The end of communism in Russia and Germany occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms in the Soviet Union weakened communist rule and led to the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. In East Germany, citizens demanded democratic reforms and open borders in 1989, leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall and eventual reunification of Germany in 1990 under a democratic government.

1. The End of Communism In Russia & Germany By Branden Carcamo

3. Russia stopped being its own country in 1922, when the formation of the Soviet Union created a country which scooped up Russia along with many other small countries, states, and territories of Russia. When the Bolsheviks and the Red Army fought against the White Army (some of the world's imperial powers) in the civil wars following the Russian Revolution of 1917, they won, setting up communism rule. Many Russians thought this way of life would continue forever, but with the end of communism, Russia has been changed. Communism was the way of life for the USSR From 1922-1991, during which the government, culture, religion, economics and everything else in the country was covered by the communist ideals. Leaders such as Joseph Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev provided stong leaders for the communist government, coming up with plans to industrialize the rural country, and take away a lot of Russian freedoms. Religion was forbidden, capitalism was gone, and the average citizen had no say in the way their country was run. BLAH!

4. In the 80's, Mikhail Gorbachev came into power as the head of the USSR. His policies involved much more reform than his predecessors, with ideas of openness and "new beginnings" being his theme. He removed the heavy restrictions and previous crack-downs on free speech that other communist leaders had created, allowing the citizens to criticize the government without Russians fearing that they'd be pushing dasies. Gorbachev also tried to de-centralize the economy, which did not sit well with the conservative cats. The military tried taking him out of power, and even though it didn't work, it caused the collapse of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev lost power and was replaced by Russia's first elected head of state, President Boris Yeltsin. The USSR dissolved, creating fifteen separate independent republics, one of them being the country of Russia. The election of Boris Yeltsin marked the true end of communism, Russia was now seen as democratic. Since this time, the country has been struggling with the creation of a democratic government and capitalist economy Gorbachev Yeltsin

7. Honecker’s government restricted most travel. East Germans could travel to other Communist nations, but that was it. Until the 1980s, they couldn't visit West Germany. When East Germans did begin to visit the West, only one member of a family could go at a time. Because their relatives were virtual hostages, almost all travelers returned. As in the Soviet Union, the economy in East Germany was in trouble. East German industries had old-school equipment that could not produce up-to-date consumer stuff, such as the "new" personal computers. To obtain these goodies, East Germany had to trade with the West. But that also created problems. Because East Germany’s products were basically crap compared to the high-tech gear of the West, East Germany could not export as much as it imported. As a result, the country ran up a big-o' foreign debt. The debt grew because of East Germans’ demands for imported stuff. The people East Germany suddenly woke up and smelled the coffee. Although the government censored the media at home, it couldn’t block TV transmissions from the West. By watching TV, East Germans saw that their peoples across the border were far more prosperous than they were. In addition, East Germans learned about democratic reforms in the rest of Eastern Europe and wanted changes like that in East Germany.