After the Cold War (Chapter 35, Sections 2-4)

What you should know:

Context: Breshnev controls the Soviet Union and satellites with absolute power while at the same time spending huge amounts of money on military.

- Early causes of the collapse of the Soviet Union:

1. Defense Budget.

2. Support for Cuba and non-aligned nations.

3. Decrease in industry.

4. Decrease in agricultural production.

5. Improvement of relations with the United States:

- 1972: SALT or Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty

- 1975: Helinsky Accords – commitment to peace,

- Peace will end because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

- Immediate causes of the collapse of the Soviet Union:

1. Terrible economy in the face of massive U.S. buildup.

2. Ripple effect of glasnost, or openness, and perestroika, or restructuring.

3. Harnessing of glasnost.

4. Gorbachov’s loss of popularity and the rise of Boris Yeltsin.

5. Nationalist movements for independence in U.S.S.R. and satellites.

6. 1991: Soviet Union breaks up, formation of Commonwealth of Independent States.

- Causes of the fall of communism in Eastern Europe:

1. Poland

- 1970’s food shortages.

- Strikes and criticism of communist regime.

- Met with suppression, but spread to other satellites.

2. Gorbachov relaxes control and lets the regimes fall.

3. Political and social instability.

4. 1989: Fall of the Berlin Wall.

5. Exception: Romania – protests met with violence.

Review (Study before you answer these.)

1. Name three early causes of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

2. Peace will end with the Soviet invasion of… (Afghanistan.)

3. This leader “let the regimes fall.” (Gorbachov.)

4. This leader rose to power after “the regimes fell.” (Yeltsin.)

5. The Berlin Wall fell in what year? (1989.)

6. What is the Russian word for “openness?” (Glasnost.)

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