Collapse of the U.S.S.

R
Colleen Malason

Russian Civil War (1917)

The Russian Civil war started because many groups had formed and they all
opposed Lenin's Bolsheviks. These groups were known as the Whites while
The Bolsheviks were known as the Reds.

Creation of the Politburo (1917)

Lenin set up the Politburo. It was the central policy making and governing
body of the Communist party and the state. The member who belonged in this
club were top party secretaries and important members of the Soviet
government.

Stalin's 5 Year plans (1928)

He made this for the development of the Soviet Union's Economy. It set
impossibly high quotas or numerical goals to increase the output of steel, coal,
oil, and electricity.

World war II (1939)

World war II was started because Hitler and Stalin the German-soviet non
aggression pact and this caused a lot worry in London and Paris. Hitler
Decided to invade Poland from the west and then two days after that France
and Britain declared war on Germany. The pact that was signed between
Germany and the Soviet Union led to them taking down Poland and them
splitting the land.

Joe 1 (1949)
This was the first Soviet atomic explosion.

Warsaw Pact (1955)

The Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany,
Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria signed a treaty and established the Warsaw Pact.
It was a Mutual defense organization that put the Soviets in command of the
armed forces of the member states.

Sputnik (1957)
This was the world's first artificial satellite that the Soviet Union successfully
launched into space. It took 98 minutes for it to orbit the earth. This started the
U.S- U.S.S.R space race.

Laika and Sputnik 2 (1957)

Laika was the first dog to be sent into to space. She was sent on Sputnik 2, a
couple months after Sputnik 1, to orbit the earth. She died within a few hours
after blast off because of overheating and stress.

Creation of the Berlin wall (1961

The communist government of the GDR built a barbed wire and Concrete wall
between east and west Berlin. This was built to stop the flow of emigrants.
After it was built there was no way to travel from east to west Berlin.

Invasion of Czechoslovakia
(1968)
Many Warsaw pact troops and tanks invaded Czechoslovakia to take down a
brief period of liberalization in the communist country called the Prague
Spring. Czechoslovakia protested by not using any violent acts against them.
Pro soviet communists took control over Czechoslovakia's democratic
Government.

Salt I (1969)
Before the signing of the salt I agreement there were many negotiations going
on for 3 years. After they agreed on this they talked about the two main
weapon systems, ABMs and MIRVs.

Salt II (1979)
Jimmy Carter and the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev signed the salt II
agreement and that dealt with the limitations and guidelines for nuclear
weapons. This treaty never formally went into effect.

Soviet- Afghan War (1979)

The Soviets made a huge military airlift into Kabul, involving about 280
transport aircraft and three divisions of about 8,500 men each. after a couple
of days the soviets secured Kabul.

Perestroika (1985)
When Gorbachev became General secretary of the communist party of the
Soviet Union he made a program called Perestroika and that means
restructuring. This showed a lot of changes in economic practice, internal
affairs and international relations.

Glasnost (1985)
This became a program when Gorbachev became the General secretary of the
communist party of the Soviet Union as well. Glasnost means openness.
Within 5 years of the creation of Perestroika and Glasnost the programs went
through communist governments in eastern europe from power and brought
the end of the cold war.

Chernobyl Disaster (1986)

It was the worst nuclear power plant accident that happened at the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union. More than 50 tons of radioactive
material was released into the air. Thirty two people died and many were very
badly burned.

Free elections in Poland, Czechoslovakia and

Hungary (1988)
Gorbachev announced in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly
that by 1991 he wanted to pull Soviet tanks and troops out of East Germany,
Czechoslovakia and Hungary. The hungarians Demonstrated the freedom to
create a political party, independent of Hungary's Communist party.

Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989)

The head of the East German Communist Party announced that the citizens of
the GDR would be able to cross the border whenever they pleased. By
midnight the wall was swarmed with people. Some people crossed freely into
the West Berlin and others brought hammers and began to chip away at the
wall itself.

Voting Reforms by Gorbachev

(1990)
He was able to make sure that Congress gave him the necessary two thirds
majority, including making threats to resign if the majority was not achieved.
Gorbachev thought that a general election would result in chaos in Russia,
Which is already unstable. Others in the Soviet Union listened to what he said
because they were scared of him not winning the election.

Gorbachev becomes leader

(1990
He was elected by the Congress of Peoples Deputies for a 5 year term as
president.

Gorbachev steps down (1991)

Gorbachev's domestic critics were attacking him for the nations terrible
economic performance and losing the power over the Soviet Empire. In 1991
he resigned as president after that the soviet union dissolved.

Boris Yeltsin Becomes president

(1991)
He believed in both democratic and free market reforms. He was a big part of
the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Lithuania and Latvia Protests

(1991)
The nations gained international recognition as independent, sovereign states.

Questions
Why did the Soviet Union Collapse?
The Soviet Union collapsed because of Gorbachev. He thought that his
programs would help change The Soviet Union but he didn't want it to destroy
it. After he resigned his presidency the Soviet Union completely dissolved.
Do you believe it could have survived?
No I do not think that the Soviet Union could have survived. I think that since
Gorbachev created the programs, he gave the people too much freedom that
they weren't used to. With more freedom of speech they were able to have
their own opinions on the form of government that he controlled and he
couldn't control the peoples actions.

Works cited
"History.com." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
Rosenberg, Jennifer. "The Berlin Wall." N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
"The Warsaw Treaty Organization, 1955 - 19531960 - Milestones - Office of the Historian." The Warsaw Treaty Organization,
1955 - 19531960 - Milestones - Office of the Historian. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015