Transcript End of the Cold War

The End of the Cold War
The Cold War
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What we will learn today
In this lesson you will consider:
1.
Events that led to the Cold War being declared
officially over.
2.
How had relations changed between 1945 and 1989?
3.
An evaluation of the Cold War.
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Superpowers in the 1980s
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Life in superpower states
USSR
By the 1980s, the percentage of Soviets below the poverty
line was far greater than in Western Europe. Some basic
goods, like sugar, were even rationed.
20% of the workforce were employed in farming. The USSR
couldn’t produce enough food to feed its population.
Diverted huge proportion of national income towards
defence – tanks were built instead of consumer goods (TVs
and cars).
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USA
3% of the workforce were employed in farming. On
average a US farmer produced seven times more food
than a Soviet farmer.
President Reagan was ‘hotting up’ the Cold War –
investing massive sums into his military.
Why would defence spending affect the USSR
more than the USA?
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The USSR in the 1980s
By 1985, the Eastern bloc countries were in trouble. Out of
date machinery and factories only made the backward
economies worse.
Manufactured goods were a poor second to goods made in
the West. Shop shelves were bare and food queues became
part of everyday life.
The communists kept power by censorship and the secret
police, backed up by the Soviet army.
Discuss:
Why do you think the USSR continued to invest in its
space and military programmes?
If you were a leader of the USSR, what action would
you have taken?
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The beginning of the end
Reagan and Gorbachev met in
Geneva (1985) and Reykjavik
(1986). They finally signed the
‘Intermediate Range Nuclear
Force Treaty’ (INF) in 1987.
This treaty was the first that actually led to the destruction
of a range of nuclear weapons.
The economic problems of the Soviet Union meant that it
could simply not continue. During 1989 the Soviet Union
literally broke apart.
What were the reasons for each side signing the
treaty?
How different were their reasons?
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1989 – The year of freedom
Click on the arrows to move through the timeline.
Think back to the Domino Effect that the US
administration was so worried about. Can you make
any comparisons?
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Read each event, locate where it occurred and then click on
the country on the map.
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The end of the Cold War
In 1990, Germany was officially reunified.
In July 1991, the Warsaw Pact was dissolved.
Communist hard-liners in Russia were horrified by
Gorbachev’s policies, and how he had done nothing to
stop the disintegration of the USSR.
In August 1991 they tried to overthrow Gorbachev.
The coup failed and the Communist Party was outlawed.
In December, Russia formed the CIS with two other
Soviet republics. The USSR was no more.
On Christmas Day 1991, Gorbachev resigned.
What do you think newspaper headlines were after
Gorbachev resigned? Explain your thoughts…
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Dollars in billions
The cost of the Cold War for the USA
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Defence
Total
Federal
Budget
1945
1950
1960
1970
1980
1989
Years
Look carefully at the graph and answer the following questions:
1. What is the most surprising feature? Explain your thoughts.
2. Why is the proportion of money spent significant?
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What was the cost of the Cold War?
In 1988, the United Nations Secretary-General admitted
that almost a thousand billion dollars were spent each
year on arms and armed forces. This was more than the
total income of the poorer half of the world’s population.
It was estimated that the USA’s military establishment
pumped out nearly a tonne of toxic pollutants a minute,
more than the five largest chemical companies put together.
A nuclear bomber consumes over 13,500 litres of fuel an
hour. A car doing approximately 180 miles would consume
only 25 litres.
When you consider the environmental problems
in the world and food shortages, can the effects
of the Cold War be justified?
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The potential of war between the superpowers
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Conclusions about the Cold War
You need to reach your own conclusions about the Cold
War. Consider the following questions:
1. What actually was the Cold War?
2. Did either side really ‘win’?
3. Why did the Cold War last so long? Think about
different factors:
Economic
Political
Mutual distrust
Propaganda
Pride
‘National security’
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