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Chinese Premier Dies
Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai dies of cancer. -
Mao Zedong Dies
Death of Mao Zedong. -
Charter 77 Signed
Charter 77 is signed by Czechoslovakian intellectuals, including Václav Havel. -
Sino-Vietnamese War
China launches a punitive attack on North Vietnam to punish it for invading Cambodia. -
SALT-II Agreement
U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Soviet leader, Leonid Brezhnev, sign the SALT-II agreement, outlining limitations and guidelines for nuclear weapons. -
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan to save the crumbling communist regime there, resulting in the end of Détente. -
Tito Dies
Josip Broz Tito, communist leader of Yugoslavia since 1945, dies at the age of 88 in Belgrade. -
Gdańsk Agreement Signed
In Poland the Gdańsk Agreement is signed after a wave of strikes which began at the Lenin Shipyards in Gdańsk. The agreement allows greater civil rights, such as the establishment of a trade union independent of communist party control. -
Martial Law in Poland
Communist Gen. Jaruzelski introduces martial law in Poland, which drastically restricts normal life, in an attempt to crush the Solidarity Polish Trade Union and the political opposition against communist rule. -
Leonid Brezhnev Dies
Leonid Brezhnev dies. -
Yuri Andropov Becomes Secretary
Yuri Andropov becomes General Secretary of the Soviet Union. -
Korean Air Lines Flight 007 Shot Down
Civilian Korean Air Lines Flight 007, with 269 passengers, including U.S. Congressman Larry McDonald, is shot down by Soviet interceptor aircraft. -
Exercise Able Archer 83
Soviet anti-aircraft misinterpret a test of NATO's nuclear warfare procedures as a fake cover for an actual NATO attack; in response, Soviet nuclear forces are put on high alert. -
Konstantin Chernenko
Konstantin Chernenko is named General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party. -
Summer Olympics Boycott
Various allies of the Soviet Union boycott the 1984 Summer Olympics (July 28 - August 12) in Los Angeles. -
Gorbachev Goes to Chequers
Margaret Thatcher and the UK government, in a plan to open new channels of dialog with Soviet leadership candidates, meet with Mikhail Gorbachev at Chequers. -
Gorbachev Enters Office
Mikhail Gorbachev becomes leader of the Soviet Union. -
Soviet Union Begins Moratorium
Coinciding with the 45th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet Union begins what it has announced is a 5-month unilateral moratorium on the testing of nuclear weapons. The Reagan administration dismisses the dramatic move as nothing more than propaganda and refuses to follow suit. Gorbachev declares several extensions, but the United States fails to reciprocate, and the moratorium comes to an end on February 5, 1987. -
Reagan Meets Gorbachev
Reagan and Gorbachev meet for the first time at a summit in Geneva, Switzerland, where they agree to two (later three) more summits. -
Chernobyl Disaster
A Soviet nuclear power plant in the Ukraine explodes, resulting in the worst nuclear power plant accident in history. -
Reykjavik Summit
USSR-USA summit at Reykjavik. -
Perestroika
Natives within the Party who oppose his policies of economic redevelopment (Perestroika). It is Gorbachev's hope that through initiatives of openness, debate and participation, that the Soviet people will support Perestroika. -
Gorbachev Challenged
During a visit to Berlin, Germany, U.S. President Ronald Reagan famously challenges Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev in a speech: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" -
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is Signed
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C. by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Some later claim this was the official end of the Cold War. Gorbachev agrees to START I treaty. -
Soviets Begin Withdraw from Afghanistan
The Soviets begin withdrawing from Afghanistan. -
Gorbachev's Speech
In a speech to the UN, Gorbachev repudiates the Brezhnev Doctrine, encourages free elections and ends the Arms Race, in practice ending the Cold War; democracies emerge across Eastern Europe. -
INF Treaty
Removal of medium -range missiles from Europe. -
Soviets Withdraw from Afghanistan
Soviet troops withdraw from Afghanistan. -
Tiananmen Square Massacre
Beijing protests are crushed by the communist Chinese government, resulting in an unknown number of deaths. -
Free Elections in Poland
Semi-free elections in Poland show complete lack of backing for the Communist Party; Solidarity trade union wins all available seats in the Parliament and 99% in the Senate. -
Tadeusz Mazowiecki is Elected
Parliament in Poland elects Tadeusz Mazowiecki as leader of the first non-communist government in the East Bloc. -
The Hungarian Constitution is Amended
The Hungarian constitution is amended to allow a multi-party political system and free elections. The nearly 20-year rule of communist leader Erich Honecker comes to an end in East Germany. -
Berlin Wall Falls
Berlin Wall falls. -
Revolutions in Eastern Europe
Soviet reforms and their state of bankruptcy have allowed Eastern Europe to rise up against the Communist governments there. The Berlin Wall is breached when Politburo spokesman, Günter Schabowski, not fully informed of the technicalities or procedures of the newly-agreed lifting of travel restrictions, mistakenly announces at a news conference in East Berlin that the borders have been opened. -
End of the Cold War
At the end of the Malta Summit, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President George H. W. Bush declare that a long-lasting era of peace has begun. Many observers regard this summit as the official beginning of the end of the Cold War. -
Period: to
Romanian Revolution
Rioters overthrow the Communist regime of Nicolae Ceauşescu, executing him and his wife, Elena. Romania was the only Eastern Bloc country to violently overthrow its Communist regime or to execute its leaders. -
Vaclav Havel Becomes President
Vaclav Havel becomes President of the now free Czechoslovakia.