Quick questions on The end of the Cold War 1985 to 1991: QCE Modern History Unit 4

Mikhail Gorbachev (born 1931) became General Secretary of the CPSU on March 11, 1985, on the death of Chernenko. He was 54, the youngest Politburo member, and signalled reformist intentions. His diagnosis: the USSR's economic stagnation and military overstretch were unsustainable; reform was necessary to preserve the system.

The Two Plus Four Treaty (between the two German states and the four occupying powers, USA, UK, France, USSR) settled the international status of a unified Germany. East Germany joined the Federal Republic on October 3, 1990. The unified Germany remained in NATO (an outcome Gorbachev had initially resisted but eventually accepted).

Reforms had unintended consequences inside the USSR itself:

Increased freedom of expression. Censorship loosened; Soviet press began addressing previously taboo topics (Stalinist crimes, environmental disasters, economic failures). The Chernobyl disaster (April 26, 1986) accelerated glasnost: the initial Soviet cover-up was widely criticised; subsequent transparency was credited to glasnost.

Economic reform aimed at limited market mechanisms within the planned economy. Cooperative enterprises, modest decentralisation, and incentive structures were introduced. Results were poor: half-reforms produced shortages, inflation, and declining living standards.

Limited political reforms: contested elections to the Congress of People's Deputies (1989); the Communist Party's monopoly on power formally ended (1990); Gorbachev became Soviet President (1990).

First Reagan-Gorbachev meeting. Established personal rapport.

Near-agreement on the elimination of all nuclear weapons in 10 years. Broke down over SDI. The breakdown was widely seen as a missed opportunity but established the ambition for radical disarmament.

Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Eliminated all US and Soviet ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 km. The first treaty to eliminate an entire class of nuclear weapons. Removed Pershing II from Western Europe and SS-20s from the USSR.

Gorbachev decided the war was unwinnable. The withdrawal removed a major irritant to detente.

Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. First strategic arms agreement to reduce (not just cap) numbers. Both sides committed to substantial reductions in strategic warheads.

Round-table talks between the communist government and Solidarity led to partly-free elections. Solidarity won decisively. A non-communist Prime Minister (Mazowiecki) took office in September 1989, the first in the bloc since 1948.

Hungary began dismantling its border fence with Austria. In September 1989, Hungary opened the border, allowing East Germans on holiday to escape to the West. This decision contributed directly to the East German crisis.

Mass protests in Leipzig and other cities. Honecker was forced out (October 18). New leadership announced (November 9) that East Germans could travel freely; the Berlin Wall was effectively opened that night.

The "Velvet Revolution". Student-led mass protests forced the communist government to negotiate. Vaclav Havel became President in December 1989.