Ronald Reagan (1981–1989): Confronting the Soviet Union
- Reagan’s foreign policy focused on defeating communism and restoring U.S. global strength after the Cold War setbacks of the 1970s.
- He called the Soviet Union the “Evil Empire” and believed in peace through strength, expanding the military and developing new weapons programs such as the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI).
- The Reagan Doctrine supported anti-communist movements in Latin America, Asia, and Africa through financial and military aid.
- Examples: Contras in Nicaragua, Mujahideen in Afghanistan, and anti-communist forces in Angola.
- Late in his presidency, Reagan adopted a more cooperative tone with Mikhail Gorbachev, signing arms control agreements like INF Treaty (1987).
- His policies helped end the Cold War, but also fueled regional instability in Latin America.
Mikhail Gorbachev (1985–1991)
Background and Rise to Power
- Mikhail Gorbachev became General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) in 1985, during a time of economic decline and political stagnation in the USSR.
- The Soviet Union was struggling with a weak economy, poor productivity, high military costs, and low morale among its citizens.
- Gorbachev believed that reform was the only way to save socialism and modernize the Soviet system.
- He was younger and more open-minded than previous Soviet leaders and aimed to renew the legitimacy of the Communist Party through transparency and restructuring.
Domestic Reforms: Perestroika and Glasnost
- Gorbachev launched two major reforms:
- Perestroika (restructuring): reforming the Soviet economy by introducing limited market mechanisms, encouraging small private businesses, and reducing government control.
- Glasnost (openness): increasing freedom of speech, transparency in government, and access to information, allowing open criticism of the state.
- These policies aimed to revive the economy and democratize Soviet society, but they also weakened Communist Party control.
- Political reforms followed, such as multi-candidate elections and a more independent parliament.
- Glasnost exposed government failures, corruption, and the truth about past repressions like Stalin’s purges, causing public disillusionment with communism.
Foreign Policy and the End of the Cold War
- Gorbachev’s foreign policy, known as “New Thinking,” aimed to reduce tensions with the West and shift focus from military power to diplomacy and cooperation.
- He signed key arms reduction treaties with the U.S., including the INF Treaty (1987) with Ronald Reagan, marking a turning point in East–West relations.
- Gorbachev ended the Brezhnev Doctrine, allowing Eastern European countries to decide their own political futures, leading to the fall of communist regimes in 1989.
- He withdrew Soviet troops from Afghanistan (1989), signaling an end to decades of costly interventions.
- These changes helped end the Cold War, but also accelerated the collapse of Soviet control over Eastern Europe.
Collapse of the Soviet Union (1991)
- Gorbachev’s reforms unintentionally weakened central authority and encouraged nationalist movements across the USSR.
- Economic problems worsened as old systems broke down faster than new ones could take effect.
- In 1991, a failed coup by hardline Communists tried to overthrow Gorbachev, but it only hastened the Soviet collapse.
- By December 1991, the USSR dissolved, and Boris Yeltsin became president of the new Russian Federation.
- Gorbachev resigned, ending 70 years of communist rule, but his role in ending the Cold War peacefully made him one of the most significant figures of the 20th century.
Definition
Perestroika
- Economic reform policy designed to restructure the Soviet economy by introducing market-like changes.
Definition
Glasnost
- Policy of openness that encouraged free discussion and criticism of government actions.
George H. W. Bush (1989–1993): Managing the Post–Cold War World
- Bush guided the U.S. through the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War (1991).
- His focus shifted from containment to maintaining stability and order in a new unipolar world dominated by the U.S.
- Major success: leading a multinational coalition in the Gulf War (1991) to expel Iraq from Kuwait, showing global U.S. military dominance.
- Promoted multilateral diplomacy, using international cooperation through the United Nations.
- In Latin America, Bush continued drug war policies and backed democratic transitions in Panama and Nicaragua.
