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Reagan comes to power
He gives his inaugural address on this date.
He had an iron determination to restore American military power. -
Period: to
End of the CW
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Gorbachev came to power
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INF Treaty
Destruction of all of NATO's Pershing IIs and GLCMs and all of Soviet SS-20s. Represents a milstone in the history of nuclear arms control.
Gorbachev however was forced to swallow a drastically asynmetrical reduction of theater nuclear weapons. 851 soviet launchers and 1836 missiles to 283 American launchers and 867 missiles. Angered the hardliners which thought Gorbachev made the USSR seem weak with this compromise -
Gorbachev's UN Address
Called for a new approach to international relations based on the principle of global secruity. Announced a unilateral reduction of Soviet armed forces by half a million men in the next 2 years. Again shows weakness through compromise -
USSR economic decline
By the beginning of the 1990's, the country's gross national product had declined by 2%, the govt's foreign debt sky-rocketed. Bleak economic conditions led to growing disillusionment with perestroika. -
Lithuania secedes
Lithuania defiantly declared its independence and elected a non-communist as president. -
Latvia follows
Latvia also announced its intention to secede, and this was followed by Estonia's similar expression -
Yeltsin becomes chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian republic
Launched a vigorous campaign on behalf of the full democratization of the Soviet political system -
Conventional Armed Forces in Europe talks
23 participants signed the CFE treaty which established a blance of conventional forces in Europe by by prescribing substantial reductions in Soviet conventional weapons such as tanks, combat aircraft and artilarry. -
Nationwide referendum
Recorded a countrywide vote of 776 percent in favor of a renewed union -
August Coup
The hardliners carried out the August Coup to remove Gorbachev from power