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Summit in Geneva, Switzerland
A meeting of the "Big Four", The leaders of the US, Britain, the Soviet Union, and France. -
Richard Nixon &Policy of Detente
The easing of geo-political tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union.
"We're eyeball to eyeball, and I think the other fellow just blinked." -JFK -
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
The Soviet Union got involved to support the Afghan communist government in its conflict with anti-communist Muslim guerrillas during the Afghan War. They remained there until February1989.
"We now have the opportunity of giving the Soviet Union its Vietnam War." -Zbigniew Brzezinski -
Solidarity Movement in Poland (Lech Walesa)
Polish trade union federation that emerged under Lech Walesa. -
Ronald Reagan adresses the National Association of Evengelicals
Ronald Reagan makes a speech to the National Association of Evengelicals, in which he refers to the Soviet Union as an "evil empire". Because of this, the speech came to be known as the "Evil Empire Speech". -
Strategc Defense Initiative ("Star Wars")
Initaitive proposed by Ronald Reagan to use ground-based and space-based systems to protect the US from attack by strategic nuclear ballistic missiles.
"I call upon the scientific community in our country, those who gave us nuclear weapons, to turn their great talents now to the cause of mankind and world peace, to give us the means of rendering those nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete." -Ronad Reagan. -
Reykjavik Summit Iceland
Summit meeting between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in the capital city of Iceland. -
Reagan speech at Brandenberg Gate, West Berlin
Ronald Reagan gives a speech, encouraging Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. The wall was is torn down twenty-nine months later.
"Tear down this wall!" -Ronald Reagan -
Reagan and Gorbachev sign INF Treaty
The treaty, signed by Reagan and Gorbachev was signed in Washington, DC. The treaty eliminated the use of specific missiles. -
Gorbachev, Perestroika, Glasnost.
Policies of rebuilding and giving more freedoms to the Soviet people. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
After months of allowing loop holes, Hungary finally tore down the border defences with Austria, tearing down the Berlin Wall.
"When the Berlin Wall came down the Americans cried, 'Victory,' and walked off the field." -Paul Keating -
Fall of Soviet Union
The independence of the twelve republics of the Soviet Union is esablished, thus ending the Cold War.
