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Gorbachev introduces glasnost
When Mikhail S. Gorbachev (1931-) became general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in March 1985, he launched his nation on a dramatic new course. -
Gorbachev introduces perestroika
Perestroika (Russian: перестро́йка; IPA: [pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə] ( listen))[1] 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 (meaning "openness") policy reform. The literal meaning of perestroika is "restructuring", referring to the restructuring of the Soviet political and economic system. -
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, abbreviation INF Treaty, Gorbachev, Mikhail: Gorbachev and Reagan signing the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, Dec. 8, 1987AFP/Getty Imagesnuclear-arms-control accord reached by the United States and the Soviet Union in 1987 in which those two nations agreed with. -
Berlin Wall Falls
On August 13, 1961, the Communist government of the German Democratic Republic (GDR, or East Germany) began to build a barbed wire and concrete “Antifascistischer Schutzwall,” or “antifascist bulwark,” between East and West Berlin. 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. -
1989—Jozsef Antall elected prime minister of Hungary
József Antall, Jr. (8 April 1932 – 12 December 1993)[1] was the first democratically-elected Prime Minister of Hungary after the fall of Communism (from 23 May 1990 until 12 December 1993, his death), 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
Václav Havel (Czech pronunciation: [ˈvaːt͡slav ˈɦavɛl] ( listen); 5 October 1936 – 18 December 2011) was a Czech writer, philosopher,[1] 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 (1993–2003) after the Czech–Slovak split. Within Czech literature, he is known for his plays, essays, and memoirs. -
Lech Walesa elected president of Poland
In Poland, Lech Walesa, founder of the Solidarity trade union, wins a landslide election victory, becoming the first directly elected Polish leader. -
Germany reunification takes place
The German reunification (German: Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic (GDR/East Germany) joined the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG/West Germany) to form the reunited nation of Germany, and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The end of the unification process is officially referred to as German unity celebrated on 3 October -
1st general elections in Romania
General elections were held in Romania on 20 May 1990.[1] They were the first elections held after the overthrow of the Communist regime six months earlier, and also the first public presidential elections.[1] They were also the first free elections held in the country since 1937.[2]
