Russia U S S R Timeline 1l6c16

The collapse of the U.S.S.R. Timeline Gianna Rocca Block 2

The Russian Civil War 1918-1920 This event occurred because the Bolshevik takeover angered many Russians who had been prepared to accept the Provisional Government. The Whites, (anti-Bolsheviks) then united to try to destroy the Reds (Bolsheviks) which subsequently caused the Russian Civil War. The Whites, who represented anti-Communist groups, included various such as those who were in favor of the return of the czar and those who were in favor of a democratic government. The civil war between the Reds and the Whites devastated Russia until 1920. In the end, the Red Army crushed all opposition, and the victory showed that the Bolsheviks were able to seize power and maintain it. ● At this time, the U.S.S.R. was not yet established.

Creation of the Politburo 1919 The Politburo or Political Bureau is the executive body of the Russian Communist Party that was first elected in March 1919. The first Politburo consisted of: Lenin, Trotsky, Krestinsky, Kamenev, and Stalin. The Politburo was at the heart of Soviet national decision making, although the shift of the Soviet system to a presidential one. ● The Politburo was a benefiting creation since it served as the central leadership site of the Party and the Soviet system as a whole.

Stalin’s Five-Year Plans 1928-1995 (In periods of five years)

Joseph Stalin created the Five-Year Plans for the development of the Soviet Union’s Economy. The Five-Year Plans were a series of economic objectives that set impossibly high goals to increase the output of steel, coal, oil, and electricity. ● The Five-Year Plans helped the existence of the Soviet Union as a nation because majority of the tough methods produced impressive economic results. Endibitley, industrial production of steel increased by 25 percent.

World War II 1939-1945 Between June 1941 and May 1945, Nazi and the Soviet Union engaged in a cataclysmic struggle on World War II’s Eastern Front. ’s invasion of Russia was the largest surprise attack in military history. Ultimately the war had turned the tables on the Nazi conquest of Europe. ● World War II resulted as a hard struggle for the Soviets: as many as 25 million troops and civilians killed—nearly 15 percent of their entire prewar population

Joe 1 1949 In Russia, the Joe 1 was used in the Soviet Union’s first nuclear weapon test. However, Joe 1 is a codename assigned by The United States that is in reference to Joseph Stalin: the Joe 1 is actually known as the RDS-1, Izdeliye 501, and even First Lightning. It exploded on August 29, 1949 at 7:00 A.M. ● The Joe 1 confirmed that the Soviet Union was to be in possession of the atomic bomb.This powerful creation helped the existence of the Soviet Union since they possessed a nuclear weapon earlier than expected.

Hydrogen Bomb 1953 The Soviet Union pursued the development of a hydrogen bomb that became as their first fusion-based device. Though not nearly as powerful as the American bomb tested nine months earlier, this bomb had one key advantage: It was a usable weapon, small enough to be dropped from an airplane. ● The Soviet Union benefits from the Hydrogen Bomb it was Russia’s first air weapon.

Warsaw Pact 1955 The Warsaw Pact is the name given to the military treaty between Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East , Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union. The treaty was signed in Poland in 1955 which bound its signatories to come to the aid of the others: it was officially called 'The Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance'. ● This was a benefit for the Soviet Union since the Pact quickly became a powerful political tool for the Soviet Union to hold sway over its allies and harness the powers of their combined military.

Sputnik 1957 Sputnik 1 was the first artificial Earth satellite that triggered the American Sputnik Crisis that eventually lead to the Space Race. When launched on October 4,1957, Sputnik itself provided scientists with valuable information. Nevertheless, the launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments ● The Soviet Union benefited from the Sputnik Project since it ultimately lead to the first Soviet artificial satellite.

Laika and Sputnik II 1957 On November 3, 1957, Laika, a dog, became the very first living creature into orbit. Laika was launched by the Soviet Union; however, since the Soviets did not create a reentry plan, Laika died in space. ● The death of Laika sparked the debate of animal rights around the world. Therefore, this was a negative event for the Soviet Union to endure.

Creation of the Berlin Wall 1961-1989

Due to the rough aftermath of World War II, the Berlin Wall was erected by the communist government of East in 1961 to prevent disaffected people fleeing to the West. With the rise of the Cold War, the divided became a source of conflict between East and West.The wall fell in 1989 after the collapse of Russian backing for the East German government and the opening of crossing points.

● The creation of the Berlin Wall did not give the Soviet Union a good reputation because Britain and the United States had to get involved by keeping West Berlin supplied with food and fuel.

Chernobyl Disaster 1968 On April 26, 1986, a unexpecting surge of power during a reactor systems test destroyed Unit 4 of the nuclear power station at Chernobyl, Ukraine, in the former Soviet Union. The accident and the fire that followed released massive amounts of radioactive material into the environment. ● This accident was a negative event for the Soviet Union since it involved much cleanup and subsequently has caused the people to evacuate their cities. Also, the accident has aroused severe health effects such as radiation and death.

