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1985—Gorbachev introduces perestroika
perestroika was a political movement for reformation within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during the 1980s. Perestroika is sometimes argued to be a cause of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the revolutions of 1989 in Eastern Europe, and the end of the Cold War. -
1985—Gorbachev introduces glasnost
When Mikhail S. Gorbachev (1931-) became general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in March 1985, he launched his nation on a dramatic new course. His dual program of “perestroika” (“restructuring”) and “glasnost” (“openness”) introduced profound changes in economic practice, internal affairs and international relations. Within five years, Gorbachev’s revolutionary program swept communist governments throughout Eastern Europe from power and brought an end to the Cold War. -
1987—Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed
The Treaty Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles, commonly referred to as the INF. Treaty, requires destruction of the Parties' ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles. -
1989—Berlin Wall Falls
Construction started on August 13, 1961. Destruction date was on November 9, 1989. It was Constructed by the German Democratic Republic. -
1989—Jozsef Antall elected prime minister of Hungary
Born April 8, 1932. Died Dec. 12, 1993. Politician and prime minister of Hungary from 1990 until his death in 1993. He was the son of a government official who aided Polish refugees and Jews during World War II. Trained as a history teacher, archivist, librarian, and museologist, Antall taught for a time in a Budapest grammar school. -
1989—Vaclav Havel elected president of Czechoslovakia
Born on October 5, 1936. He died on December 18, 2011. He was the son of a wealthy restaurateur whose property was confiscated by the communist government of Czechoslovakia in 1948. -
1990—1st general elections in Romania
The purpose of the election was elections were held for all the seats of the new Parliament provided for in the Electoral Law of March 1990. The 1990 elections were originally scheduled for late April. -
1990—Lech Walesa elected president of Poland
Lech Walesa was the founder of the Solidarity trade union. He was born in 1943, was an electrician at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk when he was fired for union agitation in 1976 -
1990—Germany reunification takes place
Less than one year after the destruction of the Berlin Wall, East and West Germany come together on what is known as “Unity Day.” Since 1945, when Soviet forces occupied eastern Germany, and the United States and other Allied forces occupied the western half of the nation at the close of World War II, divided Germany had come to serve as one of the most enduring symbols of the Cold War.
