Why did the Cold War end between 1985 and 1991?
The end of the Cold War: Gorbachev's reforms, the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
A focused CCEA GCSE History guide to the end of the Cold War. Covers Gorbachev's reforms of glasnost and perestroika, the renewed tension of the early 1980s, the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
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What this dot point is asking
You need to explain why the Cold War ended between 1985 and 1991: the reforms of Gorbachev, the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. This is the climax of the Unit 2 outline study, so it also supports the interpretations (AO4) work on why the Cold War ended. CCEA examiners reward a judgement that ranks Gorbachev's role against the underlying weaknesses.
Renewed tension and a new leader
Detente broke down at the end of the 1970s, and the early 1980s saw a renewed arms race and sharper hostility. Then, in 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of the Soviet Union, inheriting a system in deep economic trouble that could not keep pace with the cost of the arms race or meet its people's needs.
Gorbachev's reforms
These reforms were meant to save Soviet communism, but by exposing its failings and removing the threat of Soviet force, they undermined it instead.
The collapse of communism in Eastern Europe
The dissolution of the Soviet Union
The pressures Gorbachev had unleashed could not be controlled. Nationalist movements in the Soviet republics demanded independence, a hardline coup against Gorbachev in 1991 failed, and the Soviet Union itself broke apart. In 1991 the USSR was dissolved into independent states, and Gorbachev resigned. With the collapse of the Soviet bloc and the Soviet Union, the Cold War was over.
Examples in context
Model causation paragraph. "The Cold War ended above all because Gorbachev's reforms and his refusal to use force allowed long-building pressures to bring the system down. By 1985 the Soviet economy was failing and could not keep up with the cost of the arms race. Gorbachev's glasnost exposed the system's failings, perestroika could not fix the economy, and his decision not to use Soviet force in Eastern Europe removed the prop that had held communist governments in power. The result was the collapse of communism across Eastern Europe in 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. The underlying cause was Soviet economic weakness, but Gorbachev's reforms and restraint were the decisive trigger." This scores highly because it ranks the trigger against the underlying cause with precise evidence.
Try this
Q1. What were glasnost and perestroika? [2 marks]
- Cue. Glasnost was openness and freedom of speech; perestroika was the restructuring of the failing Soviet economy.
Q2. What happened to communism in Eastern Europe in 1989? [2 marks]
- Cue. Communist governments collapsed in a wave, mostly peacefully, and the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989.
Q3. What happened to the Soviet Union in 1991? [2 marks]
- Cue. It broke apart and was dissolved into independent states, and Gorbachev resigned, ending the Cold War.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of CCEA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
CCEA Unit 2 (style)9 marksExplain why the Cold War came to an end.Show worked answer →
A causation question testing AO1 and AO2. Give developed, linked reasons and rank them.
Gorbachev's reforms: his policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring), and his willingness to reduce the arms race and not to use force in Eastern Europe, removed the props of the system.
Economic weakness: the Soviet economy could not keep up with the cost of the arms race and was failing.
Popular movements: once Soviet force was withdrawn, communist governments across Eastern Europe collapsed in 1989.
Rank: argue that Gorbachev's reforms and his refusal to use force were the decisive cause, because they allowed the long-building pressures to bring the system down. A ranked judgement reaches the top band.
CCEA Unit 2 (style)10 marksWhy do historians differ over why the Cold War ended?Show worked answer →
An interpretations question testing AO4. Explain why interpretations differ and judge.
Why they differ: historians use different evidence and assumptions. Some credit Gorbachev's reforms; others credit Western pressure and the arms race under Reagan; others stress the economic weakness of the USSR.
Use the extracts: identify what each interpretation argues.
Judge: argue which view is more convincing and why, using your own knowledge of Gorbachev's policies, the economy and 1989. A judgement that explains and weighs, rather than describes, reaches the top band.
Related dot points
- Origins of the Cold War and the Berlin Blockade: the breakdown of the wartime alliance, the division of Germany, the Berlin Blockade and Airlift of 1948 to 1949, and the formation of NATO.
A focused CCEA GCSE History guide to the origins of the Cold War. Covers the breakdown of the wartime alliance, ideological and security differences, the division of Germany and Berlin, the Berlin Blockade and Airlift of 1948 to 1949, and the formation of NATO.
- Korea and the Cuban Missile Crisis: the Korean War of 1950 to 1953 as a Cold War conflict, and the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 and its consequences.
A focused CCEA GCSE History guide to two Cold War crises. Covers the Korean War of 1950 to 1953 and the policy of containment, the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, how nuclear war was avoided, and the consequences for superpower relations including the hotline and the Test Ban Treaty.
- Vietnam and detente: American involvement in the Vietnam War and why the USA failed, and the easing of tension in the 1970s through detente and arms control.
A focused CCEA GCSE History guide to Vietnam and detente. Covers American involvement in the Vietnam War, the reasons the USA failed against the Vietcong, and the easing of Cold War tension in the 1970s through detente, including the SALT arms-control talks and improved diplomacy.
Sources & how we know this
- CCEA GCSE History specification — CCEA (2017)