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Emergence of Solidarity in Poland
Solidarity was a Polish labour union and movement that emerged in 1980, and pushed against the government and in favor of worker’s rights and social change. Martial law was declared to crush the Solidarity movement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hGLBA65tZg -
Period: to
1980-1989 Conclusion
Key Player: Gorbachev -----------------------------------------------------
Key Event: Fall of The Berlin Wall----------------------------------------
Mood: foreboding------------------------------------------------------------ -
Kohl becomes chancellor of West Germany
In West Germany, the Free Democrats party joined with the Christian Democratic Union of Helmut Kohl to form a new government. He (eventually) accomplished reunification. -
The Falklands War
Argentina tried to conquer the Falkland Islands but British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher decided to defend the islands, and successfully evicted the Argentine military. This war really aroused British nationalism, allowing them to “relive” their old imperial past. -
Mitterrand becomes French President
François Mitterrand, a Socialist leader, was elected president of France. He tried to deal with France’s economic issues, aid workers, and centralize banks and industry while giving local governments more power. The Socialist policies ultimately failed. -
Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative Speech (Star Wars)
Ronald Reagan delivered a speech criticizing the doctrine of mutually assured destruction, and proposing a satellite based missile defense system to protect the United States.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hGLBA65tZg -
Gorbachev comes to power
Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev enacted policies designed to counter the economic and political stagnation in the Soviet Union, called glasnost and perestroika. This stood for “openness” and “restructuring” respectively. -
Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster
The worst nuclear disaster in history. A Soviet nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine, exploded as a result of a flawed reactor and mistakes by the operators. The USSR failed to cover up the incident, and there were international concerns about the environment and radioactive emissions. Depending on the source, the initial deaths included either 2 or 50 people, and many more contracted serious radiation sickness, which was sometimes fatal. -
Tiananmen Square
Citizens seeking political, social, and economic reforms gathered for protests in many cities across China, the most famous one being Tiananmen Square, Beijing. The peaceful, pro-democratic protests were crushed by the Communist government. The death count is speculated to be in the thousands. The attack shocked the world; Soviet leader Gorbachev said that he was saddened by the events in China, and the US responded to China’s actions with economic and diplomatic sanctions. -
Fall of The Berlin Wall
The wall separating Soviet East Berlin from West Berlin is destroyed, signifying the end of a divided Germany (which would officially end in 1990). The Berlin Wall symbolized, for many, the division during the Cold War between eastern and western Europe. It's fall, therefore, symbolized the end of the war, and the fall of communism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmRPP2WXX0U -
Velvet Revolution
Nov. 17th - Dec 29th 1989. The Velvet Revolution, also known as the Gentle Revolution, was a series of peaceful protests in Czechoslovakia that led to the overthrow of the Communist government. -
Malta Summit
A meeting between Mikhail Gorbachov and George H. W. Bush that reversed much of the provisions of the Yalta Conference 1945. It is seen by some as the beginning of the end of the cold war. -
Romanian Revolution
Riots broke out which culminated in the overthrow and execution of the leader Ceauşescu and his wife.
