End of the Cold War: Gorbachev, Reagan, Chernobyl and the Strategic Defense Initiative

**aqalieh95** Sat Jun 25, 2011 6:56 pm

Lots of thanks to Faisal Chaudhry who put this guide together and released it so that everybody could benefit from it!

What ended Cold War?
1. Reagan's new arms race and Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
  1. Reagan Doctrine, Iran-Contra, aggressive containment
2. Gorbachev → new kind of leader, willing to negotiate
  1. Reykjavik Summit
3. Gorbachev's domestic reforms: glasnost and perestroika
  1. Chernobyl Disaster
4. Afghanistan war → drain on USSR
  1. Ideological shift in USSR
USSR helping end Cold War
1. Afghanistan War
  1. Brezhnev sends in troops in 1979
  2. Détente was nearly dead
  3. Became a drain on the USSR, very unpopular (Vietnam)
  4. Gorbachev withdrew troops in 1989 after US promises to stop helping mujahedeen (but doesn't)
2. Chernobyl Disaster
  1. 1986 – nuclear meltdown
  2. Developed glasnost, openness to public
  3. Turning point for Gorbachev
  4. Symbolic of problems of USSR
Foreign Affairs
1. After détente ended, Cold War became frosty
  1. Glasnost → openness with West too
  2. At Reykjavik, Gorbachev proposed ending some nukes if SDI ended
  3. Eventually caved without stopping SDI
2. Reagan applied pressure to USSR
  1. Restarted arms race with SDI
  2. Made Gorbachev a stronger leader within the USSR → push reforms through → USSR collapse
3. Reagan Doctrine
  1. Ended static containment → aggressive containment
  2. Iran-Contra affair: trying to stop Communism
  3. Ended détente (status quo → change required → end Cold War)
4. Perestroika
  1. Gorbachev realized he had to push reforms through
  2. Allowed for freer and more direct elections
  3. Hoped political change → economic change
  4. Results of reforms
    1. Communism falls in Eastern Europe
    2. More demand for change
    3. Elections resulted in oppositions gaining power
    4. Economic reforms caused shortages because of increasing demand
    5. Satellites and Soviets began asking for independence
5. Glasnost = openness
  1. Opposition took advantage of new freedoms
Reagan Policy and Critics
1. Reagan supporters said he ended the Cold War
  1. Detente strengthened the USSR, and Reagan stopped their advance
  2. Did everything short of war to end the Cold War
2. Critics of Reagan said he was just a factor
  1. Gorbachev's reforms were key as was his willingness to talk to Reagan
End of Communism
1. Polish Solidarity
  1. Solidarity, trade group, formed out of strikes
  2. Initially supported by government, then outlawed
  3. Pope John Paul elected and visited Poland
  4. Free elections held with Solidarity winning majority
2. Berlin Wall fall and East Germany
  1. Unlike other satellites, East Germany could see Western lifestyle and knew they were behind
  2. Gorbachev's visit encouraged resistance and reform
  3. Wall falling was almost an accident – crowds rushed at it with soldiers having no orders

Ideologue: no one cares about having satellites anymore