PowerPoint Presentation

The End of the Cold WarWhy did the Cold War end?

Context

Superpower relations (1960s 1970s)What happened after the Cuban Missile Crisis?

ContextReduction of tension through dtente Richard Nixon (USA) and Brezhnev (Soviet Union)Respect each others sphere of influence Signed various treaties particularly SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks)

Dtente: A period of improved relationship between the US and the Soviet Union

Stalling and abandonment of dtenteBut dtente did not last longJimmy Carter, President of USA in 1977 was tough towards communismThe USA and the Soviet Union also sent aid to opposing groups during the Angolan Civil War (1975)Opposition from the Western bloc over Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in Dec 1979All these affected the relations between the two superpowers and also ended the period of dtente

Who brought dtente to an end?

Jimmy CarterRonald Reagan

Reasons for the End of Cold War

Long Term Factors American economic and military superiority Decline of communist ideology and failure of the Soviet economy

Economic Boom in USA and Western EuropeUSAs economy suffered a decline in the 1970s, but President Reagan introduced economic liberalisation to salvage the economyBritain and other Western European countries followed, seeing the success of the USAFinancial boom in the West during the 1980sAlso, with the Marshall Plan, West Germany and Japans economy grew and profited the USAs economy

American Economic and Military Superiority

American Economic and Military Superiority

Renewal of the arms raceNew Arms Race/ Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI)With a good economy, President Reagan deliberately increased the defence budget of the USA and started to produce new weaponsHe knew that the Soviet Unions economy was very weak and could not keep up with the cost of a new arms race

Renewal of the arms racePresident Reagan started the Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI) or Star Wars programme this was a system of deploying satellites in orbit which can track and destroy any nuclear intercontinental missilesThe SDI forced the Soviet Union to increase its defence spending but its resources were already stretched

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgUnDeED9MM15

Examples of US AgressionMissiles in West GermanyNATO decided to station a hundred nuclear missiles in West GermanyThe missiles were also aimed at targets in the western part of the Soviet UnionExercise Able Archer 83The USA and NATO carried out a 10-day joint exercise in Nov 1983 called Able Archer 83 to simulate an invasion of the Soviet UnionThe exercise was so real that the Soviet Union prepared themselves for an invasionThe Soviet Union prepared their nuclear forces and put their border air forces on alert

This new arms race led Reagan to rethink his attitude towards the Soviet UnionHe realised that his aggressive stance towards the Soviet Union has in fact pushed them closer to another nuclear warTherefore, Reagan changed his stance in 1984 and adopted a more favourable attitude towards the Soviet Union

American Economic and Military Superiority

Reasons for the End of Cold War

Decline of communist ideology and failure of the Soviet economy East European countries as economic burdens of the USSR Supporting its poorer Eastern European allies Annual subsidy in oil prices amounted to US$3 billion of the Soviet budgetAfghan war was taking a huge economic toll on the USSR and its allies couldnt afford to help offset the cost

Resources was directed to weapons production during the Cold WarFewer resources were devoted to producing consumer goods The Soviet economy could not afford to keep up with an arms race and produce weapons and at the same time provide for its peopleThe lives of the people in the Soviet Union were in stark contrast with those of Western Europe and the USAArms RaceUSA 6% of GDP USSR 16% of GDP

Decline of communist ideology and failure of the Soviet economy

As a Soviet Citizen, what would you do?

Hungarian Revolution (1956)Crush by Soviet invasionTB pg 125

Prague Spring (1968)Crushed by the Soviet militaryTB pg 125

Increasing resistance within the communist bloc Although both were crushed by the Soviet leadership but this did not stop oppositions from speaking out against the communist leadershipOppositions started to arise from the Soviet satellite states like Poland and Czechoslovakia to fight for a stronger economyDissident movement against the Soviets were not new But the failure to resolve the economic problems and the harsh treatment towards the dissidents cost the USSR political legitimacy (link)

Decline of communist ideology and failure of the Soviet economy

Long Term Factors American economic and military superiority Decline of communist ideology and failure of the Soviet economy

Why are these consideredlong-term factors?American economic and military superiority Decline of communist ideology and failure of the Soviet economy

Take note that for most of these, it occurred some time before the actual end of the Cold War (1989)27

LinkEconomicIncreasingly weakened by its declining economyMade worst when it tried to catch up with the USA in Arms RaceLost of support of its citizensLack of consumer goods/ poor qualityHarsh crackdown on dissidents

Reasons for the End of Cold War

Short Term Factors Ascension of Gorbachev Implementation and consequences of his policies: Glasnost, Perestroika, and foreign policy reforms

Mikhail GorbachevBecame a member of the Communist Party in 1970At 54 Gorbachev was the Youngest Secretary General of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.March 11th 1985 to December 25th 1991.

