Collapse of the
Soviet Union
By:Anthony Tammaro
Russian Civil war
>Civil war breaks out between the Red army
and the White army
>This hurt Russia because many
were killed, over 14 million in only
a three year period.
Creation of the Politburo-1917
>Created by the bolsheviks to provide strong
leadership during the Russian revolution
>Helped to restore order while meham was
taking place.
Stalins five year plans-1928
>The state set high standards for
the new economy
>Helped Russia because it forced
people to work harder towards
industrializing Russia.
World War II-(1939-1940)
>Germany invades Poland which marked the
start of WWII
>With russia in WWII, they were forced to put
their industrialization to use
Joe 1-1949
>Code name for the first nuclear weapon test
fire.
>This gave the soviets a huge upper hand in
any wars in the future.
Hydrogen Bomb-1953
>Russia discovered how to make hydrogen
bombs and tested one 1953
>This gave russia power
because they had a
powerful bomb at their
fingertips.
Warsaw Pact-1955
>The soviet union and its satellite nations
signed a treaty creating mutual defense
>This was important because if any satellite
nation was under attack all others would help
defend
Sputnik-1957
>Sputnik was the first ever satellite to be
launched in outer space.
>This gave Russia the upper hand in the Space
race.
Laika and Sputnik 2-1957
>Sputnik 2 was the second spacecraft
launched into earths orbit.
>Gave the Soviets an upper hand
in winning the space race.
Creation of the Berlin Wall-1961
>A barrier created to divide berlin into two.
Constructed by germans, guards occupied
watch towers at certain points.
>Restricted access to the
outside world to Berlin.
Invasion of Czechoslovakia-1968
>Warsaw pact and Soviet troops invade
Czechoslovakia to promote communism
>This improved the spread of communism
throughout the surrounding
countries.
SALT I-1972
>An agreement between the Soviet Union and
the United States to restrict certain weapons of
mass destruction like the ballistic missile.
>This was good because it
reduced the loss of lives on
both sides.
Soviet - Afghan War-1979
>The Soviets invade Afghanistan with ease
taking over major cities and roads. Many
civilians were killed in this invasion.
>It hurt the Soviets reputation
and made them look bad
SALT II-1979
>Salt II was created to limit the amount of
nuclear weapon transportation.
>This agreement will help to save many lives
and make the war less
destructive.
Voting Reforms by Gorbachev-1985
>Gorbachevs reforms hasted the end of
communism. This included an
anti-alcohol campaign.
>These reforms created change
throughout the Soviet Union.
Perestroika-1985
>A political movement to allow different
formations in the communist party during
the 1980s.
>This allowed the government to be more
open and accept change.
Glasnost-1985
>A policy that increased openness in
government activities in the Soviet Union.
>Allowed the government to adapt
better because its more open.
Chernobyl Disaster-1986
>The Chernobyl nuclear power station
explodes. Lots of radioactive debris showered
down on the surrounding area.
>This was a major disaster
that made Russia rethink
their safety.
Lithuania and Latvia Protests-1988
>Thousands of people formed human chains
along the coast of the baltic sea.
>People changed
perspectives on the
environment and protest
pollution.
Gorbachev becomes leader-1988
>Gorbachev replaces Gromyko as president
1998.
>A new leader allows for different
point of view for the goal of the
country.
Fall of the Berlin Wall-1989
>When the wall was destroyed it gave Berlin
back its contact with the outside world
>Important because it allowed Berlin to be free
from being trapped.
Gorbachev steps down-1991
>Gorbachev resigns from presidency.
>This is important because the old satellite are
now independent nations.
Free Elections in Poland, Hungary,
Czechoslovakia-1989
>The free elections were a major turning point
in the fall of communism
>It provided a peaceful transition from
communism to a republic.
Boris Yeltsin becomes President-1991
>Boris Yeltsin was the first President of the
Russian Federation.
>This marked the change from
communism to republic.
The collapse
>The reason why the Soviet Union collapsed is because
Gorbachev gave some freedom to the people and they just
wanted more.
>It couldn't survive because its too hard to keep everyone
equal and restrict their freedoms in a modern society. Once
people realized what freedoms they should have protest
sparked and took over the structure that existed.
Works Cited
>"Real USSR." Real USSR. N.p., n.d. Web. 20
Apr. 2015.
http://www.realussr.com/soviet-union-timeline/
