The Collapse of the Soviet Union Soviet Union

The Collapse of the Soviet Union

Soviet Union Joseph Stalin dies in 1953 Nikita Kruschev takes control Denounces Stalin for jailing and killing loyal Soviet citizens Destalinization-purging the country of Stalin’s memory Destroyed monuments, “peaceful competition with capitalist states”

Soviet Union New soviet outlook did not change life in satellite countries Resentment turned to active protest Protests in Hungary and Czechoslovakia Pro-Soviet government installed

Soviet Union Khrushchev out of power after Cuban Missile Crisis, replaced by Leonid Brezhnev (1964) Very repressive domestic polices Prague Spring Attempts at liberalization in Czechoslovakia crushed by Warsaw Pact troops

Soviets and China is committed to communism but tired of following the Soviet Union Spread Chinese communism to Africa and other parts of Asia Khrushchev punished Chinese by refusing to share nuclear secrets

Brinkmanship to Détente What is Brinkmanship? Brinkmanship Crisis Cuban Missile Crisis- JFK Vietnam War- LBJ Détente Started by Richard Nixon Uses détente to reduce tensions, substitution for brinkmanship

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SALT I Nixon is first US President to visit China Visits Soviet Union in May 1972 Series of meetings called Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT) 5 year agreement, limits missiles for each country Leads to Helsinki Accords in 1975 (33 other countries join pact)

SALT II Relations under Nixon and Gerald Ford improve with China and USSR Soviet Union continues to harshly react to protests 1979 - Carter and Brezhnev sign SALT II US refuses to ratify when USSR invades Afghanistan later that year Tensions grow again as India and China create nuclear arsenals

Gorbachev Moves Towards Democracy Mikhail Gorbachev – put into power by the Politburo (the ruling committee of the Communist Party) Youngest USSR ruler since Stalin (age 54) Soviet people approved of his leadership – praised his youth, energy, and political skills

Gorbachev Moves Towards Democracy What was life like in the Soviet Union during Stalin and Khrushchev? Gorbachev realized that he could not fix economic and social problems without a free flow of ideas and information. 1985 – announces policy glasnost (openness) More social freedoms and less censorship of critics Poster: “Be bold Comrade! Openness is our strength!

USSR Reform With glasnost, Soviet citizens now allowed to complain about economic problems – consumers upset they had to stand in line to buy food and other basics What are some economic policies of Communism? 1985 – introduced idea of perestroika (economic restructuring) Gave greater authority to managers of factories and farms, as well as allowed small businesses to open Gorbachev’s goal not to overthrow communism, but to make the economic system more efficient and productive

Reforming the USSR Gorbachev also knew that for the economy to improve, the Communist Party would have to loosen its grip on Soviet society and politics 1987 – democratization (gradual opening of the political system) Foreign policy changes also occurred US spent $2 trillion on military build up and Gorbachev realized that the Soviet economy could not keep up Signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Reagan for Arms control

The Soviet Union Faces Turmoil Movements for democracy started to grow in the USSR and Gorbachev did not suppress them While trying to reform the system, it was the move to reform that led to the breakup of the Soviet Union Ethnic tensions increased and nationalist groups in Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldavia demanded self-rule

The Break up of the USSR The people elected Boris Yeltsin, who wanted faster reforms, to become president of the Russian Federation Older Communist officials opposed reform and worked to overthrow this new reform minded government The coup failed, and the Communist Party collapsed Estonia and Latvia quickly declared independence and other republics soon followed By early December 1991, all 15 republics had declared independence

The Breakup of the USSR Boris Yeltsin met with other republic leaders to form the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) A lose federation of former Soviet territories This formation signaled the end of the Soviet Union On Christmas 1991, Gorbachev announced his resignation as president of the Soviet Union, formally ending the USSR