The beginning of the end Mikhail Gorbachev Last Soviet premier Reformer Glasnost and Perestroika Glasnost Transparency in debate and communication in Soviet society Openness and freedom of communication ID: 303110
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Slide1
End of the Cold WarSlide2
The beginning of the end.
Mikhail Gorbachev – Last Soviet premier
Reformer – Glasnost and Perestroika
Glasnost – Transparency in debate and communication in Soviet society. Openness and freedom of communication
Perestroika – government and economic reforms including:
Open elections for
gov
positions
Economic reforms allowing free market ideasSlide3
Problems in Russia
Thaw in relations between US and Russia was questioned by hard-liners in Russia
Fragmentation in the leadership of the Communist Party
Economic downturn in Soviet economy led more people lacking food and basic necessities
Massive military spending prevented investment in industry and agriculture
Glasnost freed up dissent in Russia/East Europe
Perestroika exacerbated free market wants in Russia and East Europe.Slide4
Remember the Berlin Wall?
E. and W. Germany divided after WWII
West Germany is a democratic, capitalist country, East Germany is a communist, command economy country.
Open border between W. Ger. and E. Ger. went from open to guarded to closed to heavily fortified.
Wall built in 1961 to prevent the “Brain Drain” of highly educated Eastern Europeans fleeing to western societies via Berlin (which was still open).
Becomes the symbol of the Cold WarSlide5
The Wall Fell Down
2 speeches at the Wall:
Kennedy
and
Reagan
make it a central issue in the Cold War.
Fall of 1989, Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, virtually all of the Soviet satellites are throwing communist leaders out the door.
November, 1989, E. Germany will no longer enforce border security.
November, 9
th
1989, the wall is breeched, pecked and holes created ending the separation of Berlin.
October, 1990, East and West Germany unite and become Germany.Slide6
Speeches
Kennedy
ReaganSlide7
And like
that,
he’s gone.
Soviets pull out of Afghanistan, essentially allowing it to become an independent country.
Chernobyl
accident brought about despair against government reaction to disasters (US’ Katrina)
Soviets inform Eastern European countries it will not send in troops to put down demonstrations or rebellions against communist-led governments
Solidarity – Political movement in Poland challenging communist leadership. Leads to free elections between communists and non-communists for government offices.Slide8
No more
USSR
With Eastern European governments becoming independent, just a matter of time before USSR
Gorbachev moves Russia toward a democratic government by reforming (perestroika) the
gov
. structure. Gorbachev
sorta
steps aside.
Boris Yeltsin becomes first elected president of Russia.
August 19, 1991 – Coup d'état. Communist hard-liners overthrow Gorbachev and reinstitute old school Soviet control. Lasts 2 days.
Tanks sent into Moscow by hardliners to break up crowd demonstrations.
Military refuses to obey, pledges to not fire on crowd
Coup is over. Leader against the coup is Boris Yeltsin. Slide9
Collapse!
Resignation of MG
Failed CoupSlide10
China
Tiananmen Square, Beijing marked protests of some 100,000 young folk against Chinese communist rule.
Calls for economic and political changes were demanded; changes like those that occurred in Russia were the core demands.
Protests ensue for 2 months. Did China fall like USSR?
Nope. China sends in the tanks, kills (Dozen? Hundreds? Thousands?) people and disperses the protests. Protests over.
Tank man. Slide11