S
Cold War Debacles, Glasnost, and Perestroika
7.6 | US – Iran, USSR – Afghanistan, and the Collapse of the Soviet Union
The Hostage Crisis
1979 The hated Shah is
overthrown Pro-Islamist forces occupy
American Embassy 52 hostages are held for 444
days 1980
Rescue attempt… fail
S
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
1979 – 1989 The Soviet Union’s Vietnam | The Bear Trap
Osama bin Laden and the Mujahidin Withdrawal
Mikhail Gorbachev
Under pressure from the failing Soviet state (socially and economically), reforms the USSR Glasnost (openness)
Aimed at reducing corruption and the abuse of power
Less censorship and some freedoms (fed the social dissidence)
Increased regional independence
Perestroika
Perestroika is seen as the catalyst that ended the Soviet Union Rather than having a single, unified communist idea – Perestroika
made freedom out to be the escape of all constraints This would vastly undermine the communist (and Soviet) ideology
This decentralized central power (14 republics) Regional autonomy led to a decrease in central authority and
power Production altered greatly, and rather than streamlining the
system, Perestroika bottlenecked the economy (supply and demand regulation)
SMr. Gorbachev:
“Tear down this wall”June 12, 1987
S
“We want out!”East Germans gather around the wall – late 1989
The DDR refused to order lethal force to stop themThe guards submit to the people
The East Germans rush through the gates, met by West GermansMassive celebration
The Berlin Wall is torn down
S
POLAND LEADS THE REVOLUTION
All caps, because they’ve earned it1989 – the Soviet bloc begins to crumble – Poland leaves first |
Romania By 1991, the Soviet Union disintegrates
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,
Ukraine, and Uzbekistan all become independent countries
S
What do we learn from the Cold War?
Communism does not work (China’s reforms and success)Capitalism is still a problem – Karl Marx is still right about the social
divideGovernments are capable of evil things (USA being no exception)
People do not trust their governments anymore
Dr. Strangelove