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Leonid Brezhnev
He is a Russian, decorated person who wanted to maintain the superpower. -
Prague spring
The Warsaw Pact invaded Czechoslovakia. They believe that people are optimistic in spring and they wanted to introduce new reforms. -
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SALT I (1972) and II (1979)
It is a Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. The nuclear powers were USA,Russia,France,Israel,India and Brazil. It happened between USA and USSR. This arm control reduced the number of nuclear weapons. -
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Oil price boom
An oil price boom broke out. It was a worldwide economic crisis. There were not enough source of energy so they needed alternative ways to produce the same energy: nuclear energy, electricity-> new technology consume less energy. -
Helsinki Accords
It was a peaceful settlement of disputes. They did not intervene in internal affairs. Respect for human rights, and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief. Also equal right and self-determination of peoples. Brezhnev signed this, although it will never appear in the USSR. -
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Afghan War
Afghanistan was a buffer zone. It wasn’t an interesting country because it’s mountainous and there is nothing important. There were only poppy seeds which we can make opium from. The USSR supported the Marxist government against Islamists enjoying American help-> containment policy. USSR had to give up Afghanistan. -
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Ronald Reagan
He was the President of USA from 1981-1989. He practically finished Cold War. He had his own doctrine: Reagan Doctrine which supported paramilitary forces against socialist governments (e.g. Afghanistan). -
Star Wars Plan
Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initial. These are ground and space-based systems to protect the USA from nuclear missiles. This idea forced the Soviet Union to a competition which it could not finance. -
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Gorbachev
First secretary of USSR between 1985-1991. He issued Perestroika. He restructured political and economical reforms introduced in 1987. It permitted private ownership of businesses in the services, manufacturing, and foreign-trade sector. He also introduced Glasnost. There was freedom of speech and press. The policy of maximal publicity, openness and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information. -
Chernobyl
There was a nuclear plantation in Chernobyl. A nuclear melt down/tragedy happened in 1986 within the Soviet Union. -
Summit in Malta
George Bush and Gorbachev announced the end of the Cold War during the Summit of Malta.