Question

Based on at least two primary sources, what do you believe were the reasons for the end of the Cold War? Was it due to American policies, the Soviet Union’s own circumstances, or something else? Defend your response.

Answer 1

The Soviet Union had fought an increasingly difficult war in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Around the same time the Soviet economy was struggling with the arms race's steadily escalating costs. At home, discontent rose as the sluggish economy flapped under the combined strain. Attempted reforms at home left the Soviet Union unwilling in Eastern Europe to rebuff challenges to its control. The Berlin Wall came down between 1989 and 1990, borders were opened and free elections replaced communist regimes everywhere in Eastern Europe. The Soviet Union itself dissolved into its constituent republics in late 1991. The Iron Curtain was lifted with incredible pace and the Cold War began.