FALL OF THE SOVIET UNION

RONALD REAGAN

• Called Soviet Onion an "evil empire"
• Reagan began US military buildup
• Sent military aid to afghan rebels
• Insisted that Gorbachev tore down Berlin Wall
• Began a new arms race

LEONID BREZHNEV

• Replaced Nikita Krushchev in 1964
• Was determined to keep Eastern Europe in Communist hands
• Emerged as a dominant leader in the 1970s
• Insisted on the right of the to intervene if Communism was threatened
• His beliefs made up the Brezhnev Doctrine

PROBLEMS FACED BY BREZHNEV

• Dissidents-those who spoke out against the regime
• The government's planning led to discouraged efficiency
• Many preferred working on their own private plots
• Inefficiency among communist ruling class
• Largly declining economy in the 1980s

GORBACHEV AND PERESTROIKA

• Preached the need for radical reforms
• Basis of his reforms were perestroika, or restructuring
• This economy would have limited free enterprise
• In 1988, Gorbachev established a new Soviet parliament
• Decreed that non-Communist parties could organize

M. GORBACHEV

• Came to power in 1985
• Brought a dramatic end to the Cold War
• Encouraged "glasnost", a policy of openness
• Agreed to eliminate intermediate range nuclear weapons
• Stopped giving military support to communists in Eastern Europe

THE END OF THE SOVIET UNION

• One serious problem was the multiethnic nature of the Soviet Union
• The USSR had 92 ethnic groups and 112 languages
• In the 90s, Gorbachev struggled with problems made by his reforms
• In 1991, conservative leaders arrested Gorbachev
• On 12/25/91, Gorbachev turned over his responsibilities to Yeltsin

BORIS YELTSIN

• Took over as president after Gorbachev resigned
• Committed to a free market economy
• Used brutal force to keep Chechnya in Russia
• Opposed NATOs proposed expansion
• Resigned in 1999

VLADIMIR PUTIN

• Elected president in 2000
• Vowed to adopt assertive international role
• Wanted to bring breakaway state of Chechnya under control
• In 2001, launched reforms to boost growth and budget revenues
• Helped Russia experience a budget surplus and growing economy