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Fall of the Soviet Union
Origins of Decline
• East Berlin riots in 1953
• Unsuccessful Hungarian revolution in 1956
• Poor relations with China
• Cuban Missile Crisis embarrassment
Mikhail Gorbachev
• Shifting towards democracy
• Reform minded
• Perestroika – economic, political, and social restructuring
• Glasnost – openness in public discussion
• Stressed diplomacy over force
UNREST IN THE SOVIET REPUBLICS
“Tear Down This Wall”
Berlin, 1989
East German government announced that all citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin
Physical wall was removed by the end of 1990
German reunification in October 1990
Pope John Paul II
First non-Italian Pope since 16th century
Promoted democratic values
Spoke openly about human rights and the right to freedom of expression in 1979 visit
Massive social gathering had occurred without the presence of police or the state’s security forces
Poland
• Solidarity Movement, 1980-1989
• Social movement using civil resistance
• Lech Walesa, a factory electrician, organized a free trade union Solidarność
Solidarity Movement
first legal free trade union in communist Central and Eastern Europe
free elections in 1989
The Velvet Revolution
• Czechoslovakia in 1989
• Peaceful student protest interrupted by riot police
• Days later, 500,00 peaceful protesters assembled
• Communist government relinquished power
• Barbed wire fences along West Germany and Austria removed
Baltic Unrest
• Estonia demands autonomy in 1987
• Army sent to suppress rebellion in Lithuania in 1989
• Rising nationalism
• Gorbachev criticized heavily for response
Jeltoqsan Uprising
• 1986 unrest in Kazakhstan
• Gorbachev removes popular government official to consolidate power
• Popular protests turn violent
• KGB reports 168 civilians killed
COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET UNION
1991
From U.S.S.R. to Russia
• Failed coup attempt by hardline Communists in 1991
• Gorbachev resigned, Soviet Union dissolved
• Communist Party ended
• Latvia and Estonia immediately declare independence