9.2 The End of the Cold War

Reagan's Cold War Strategy

President Ronald Reagan escalated defense spending and pursued the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), a proposed missile shield, to pressure the Soviet economy. He called the USSR an "evil empire" but later shifted toward negotiation, meeting Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to reduce nuclear arsenals through treaties like INF (1987).

Gorbachev's Reforms and Soviet Collapse

Gorbachev introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (economic restructuring) to revive the failing Soviet system, but these reforms unleashed nationalist movements across Eastern Europe. The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, Eastern Bloc communist governments collapsed, and the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, ending the Cold War.

America's New Global Role

With the Soviet collapse, the U.S. emerged as the world's sole superpower, prompting debates over its new role. President George H.W. Bush led a UN coalition in the Gulf War (1991) against Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, signaling a shift toward multilateral interventions and a "New World Order."

Key terms

Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)

Reagan-era proposal for a space-based missile defense system; increased pressure on Soviet military spending.

Glasnost

Gorbachev's policy of political openness and greater freedom of speech in the USSR.

Perestroika

Gorbachev's economic restructuring policy intended to revive the stagnant Soviet economy.

Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989)

Symbolic collapse of communist control in Eastern Europe, leading to German reunification.

Gulf War (1991)

U.S.-led UN coalition that expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait, showcasing America's post-Cold War global leadership.

Try an AP-style question

Reagan's policy toward the USSR early on emphasized…

1. disarmament immediately
2. withdrawing from Europe
3. détente and trade
4. a military buildup