The Fall of the Soviet Union (College Board AP® US History)

Timeline:

1969–1979: Détente

1979: Sandinistas overthrow Nicaraguan government

1980: The Polish Solidarity Movement

1981–1981: Iran-Contra Affair

1985: Mikhail Gorbachev becomes the final leader of the Soviet Union

1987: The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty)

1987: “Tear down this wall “ speech by President Reagan

1991: The Soviet Union is dissolved

1991: START I Treaty

1993: START II Treaty

Summary

The Cold War was a rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. It began in 1947 and ended in the 1990s. By the 1980s, under the presidency of Ronald Reagan, the US pursued a more aggressive stance against the Soviet Union.  Meanwhile, internal challenges within the Soviet Union intensified. The General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, introduced reforms to address economic stagnation and widespread inefficiencies, but these ended up weakening the Communist Party’s control.

As Gorbachev sought improved relations with the West, agreements such as the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF)Treaty of 1987 signaled an ending to the Cold War. The symbolic collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 marked the crumbling of the Soviet influence in Europe. When the Soviet Union fell in 1991, it signaled the triumph of liberal democracy and capitalism in the global conflict.

Détente, Mikhail Gorbachev, & Military Forces

Détente (1969–1979)

• Détente started during the Nixon administration

• It was a period of improved relations between the U.S., the Soviet Union and China

• It was assisted by treaties such as the SALT I Agreement (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty) that limited the number of nuclear weapons both the U.S and the U.S.S.R. had and put restrictions on the development and deployment of strategic arms

• Détente ended in 1979 due to renewed tensions

  • The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to support the communist government against anti-communist forces

  • The United States and Great Britain sent support to anti-communist forces

  • As a result of a weakening Soviet Union government, it signed a treaty with the Afghanistan and U.S. governments to withdraw its forces while leaving a communist government in Afghanistan

Mikhail Gorbachev: Reformer of the Soviet Union

• Mikhail Gorbachev became the final leader of the Soviet Union in 1985

  • He introduced groundbreaking reforms to modernize the struggling nation

• His new programs and reforms included:

  • Glasnost, meaning “openness”  

    • This allowed greater freedom of speech as well as greater freedom of the press

    • It encouraged public discussion regarding political and social issues, breaking from traditional Soviet censorship

  • Perestroika, meaning “restructuring” 

    • It introduced limited free-market opportunities into the Soviet economy, reducing government control

    • Gorbachev hoped  the reforms would increase productivity and efficiency in industries

• Despite these reforms, economic stagnation and political unrest persisted

  • This eventually led to the collapse of the Soviet Union

Military Forces

• Reagan’s strategy to confront communism was marked by aggressive military buildup and diplomatic efforts

• The Reagan Doctrine said that communism should be eliminated through economic and diplomatic means  

  • This led to increased funding for the military

• Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) proposed an advanced anti-missile defense system using lasers, however the project failed to receive federal funding and was never implemented

  • It was designed to counter-attack incoming nuclear missiles 

  • The project was nicknamed “Star Wars”      

• Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty (1987)

  • INF was a landmark agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union

  • It required both nations to eliminate all intermediate-range ground-launched and cruise missiles

  • This treaty is seen as a success as it eliminated intermediate-range nuclear weapons that pitted the US against the USSR which heightened the Cold War

• Nicaragua and Iran (1979)

  • In 1979, the Somoza government in Nicaragua was overthrown by the Sandinistas (Sandinista National Liberation Front or FSLN) 

  • The Sandinistas established a socialist government, aligning with communist ideas

  • Contras were anti-communist rebel groups that opposed the new Sandinista government

    • The U.S. provided financial and military aid to the Contras as part of the Reagan Doctrine to combat the spread of communism

    • This aid was controversial, especially when tied to the Iran-Contra Affair

• Iran-Contra Affair

  • A significant scandal of the Reagan administration

  • Between 1981 and 1985, the U.S. illegally sold guns to Iran 

  • Iran was under an embargo that prevented the sale of arms

    • These sales violated the embargo

  • The sales were made to encourage the release of American hostages held in Lebanon by Iranians

  • Profits from these illegal sales were used to fund Contras, anti-communist rebel groups in Nicaragua

  • Investigations into this scandal damaged Reagan’s reputation

    • He denied direct involvement

Fall of the Soviet Union & New Russia

• Multiple factors led to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War

• The Polish Solidarity Movement (1980)

  • Founded by Lech Walesa, a labor activist 

  • Workers organized strikes and protests for better rights

    • This challenged the communist government in Poland 

    • Polish government outlawed solidarity movement efforts and arrested its leaders; however, workers' resistance continued until a failing economy forced the government to capitulate  

  • By 1989, Poland held free elections, ending communist rule 

• Reagan’s “Tear down this wall” Speech (1987)

  • A famous line from Reagan's speech announcing his commitment to ending the Cold War

  • The speech was delivered at the Berlin Wall

    • This symbolized the U.S.’s commitment to ending the division between East and West

  • The Berlin Wall fell in November 1989

    • As a result of dissatisfaction throughout communist-held countries, including East Germany, and the continuation of glasnost and perestroika, the Berlin Wall would come down

    • This marked the decline of Soviet influence in Eastern Europe

• Revolution in Eastern Europe (1989)

  • Communist regimes (known as satellite countries) collapsed across countries like:

    • Czechoslovakia

    • Hungary

    • Romania

• Dissolution of the Soviet Union (December 26, 1991)

  • The Soviet Union is officially disbanded, creating 15 independent nations

  • This marked the definitive end of the Cold War

New Russia

• After the Cold War, efforts focused on:

  • reducing nuclear weapons

  • improving U.S.–Russia relations

• START I, Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (1991)

  • Gorbachev and U.S. President George H.W. Bush signed the treaty,

  • The U.S. and Russia agreed to the reduction of strategic nuclear warheads by 30%

  • Both countries allowed inspection of one another's nuclear arsenals

• START II, Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (1993)

  • Russia and the U.S. signed this treaty

  • It agreed further reduction in strategic nuclear warheads to reduce the threat of a future nuclear attack