Soviet Union's Perestroika and Dissolution: 1985-1991
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Reform in the Soviet Union
- In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev was named Secretary General of the Soviet Communist Party and leader of the USSR. He approved important reforms known as perestroika.
- Political reforms:
- The USSR permitted other political parties.
- The USSR adopted a new policy called glasnost, which permitted freedom of speech.
- Economic reforms:
- Private ownership of land was allowed.
- Spending cuts were introduced.
The Collapse of the Eastern Bloc
- The 1989 elections in Poland were won by Solidarity, a non-communist party.
- In 1989, the people of Berlin pulled down the Berlin Wall. In 1990, the GDR was dissolved and Germany was reunified.
- The Communist states of Eastern Europe became democracies.
- The dissolution of Yugoslavia (1990).
The Dissolution of the USSR
- Independence movements had emerged in the Soviet republics after the introduction of perestroika.
- In 1991, a number of these republics obtained independence, Gorbachev resigned, and the Soviet Union was dissolved.
- The USSR was replaced by the Commonwealth of Independent States.
- The Russian Federation was created in 1991 and its first president was Boris Yeltsin.
Reform in the Soviet Union
- In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev was named Secretary General of the Soviet Communist Party and leader of the USSR. He approved important reforms known as perestroika.
- Political reforms:
- The USSR permitted other political parties.
- The USSR adopted a new policy called glasnost, which permitted freedom of speech.
- Economic reforms:
- Private ownership of land was allowed.
- Spending cuts were introduced.
The Collapse of the Eastern Bloc
- The 1989 elections in Poland were won by Solidarity, a non-communist party.
- In 1989, the people of Berlin pulled down the Berlin Wall. In 1990, the GDR was dissolved and Germany was reunified.
- The Communist states of Eastern Europe became democracies.
- The dissolution of Yugoslavia (1990).
The Dissolution of the USSR
- Independence movements had emerged in the Soviet republics after the introduction of perestroika.
- In 1991, a number of these republics obtained independence, Gorbachev resigned, and the Soviet Union was dissolved.
- The USSR was replaced by the Commonwealth of Independent States.
- The Russian Federation was created in 1991 and its first president was Boris Yeltsin.