The Collapse of the

Soviet Union
By: Caitlyn McBride

Creation of the Politburo 1917

The first Politburo was created in October 1917. It was formed in Russia
by the Bolshevik Party Central Committee to offer constant and supple
leadership in that years rebellion. There were 7 members in which had
Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, and Joseph Stalin.

Russian Civil War 1918-1921

The Russian Civil War was to split Russia apart from 1918 and 1921.
The civil war happened because just after November 1917, numerous
groups had formed divergent of Lenins Bolsheviks. These groups
consisted of monarchists, militarists, and, for a short amount of time,
foreign nations. These groups were known as the Whites whereas the
Bolsheviks were known as the Reds.

Stalins Five Year Plans 1928-1933

A plan made by Joseph Stalin who in 1928 sprung the very first FiveYear Plan; it was intended to industrialize the USSR in the quickest way
while expediting the collectivization of the farms. The plan had
envisioned to make the USSR independent and accentuated dense
industry at the cost of consumer goods. It had lasted from 1928 to 1933,
but was technically completed in 1932.

World Of War II 1939

Known as the bloodiest and largest war in all history with somewhere
between 40,000,00050,000,000 deaths. It was a battle from 1939-1945
that involved practically every part of the world. There were the Axis powers
which consisted of Germany, Italy, and Japan. The allies were France,
Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and somewhat China.

Invasion of Czechoslovakia 1939

Hitler threatened to bomb Prague and the Czech capital unless
he was given a free passage for the German troops into the
Czech borders, and they gave it to him. Hitlers forces invade and
occupy Czechoslovakia.

Joe 1 1943
President FDR, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin attend a meeting in Iran
to discuss ways to win World War II and terms for a peace settlement.

Hydrogen Bomb 1954

The u.s. tests the hydrogen bomb, the largest man-made bomb to date. They
tested it in Bikini, part of the marshall islands. It was said that the hydrogen
bomb was almost 1000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb was. it
was much more violent than anticipated, because it had overwhelmed the
scientific instruments used for measuring the test. Over 250 people were
accidentally exposed to radiation because of the explosion and the original
natives were given $325,000 to compensate for the damages.

Warsaw Pact 1955

The Soviet Union and seven European satellites sign a treaty for the
Warsaw Pact, which was a mutual organization that put the Soviets in the
armed forces in the states. The treaty included the Soviet Union, Poland,
Albania, Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia, and East Germany. The
treaty called for defense by the member states if they were being attacked
and Marshal Ivan S. Konev was in control. It was used until 1991.

Sputnik 1957
The Soviet Union started the Space Race with the launch of the first artificial
satellite, Sputnik. Sputnik revolved around Earth approximately every hour and
30 minutes. It travelled 18,000 miles per hour and the sound signals were
strong enough to be picked up by radio operators on Earth. In January 1958,
the orbit stopped and the spacecraft burned in the atmosphere. Sputnik was 10
times the size of the satellite the U.S. planned on launching, but not until the
next year, and the U.S. was caught off guard.

Sputnik II and Laika 1957

The Soviet Union sends the first animal into space, being a dog named Laika
in the Sputnik II spacecraft. Laika was kept alive through a complicated life
support system, but she died after the batteries for her life support stopped
burned out. They sent approximately 12 more dogs into space before the first
manned mission, and almost half of them died.

Creation of the Berlin Wall 1961

In the 50s and 60s, many people left East Berlin to find their families and to escape
communism, so they went to West Berlin until they decided to build a wall to try to prevent this
from happening. The Berlin Wall was built as an effort to keep refugees from leaving East
Berlin, and to divide East and West Berlin. Building the wall caused some minor problems with
the U.S. and Soviet relations. U.S. troops tried to bulldoze the wall, but gave up when the
Soviets began protecting it. Although many people were upset with the lack of action, John F.
Kennedy thought that A wall is a hell of a lot better than a war, and the wall ended up
becoming a symbol of the Cold War.

Salt I 1969-1972
Negotiations began in 1969 between the U.S. and the Soviet Union
concerning the Cold War and use/development of new weaponry
and technology, and they finally signed the Salt I agreement in
1972.

Salt II 1972-1979
President Jimmy Carter and Leonid Brezhnev sign this agreement in 1979 concerning
the guidelines and limitations for nuclear weapons. This agreement never went into
effect formally and was one of the most controversial agreements during the Cold War.

Sweet Afghan War 1979

The Soviet Union sent many troops into Afghanistan
and took complete control of Kabul and other parts of
the country. The U.S. criticized this move greatly and
tried to change it.

Gorbachev becomes leader 1985

He had outlived all other candidates for leader and finally got his chance to
lead the Soviet Union after leading a successful life. He led them through
policy changes and domestic reforms. He helped to calm oppression and try
to fix the economic system. He tried very hard to have better relations with
the U.S. and things were changing rapidly. Russian republics were fighting fr
independence, and the economy was getting continually worse.

1986

1986

1986

Voting Reforms by Gorbachev 1987

1989

1989

1989

Boris Yeltsin Becomes President

1990

Gorbachev Steps Down 1991

http://www.history.com/this-dayin-history/the-warsaw-pact-isformed
https://history.state.gov/mileston
es/1977-1980/soviet-invasionafghanistan