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Summary IEB Grade 12 History: The End of the Cold War + The New World Order
A summary of : The end of the Cold War; the collapse of communism; Gorbachev's role & reforms, the New World Order; Globalization
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Unit 1: What were the events of 1989 at the end of the Cold War➔ The Cold War did not end suddenly - it was the result of a series of circumstances and
events that led to the dissolution of the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)
➔ The USSR was made up of various Soviet socialist republics, which when the USSR
finally dissolved in 1991, these countries steadily became autonomous
The need for reforms in the USSR
● In the 1970's, the USSR seemed as strong as ever:
○ It was by far the largest country in the world (covering more than 1/6th of the
Earth's surface)
○ A federation of 15 Soviet republics, it was a one-party communist state with a
nationalised and resource-rich economy
○ The governments ran local affairs, but the federal government in Moscow had
power over the whole of the union
● In reality, the USSR was suffering from serious economic and social problems:
○ The Soviet "command economy" (government determines production of goods)
was not flexible or efficient - it was unable to support a modern, complex country
○ Collectivised agriculture was so unproductive that food had to be imported
○ The states did not invest in consumer industries - Goods in the shops were
scarce and of poor quality. This resulted in an illegal market, where people
bought and sold goods without contributing to the GDP, further hurting the
economy
○ Corruption was a major problem at all levels
○ Workers were unmotivated and unproductive
○ Social problems such as absenteeism and alcoholism were getting worse
○ Lots of the general population lost faith in communism (although this remained
unsaid)
○ The USSR's population consisted of many ethnic groups, and conflict between
groups was a strong possibility
● The USSR also had problems on the international front:
○ Due to zero economic growth, the USSR could not afford to develop new
high-tech weapons or equip and pay the people in its massive defense force
○ In 1979 - the USSR plunged into a civil war in Afghanistan in order to support
Afghanistan's communist regime - this was a war the USSR could not win and
was very unpopular among Russians
○ Relations with the West were hostile. In 1981, Regan announced the SDI (termed
"Star Wars") - which was based on a huge laser in space protecting the US from
Soviet missiles. Though the technology was largely not yet developed, The
USSR felt weakened because it could not afford to develop a defense system to
match the one Regan was proposing
,Gorbachev's reforms in the Soviet Union can be seen as a trigger for the end of the USSR
● March 11, 1985 - Mikhail Gorbachev replaced Konstantin Chernenko as the General
Secretary (head) of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union (the leader of the USSR)
○ Gorbachev was 53 at the time
○ He was the son of a peasant and a dedicated communist
● In 1985, the Soviet Union was experiencing an economic depression which Gorbachev
needed to resolve
● Gorbachev implemented gradual changes in the USSR to correct problems with the
Soviet economy, industry and society:
○ These problems were not Gorbachev's fault but the result of many years of
strictly implemented socialist and Marxist policies in the Soviet states
● The economic problems were not corrected via Gorbachev's first measures:
○ He realised that the reasons for the economic problems were deeper than initially
perceived and that more far-reaching measures were needed
● After several unsuccessful attempts to improve the economy, Gorbachev introduced a
set of radical reforms in 1987:
○ These reforms successfully improved the Soviet Union
○ However, these reforms undermined the purpose and structure of the Marxist
ideals of the USSR
○ They played significant factors in its downfall
● Gorbachev four sets of reforms: Perestroika, Glasnost, Democratisation, Detente
● Perestroika, glasnost and democratisation improved the Soviet economy - but they did
so while undermining the core principles of the USSR
● The reforms introduced characteristics of a capitalist economy, in which business
owners were able to make decisions for themselves about certain business practices
● The media were free to be more open without government restrictions preventing them
from revealing certain information
● As a result, businesses and work collectives became used to making their own decisions
and being independent from the Soviet government for these purposes
Detente (relaxation of international tension)
● Knowing that the USSR could not afford to continue the arms race, Gorbachev
