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New Leadership
In March 1985 a long time communist party politician Mikhail Gorbachev was elected. Gorbachev introduced two new policies in hope to reform the Union. The first policy was known as glasnos, this policy elimimated some past policies and gave more freedom to the citzens. The second of these policys was known as perestroika, this policy was in place in hope of boosting the economy. People were now allowed to own private buisness's for the first time since the 1920's -
Government Reforms
Perestroika finds himself at his first political problem. His ideas had already been rejected by the bureaucrats in an effort to block the economic reform. Communist newspaper writer Sovetskaya Rossiya publishes a call to resist Gorbachev's reforms. Meanwhile in the Baltic states ideas of indepence are starting to arise. Political parties start to appear even though communism is the only party allowed. -
The start of change
In 1989, Gorbachev and President George H.W. Bush declared an end to the Cold War. That same year marked the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany, signifying the end of communism in East Germany. The communist governments in Czechoslovakia, Romania and Bulgaria also fell in December 1989. -
The search for freedom
Gorbachev announces that countries in the Warsaw pact are free to decide their own futures. All over Eastern Europe people what change and are making their feelings known. The last time these kinds of actions were tried the soviet quickly shut them down. In September Hungary shocks the world by opening the western boarder. A change that people never thought would happen. -
The Berlin Wall
The Berlin wall was the most important symbol of the Clod War and tearing it down gave the people more power. The people wait to see if Gorbachev will take action as he watches his empire be torn down. Everyone is excited when he chooses not to act and the people are finally reunited. The new freedom is a huge change when only months ago the people would have been shot for trying to get to the other side. By the end of the year Romania is looking towards revolution. -
Voting
Altough Russia is still largely invloved in the Union they are allowed to vote for the first time. The people elect Yeltsin the rival of Gorbachev. Both presidents are fighting for the same thing and want to gain the most power. Gorbachev is on the verge of signing a deal to give more freedom when everything falls apart. When asked to decalre a state of emergency he refuses and is placed under arrest. Yeltsin takes the oppurtunity to start organizing the resistance. -
Almost Over
The Coup collapses because of the weight of public oppostion. After accepting that their bid for power has failed, the ringleaders have flown to Crimea and returned to Moscow with Gorbachev to explain their reasoning. Yeltsin renews gorbachev to power and then shows all the problems with his plans. The next day Gorbachev resigns as Soviet Communist Party general secretary and dissolves its Central Committee. -
The End
The Soviet Union is finally entering its final days. Yeltsin orders the Soviet Communist Party to end its activities on Russian soil. On 25 December, Gorbachev goes on television to announce he is stepping down as Soviet president. The Soviet flag is lowered from the Kremlin for the last time,and the Russian Federation flag flies in its place. The USSR no longer exists.