Gorbachev in Power

Ascension of Mikhail GorbachevDifferent from the older generation of leadersGorbachev was convinced that inefficiencies of the command economy and the military competition with the USA was weakening Soviet economy Key aim when he came to powerEnd the Cold War with the USReform the economy BUT not end communism or the USSR

Ascension of Mikhail Gorbachev To achieve his goal, Gorbachev loosen control of the military and the CP over the economy and foreign policy of the USSR Replaced key people in the organization with his supporters E.g. Eduard Shevardnadze

Already before Gorbachev, the problems were clear, over-expenditures in the military, and declining revenue from taxes were crippling the nation. To help solve the economic problems of the state, Gorbachev introduced two pivotal programs, Glasnost & Perestrioka.

GlasnostOpenness Greater transparency, freedom of speech and expression Reforms can only happen when people are allowed to openly discuss social and economic problems in the country

Be bold comrade! openness: our strength!

GlasnostOpen debates were organizedSoviet censors relax censorship Newspapers, TV, Radio, SpeechesNew discussions and reconstruction of Soviet history communism as a work in progress

Consequence of GlasnostRevealed atrocities of the past committed by Stalin as well as problems in the Afghan WarPeople felt that the governments had lied to them and deprive them of what the rest of the world had Lost confidence in communism and communist government Criticisms of communism in the USSR could not be controlled

PerestroikaRestructuring To encourage greater interest, productivity and investment among Soviet workers

Perestroika

Dont be afraid of work!Economic reforms Combine large state enterprise with a private sector of small cooperatives industries Private ownership in services, manufacturing and foreign trade sectors Factory managers to be elected by the workers Central control over wages relaxedPrices of goods and services decided by enterprises themselves 5 state-owned banks were established to oversee supply of money

PerestroikaPolitical reforms Called for elections of candidates to local Party positions Party bodies to be separated from government bodies at the regional level General elections for the Soviet government to be held in 1989

Consequences of PerestorikaA failureFactory managers and business owners were unable to survive on their ownInstead more government intervention was needed! Did not revive economy but lost control of it Gorbachev was caught between the conservatives and the liberals Laid the foundation for revolts in USSR and Eastern Europe

Foreign policy reformsGorbachev wanted to have friendly relations with the WestNuclear disarmament talks with ReaganReagan and Gorbachev met in 1985 and 1986 to discuss nuclear disarmament issuesIt was the start of arms reduction between the two superpowersIt was also the start of improved relations between them

De-ideologisation of Soviet foreign policyDuring a Party Conference and an address in UN in 1988, Gorbachev emphasised each countrys right to choose its political and economic system

Mr Gorbachev, tear down this Wall!

End of the Cold WarEnd of Soviet control over Eastern EuropeFall of the Berlin WallIncreased cooperation between the superpowersDisintegration of the Soviet Union

1. End of Soviet Control over Eastern EuropeThe UN speech marked the start of the disintegration of the Soviet Unions control in Eastern EuropeThere would no longer be any intervention in the internal affairs of its alliesWithout Soviet support, the communist governments in the Eastern European states fell under pressure of revolutions (see TB pg 136 Fig 4.12)The loss of these satellite states diminished the Soviet Unions status as a superpower

2. Fall of the Berlin WallOn 9 Nov 1989, an official on the East German Communist Party announced that the Berlin Wall will be open for private tripsThousands of Berliners crossed that border for a private trip that night and the border check points became overrunThere was no longer any wall separating East and West BerlinThe Berlin Wall was the symbol of Cold War bi-polarity Its fall symbolised the collapse of the Iron Curtain

Fall of the Berlin Wall

Celebrations!

3. Increased cooperation between the superpowersThere were more talks and negotiations between the USA and the Soviet UnionThese marked the end of the Cold War as it signalled that they were no longer enemies and tensions between them were relaxedSee TB pg 140 Fig 4.21

4. Disintegration of the Soviet Union