Transcript Military, Reagan & Gorbachev, and Collapse of the Soviet Union

The Cold War: Reagan &
Gorbachev, and Collapse of
the Soviet Union
Nixon and Foreign Policy
 Richard M. Nixon elected president in
1968
 Nixon’s greatest achievements as
President occurred in FOREIGN POLICY
 CREATIVE approach to foreign affairs helped
ease Cold War TENSIONS
 Relied heavily on Secretary
of State HENRY
KISSINGER
 Nixon and Kissinger brought about
DÉTENTE (a RELAXATION in tensions)
between the UNITED STATES and the
world’s two Communist GIANTS – CHINA
and the SOVIET UNION.
 IMPROVED
relationship with
China
 LIFTED restrictions
on travel to China
 ENDED trade
embargo
 Nixon was FIRST
PRESIDENT to visit
China (1972)
 IMPROVED relationship with Soviet Union
 Nixon VISITED Soviet Union in 1972, met with
Soviet premier
 Completed negotiations on SALT I
(STRATEGIC ARMS LIMITATIONS TALKS) –
froze the number of missiles at 1972 levels
Ford and Carter
 After Nixon RESIGNED on August 9,
1974, GERALD R. FORD became
president
 Ford PARDONED Nixon for all offenses
(SPARED HIM from further punishment)
 1976 election won by
JIMMY CARTER
 Former PEANUT
FARMER, GOVERNOR
of Georgia, NO national
political experience
 Carter faced several
issues during his
presidency, including:
 Unstable ECONOMY
 BOYCOTT of 1980
Olympics in Moscow
 IRAN HOSTAGE CRISIS
REAGAN & GORBACHEV
 Reagan elected
president in 1980
 Former HOLLYWOOD
ACTOR
 GOVERNOR of
California when
elected
 OLDEST man to serve
as President
 Reagan believed in a tough approach
toward the Soviet Union (the “EVIL
EMPIRE”)
 Very costly MILITARY BUILDUP
 STRATEGIC DEFENSE INITIATIVE 
proposed creation of massive satellite shield
in space (nicknamed “Star Wars”)
 Reagan INCREASED U.S.
military and economic
PRESSURE on the Soviet
Union
 CHALLENGED moral
legitimacy of the Soviet
Union  example: SPEECH
AT BERLIN WALL
 Despite fierce antiCommunist attitude, Reagan
developed CLOSE
FRIENDSHIP with Soviet
leader Mikhail GORBACHEV
 Gorbachev’s policies
 To reform ailing Soviet system,
Gorbachev instituted GLASNOST and
PERESTROIKA
 Glasnost: means “POLITICAL
OPENESS” (freedom of speech)
 Perestroika: means
“RESTRUCTURING”, an
economic policy to allow
LIMITED free enterprise
(capitalism)
END OF THE SOVIET UNION:
REASONS FOR COLLAPSE
 INCREASING Soviet military EXPENSES
to compete with the United States
 Rising NATIONALISM in the Soviet
republics
 Fast-paced REFORMS (market economy)
 Economic INEFFICIENCY
 Policies of GLASNOST and
PERESTROIKA = opening up of the
political system
Fall of Berlin Wall, Soviet Union
Dissolves
 NOVEMBER 9, 1989 – Berlin Wall comes
down
 Mikhail GORBACHEV RESIGNED the
presidency of the Soviet Union on December
25, 1991 and the Soviet Union was
DISSOLVED by the next week
 Soviet Union was REPLACED by a LOOSE
ALLIANCE of former Soviet republics called
the COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT
STATES
Reagan at Brandenburg Gate