By 1975 the Soviet By 1975 the Soviet Union had been pouring Union had been pouring all of its resources into all of its resources into military development, military development, isolationism, the space isolationism, the space race, and supporting race, and supporting foreign communist foreign communist nations. Doing so, it was nations. Doing so, it was neglecting its own neglecting its own economy and people’s economy and people’s needs. It was going needs. It was going bankrupt. bankrupt.

TIME FOR CHANGE!TIME FOR CHANGE!

Background 1975-1989

The Collapse of the Soviet UnionThe Collapse of the Soviet Union1975-19911975-1991

The Politburo is the ruling committee of the Communist Party

Soviet Union Can’t Keep Up

Mikhail Gorbachev becomes the leader of the Soviet Union.

Glasnost or openness revolutionized the way people thought. (Free flow of ideas and information)

The Effects of GlasnostThe Effects of Glasnost

1. Churches re-opened2. It re-leased political prisoners3. Allowed the publication of books that were

previously banned. (Reporters investigated problems.)

PerestroikaPerestroika

Perestroika is the economic re-structuring of an economy

New openness allowed New openness allowed people to complain about people to complain about the economy.the economy.

Democratization

An opening of the political system that called for election of candidates

More than 100 ethnic groups lived under the Soviet flag

NATIONALISM played a key role in the break up of the Soviet Union. People wanted their own nation!

Gorbachev ordered an economic blockade and used military force to bring LithuaniaLithuania back to the Soviet Union.

Boris Yelstin

Hardliners feared Communism to collapse so they ordered troops to overthrow Parliament but the military refused.

“Shock Therapy” is an economic plan to free market planning.

ChechnyaChechnya

Vladimir Putin succeeded Yelstin and continued the war against Chechnya.

Collapse of Collapse of Communism in Communism in Eastern EuropeEastern Europe

People in Eastern Europe thought that Gorbachev People in Eastern Europe thought that Gorbachev was receptive to change. So, people rebelled!was receptive to change. So, people rebelled!

Poland

PolandPoland

Shipyard workers in Poland demanded that the gov’t recognize their union. SOLIDARITY is SOLIDARITY is when you stick together and fight a common when you stick together and fight a common cause!cause!

PolandPoland

Lech WalseaLech Walsea became Poland’s first President and became Poland’s first President and used “shock therepy” to move his country to a free used “shock therepy” to move his country to a free market economy. (market economy. (CapitalismCapitalism))

Hungary

Once Poland broke away from the Soviet Union, Once Poland broke away from the Soviet Union, HungaryHungary was next. was next.

East GermanyEast Germany

Hungary took down their Iron Curtain so people began to escape into W. Europe.

Erich Honecker (Party Leader) closed the E. German border

In response, East Germans protested

East GermanyEast Germany

To subdue the protests and to keep order, the E. German government allowed people to travel freely to W. Germany.

Europe after the Cold War (Contemporary Europe)

Fall of Communism Video

Effect of the Cold War in Eastern Europe

After Yugoslavia fell, different ethnic groups fought for power.

Serbia and Montenegro were the dominant forces in the region.

Serbia began ethnic cleansing in Bosnia as they began to assume power.

Effects of the Cold War in Eastern Europe

Serbian military forces were killing Bosnian Muslims intending to rid Bosnia of its Muslim population.

Genocide: