How the Cold War Ends

The Soviets face new challenges• In the USSR:– Nikita Khrushchev (1953):

destalinization• For the Soviet satellites:– Hungary (Led by Imre Nagy) tries

to revolt and revolt is put down by the Soviet military (1956)

– Czechoslovakia’s Communist leader (Alexander Dubcek) loosens censorship rules in the Prague Spring, Warsaw Pact troops invade (1968)

U.S. policy evolves(Quick Review)

• John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson use the policy of brinkmanship– Brinkmanship is the willingness

to go the brink or edge of war• Nixon: Détente– Détente is the policy of

relaxing or lessening Cold War tensions

– SALT I Treaty limits number of arms each country could have (1972)

Gorbachev moves towards democracy(1982)

• New, younger leader• Began changing Soviet

society with new policies– Glasnost-openness, people in

Soviet Union could now openly criticize the government

– Perestroika-economic restructuring, tried to revive the Soviet economy

– Stressed diplomacy over the use of force

Soviets lose their grip on Eastern Europe• Poland Hungary, Czechoslovakia and

Romania all reform or disband their communist gov. in the early 1990s

• Germany– Berlin Wall is torn down,

November 1989– Germany is reunified and

works to establish a combined country (1990)

Soviet Union collapses• Lithuania tries to succeed, and Gorbachev

sends in army (1991)• Boris Yeltsin criticizes Gorbachev• August coup of hard line Communist (1991)

attempts to overthrow Gorbachev– Yeltsin supports Gorbachev

• The failed coup brings an end to the Communist party

• Gorbachev resigns• Soviet Union is broken up– Estonia and Latvia declare

their independence– By December 1991, 15

republics of the USSR declared their independence

Soviet Union collapses

• Yeltsin becomes president-faces challenges• The Economy• Shock therapy tries to reform the Russian

economy by abruptly shifting to a free-market• Created economic hardship initially

• Chechnya Rebels• Declares their independence in 1991• Yeltsin does not let the region secede• Yeltsin sends troops to Chechnya, many

civilians killed• Ongoing today

Soviet Union collapses