The End of the Cold War, 1985-1991, The Gorbatcev Revolution

mid eighties: Weaker USSR

• war in Afghanistan

• drop in world oil and gas prices

• declining agriculture and industry

• technological backwardness

SOVIET LEADER - MARCH 1985 :

Mikhail Gorbatchev

1986 Perestroika?

Reconstruction
Glasnost

Foreign Policy: reviving détente

Gorbachev introduced a concept known as “New Thinking” which redefined Soviet foreign policy. It emphasized:

• Mutual security rather than zero-sum competition

• Interdependence in the modern world.

• Political solutions over military confrontation.

This was a stark contrast to the rigid, militarized approach of the Cold War era

November 1985, Geneva:

Reagan-Gorbachev meeting

1986 START: Strategic Arms Reduction Talks

Gorbachev actively pursued arms reduction:

• INF Treaty (1987): Eliminated an entire class of nuclear weapons.

• Initiated START I talks, which led to deep cuts in strategic nuclear arsenals.

• Advocated for nuclear disarmament and global security
  

Gorbachev played a pivotal role in ending the Cold War:

• He withdrew Soviet forces from Afghanistan (1989).

• He refused to intervene militarily in Eastern Europe as communist regimes fell (e.g.,East Germany, Poland).

• He built a cooperative relationship with U.S. Presidents Reagan and Bush Sr., leading to a dramatic thaw in relations

1987 Reagan visits Berlin

750 anniversaries
Famous speech
Dec - Gorbachev visits USA
Agrees to retire missiles from Soviet Asia

May 1988

Reagan visits USSR
He met students from Moscow State University

Dec 7 1988

Gorbachev speaks in front of the United Nations
Declares the end of the Cold War