introduced a policy of detente
● To reduce Cold War tensions between the USSR and the West, Gorbachev held several
summit meetings with US President Regan to negotiate a reduction of nuclear and other
weapons
● Gorbachev also withdrew Soviet forces from Afghanistan under the policy of detente
,Perestroika (Reconstruction)
● April 1985 - Gorbachev announced his economic reform (named perestroika)
● Gorbachev believed that if the economy could grow, it would solve other problems too
● Gorbachev intended perestroika to make the economy more efficient, but not to free it
from state control
● Reforms linked to Perestroika included:
○ People were given permission to buy and sell goods/services for profit
○ It permitted private ownership of business, which resulted in foreign investment in
the USSR
○ Investment from the West was encouraged
● Perestroika failed to have any major impact on the USSR's economic problems. It was
too little, too late
● This freedom in business practice undermined the Marxist principles of the USSR
Glasnost (openness)
● Gorbachev's intention with perestroika was not to end the Soviet economy but to revive it
● However, it was clear that perestroika was not enough to improve the Soviet economy,
which promoted Gorbachev to introduce glasnost
● Glasnost:
○ Glasnost was a policy that was enacted to encourage honesty and truth
○ Gorbachev, through Glasnost, called for open debate about Russia's problems
○ Glasnost allowed the media to work more freely, with less censorship
○ Glasnost bred nationalism in various countries of the USSR
Demokratizatsiya (democratisation)
● January 1987 - Gorbachev announced the policy of democratization
● Democratisation was a further reform that led to the collapse of the USSR
● Democratisation was Gorbachev's method of reviving Soviet politics.
○ This involved democratic election of candidates to the Communist Party of the
Soviet Union
○ These were not multi-party elections, but the elections of individuals to represent
the single ruling party
● Gorbachev hoped that this would revive and strengthen the party, which had grown
outdated and worn out
● In 1988 - Gorbachev announced that political parties other then the CPSU could be
formed
● In 1989, there were free elections for a new "parliament" called the Congress of People's
Duties.
○ This led to some of the minorities demanding their own independence
, Unit 2: What was the influence of events in Eastern Europe
➔ Eastern Europe had several revolutions in 1989 - these revolutions resulted in the
overthrowing of many communist governments
➔ These revolutions were, to a great extent, the result of Gorbachev's economic changes
that began a decline of Soviet influence in Eastern Europe and caused the disintegration
of the communist states in the USSR
➔ Communist governments had in the past suppressed such uprisings by portraying
Western capitalism as "evil" or blaming the CIA for intervening in Soviet politics. In 1989,
these pretences failed
➔ When the Soviet states appealed for support from the central government of the USSR
in Moscow, support was refused. By 1989, problems in the Soviet Union were too
serious for Gorbachev to consider invading Eastern Europe
Uprisings in Eastern Europe
● In the satellite states of Eastern Europe, Soviet secret police and the Red Army would
brutally crush any resistance.
● Yet anti-communist movements in other Soviet states increasingly took measures to gain
autonomy from the USSR and to abandon communism
● While these movements resisted communism, it became clear to them that the central
government of the Soviet Union (in Moscow) had no intention of intervening
● For this reason, the individual governments of these states faced anti-communism
movement alone
● Only in the early 1990s did the Soviet government allow its military to intervene
○ This occurred too late, and in some places, occurred violently
● Estonia is an example of an uprising in Eastern Europe that was allowed to occur without
the Soviet Union crushing the uprising with violence
Events in Poland - the Significance of Solidarity
● Poland was an extremely difficult satellite state for the USSR to control because of the
influence of Catholicism and strong patriotism.
● Workers in Polish industries were disgruntled about their working conditions and low
standard of living
● August/September, 1980 - a Polish dock labourer named Lech Walesa established
Solidarity
● The trade union aspired to a democratic government in Poland:
○ Solidarity opposed Soviet trade unions and the one-party communist stat
○ Solidarity held many strikes against the communist government of Poland
● Pope John Paul II encouraged Poles to resist communism and gave huge moral support
to the Solidarity uprising
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