Why did the Cold War end?

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  • Created by: Holly
  • Created on: 08-04-15 17:02
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  • How and why did The Cold War end in 1989?
    • Afghanistan
      • USSR faced huge pressure over invasion
        • Was only meant to be a small invasion - turned into their equivalent of the Vietnam War
      • Huge financial burden - verge of bankrupcy
    • Gorbachev & Regan
      • G realised drastic changes were needed
      • Supporting other communist countries, competing in the Arms Race and huge military costs were too much to bear.
      • The USA spent huge amounts of weaponry to finally 'win' the Arms Race. G new Russia could not keep up.
    • Friendship
      • Reagan came to power with a huge anti-communist stance. E.g. massive defence spending
      • Yet the two superpowers got on well together - showing a closer relation
    • Meetings
      • G and R met in Geneva (1985) and Reykjavic (1986)
      • INF signed 1987 - actual nuclear weaponry destroyed
    • Change
      • 1989 aw the break up of the Soviet's Sphere of Influence over Eastern Bloc
      • Poland 1989 - protests led to free elections
      • Gorbachev refused to send in Red Army to squash opposition
        • Signal to other Eastern European countries
    • End to the Cold War
      • Borders began to open and Communist governments resigned
      • In 1989 G and President Bush met off Malta and declared the Cold War over
      • In 1989 the Berlin Wall was torn down
      • Soviet Union collapsed, G resigned 25th December 1991

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