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The end of Cold War - Coggle Diagram

- - - - USSR cannot interfere in internal affairs of its allies
    - - Satellite states lost, which diminished USSR's status as a superpower
  - - - Hardliners (devote followers of CP) were alarmed that Gorbachev was conceding too much to the US, compromising their power
      - In Aug 1991, a coup was launched; unsuccessful due to Yeltsin's opposition (he viewed them as a greater threat than Gorbachev)
      - Support for Yeltsin grew (from pro-democracy protesters/Russian military officers)
      - In June 1991, Boris Yeltsin was elected as President of Russia
      - Yeltsin suspended Communist Party of USSR, which led to dissolving USSR in December 1991 and resigning of Gorbachev
- - - - to limit nuclear arms and foster economic cooperation
    - - Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT 1) in May 1972
        
        limit/reduce the nuclear weapons that the superpowers possessed
      - Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in May 1972
        
        Limit possession of anti-ballistic missile sites to 2 for each superpower
    - - Soviet Union assisted USA in convincing North Vietnam (communists) to negotiate a peace treaty with USA
    - - Brezhnev agreed to repay WW2 debts to USA in 1972
      - USA granted most-favoured nation status (recipient state can enjoy trade advantages) to USSR, allowing them to purchase large supplies of grain from USA
  - - - Jimmy Carter (1976 USA president) was tough against communism, saw detente as a compromise in favour of USSR
        
        In 1975, the US and USSR sent aid to opposing groups during the Angolan Civil War
        
        Invasion of Afghanistan (1979) by USSR was strongly opposed by the international community, and Carter cancelled ongoing arms limitations talks and imposed embargos (grain, tech) on USSR
- - - - USA's economy suffered a decline in the 1970s due to oil crises and its involvement in Vietnam War
      - Britain and other western european countries followed as well seeing the success of the usa
      - This resulted in a financial boom in the west during the 1980s
      - West Germany and Japan's economy grew due to Marshall plan, and profited the US economy through their economic partnerships
      - Thus, USA president Ronald Reagan introduced economic liberalisation (encouraging free markets to produce/distribute goods and services), salvaging its economy
    - - New Arms race
        
        Reagan knew that USSR's economy was weak
        
        He knew USSR could not keep up due to the renewed arms race
        
        With a good economy, reagan deliberately increased the defence budget of the usa and started to produce new weapons
      - Reagan started the Strategic Defence Initialization (SDI)
        
        develop new technologies, such as satellites deployed in orbit around the earth, to detect and destroy potential intercontinental missiles
        
        Although the SDI forced Soviet Union to fortify its defence, its resources were already stretched
      - West Germnay Missiles
        
        NATO stationed hundred nuclear missiles in West Germany, which had the mobility and capacity for rapid deployment
        
        Missiles were aimed at targets in western part of USSR, threatening USSR and causing them to have a higher military expenditure
      - Able Archer 83 (1983)
        
        Code name Able Archer 83, the USA held a 10-day joint exercise with its NATO allies in Western Europe
        
        The exercise was so realistic that the Soviets believed the exercise preceded an actual nuclear strike to USSR
        
        Thus, USSR prepared their nuclear forces and put their border air forces on alert
      - Impact of renewed arms race
        
        the new arms race led Reagan to rethink his attitude towards the USSR
        
        His aggressive stance towards USSR pushed the two superpowers closer to a nuclear war
        
        changed his stance in 1984 and adopted a more favourable attitude to USSR
  - - - There were flaws in the soviet command economy in comparison to the western free market economy
        
        Command economy (USSR)
        
        government owned and controlled all industries, decided the distribution of resources and fixed production quotas
        
        Lack of checks by government, encouraged officials to falsify statistics to meet quotas, as well as engage in corrupt practices such as bribery
        
        No freedom of information, enterprise and individual creativity among producers
        
        Poor quality of information available to those who had
        to make decisions about the economy -> imprpoer allocation of resources,
        
        lack of innovation and creativity, led to poor quality of
        Soviet goods
        
        Free market economy (USA and Allies)
        
