Transcript Collapse of Soviet Union

Post-1975 Pretest
1. Which nation collapsed on December 25, 1991?
a. The U.S.S.R c. The United Kingdom
b. The U.S.
d. Brazil
2. After September 22, 2001, how did the U.S. try to
improve security?
a. U.S. borders were permanently closed.
b. Airlines no longer land in the U.S.
c. The Patriot Act passed.
d. The U.S. jailed all September 11th hijackers.
3. With what country did the U.S. fight against in
the Persian War?
a. Afghanistan
c. Israel
b. Kuwait
d. Iraq
4. What organization is responsible for the 9/11
attacks?
a. Saddam Hussein c. Democrats
b. Al Qaeda
d. Kuwait
5. President Bush declared_________ in response
to the 9/11 attacks.
a. Operation Desert Storm c. Civil War
b. War on Iraq
d. War on Terrorism
• In 1985, Gorbachev became
the leader of the Soviet Union.
• Gorbachev knew his country
could not continue an arms race
against the USA.
• The Soviet economy was in bad
shape. Many Soviets were poor
and hurting.
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The Soviet Union could
not keep spending
billions of dollars on
nuclear weapons; it
needed to spend more on
improving production and
providing basic needs for
its citizens.
Under Gorbachev, the
USSR made changes that
allowed more freedom
and some capitalism – he
even allowed freedom of
speech for the first time.

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Once the people in these
countries got a taste of
freedom, many of them did not
want to remain citizens under
communist governments
anymore – now that they could
speak out, citizens demanded
independence.
By the late 80’s, communist
governments began to fall and
many Eastern European
countries replaced their old
communist regimes with more
democratic forms of
government and allowed more
capitalism.
Ronald Reagan
1981 – 1989
Pressured the U.S.S.R.
to break apart.
“Mr. Gorbachev, tear
down this wall”
U.S. offered to help
them rebuild
governments
Berlin Wall
Built in 1961


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Germany became a unified country
once again.
The East German government
opened the border between East &
West Berlin!
People celebrated in the streets,
climbing on the Berlin Wall and
breaking it apart with hammers and
chisels.

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Eventually, the Soviet Union dissolved in
the early ‘90s.
It broke into several independent countries.
The collapse of the Soviet Union marked
the end of the Cold War and Western fears
about communism in Europe.

Knocked it down because it was
no longer necessary – allowed
people to travel back and forth
between E & W Berlin

Fall or breakdown of USSR –
countries were independent to
have their own government