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Gorbachev Introduces Glasnost
A policy that called for increased openness and transparency in government institutions and activities in the Soviet Union. -
Gorbachev introduces perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement for reform within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. It occurred during the 1980s and was closely related to Gorbachev´s policy of Glasnost. -
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed
It was an agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union. It eliminated nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 300-3,400 miles, but did not cover sea-launched missiles. -
Jozsef Antall elected prime minister of Hungary
He was the first elected Prime Minister of Hungary. This was also the mark of the end of Communist rule in Hungary. -
Vaclav Havel elected president of Czechoslovakia
He served as the last president of Czechoslovakia and as the first president of the Czech Republic later. His Civic Forum party greatly helped in the Velvet Revolution to topple communism in Czechoslovakia in 1989. He also helped dismantle the Warsaw Pact and expand NATO eastward. -
Berlin Wall Falls
The Berlin Wall had been a divide between East Germany, which was controlled by a communist government, and West Germany, controlled by a democratic government. It lasted from 1961-1989 -
1st general elections in Romania
They were the first elections held after the overthrow of the communist regime only a few months earlier, the first public presidential elections, and the first free elections held in Romania since 1937. This was the first step to a new government for Romania. -
Germany reunification takes place
The reunification of East Germany's German Democratic Republic, and West Germany's Federal Republic of Germany. This was known as "Unity Day" and occurred less than a year after the destruction of the Berlin Wall and 45 years after the separation. -
Lech Walesa elected president of Poland
He was the founder of the Solidarity trade union and in this election, he became the first directly elected Polish leader. As president, he successfully implemented free-market reforms.
