End Of The Cold War
"Mr Gorbachev tear down this wall" - Ronald Reagan, 1987.
What happened in the end?
During the 1980s a series of factors led to the ending of the Cold War. Officially the war ended at the Malta Summit where Bush and Gorbachev claimed to have buried the Cold War at the bottom of the Mediterranean, however the Cold War could be argued to have ended prior to this when the Berlin Wall came down or later when the Soviet Union finally collapsed in 1991.
When it ended is a matter of perspective, as is why, this latter question is the more important one.
When it ended is a matter of perspective, as is why, this latter question is the more important one.
Why did it come to an end?
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The factors involved in ending the Cold War are complex and generally it would be unwise to suggest only one reason for the ending of the war. The historiography though does try and suggest three major theories that you are going to investigate:
1. The actions of the USA, specifically Reagan and his more aggressive policy forced the Soviet Union into retreat. 2. The actions of Gorbachev and his reforms of the Soviet system led to an unravelling of the Soviet state. 3. The actions of protest groups within the Soviet Union, such as Solidarity in Poland led to a revolution. Some of the alternate explanations are the role of Margaret Thatcher in pushing Gorbachev and Reagan together was important, the Pope's actions in encouraging protest movements ended the war. Or my personal favourite that David Hasselhoff ended the Cold War. |
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Investigating the 3 factors.
You should prepare an argument that the Cold War came to an end due to the perspective you have been assigned. Use the materials below to support your argument then create a persuasive speech as the opening point to a triangular debate on the issue. Remember you should find out about the other arguments so that you can find weaknesses in what they suggest.
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Ep. 22 - Focuses on the role of Reagan and the hardline approach he takes to the Cold War.
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Ep.23 - Focuses on the turmoil in Eastern Europe and the rise of protest movements.
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The last episode of the series, looks at how the war was ended and the breaking up of the Soviet Union.
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The influence of two leaders - Reagan and Gorbachev
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| cold_war_text_ch_17.pdf |
| end_of_cold_war.pdf |
Reagan's influence |
Gorbachev's influence |
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