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Mikhail Gorbachev
Gorbachev replaces Andrei Gromyko as the leader of Russia. -
Reforms
Gorbachev starts economic reforms to help Russia. -
Glasnost
Gorbachev launches a program called Glasnost. This is a campaign of political openness. -
First Election
The first free election is held in Russia since 1917. -
Gorbachev and Stalin
Gorbachev publicly calls Stalin's crimes unforgivable. -
Independence
Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia declare their independence from the Soviet Union this year. -
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin is elected the president of Russia. -
Overthrow Gorbachev
Yeltsin foils a plan to overthrow the government. -
The Soviet Union Ends
The Soviet Union falls apart and Russia becomnes an independent nation.