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U.S. Boycott of 1980 Summer Olympics
The U.S. boycotted the Olympics because the Soviets had invaded Afghanistan. Carter believed a boycott would send an inescapable message to the Soviet people they didn't approve of the invasion. -
Strategic Defense Initiative
The intent of this program was to develop a sophisticated anti-ballistic missile system. Was the United States’ response to possible nuclear attacks from afar. -
“Caribbean Basin Initiative”
It aimed to provide several tariff and trade benefits to many Central American and Caribbean countries. Arose in the context of a U.S. desire to respond with aid and trade to leftist movements. The act of 1990 made the CBI permanent. -
Mikhail Gorbachev becomes General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Gorbachev's policies contributed to the end of the Cold War. Gorbachev ha been trying to establish a political party -
Iran-Contra Affair
Was a political scandal in the United States that occurred during the second term of the Reagan Administration. Senior administration officials hoped that the arms sales would secure the release of several US hostages and use the money to fund the Contras in Nicaragua. -
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty Ratified
The treaty eliminated nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with intermediate ranges. Is a 1987 agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union. -
Berlin Wall collapses
The Eastern Bloc claimed that the wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements. The Wall served to prevent the massive emigration and defection. -
1st McDonalds opens in Moscow
The arrival of McDonald’s in Moscow was a small but certain sign that change was on the horizon. Various Soviet republics proclaimed their independence. -
Germany is Reunified
Was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany. -
Warsaw Pact is Dissolved
Was a military alliance between the Soviet Union and its eastern European satellites. Anti-Soviet and anticommunist movements throughout Eastern Europe began to crack the Warsaw Pact. In March of 1991, Soviet military commanders relinquished their control of Warsaw Pact forces. -
Boris Yelstin elected President of Russia
He vowed to transform Russia's socialist command economy into a free market economy. Much of the Yeltsin era was marked by widespread corruption, inflation, economic collapse and enormous political and social problems that affected Russia. -
End of the Soviet Union
Representatives from 11 Soviet republics met in the Kazakh city & announced that they would no longer be part of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union had fallen, largely due to the great number of radical reforms that Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev had implemented.
