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Richard Nixon and the policy of Detente
Detente meant to relase tensions, and hope for an improvement in US and USSR relations. Nixon wanted to work with the USSR. -
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
The Soviets wanted to establish a key position in Asia, so they invaded Afghanistan. During their stay in Afghsnistan, Soviets worsened the conditions for the poor, and tried to curb ethnic uprisings by mass arrests, torture, and executions of dissidents and aerial bombardments. -
Solidarity Movement in Poland
Was a Polish trade union federation. This was the 1st non-communist-party that controlled the trade union in the Warsaw Pact. A broad anti-bureaucratic social movement-mthods of civil resistance to advance the causes of workers' rights and social change. -
Ronald Reagan addresses the National Association of Evangelicals
Reagan referred to communism as "the focus of evil in the modern world". His speech later became known as the "Evil Empire Speech", Reagan's most influential speech. Reagan's speech electrified dissidents behind the Iron Curtain and appalled his domestic opposition. He favored matching and exceeding the USSR's strategic and global military capabilities so they would be able to write the final pages of the Cold War. -
Strategic Defensive Initiative
Under President Reagan-develop a sophisticated anti-ballistic missile system in order to prevent missile attacks from other countries. This was the US's response to possible nuclear attacks from afar. -
Summit in Geneva, Switzerland
A meeting between President Reagan and Gorbachev of USSR. The two leaders met to discuss international diplomatic relations and the arms race. -
Gorbachev, Perestroika, and Glasnost
Gorbachev was the General Secretary of the Communist PArty in the Soviet Union, who believed in the policy "glasnost", which means "openness". Perestroika went along with the policy of glasnost, and was a political movement for reformation within the Communist Party in the Soviet Unon. It was meant for "restructuring" the Soviet Union political and economic system. -
Reykjavik Summir, Iceland
This was a Summit meeting between President Reagan and Gorbachev, that was held in the capital city of Iceland. Gorbachev agreed that human rights issues were a legitamate topic of discussion, something no previous Soviet Union leader had ever agreed to. There was also a proposal to eliminate all new strategic missiles, and for the first time in history, have a possibility of eliminating nuclear weapons forever. -
Reagan's speech at Brandenberg Gate, West Berlin
The words "Tear down this wall!" really made some people excited for this speech. Reagan made this speech behind a bulletproof wall, this way he could assure himself that no one in Berlin would shoot him. Reagan challenged the USSR leader to destroy the Berlin Wall. He called for an end of the arms race, but also of eliminating, for the first time, an entire class of nuclear weapons from Earth. Reagan's main purpose was to get the Soviets to tear down the wall, and bring freedom to Berlin. -
Reagan and Gorbachev sign the INF Treaty
The INF (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty) was a treaty designed to eliminate US and USSR medium-range nuclear missiles from Europe. Also, the treaty eliminated nuclear and convential ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with intermediate range. Reagan described this as "an excellent example of the rewards of patience." -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
Gunter Schabowski made it known that "permanent relocations can be done through all border checkpoints between East and West Berlin. Border guards allowed people to cross and people from both sides of Berlin, later that day, started to chip away the Berlin Wall with hammers and chisels, joyously. -
Fall of the Soviet Union
The fall of the Soviet Union resulted into the USSR dividing into 15 separate countries. This was hauled by the WEst as a victory for freedom, a win of democracy over totaltarianism, and evidence of the superiority of capitalism over socialism.
