The End ofThe Cold

War

Communism Fails• Failures of Communism–Most Communist countries

were struggling by the 1980’s• Economic failures–Extreme poverty–Food shortages

• Political (government) failures–Corruption–Harsh treatment of people»Very few freedoms

Reform in the Soviet Union (1985-1991)

• Mikhail Gorbachev: leader who reformed the Soviet Union– Perestroika: restructuring of Soviet economy and

government• Allowed some private ownership and profit• Created a Soviet Parliament

– Glasnost: openness of government and freedom of speech• Allowed people to openly criticize or disagree with the

government– Self-determination: people of Eastern Europe could

choose their own governments• The Soviet military would no longer be used to keep

Communist governments of other nations in power

The Collapse of Communist Governments• Changes in Europe–Anti-Communist Revolutions

begin in Eastern Europe (1989)– The Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989)–Germany is reunified under a

democratic government (1990)– The Breakup of the Soviet Union

(1991)• The Soviet Union split into 15

countries (Russia is the largest)

Changes in China• By the 1980s, many people in China were

unhappy with the ruling Communist government–Tiananmen Square Massacre (1989)• Hundreds of pro-democracy demonstrators

were massacred by Chinese military• China has relaxed its communist

economic policies but it remains a totalitarian nation