Tearing Down of the Berlin Wall

1989

“Mr. Gorbachev…tear down this wall.”

President Ronald Reagan

• At least 916 people were killed between 1949 and 1989 while trying to flee from East Germany across razor wire and minefields bristling with machine-guns on tripwire.

http://www.history.com/topics/berlin-airlift/videos#cold-war

http://yeli.us/Flash/Fire.html

Other Significant World Leaders from the Cold War Period

Margaret Thatcher- • Great Britain’s 1st female Prime Minister. • Free trade and less government

regulation of business• Close relationship with United States and

U.S. foreign policy• Asserted United Kingdom’s military

power

Indira Gandhi• India’s 1st female Prime Minister. • Closer relationship between India and

the Soviet Union during the Cold War• Developed nuclear program

Deng Xiaoping-• Chinese Communist leader (after Mao)• Mao said it is "better to be poor under socialism than rich under

capitalism." The blunt, practical Deng offered instead: "Poverty is not socialism."

• He encouraged the creation of a market economy and capitalist-like enterprises (his reforms lifted an estimated 170 million peasants out of extreme poverty).

• He also imposed tough population controls that included forced abortions to limit families to one or two children.

• Deng allowed students to go abroad for college, sparking a craze for learning English..

• BUT…he kept an iron fist ready to crush any threats to the nation's Communist dictatorship.

• He supported the use of tanks and guns to end the 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square.