2-4.0 END OF THE COLD WAR

Question 1

INTERNAL FACTORS LEADING TO END OF THE COLD WAR

Answer 1

1. STRUCTURAL WEAKNESSES OF SOVIET COMMAND ECONOMY
   - soviet economy began to stagnate from 1970s
2. SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN SOVIET UNION
3. EXTERNAL ECONOMIC BURDENS OF THE SOVIET UNION
   - SU annual subsidy to its Warsaw pact allies through discounting of oil prices amounted US $3 billion
   - while USA economy improved in mid 1980s SU led an economically weaker alliance
4. INCREASING RESISTANCE WITHIN COMMUNIST BLOC
   - Hungarian revolution 1956
   > Imre Nagy replace Rakosi as PM, announced Hungary would withdraw from Warsaw pact and practice democracy
   > Soviet forces crushed revolution justified by Brezhnev Doctrine declared in Nov 1968
   - political legitimacy slowly eroding by 1980s

Question 2

EXTERNAL FACTORS

Answer 2

1. AMERICAN ECONOMIC GROWTH WHICH LED TO ECONOMIC SUPERIORITY
   - 1970s > USA economy suffered severe downturn due to oil crisis in 1973 and 1979
   - Reagan began process of economic liberation growth of US economy in 1980s
2. BANKRUPTCY OF SU DUE TO COLD WAR COMPETITION

Question 3

BREZHNEV DOCTRINE

Answer 3

DECLARED IN Nov 1968
- Soviet foreign policy that called for intervention in Warsaw pact countries that tried to leave soviet sphere or modify policies

Question 4

External factors
BANKRUPTCY OF SU DUE TO COLD WAR COMPETITION

Answer 4

• Reagan supported Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
  Height of arms race further aggravated SU economic problems (struggled to keep up)
  > USA spent 6% of Gross national product on defense
  > SU with economy half the size of USA spent 16% on defense
• NATO stationed over a hundred Pershing ll missiles in west Germany > aimed at targets in western part of SU
  Nov 1983 - Able Archer 83 USA held a 10 day joint military exercise with NATO allies in western Europe

Question 5

LEADERSHIP OF GORBACHEV

Answer 5

March 1985 - came to power
> diagnosed that ineffectiveness of command economy and crippling cost of maintaining cold war competition with USA
> causes that weakened Soviet economy
- believed solution is to reform Soviet economy and end military competition with USA
INTRODUCED GLASNOST AND PERESTROIKA

Question 6

IMPACT OF GLASNOST

Answer 6

began by launching series of public debates in 1986

Question 7

IMPACT OF PERESTROIKA

Answer 7

General elections for newly-formed congress of people’s deputies to be held in 1989 (political reform)
1989 > Groups formed first opposition bloc in congress open elections rise of various opposition groups in gov
- international group of deputies - led by Boris Yeltsin (popular reformer)
- reforms led to mounting criticisms by both conservatives and radical oppositions

Question 8

FOREIGN POLICY REFORMS

Answer 8

• Gorbachev introduced ‘new thinking’ to soviet foreign policy
  Nuclear disarmament talks with USA
  1985 Geneva Summit
  1986 Reykjavik
  Intermediate - Range Nuclear force treaty signed 1987
  > removal of mobile missiles in Europe by both US SU
  (first agreement between superpowers which actually led to arms reduction)
• symbolized significant improvement in superpower relations due to negotiations between Reagan and Gorbachev

Question 9

DE-IDEOLOGISATION OF SOVIET FOREIGN POLICY

Answer 9

• MOST OBVIOUS EXAMPLE OF EXTENSION OF HIS ‘NEW THINKING’ TO SOVIET FOREIGN POLICY
  UN speech 1988 > Gorbachev emphasized each countries right to choose its own political and economic system
  MAIN POINTS
• an end to barring foreign radio and tv broadcasts in the soviet union
• 50,000 soviet troops from Eastern Europe and 500,000 soviet troops demobilized
• continued dialogue with USA towards peace and nuclear disarmament
  UN SPEECH SPARKED DISINTEGRATION OF SU SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
• SIGNALED ABANDONMENT OF BREZHNEV DOCTRINE
• REGIMES CRUMBLE ONE AFTER ANOTHER IN 1989
  Poland - trade union strikes in 1988 made gov concede to hold semi-free democratic elections in 1989
  Hungary - Jan 1989 Hungarian gov began democratic reforms held free elections in Oct 1989

Question 10

INCREASED COOPERATION BETWEEN SUPERPOWERS

Answer 10

First Gulf war > both president George Bush and Gorbachev supported UN resolution in 1990
- authorize military action to expel Iraqi forces in Kuwait
- first time in history both superpower jointly supported UN enforcement measures
SIGNALLED USA SU NO LONGER FIERCE ENEMIES

Question 11

DISINTEGRATION OF THE SOVIET UNION

Answer 11

Jun 1991 > Boris Yeltsin president of Russia, Gorbachev president of USSR
Aug 1991 > hardliners launched a coup against Gorbachev
- unsuccessfully due to opposition from Yeltsin > viewed Hardliners as greater threat than Gorbachev
- overwhelming mass support for Yeltsin > suspended comm party only force left holding SU together)
8 Dec 1991 > leaders of three main soviet republics signed Belavezha accords (Russia Ukraine Belarus agree to dissolve SU)
21 Dec 1991 > representatives confirmed arrangement