        Individual producers free to decide their allocation of resources
        
        Freedom of information, enterprise and individual creativity among producers
        
        emphasis on private ownership of companies and competition among producers
        
        Competitions spurred companies to improve their quality/quantity of goods
        
        Reliable statistics, effective reforms due to open debates
      - Caused USSR to underperform economically, USA's economy grew faster than USSR
    - - Many resources in USSR was directed to military production during cold war to keep up with arms race
      - fewer resources were devoted to producing consumer goods
      - Soviet economy could not keep up with arms race and provide for its people at the same time, thus depriving its citizens
    - - support to poorer communist states in the Eastern Europe
        
        Annual subsidy to Warsaw Pact allies in oil prices amounted to US $3 billion
      - Soviet-Afghan War, caused a huge drain on USSR in terms of money, resources and human casualties
    - - There were oppositions within the communist bloc despite Soviet leadership threatening to crush all opposition
      - e.g. Hungarian Revolution 1956, Prague Spring 1968, where both leaders of Hungary and Czech were overthrown forcibly by USSR
      - Although both were crushed by Soviet leadership, oppositions that spoke out against communist leadership did not stop
      - oppositons started to rise from the soviet satellite states like poland and czechoslovakia to fight for a stronger economy -> crumbled USSR political legitimacy
- - - - For USSR to progress, Gorbachev believed that economic and social problems needed to be discussed transparently
        
        Implementations
        
        He also permitted new discussions and reconstructions of Soviet history (de-classifying archives) to explain his reform's necessity
        
        Thus, he relaxed the censorship of books, journals and newspapers
        
        Anti-communist radio broadcasts from Western radio stations were no longer blocked by the government
        
        Problems
        
        However, the reform also led to the revelation of truth behind Stalin's purges and the exposure to popular westerm films and literature
        
        The citizens felt betrayed by the government and lost confidence in the vision and rule of communist governments
        
        Citizens wanted independence
        
        As such, Glasnost created a platform where criticisms of the communist government became uncontrollable
    - - This reform aimed to work on the suggestions and ideas gathered from Glasnost, and encourage greater interest & productivity among Soviet workers
        
        Implementations
        
        Economic reforms
        
        Permitted private ownership of small businesses in service, manufacturing and foreign-trade sectors
        
        Prices of goods/services were to be set by the enterprises themselves
        
        central control over wages were relaxed
        
        Political reforms
        
        Called for elections of candidates to local party positions
        
        candidacy no longer restricted to Communist party members in the general elections of 1989
        
        Problems
        
        Economically
        
        The government still controlled the means of production
        
        Roads, storage and refrigeration facilities were poorly lacking
        
        There were shortages of food and other necessities** (e.g. bread)
        
        Politically
        
        Reforms led to criticism by both Party conservatives and radical opposition
        
        The reform did not adhere to Soviet ideology, and it did not go fast/far enough
        
        open elections in 1989 led to the rise of opposition groups (mostly liberals/nationalists)
        
        formation of a first opposition group
        within the Soviet Union under Boris Yeltsin
    - - Gorbachev wanted to have friendly relations with the West; believed that Eastern European states should handle their political affairs without Soviet inteference
        
        nuclear disarmament talks with Reagan
        
        Reagan and Gorbachev met in 1985 and 1986 to discuss
        nuclear disarmament issues
        
        The meetings laid groundwork for successive treaties/discussions
        
        E.g. Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed in the end of 1987, where mobile missiles' removal in Europe were agreed
        
        Start of improving relations between the East and West
        
        'De-ideologisation' of Soviet Foreign policy
        
        Intended to end ideologically-driven policies which brought USSR to conflict with USA
        
        Held a Party Conference and a UN speech in 1988
        
        emphasised each country's right to choose its political/economic system
        
        e.g. withdrawal of 50,000 Societ troops from Eastern Europe, demobilising 500,000 Soviet troops