8.04 The Iron Curtain Comes Down Flashcards
How did the fall of the Berlin Wall help the fall of the USSR?
Gorbachev was starting to make a few democratic and anti-communist reforms in the Soviet Union, and Reagan didn’t know if he had underhanded intentions underneath these reforms, or if he seriously wanted to get rid of the Soviet Union. When Reagan said that the fall of the Berlin Wall would make it clear whether or not Gorbachev really wanted to end the USSR, and when he encouraged Gorbachev to tear down the wall, he eventually did!
How did the 1991 coup d’etat in Moscow lead to the fall of the USSR?
There were still politicians in the Soviet Union that wanted to keep it from dying, so they kidnapped Gorbachev, told the citizens on national television that he was supposedly sick, and that he was in no condition to govern, and these politicians took over. The coup de’tat lasted only 48 hours, as it was clear the Union’s citizens wanted democracy. Gorbachev returned to power, but resigned on the Christmas of 1991. A couple weaks later, the USSR fell for good.
How did the Velvet Reunion contribute to the fall of the USSR?
In 1989, Czechoslovakian students protested and started demonstrations, all of which led to the ending of communist rule over them. They were able to start a capitalist democratic government.
In one of its first ever elections, they elected Alexander Dubcek to become the Speaker of the Parliament. They also made Vaclav Havel the president. Czechoslovakia eventually split into Czech and the Slovak republics.
