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The U.S. and a large number of other countries boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Berlin. This boycott was instigated by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, which many nations disagreed with.
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Initiated by President Reagan, the Strategic Defense Initiative was an American attempt to develop anti-ballistic missiles to protect the U.S. from foreign weapons threats, specifically the Soviet Union. It was given the nickname "Star Wars" for some of its ridiculous ideas, including things like lasers.
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The Caribbean Basin Initiative was an action by the United States that gave trade and tariff benefits to several Caribbean and Central American nations. This was enacted to help aid leftist movements in these countries.
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Mikhail Gorbachev was elected to the position of General Secretary on March 11, 1985, a mere three hours after the man who held the position before him had died. Gorbachev, although a Communist, introduced some freedom to the Soviet people, and removed Soviet interference in Germany, specifically Berlin.
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The Iran-Contra affair was a scandal in Washington during the Reagan Administration. It was revealed that the U.S. had secretly been selling arms to Iran, which was under an arms embargo, in exchange for U.S. prisoners as well. It was even more scandalous, as the money from the sales was being used to fund the Contra in Nicaragua, another prohibited action.
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The INF was a historic treaty between America and the Soviet Union. It stated that all nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles would be eliminated.
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The Berlin Wall, which was built to prevent masses of people from fleeing East Berlin into West Berlin, fell on November 9th, 1989. The wall was torn down when the government of East Germany decided to allow citizens to cross into West Germany.
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The first McDonald's in Moscow opened on the 31st of January, 1990. It signified the conflict between America and the Soviet Union was drawing to a close, and that the Soviet Union was headed towards a new future.
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After decades of separation following WWII, East and West Germany were finally united. The countries merged into one free nation.
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Signifying that the Cold War was ending and the USSR losing control, the Warsaw Pact dissovled after 36 years of existence. The Pact was dissolved mainly because of anti-communist protests that erupted in Eastern Europe.
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Borisn Yeltsin was elected in June of 1991. He introduced free market reforms, moving the nation away from communism.
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After decades in existence, the Soviet Union finally crumbled from sweping anti-communism protests and intense international pressure. 15 new countries were fromed from the ashes of the USSR.
