The End of the Cold War

THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET

UNION

• The Soviet Union was spending too much money on its military to…

• protect its borders

• keep up with the United States in the arms race.

THE COLLAPSE OF THE

SOVIET UNION

• Mikhail Gorbachev, the head of the Soviet Union

• He was the eighth and final leader of the Soviet Union,

having been General Secretary of the Communist Party

of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, when the party

was dissolved. He was the country's head of state from

1988 until its dissolution in 1991.

Policies under Gorbachev

•Perestroika-restructuring of the

government

•reduced government control of business,

more economic freedom

•Glasnost-increased openness of the

government and more freedoms for Soviet

citizens

•improved relations with the United States

•Inspired people in other Eastern Bloc

countries (Warsaw Pact) to demand freedom

from communist rule.

THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET

UNION

• The Soviet republics that had once been separate countries began seeking their independence too.

• The Soviet Union was no more.

• The Cold War was over!!!!

• Many countries were created from the former Soviet Union.

• Russia was the largest.

Cold War: And the Wall Comes

Tumbling Down

• The fall of the Berlin Wall in August of 1989 became the symbol of the fall of communism in Europe and the end of the Cold War.

Cold War: And the Wall Comes

Tumbling Down

Cold War: And the Wall Comes

Tumbling Down

• After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Germans from East Berlin/Germany could finally travel across the border into West Berlin/Germany freely.

• This was the beginning of the reunification of East and West Germany.

• The two parts of Germany had been divided since the end of World War II in 1945.

Cold War: One Germany

• The newly reformed Germany has struggled to reshape itself into one nation again.

• Though people were happy with the event, the difficulties of bringing former East Germany’s infrastructure up to West German standards has taken a long time.

• Today, the reunification is considered to be a success.

Summary

Answer these on your paper:

• Which Country was the leader of the

Warsaw Pact?

• What was the largest country created

from the former Soviet Union?