Hi penguin21,
Thank you for an interesting question!
The Cold War
http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/westn/coldwar.html
How did the Cold War come to an end?
"During the 1970's and early 1980's, the Soviet economy was
deteriorating under the cumulative effects of a centralized
bureaucratic system, the burdens of an increasingly costly arms race,
and a failed war in Afghanistan. A new generation of leadership came
to power in 1985 in the person of Gorbachev. He was determined to end
the Cold War and to bring economic and political reform to the Soviet
Union. He initiated dramatic new agreements with the United States,
involving unilateral concessions in the armaments race. He also
brought an end to Soviet support of client governments in Eastern
Europe and in Cuba. He relaxed the police state repression in the
Soviet empire and took steps to introduce a democratic political
process.
These initiatives rapidly improved relations with the United States
and brought an end to the Cold War. What Gorbachev had not
anticipated, however, was that, without the domination of the police
and a monopoly of power in the hands of the Communist Party, the
Soviet empire would collapse into 16 different national parts.
Nationalism, always a potent force in the modern world, brought about
the collapse of the Soviet Union by 1991."
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The Soviet Union's Last Stand By Malcolm Brinkworth
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/coldwar/soviet_stand_01.shtml
The events of August 1991 led to the Soviet Union, and President
Gorbachev, being consigned to the history books. Malcolm Brinkworth
explains what really happened during those final days.
Seven page article - Either click on the "Next" link bottom of each
page or on left side of page click on the links provided for:
1. Emerging crisis
2. New treaty unveiled
3. Meeting with Gorbachev
4. Political stand-off
5. Yeltsin's challenge
6. Final decision
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Another article regarding the END OF THE SOVIET UNION AND THE COLD WAR
can be found at:
http://www.fsmitha.com/h2/ch33.htm
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Best regards,
tlspiegel |
