The End of the Cold War & Collapse of the Soviet Union

Introduction

• Overview of the end of the Cold War.
• Focus on three main causes contributing to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Technological and Military Advancements of the US

• By the early 1980s, both the US and Soviet Union had over 12,000 nuclear missiles.
• Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD): Deterrent against nuclear engagement.
• Détente of the 1970s:
  • Example: Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I) signed by US President Nixon and Soviet Premier Brezhnev.
• Reagan’s Hard Line (1980):
  • Flushed détente efforts.
  • Initiated the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), dubbed "Star Wars."
  • SDI aimed to use space-based systems to intercept and destroy nuclear missiles.
  • Increased divide as the Soviets struggled to match US defense spending due to economic stagnation.

Failed Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan (1979)

• Soviet troops invaded to support the Communist regime.
• Afghan rebels supported by the US, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.
• Soviet control limited to major cities; failed to win rural guerrilla warfare.
• Economic strain due to 9-year involvement in Afghanistan.

Policies of Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev (1985)

• Soviet Economic Crisis:
  • Limited foreign trade and stifled agriculture.
  • Eastern European discontent, e.g., Prague Spring in 1968.
• Gorbachev's Reforms:
  • Perestroika: Restructuring the economy, reducing central planning.
  • Glasnost: Openness to government criticism.
  • Ended military intervention in Communist governments, leading to satellite states seeking independence.
• Democratic Reforms:
  • Reforms erupted across Eastern Europe and in Soviet Union.
  • Berlin Wall torn down in 1989, Germany reunited.
  • 1991: Soviet legislature dissolved the Soviet Union, ending the Cold War.

Conclusion

• End of Cold War marked by the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

• Study Resources:
  • Mention of AP World History review guide for exam preparation.

Note: This summary covers the key points made in the provided transcript and serves as a study guide on the topic of the Cold War's end and the collapse of the Soviet Union.