Causes of the End of the Cold War

Ideological Challenges and Dissent

The primary cause of the end of the Cold War was ideological challenges and dissent, fostered by Gorbachev’s policies of Glasnot and Perestroika, and growing nationalism

• Gorbachev: visionary, new thinker, erratic REFORMER (destabilise)

  • Eric Hobsbawn "[Gorb] destroyed what he wanted to reform in the process

• Glasnost (openness)

  • loosening of censorship, freedom of speech, great opening up of arts and press – example: honest about Chernobyl 

  • however, increased criticism of the party

• Perestroika (politcal and economic restructuring)

  • reducing power of command economy

  • small scale enterprise:

  • Laws on Individual Activity 1986 – legalised some small businesses such as taxis and private tutoring  

  • Nomenklatura unpopular → oppose decentralisation of power, and democratisation

• Reforms growing nationalist and separatist movements externally and internally

  • satellite states (baltic state + Poland)

  • Solidarity in Poland, a trade union with strong nationalist sentiment, legalised 1989

    • Gorbachev unlike his predecessors made it clear he would not intervene

Long-Term Economic Problems

Gorbachev did inherit a stagnating economy, and although it may not have been at the state of total collapse, long term economic strain heigherended unrest + more susceptible to external pressures

• Brezhnev achieved military parity with the West, but it was extremely costly (stagnating economy)

• extreme cost: mid 1980s 25% of USSR GDP spent on military budget

  • shortages of basic resources for civilians

  • industrial production fell

• 1990 30-40 billion woman hours were lost, high alcoholism

  • Gorbachev’s alcohol reform meant to help this, state lost 14% of revenue (unpopular)

• McCauley states that by 1991 the GNP had reached -15% compared to 3% in 1980s

• Historiogaphy:

  • Gaddis: USSR “sandpile ready to slide”

  • Crockatt “the Soviet economy was not on the point of collapse when Gorbachev came to power. The catastrophic decline in 1980s was a direct result of Gorbachev’s powers”

Arms Race

Arms Race simply exacerbated economic and ideological pressures within USSR

• Reagan’s systematic challenge, to “spend USSR out of existence”, increase tech innovation, make soviet arms obsolete

  • Carter: 174 billion → Reagan: 232.6 billion (military budget)

• SDI (Star Wars) - the USSR could not keep up

  • Reagan put a lot of strain on crumbling economy

• Reagan Victory School of Thought: it was Reagan’s bold and decisive leadership which caused the end of the war

  • criticised by George Kennan “simply childish” and “Republican leadership won the Cold War is intrinsically silly:”

  • Reagan’s glorification, however, his hardline stance and external pressures did exacerbate internal economic issues as seen below with:

• USSR invasion of Afghanisatan, accentuated economic problems with military

  • Gorbachev: “Bleeding Wound”

• Reconciliation: arms talks reduced confrontation between Gorbachev and Reagan, START talks (no nuclear) 1985 Geneva, Reykjavik

Reconciliation or Confrontation?

Confrontation – Arms Race 

Reconciliation – Gorbachev’s foreign policy, Western ideals of democratisation, openness

Reconciliation or Confrontation (both): Economics 

• Was it a sand pile slide 

• Or did economics  

• Both: fact that his economics turning away from communism was a form of reconciliation or was it just a necessary meaure → Perestroika here