-
U.S. Boycott of 1980 Summer Olympics
The U.S. Boycott of the Moscow Olympics in 1980 was initiated by the United States to protest the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. Along with the United States, 64 other nations refused to participate. It was common for the public to want the Olympic games to be moved out of the Soviet Union or cancelled entirely. -
Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) (“Star Wars”)
This program was proposed by President Ronald Reagan to use ground-based and space-based systems to protect the United States from nuclear attack. It focused on defense rather than the previous offense strategy. In mainstream media, the proposal became known as "Star Wars", after the movie, and the proposal was widely criticized as being unrealistic. -
Caribbean Basin Initiative
Created to provide tax benefits to Central Americans and Caribbean countries. CBERA prevented the U.S. from attacking countries they believed were under Communist's control, and ones they believed had taken their land. -
Gorbachev becomes General Secretary of the Communist
The last leader of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev ruled from 1985, until the union collapsed in 1991. He allowed people to have more freedom of speech and restructured the people. -
Iran-Contra Affair
Also known as the Irangate scandal, this was a political scandal that happened in the second term of President Reagan's Administration. The scandal began as an attempt to free seven American hostages being held in Lebanon by a group of Iranians connected with the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution. Administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of weapons to Iran, to secure the release of those hostages and use the money to fund the Contras in Nicaragua. -
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) ratified
This was an agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union signed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. In this agreement, both countries agreed to eliminate nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with a range between 300 and 3,400 miles. It was signed on December 8, 1987, but was ratified on March 27, 1988, and put into use by June of the same year. -
1st mcDonald's Restaurant opens in moscow
The first McDonald's in Moscow opened January 31, 1990. It was a sign of change, while still letting people get to enjoy little things during their government;s depression. -
Berlin Wall Collapses
The Berlin Wall collapsed in the summer of 1990, but took 2 years to fully demolish it. The Berlin Wall seperated West Berlin from Eastern Germany and from East Berlin. -
Germany is reunified
German Democratic Republic (East Germamy) was united with the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) in 1990 after Berlin was runited. -
Boris Yelstin elected President of Russia
He served as the president of Russia from 1991 to 1999. While he was a Communist Party member for much of his life, he eventually came to believe in democratic and free market reforms, and played a part in the fall of the Soviet Union. -
Warsaw Pact is dissolved
After 36 years, the military alliance between the Soviet Union and its Eastern European Counstries was dissolved. It was due to the protests and and anti-Communist movements throughout Eastern Europe and from a suffering economy and unstable political situation. -
End of the Soviet Union
Gorbachev resigned from being the leader of the Soviet Union and gave his job's power to the Russian president. That evening the Soviet flag was lowered and a Russian flag was put up. The next day the dissolution of the Soviet Union was enacted.
