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Gorbachev introduces glasnost
Glasnost means "openness" in English. This was an open policy, created by Mikhail Gorbachev, which allowed people to freely express their opinion in the Soviet Union. -
Gorbachev introduces perestroika
Perestroika translates to "restructuring." This was Mikhail Gorbachev's program to restructure the Soviet economy. Perestroika also included improving production levels and bettering work conditions. -
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed
"The INF Treaty required the United States and the Soviet Union to eliminate and permanently forswear all of their nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers." This treaty was the first time the Soviet Union and the United States agreed to restrain the use of nuclear weapons.
[https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/INFtreaty] -
Berlin Wall Falls
The Berlin wall was build on August 13, 1961 to separate East and West Germany. Its main purpose was to keep western fascists out of East Germany. This wall remains an extremely powerful symbol of the cold war. -
Jozsef Antall elected prime minister of Hungary
Jozsef Antall was the prime minister until his death in 1993. His primary goal for Hungary was political stability and the revival of history. -
Vaclav Havel elected president of Czechoslovakia
Vaclav Havel was the last president of Czechoslovakia. He became president of the Czech Republic after the country split. -
Lech Walesa elected president of Poland
Lech Walesa won the first direct presidential election. He aided Poland in its first parliamentary elections and watched the country turn into a free market economy. However, he was not elected a second term because he was not popular with his strict banning of abortion. -
Germany reunification takes place
East and West Germany reunified after less that one year, when the Berlin Wall fell. This day became known as Unity Day. The reunification of Germany remains the major symbol of the end of the Cold War. -
1st general elections in Romania
The general elections in Romania took place after the fall of the communist regime. Before this, the last free elections were held in 1937. In this election Ion Iliescu won with more than 85 percent of the popular vote.
