Soviet Leadership

Stalin Khrushchev Brezhnev Gorbachev

Life after Stalin• Khrushchev reforms USSR after Stalin dies (1953)

– Soviet people begin to enjoy some freedoms

• Reforms encourage resistance– Poland 1956 – workers strike for better conditions– Hungary 1956 – nationwide revolt against USSR– Czech 1968 – Prague Spring democratic reforms

• USSR uses force to maintain control

Problems in the USSR• Military Burden

– Arms Race is expensive to maintain– Détente: Relaxation of tensions in 1970s

• Both sides reduce number of nuclear weapons

• Economic Burden– USSR produces inferior goods; not enough for all– Low standard of living & poverty

American Jeans being sold in the black market

1 pair = 1 month’s worth of wages

“Eternally Youthful”

External Challenges to Cold War Superpowers

Internal Protest

Reform

U.S

.U

.S.S

.R.

Vietnam War

• Extremely unpopular war• U.S. not successful

• 58,000 Americans dead

• 1 million Vietnamese dead

Anti War Movement

• Students protest U.S. involvement in Vietnam

• Question U.S. Cold War strategies

Civil Rights Movement

• African Americans & students protest

End of the Vietnam War

• War Powers Act, 1973• Limited power of president to send troops to

war w/o congress approval

• Church Committee• Bans CIA abuses (Assassination & spying)

Civil Rights Act, 1964• Bans discrimination

Voting Right Act, 1965• Federal Supervision of elections

Soviet Afghan War

• Czechoslovakian Revolt• Defies soviet control

• Soviet Chinese Split• Economic Reform (capitalism)

• No political reform (communist govt.)

• Gorbachev

• Pulled Soviets from Afghanistan

• Gave satellite countries independence

• Glasnost (openness)

• Lifted restrictions on freedom of speech/expression

• Perestroika (restructuring)

• Allowed for a democratic govt.

• Multi-candidate elections

• No public protest

• Why?

Prote

st

USSR Crumbles 1989• Eastern Europe Breaks Free

– Poland – Solidarity Movement holds free elections– Hungary – allows new political parties– Czech – elected a president

• Berlin Wall Falls – Berlin Wall supposed to keep people IN– East Germany begins to let people OUT– Thousands help dismantle the Berlin Wall

• Germany will unify

`

End of the Cold War• Cold War officially ends in 1991

– USSR controlled nations become independent– USSR becomes Russia once again

• United States only remaining superpower