Week 4

Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars)- 1983 (Ch. 17.5)

Star wars was basically the idea sent out by the U.S that satellites would like to sent out into space and be equipped with lasers that could detect missiles, and shoot them down before they got to their destination. This was proposed because the U.S didn't want to be attacked out of nowhere and be left in the dirt while they were weak. So instead of having random missiles sent to the U.S the lasers could shoot down the missiles. This was significant because it showed that even the U.S were scared of war and didn't want missiles/ bombs shot at them.

Chernobyl – 1986 (Handout)

Chernobyl was a catastrophic nuclear accident that happened in Ukraine. It released radioactive particles into the air all around the accident. This happened due to a fire inside the power plant. A fire occurred then an explosion occurred that blew a section out of the building. This was a significant event because this power plant was probably used for nuclear weapons and the accident that happened really showed the Soviets what could be the consequences of nuclear war. Really making them think twice about going to war.

Perestroika - 1985 (Ch. 19.3

Perestroika was the idea of economic reconstruction, and basically what that means is that he wanted his economy to get better. They would let local managers gain more authority than others, and people were allowed to open small private businesses. They wanted to not throw out communism but to make the economic system more efficient. This was an important event because it showed that communism was starting to become ineffective. New rules would need to be set in order to be "effective" again.

Democratization 1988-1991

Democratization is the transition to a more democratic political engine... I couldn't find specifically what you were asking for... and if i was actually thinking the right thing

Year of Miracles - 1989 (Ch. 19.3)


1989 was the Year of Miracles because it was the year that the Cold War ended. Nobody had to worry about being bombed anymore. The tension was released on both sides. This is significant because it showed that the U.S and the USSR could stop threatening each other with bombs of mass destruction and both live in peace.

Fall of the Berlin Wall - 1989 (Ch. 19.3)

The Fall of the Berlin Wall basically was Eastern Europe telling the people behind the wall that they could leave. They wanted to let people go due to the end of the Cold War and they just wanted change. So once people were let out, they had big parties all around the wall while taking the wall down piece by piece. This was significant because it showed big changes after the War was over. Showed that the Eastern part of Europe also wanted change.

Collapse of the Soviet Union - 1991 Ch. (19.3)
The Soviet Union split up into 15 different colonies/countries. This happened due to how the west hailed for freedom, they wanted something new. Democracy had finally broken into the wall and infiltrated the USSR. This was a significant part in history because it really showed how ineffective communism was in the USSR. How even the countries themselves wanted to separate from each other to be in something different.