What was the primary reason for the collapse of the USSR?

Gorbachev’s decision to allow elections with a multi-party system and create a presidency for the Soviet Union began a slow process of democratization that eventually destabilized Communist control and contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Which is a primary source document about the Cold War?

NSC-68. View the once-top-secret National Security Council document of April 1950 that set in motion the massive military buildup of the Cold War.

What are 4 primary sources in history?

Primary sources may include diaries, letters, interviews, oral histories, photographs, newspaper articles, government documents, poems, novels, plays, and music. The collection and analysis of primary sources is central to historical research.

Which event led to the collapse of communism in Europe?

The collapse of the Berlin Wall was the culminating point of the revolutionary changes sweeping East Central Europe in 1989. Throughout the Soviet bloc, reformers assumed power and ended over 40 years of dictatorial Communist rule. The reform movement that ended communism in East Central Europe began in Poland.

What was the fall of communism in Eastern Europe?

Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe, 1989. By the next day, Ceausescu was forced to flee Bucharest and was arrested by Army units in the countryside. The interim government, led by a reformist communist Ion Iliescu, held a quick mock trial and Ceausescu and his wife were executed on December 25.

Who was president during the fall of communism?

Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe, 1989. In the White House, President George H. W. Bush and his National Security Advisor, Brent Scowcroft, watched the unfolding scene on a television in the study, aware of both the historical significance of the moment and of the challenges for U.S. foreign policy that lay ahead.

Who is an apologist for communism in the Soviet Union?

Primary Sources 1 (1) Walter Duranty, New York Times (13th August, 1921) Lenin has thrown communism overboard. His signature appears in… 2 (2) Sally J. Taylor, Stalin’s Apologist: Walter Duranty (1990) More

How did war communism lead to social distress?

The policy created social distress and led to riots, strikes and demonstrations. Sally J. Taylor, the author of Stalin’s Apologist: Walter Duranty (1990) has argued: “War Communism, as it was called, came to rely more and more upon repression and outright violence as the main methods of securing meat and grain from the peasants.