Context - end of the cold war

1. The Cold War
1945-1989
Context: end of
the Cold War

2. Reasons the Cold War ended
The Cold War divided the world for half a
century, with the USA and USSR leading
each side based on different ideologies.

3. Reasons the Cold War ended
The USA believed in
Capitalism, which
placed great emphasis
on individual
freedoms.
However the Soviet
Union supported
Communism, which
aimed to achieve
equality but limited
people’s choices.

4. Reasons the Cold War ended
Throughout the Cold
War, the world lived
in a constant state
of fear.
This was due to the
powerful nuclear
weapons each side
possessed, which were
capable of killing
millions of people.

5. Reasons the Cold War ended
There were numerous
prominent episodes
during the Cold War.
This includes the
Korean, Vietnam and
Afghanistan Wars. In
addition, the
building of the
Berlin Wall and Cuban
Missile Crisis were
important events.

6. Reasons the Cold War ended
During the 1970s,
both sides began to
develop better
relations, a time
known as détente.
During détente, both
sides reached deals
on limiting their
weapons, and also to
improve trade links.

7. Reasons the Cold War ended
Detente came to an
end in 1979 after the
Soviets invaded
Afghanistan.
The 1980s saw more
tension exist. It
even resulted in the
USA and USSR refusing
to attend each
other’s Olympic Games
in 1980 and 1984.

8. Reasons the Cold War ended
During the 1980s,
there were
significant changes
in the political
leadership of the
Soviet Union and USA.
Ronald Reagan became
the US President and
Mikhail Gorbachev
took over as leader
of the USSR.

9. Reasons the Cold War ended
By the late-1980s,
the Soviets’
political system was
under threat.
There were demands
for change from
across Eastern
Europe, and the USSR
also faced extreme
financial pressures.

10. Reasons the Cold War ended
The USSR – which had
been set up in 1922 –
finally came to an
end in 1991.
On 25 December 1991,
the union was
dissolved, and its
members went back to
being independent
countries.

11. Reasons the Cold War ended
With the collapse of
the Soviet Union, the
Cold War was
officially at an end.
However, to this day,
the USA and Russia
(the largest part of
the USSR) continue to
have difficult
relations at times.

12. Reasons the Cold War ended
There were different factors that led to
the end of the Cold War, including:
• Defeat of the USSR in Afghanistan
• Failure of Communism in Eastern Europe
• East/West economic differences
• Role of Mikhail Gorbachev
• Role of Ronald Reagan