Relations with West improved a lot. Economic liberalization process also started after the rise of Gorbachev as many economic and social problems plagued Soviet Union. In the face of economic issues facing the empire the cost of managing the cold war with respect to the Cold War arms race almost endangered its survival. The Chernobyl catastrophe in 1986 made matters even worse for the Soviet Republic. On American front Republican government came into force with Ronal Reagan sitting in the Washington D.C. with a stern stance on the foreign policy. The result of these two new governments came in the form of meeting of the respective head of states for reducing their military arsenal. The two super powers then started negotiating on a continuous basis resulting in a number of treaties between the two states. "During his second term he held five summit meetings with a Soviet leader -- more than any other president -- and shortly before leaving the presidency in January 1989, Reagan would visit Moscow and place his arm around the leader of the "evil empire," Mikhail Gorbachev, and call him a man with whom the United States could do business" (Powaski, 1998). Also transformation started taking place worldwide and communist governments started facing resistance from different quarters for example East Germany saw huge protests by public against the communist government. Moreover, the fall of Berlin Wall and demise of communist regimes in Bulgaria and Romania created a new outlook for the world. All these changes made Soviet Republics seek independence from the central government in Moscow. The agitation started in different republics seeking independence as a result of which the government in return made promises of greater freedom for the republics and more decentralization in the future. The agitation of people also resulted in the mass movement against the Gorbachev government. Even though the movement to topple the government of Gorbachev could not succeed but Baltic States got independence.
End of Cold War
By the end of the year 1991 the super power of Russian Federation fell into pieces and the Soviet Union separated into fifteen different nations and so the cold war finally met its natural death. The new states formed had lost the connection with super power and the cold war. The new States did not have the luxury to wage a cold war rather they had new problems to face as independent states. The collapse of Soviet Union was the event that not only marked the end of cold war but the end of a century of conflict between two powers leaving only United Sates as the sole super power in the world.
Reference:
Powaski, R. (1998). The Cold War: The United States and the Soviet Union, 1917-1991. Oxford University Press: New York.
Sample Source(s) Used
Reference:
Powaski, R. (1998). The Cold War: The United States and the Soviet Union, 1917-1991. Oxford University Press: New York.
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