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Richard Nixon & Policy of Detente
President Nixon and General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union Communist Party meet in Moscow which took decisive form of detente, meaning "release from tension" in French. -
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
Soviet-led Afghan soldiers were deployed to fight against multi-national insurgent groups called the Mujahideen, mostly composed of two alliances – the Peshawar Seven and the Tehran Eight. This was a decade-long war, resulting in millions of Afghans fleeing the country into Iran and Pakistan. -
Solidarity Movement in Poland (Lech Walesa)
A Polish trade union federation that emerged on 31 August 1980 at the Gdańsk Shipyard under the leadership of Lech Walesa. It was the first non-Communist Party-controlled trade union in a Warsaw Pact country. -
Ronald Reagan addresses the National Association of Evangelials
President Reagan spoke to a meeting of the National Association of Evangelicals in Orlando, Florida. It referred to communism as "the focus of evil in the modern world," and quickly became known as his "Evil Empire Speech." "I pointed out that, as good Marxist-Leninists, the Soviet leaders have openly and publicly declared that the only morality they recognize is that which will further their cause, which is world revolution." -
Strategic Defense Initiative ("Star Wars")
SDI was proposed by President Reagan to defend the country using ground-based and space-based defenses against ballistic missiles. -
Gorbachev, Perestroika, Glasnost
Gorbachev introduced Perestroika, his restructuring concept, started with an overhaul of the top members of the Communist Party. The accompanying concept of glasnost sought to ease the strict social controls imposed by the government. -
Summit in Geneva, Switzerland
President Reagan and Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev meet to discuss diplomatic relations and the arms race. Both discuss cutting the number of nuclear weapons. -
Reykjavik Summit, Iceland
The Reykjavík Summit was a summit meeting between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, held in Höfði in Reykjavík, the capital city of Iceland. -
Reagan speech at Brandenberg Gate, West Berlin
"Tear down this gate!" Reagan challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Brandenberg Gate in West Berlin. It would represent the desire for freedom in Russia. -
Reagan and Gorbachev sign INF Treaty
President Reagan and Soviet leader Gorbachev sign the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force Treaty. This eliminated ground-launched nuclear ballistic and cruise missles. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The demolition of the Berlin Wall allowed East Germany citizens to escape communism in the East to live in a democracy in West Germany. East German government official Günter Schabowski stated, "Permanent relocations can be done through all border checkpoints between the GDR (East Germany) into the FRG (West Germany) or West Berlin." -
Fall of Soviet Union
Representatives from 11 Soviet republics (Ukraine, the Russian Federation, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) met in the Kazakh city of Alma-Ata and announced that they would no longer be part of the Soviet Union. They became independent nations instead. Gorbachev became disappointed and resigned on this day.
