Mikhail Gorbachev
Leader of the Soviet Union in 1985
Idealist
Communism made life better
Optimist
Realist
Could see that the USSR was in a bad state
Very weak economy
Spending too much money on the arms race
Trapped in a war in Afghanistan they wouldn't win
His policies in Easter Europe
Different attitude than Brezhnev
Meeting with the Warsaw Pact leaders
Had two messages
"We won't intervene"
Countries in Easter Europe were responsible for their own fates
Warsaw pact leaders believed he was insane
"You have to reform"
They needed to reform their own countries
Communism could provide better resources
Match Communism to capitalism
His reforms
Had to be careful
Faced great opposition within his own government
Two main ideas
Glasnost
Openness
Open debate on government policy
Honesty when to facing problems
Perestroika
Allowed market forces to be in the USSR
Other reforms
Cut defence spending
Stop spending so much money in the red army
Nuclear arms race was a drain to the economy
International relations
New attitude
Withdraw soviet troops from Afghanistan
The only way for the USSR to succeed
International co-operation
His relation with President Reagan
Good relationship with the US President
USSR less threatened by the USA
Less control over Eastern Europe
Eastern European countries demanded similar reforms
July 1988
Told the leaders of the Warsaw Pact
Withdraw Soviet troops, tanks and aircraft from Eastern Europe
March 1989
Red Army wouldn’t interviene to impose communism in Eastern Europe
The collapse of Communism in eastern Europe
May 1989
Dismantling of the fence between Hungary and Austria (non-communist)
June
Free elections in Poland
First non-communist leader, Lech Walesa
September
East germans on holidays refuse to go home
October
Soviet tanks won't move in to restore order
November
East Germans, including guards march to the Berlin Wall
Czech governement opens borders to the West
Formation of other parties is allowed
December
Revolution in Romania
Execution of Nicolae Ceaușescu
Communist Party turns into Socialist Party in Hungary
Free election in 1990
Demonstrations against Communism in Bulgaria
March 1990
Independence from the USSR in the Baltic republics
People power
Communist defeated by ordinary people
They guided the future of eastern Europe
Reunification of Germany
Helmut Kohl,
West German Chancelor
Proposed a reunification of Germany
Both countries were excited
Gorbachev wasn't
After some months he accepted
New Germany joining NATO
October 3, 1990
Germany became a united country again
End of the Cold War
Gorbachev wins a novel prize for ending the Cold war
Gives his abdications speech
Considered him a failure
Deserved a stature in every East European country
Allowed their independence
The collapse of the USSR
1990
March
May
July
Many states declared their independence
Nobody knew what the USSR meant anymore
New president in The Russia Republic, Boris Yeltsin
He believed that many states in the USSR should become independent
Lithuania and the Republic of Azerbaijan (soviet states) seeked independence
Gorbachev didn't agree
Sent troops to stop the rioting
1991
April
August
December
December 25
Gorbachev announces his resignation
End of the USSR
Gorbachev struggling with the demand of the Communist party to stop dominating the USSR.
Members of the government wanted to take over
Attempted a coup
Held Gorbachev prisoner
Sent troops to the streets of Moscow
Faced with a great opposition
Yestin as their leader
Communist Party fails to save the USSR
The republic of Georgia declared its independence