Reasons for end of Cold War

Question 1

External Long Term Reasons
US economic growth
Renew arms race
Disarmament
Coup against Gorbachev
Banning of Communist Party

Answer 1

Economic superiority, arms race
(EV) US economy suffered after 2 oil crises in 1973 & 1979.
Reagan started economic liberalisation -> encouraged individual enterprise and sold government owned companies like airlines.

(EL) Private companies are more efficient than government owned ones -> efficient use of resources not requiring governmental consensus -> increased profit -> higher GDP.
Powerful economy -> increase in military spending and development -> renewed and escalated arms race.

Question 2

Renewal of arms race by Reagan

Answer 2

(EV) Economic boom led to the development of the “Star Wars” programme -> want to develop satellites that destroy attacks by intercontinental missiles. -> Make USSR hard to keep up for its alr stretched resources
Able Archer 83 -> military exercise with NATO members -> very realistic -> Believing US wanted a nuclear first strike, threatened Soviet Union to put air force units in East Germany on high alert.

(EL) Fearful Soviet reactions -> made Reagan see the need to adopt a diplomatic approach to avoid conflict -> more willing to negotiate on nuclear disarmament.
Both become less threatened by each other -> less capability for mutual destruction through disarmament -> less tensions -> end of cold war.

Question 3

Internal Long Term Reasons
Command economy and Comecon.
Internal resistance and low political legitimacy.
More weapons and less consumer goods.
Lower living standard.
Low worker morale.
Citizen needs and resentment

Answer 3

(EV) Inefficient command economy: controlled the allocation of resources.
Soviet Union spent 16% of GNP on defence -> low standard of living -> lack of consumer goods.
Low motivation among workers: Fixed wages and poor conditions.
Soviet Union supported economies of satellite states: -> US$ 3 billion -> drained economic resources.

(EL) Lack and drainage of resources -> low economic growth.
Lack of consumer goods and low living standard -> govt not taking care of needs of citizens.
Resentment towards the govt and ☭ system / compared to economic boom and consumer luxuries in USA -> govt loses legitimacy.
Gradual opposition of communist government -> increase in public support to ban Communist party -> collapse of USSR - end of Cold War.

Question 4

Oppressive Brezhnev Doctrine, (Justified Czechoslovakian invasion due to Prague Spring ‘68)

Doctrine was deideologised by Gorbachev in 1988

Answer 4

(EV) Brezhnev Doctrine -> no Warsaw Pact member allowed to leave.
Soviet republics forcibly brought under its control / crushed opposition revolutions -> Prague Spring, Invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968).

(EL)
Led to more uprisings
Poor command economy -> poor economy.
Failure to introduce reforms to save declining economy + low standards of living caused by govt -> eroding political legitimacy.
Led to increased resistance to communist rule.
Crushing of dissidents fueled more anger against Soviet govt and communism -> without public support -> led to USSR’s downfall -> end of Cold War.

Question 5

Internal Short Term Reasons
Gorbachev’s aims
Failure of Glasnost and Perestroika
Citizen emotions
Effect of govt legitimacy

Answer 5

Gorbachev’s political reform failures

(EV) Gorbachev’s aims: solve the inefficient command economy through economic reforms + reform communist system.
Glasnost: Greater transparency -> relaxed censorship of foreign media -> exposed to the outside world.
Perestroika: Introduction of economic and political reforms (e.g. permission of private enterprises / opening of govt positions to non-Communist organisations.)

(EL) Glasnost backfired -> exposed citizens to govt’s failures / atrocities committed towards Soviet citizens by Stalin.
Perestroika failed due to widespread corruption and lack of basic infrastructure -> citizens still had low living conditions.
Information fueled anger of citizens towards govt and communism -> citizens felt lied to and deprived of the luxuries of the outside world -> lost political legitimacy.
Gradual public opposition of govt -> rebel -> led to banning of the Communist Party -> end of the USSR.

Question 6

De-ideologisation of Soviet foreign policy

Answer 6

(EV) Gorbachev intended to end ideologically-driven policies -> allowed to choose their own govt.
Withdrew Soviet troops from Afghanistan after 10 years on Feb 1989.
Gorbachev’s UN speech on 7 Dec 1988 -> USSR would no longer interfere with the internal affairs of its allies.

(EL) Eastern European communist regimes collapsed one after the other
Attempts to overthrow communist governments no longer faced military action.
Pressure of popular revolutions -> USSR loses its sphere of influence -> diminished its superpower status.
Weakened the unity and togetherness of republics -> end of USSR. (25 Dec ‘91)