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Gorbachev introduces perestroika
was a political movement for reformation within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during the 1980s, widely associated with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and his glasnost policy reform. -
Gorbachev introduces glasnost
Introduced profound changes in economic practice, internal affairs and international relations. -
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed
The treaty eliminated nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with intermediate ranges, defined as between 300–3,400 miles -
Jozsef Antall elected prime minister of Hungary
was the first democratically-elected Prime Minister of Hungary after the fall of Communism teacher, librarian, historian and political figure. He was the leader of the Hungarian Democratic Forum between 1989 and 1993. -
Vaclav Havel elected president of Czechoslovakia
was a Czech writer, philosopher dissident, and statesman. From 1989 to 1992, he served as the last president of Czechoslovakia. He then served as the first president of the Czech Republic after the Czech Slovak split. Within Czech literature, he is known for his plays, essays, and memoirs. -
Berlin Wall Falls
The official purpose of this Berlin Wall was to keep Western “fascists” from entering East Germany and undermining the socialist state, but it primarily served the objective of stemming mass defections from East to West. -
Lech Walesa elected president of Poland
He co-founded and headed Solidarity the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and served as President of Poland from 1990 to 1995. -
Germany reunification takes place
was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany to form the reunited nation of Germany, and when Berlin reunited into a single city -
1st general elections in Romania
Romania elects on a national level a head of state the president and a legislature. The president is elected for a five-year term by the people.
