9.3: End of the Cold War
9.3: Explain the causes and effects of the end of the Cold War and its legacy.
In the last set of notes, we talked about the presidency of Ronald Reagan and now, we’re moving on to the end of the Cold War. There were several causes for the end of the Cold War and now, we’re going to be going over them.
Military Spending
The first cause would be the massive military spending under Reagan. Under the Reagan administration, billions were spent to build new weapons systems such as new bombers, missiles, and navy ships. In addition, the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was developed, an antimissile system that was planned to use lasers to destroy missiles in outer space. This idea was dubbed “Star Wars” by the media.
Gorbachev: Glasnost and Perestroika
The Cold War also ended due to the improvement of relations between the two powers. In 1982, Mikhail Gorbachev became the Soviet premier, or leader, and focused his efforts on improving relations with the U.S. He implemented two policies, glasnost and perestroika, to open up the Soviet political process, increase freedom in Russia, and introduce free-market practices and ideas to the Soviet economy. In 1987, diplomacy between the two powers led to the Intermediate Nuclear Forces treaty, an agreement in which the two powers would remove and destroy all intermediate-range missiles in Europe.
Contras
In addition, the United States had been supporting anti-communist revolutions. For example, in Nicaragua, the Sandinistas had overthrown an authoritarian regime there but Reagan accused the Sandinistas of being socialist and welcoming Soviet military assistance. As a result, the CIA began supplying the Contras, exiles fighting against the Sandinistas, to attempt to overthrow them. The Contras raided villages, attacked mining harbors, and blew up oil tanks.
The Iran-Contra Affair
But then there was the Iran-Contra Affair, a scandal in which the Reagan administration was revealed to have been secretly selling arms to Iran in exchange for Americans held hostage there. Then the U.S. was using the profits from the sale to support the Contras in Nicaragua. This led to calls for Reagan’s impeachment but nothing came of it and later in 1992, President H. W. Bush pardoned those who were involved in the affair.
Tiananmen Square
As for China, during the spring of 1989, pro-democracy protests erupted in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and soon after, the Chinese communist government sent the military to stop the protest after several weeks, killing hundreds in the Tiananmen Square Massacre
The Fall of the USSR
As the Soviet economy opened itself up to more free-market policies and more freedom, many countries in the USSR began to desire independence and the USSR decided to no longer support the continued existence of communism outside of Russia. As a result, in 1990, many Soviet countries began declaring independence and having free elections, removing themselves from communism and establishing free-market economies. After a failed coup against Gorbachev in 1991, the USSR was dissolved, and later, Boris Yeltsin was elected as the first president of the Russian Republic
The Persian Gulf War
Let’s also talk about the Persian Gulf War, because that is relevant during this period. In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait to take control of its oil reserves. In response, 41st President George H. W. Bush persuaded Saudi Arabia to accept a buildup of American troops. This was called Desert Shield and Bush hoped that this would prevent Iraq from any further aggression in the region. But after sanctions failed to remove Iraq from Kuwait, Operation Desert Shield became Operation Desert Storm and Bush persuaded Congress to approve the use of military force to liberate Kuwait. Then, in 1991, an assault on Kuwait City was launched, liberating the country and greatly improving Bush’s approval ratings. As a result of the war, the price of oil fell.
