1.9 - The End of the Cold War

Flashcards covering the key terms, summits, and events surrounding the end of the Cold War from 1985 to 1991.

Mikhail Gorbachev

The leader who took power in the USSR in March 1985 and introduced broad reforms.

Glasnost

A policy meaning 'openness' which resulted in less censorship and increased freedom of speech.

Perestroika

A policy meaning 'restructuring' that involved reforming the economy by reducing military spending and removing restrictions on foreign trade - capatalistic thinking

Brezhnev Doctrine

The Soviet foreign policy that Gorbachev officially brought to an end as part of his 'New Thinking'.

Geneva Summit (November 1985)

A meeting where Reagan and Gorbachev established a positive working relationship.

Reykjavik Summit (October 1986)

A meeting where relationships improved, though the US refusal to give up SDI remained a sticking point - no agreemants made, relations improved

Washington summit, December 1987

The IRNF treaty signed in December 1987 to abolish all land missiles with a range between $500\,km$ and $5,500\,km$.

Moscow Summit (May-June 1988)

The summit where Gorbachev agreed to reduce Warsaw Pact soldiers and withdraw the Soviet Union from Afghanistan.

Malta Summit (December 1989)

The first meeting between Gorbachev and George Bush, which both sides used to mark the end of the Cold War.

Velvet Revolution

The December 1989 event that overthrew the communist government in Czechoslovakia.

Yugoslavia

The communist nation that broke up into $7$ independent states in December 1990.

9 November 1989

The date the East German government permitted travel between East and West Berlin, leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

October 1990

The month and year when Germany was officially reunified.

Iron Curtain

The symbolic barrier in Europe whose end was marked by the fall of the Berlin Wall.

25 December 1991

The date Gorbachev resigned and the Soviet Union was dissolved into $15$ states, officially ending the Cold War.