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Change to Collapse
During this time period, the Soviet Union was beginning to lose influence around the world and was nearing the end of the Cold War. The Soviet Union went through changes that ultimatetly led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. -
End of Stalin's influence
After Stalin died, Nikita Krushchev came to power and one of his decisions was to remove the influence of Stalin's laws and policies. This was also knows as destalinization. -
Split with China
In 1950, Stalin and Mao Zedong created a 30-year friendship agreement that made peaceful relations with the Soviets and the Chinese. However Krushchev decided to not continue this, so in 1959 the treaty was over. -
Backing Down
Krushchev decided to cut back their missile production after the Cuban Missile Crisis. America also partaked in this act. -
Struggle with the Satellite Nations
The Soviet union was struggling to control the satellite nations, because they were demanding freedoms. When czechoslovakia rebeled, the USSR sent the WARSAW Pact Nations to invade. -
Leonid Brezhnev
Brezhnev came to power after the fall of Krushchev, and Brezhnev was tough on satellite nations, but was nicer towards the USSR. He stopped the revolt in Czechoslovakia when it outbroke. -
SALT
When Nixon was deciding on a treaty for after the Cuban Missile Crisis, he created SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks). When Nixon visited the Communist countries to see if they would sign the treaty, they did, one of them was Brezhnev. -
Ronald Reagan Abandons Detente
Reagan abandoned detente when he came to power and decided to increase the tensions between the US and USSR. Detente means the act of lessening Cold War Tensions. -
Chernobyl
While you may not think it, but Chernobyl actually contributed to the Collapse. The reason being is that the Soviet Government didnt want to help the Ukrainian government to fix the problem, they just let the country fix itself, which turned into a complete disaster for the Ukranians. -
Soviet Influence In the Middle East
The Soviets and Americans tried to gain influence in the Middle East, but it didn't end well for both sides. Both ended up pulling out with little or no allies. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
With protests beginning to overhwelm the East German Government, they decided to open the Wall, because they did not want a massacre on their hands. -
Seceding
While Russia was acquiring more freedoms, the Satellite Nations began to decide on their own freedoms and some began to leave the Soviet Union. Poland was the first and they influenced many more. -
Gorbachev
When Gorbachev came to power in the USSR, he made changes to the policies, while maintaining a Communist Russia. His term ended a year later when the Soviet Union Collapsed. -
Democracy in the USSR
Gorbachev decided that to increase power in the Soviet Union, he created a new democratic government, in which the people could vote in the candidate they wanted. -
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Satellite Nation's freedom
During this time period, the Satellite Nations were struggling to secure independence from the Soviet Union. Although they met invasions from the USSR, that didnt stop them from trying. -
Glasnost
Glasnost was a new policy that Gorbachev introduced into the Soviet Union and it allowed the people to talk and complain about how Russia is being run currently. -
Perestroika
This was a new policy that Gorbachev introdudced which allowed the people to open up small businesses and invest. This policy gave the USSR a little bit of Capitalism. -
New Foreign Policy
Gorbachev decided that the government should cut spending on military build-up and end the arms race. He began to work on foreign support, he also engouraged other communist countries to do this. -
Tensions in the Soviet Union
With Satellite Nations trying to become independent, Gorbachev was trying to figure out his next plan to stop the Satellite Nations from seceding. -
Collapse and Rise of Democracy
Shortly after Gorbachev Resigned, the Soviet Union fell, and Boris Yeltsin came to power. Although there was a riot to stop his rise, it failed and he was voted into office. -
Hardliners
When Yeltsin was about to enter office, the Hardliners attempted to halt it, becuase they wanted Russia to stay Communist. -
August Coup
Event when the Hardliners attempted to stop Yeltsin from coming into office. It failed however because no one wanted to fight the people. -
Problems in the Russia
Yeltsin was facing many problems once he came to power in Russia, because the economy was down, and the people were used to Communism, so they werent used to this new government. -
Shock-Therapy
Yeltsin used a technique called Shock Therapy, which was an attempt to shift the economy, but no one invested in Russia, therefore inflation and prices soared.
