Foreign Policy and the Cold War Mikhail Gorbachev

Foreign Policy and the Cold War § Mikhail Gorbachev § Glasnost § Perestroika § INF Treaty § Sandinistas § Contras

Gorby § March 1985 § Mikhail Gorbachev becomes Sec. General of Communist Party § Began “glasnost” § Openness § Open to free press and criticism § Perestroika § Called for less government control of the economy § Allowed for private enterprise § Led to democracy

INF Treaty § 1987 § Treaty that eliminated two major classes of nuclear weapons in Europe § Allowed for on-site inspections

End of the Cold War § Gorby’s introduction of democracy led to the breakup of the Soviet Union § Gorby resigned § 1992 § Pres. Bush (I) and Boris Yeltsin declared the Cold War over

Iran Contra § 1977 -79 § Sandinistas § Rebel group in Nicaragua § Toppled the Nicaraguan dictator § Pres. Carter acknowledge the new gov’t and sent $$ § Soviets also sent $$ § Pres. Reagan called Nicaragua a satellite of the Soviet Union

Iran Contra cont. § Reagan began to support the “Contras” § Congress banned aid to the Contras § Reagan found a way to fund Contras anyway § Nicaragua held free elections in 1990

Yes, more Iran Contra § 1983 § American hostages were taken in Lebanon § Reagan encouraged allies not to sell weapons to Iran in their war against Iraq § But…Reagan approved a weapons sale to Iran and in exchange, Iran would tell its friend, Lebanon, to let US hostages go § Hostages were freed

Big Trouble § Some of the profits from the sale of weapons to Iran went to the Contras in Nicaragua