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Period: to
Reagan's military buildup
A 5 year $1.5 trillion defense programme, consisting of MXICBM, Trident II SLBM, B1 Bombers, 600 ship navy and the Strategic defense intiative(SDI). SDI was possible threat to retaliatory capacity to Kremlin's long ranged missle force.
Recognized impossibility of defeating the rearmament programme amid pervasive signs of Soviet economic decline. Gorby embraced diplomacy to limit the arms race, communism " lost" to democracy which angered hardliners. -
Soviet systemic weakness
The Soviet economy's decline, reflected the diminishing ability of the central planning to respond to global economic changes, and when Gorbachev came into power in 1985, he was unable to solve the situation.
This only served as a basis for seccesionist tendencies to be built upon, which would eventually lead to the August Coup in 1991 -
Temporary moratorium on nuclear testing
Gorbachev's sincerity in establishing warmer relations with the US is highlighted by his unilateral announcement of a temporary moratorium on nuclear testing upon coming to power in 1985. -
Period: to
End of the cold war and collapse of the USSR
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Replacement of Long time soviet Minister Andrei Gromyko to reformist Eduard Shevardnadze
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Reykjyavik Summit
Sweeping concession made at Reykjyavik Summit,in Iceland, because he accpeted Reagan's zero option plan and even proposed the abolishment of all nuclear weapons within the same year.
Soviet SS20 Intermediate range missles based in Europe to be dismantled in exchange for removal of Pershing II's and GLCM's that NATO employed.
However Reagan's obduracy to scrap SDI served as stumbling block to the talks. -
Perestroika
Gorbachev decided to implement Perestroika to solve the imminent economic problems, but by the beginning of the 1990's the country's GDP declined by 2% and the government's foreign debts had sky rocketed, with both national budget and foreign trade deficit widened. -
Glasnost
Gorbachev implemented glasnost to allow for discussion and democratisation and to support the perestroika, however, it was a failure as it only further increased the political discontent with the USSR due to the failure of the perestroika. -
Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty
Drastically assymetrical reduction of theatre nuclear weapons, destruction of 851 Soviet launchers to 283 American launchers.
Gorby was willing to accept an extremely unbalanced condition.
As compared to the SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talk) Treaty of 1973 and 1979, which only imposed limits on future deployment of Strategic weapons, INF Treaty declared total elimination of an entire class of operational weapons. -
Gorbachev's speech at UN
In contrast with Khruschev's Speech in 1960 where he declared the eventual triumph of socialism over capitalism, Gorbachev's sppech announced that international relations would now be 'free from ideology'.
He also endorsed the principles of 'freedom of choice' and proceeded to announce an unilateral reduction of half a million men, substantial cuts in tanks, artillery pieces and combat aircraft. -
Solidarity won polish elections
Marked the end of the cold war as defined by a division in Europe, as Solidarity was the first trade union in the communist world, and religious nationalism was also inspired by Pope John Paul II.
Formation of a non communist government behind the Iron Curtain. -
Fall of Berlin Wall
Caught the imagination of the public and marked the end of the cold war as marked by a division in Europe. -
Ethnic nationalism unleashed
Ethnic nationalism was unleashed and throughout the 1990's, Christian Armenians battled Muslim Azeris in the Armenian enclave of Nagorno- Karabakh within Azerbajian -
Union Treaty
Gorbachev wanted to give more autonomy to the Soviet republics in order to prevent their secession and avert the collapse of the USSR, in one desperate gamble to hold the country together via peaceful means.
However, Baltic states wanted nothing to do with the treaty, and other republics has it's reservations. So while a March 1991 referendum recorded 76% approval for the union, it did not include votes from 6 of the republics. -
Conventional arms forces in Europe(CFE) Treaty
Signified the end of conventional arms race, due to Gorby's speech in Dec 1988. -
August Coup
Boris Yeltsin made use of telecommunication facilities to rally domestic and foreign support, further cementing his political position at the expense of Gorbachev's credibility.
The hardliners supported action because Gorbachev made dramatic concessions to the US in arms buildup and let go of the ideological competition, and wanted to replace the hardliners with liberal supporters of the new concessions to republics. Revealed divisions within the USSR and encouraged republic's secession.
