The document summarizes the end of the USSR, beginning with key events and figures in the early Soviet period through World War II under Stalin. It then discusses reforms under Gorbachev in the 1980s that contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union, including perestroika and glasnost. Major events of the dissolution included the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, independence of Baltic states in 1989-1991, a failed coup against Gorbachev in 1991, and the formal dissolution of the USSR on December 25, 1991, resulting in 15 new independent countries emerging from the former Soviet republics.

1. The End of the USSR
Goal: I can identify key figures and dates about the end of the USSR and
relate them to figures and dates from the U.S.

2. USSR: The Beginning
1917: The Russian Revolution ends the reign of the
Tsar and Russian involvement in World War I
1922: The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
emerges from a bloody civil war.
Russia and several other territories nearby merge
into a country ruled by the Bolshevik Communists
centered in Moscow.

4. Lenin
Professional Revolutionary
Leader of Bolsheviks and the
first head of government of
the USSR
Died in 1924

5. Stalin
Became head of state in
USSR, 1924-53
Led USSR through WWII
The U.S. and the USSR were
allies through most of the war
Had millions of his own people
killed in prisons, by
assassination squads,
starvation, etc.
May have been worse than
Hitler

6. Make a Connection
Which of our presidents do we perceive as strong?
Which presidents did immoral or illegal things?

7. The Cold War
1945(ish)-1989(ish)
Tension between the U.S. and the USSR after World
War II
Arms Race (especially nuclear weapons)
Proxy wars (Vietnam, Korea)
Both sides very suspicious and belligerent towards
each other

8. The End of the Soviet Union
Gorbachev became leader in
1985
He introduced some reforms:
Perestroika--restructuring,
opening the economy to
some market systems
Glasnost--openness, less
censorship, more
transparency in government
actions
Mikhail Gorbachev: last leader of USSR

9. Make a Connection
What changes was the United States experiencing
during the 1970s and 1980s?

10. Fall of the Berlin Wall
1989--the Berlin Wall comes
down when Gorbachev will
not keep it up by killing
protestors
Basic cause: USSR no longer
has military might or will to
impose rule on a Eastern
Europe
Soon after, West and East
Germany reunite, no longer
under Soviet influence

11. Disintegration: The Baltic States
Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia
made moves towards
independence in 1989-91
They were "absorbed" by the
USSR in the leadup to WWII
The West acknowledges their
independence in August 1991
Cause: Many people still
remembered life before Soviet
rule, ready to revolt, the West
willing to help

12. Thought question
If the US fell apart, which states or territories would
leave first? Why?
This is a hypothetical question. There are no right
or wrong answers.

13. Disintegration: The Coup
August 1991: Military and
intelligence officers stage a coup
against Gorbachev
They want to return to a more
authoritarian government
The coup fails, and Gorbachev
remains head of state
Boris Yeltsin becomes a hero for
standing up to the military
But many people know that without
military crackdown, the USSR
cannot survive based on democracy

14. Disintegration: The End
December 25, 1991: Gorbachev resigns
The USSR is dissolved since Moscow no longer
has legitimacy, money, or force to hold the union
together
About 15 independent countries emerge from the
former Soviet Union

15. Fifteen New Countries

16. Thought question
If the US military thought the president was weak,
what would they do? Why?

17. Effects in the 90s
Rapid changes in the economy caused runaway inflation
Most people's standard of living declined a lot
Some people, called the oligarchs, got very rich
Many new countries had ethnic tensions that led to
discrimination, killings, "cleansing," small and local civil
wars
SOME greater freedoms of press, speech,
assembly...more choices for most people

18. Secondhand Time
In her book Secondhand Time, Svetlana Alexievich
interviews hundreds of people who lived through
this time and records their reactions to these
enormous changes in their lives.
We will read parts of her book that have to do with
the internal unrest that people felt and that tell
about a couple caught in ethnic tension.

19. Exit Ticket: 3-2-1
On your index card, list
3 events that led to the end of the Soviet Union
2 reasons that the Soviet Union collapsed
1 strange thing you think would happen if a large
country collapsed