Invasion of Czechoslovakia 1968 On the night of August 20, 1968, the Soviet Union led approximately 200,000 Warsaw Pact troops and 5,000 tanks to invade Czechoslovakia to crush reformist trends in Prague. The Soviet Union and its many allies invaded to halt what was known as the “Prague Spring”–a brief period of liberalization in the communist country.

● Although the Soviet Union’s action successfully halted the pace of reform in Czechoslovakia, it had unintended consequences for the unity of the communist bloc. Likewise, Soviet leadership justified the use of force in Prague under what would become known as the Brezhnev Doctrine.

SALT I 1969-1972 SALT I, the first series of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, extended from November 1969 to May 1972. During the time of SALT I, the United States and the Soviet Union negotiated the first agreements to place limits and restraints on some of their central and most important armaments: this eventually led to the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. However, the two nations took the first steps to check the rivalry in their most powerful land- and submarine-based offensive nuclear weapons. ● The Soviet Union benefited from SALT I because as a result of the treaty, the relations between the United States and the USSR were able to be improved.

SALT II 1979-1985 SALT II was a series of talks between United States and Soviet negotiators from June of 1972 that lasted until 1979 which sought to reduce the manufacture of strategic nuclear weapons. In all, SALT II was the first nuclear arms treaty which assumed real reductions in strategic forces to 2,250 of all categories of delivery vehicles on both sides. The SALT II Treaty banned new missile programs so both sides were forced to limit their new strategic missile types development. ● The SALT II treaty was a trouble for the Soviet Union due to how the increasingly close relationship between America and communist China was a cause for growing concern.

Soviet-Afghan War 1979-1989 The Soviet-Afghan War lasted over nine years from December, 1979 to February 1989. The USSR entered neighboring Afghanistan in 1979, attempting to shore up the newly-established pro-Soviet regime in Kabul. Foreign propped up the diverse group of rebels, pouring in from Iran, Pakistan, China, and the United States. In the brutal nine-year conflict, an estimated one million civilians were killed. ● The Soviet-Afghan war was bad publicity for the Soviet Union since it showed how the USSR had problems with its neighboring countries and how foreign had to get involved to mitigate the situation.

Glasnost Late 1980’s (1985) Glasnost was a policy that called for increased openness and transparency in government institutions and activities in the Soviet Union. In March 1985, Gorbachev launched glasnost as the second vital plank of his reform efforts. Glasnost eliminated traces of Stalinist repression and gave new freedoms to Soviet citizens. ● Glasnost began the democratization of the Soviet Union. Ultimately, fundamental changes to the political structure of the Soviet Union occurred: the power of the Communist Party was reduced, and multicandidate elections took place

Perestroika 1980’s (1985) When Gorbachev became head of the Communist Party in 1985, he launched perestroika, or economic restructuring. He believed that private initiative would lead to innovation; therefore, individuals and cooperatives were allowed to own businesses for the first time since the 1920s. Workers were given the right to strike for better wages and conditions. Gorbachev also encouraged foreign investment in Soviet enterprises. His goal was to to bring the Soviet Union up to par economically with the West.

● This was more negative for the Soviet Union because it had aroused economic tensions. Also, people eventually grew frustrated with Gorbachev’s government despite how he believed it was the best way to revive the Soviet economy.

Voting Reforms by Gorbachev 1987 “Demokratizatsiya” was a slogan introduced by Gorbachev in January 1987. Democratization called for the infusion of "democratic" elements into the Soviet Union's single-party government. This plan included the pursual of Glasnost and Perestroika. Gorbachev knew that moving the USSR toward an elected form of government who help improve the economy. ● Overall, Gorbachev's plans were not good enough since Gorbachev increasingly found himself caught between criticism by conservatives

Lithuania and Latvia Protests 1989 On August 29, 1989, hundreds of thousands of Lithuanians and Latvians formed human chains along the Baltic seacoast in antipollution protests demonstrating newly awakened environmental awareness in the Soviet Union. The human chain connecting the three Baltic capitals – Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius. The protest was designed to draw global attention by demonstrating a popular desire for independence for each of the entities ● Soviet authorities in Moscow responded to the event with intense rhetoric but failed to take any constructive actions.

Free Elections in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary 1989

The Free Elections in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary were part of a revolutionary wave that resulted with the fall of Communism. The events began in Poland in 1989, where the partially free election lead to the peaceful fall of Communism that summer. Many other countries who rebelled against Communism followed Poland’s and East ’s demonstration to exterminate communism. ● This was a positive event since many countries declared its independence and freedom from Communism.

Gorbachev becomes Leader 1990

Gorbachev proposed a new executive in the form of a presidential system. Gorbachev is a former Soviet Statesman, but on March 15, 1990, Gorbachev was elected as the first executive President. He was the eighth and last leader of the Soviet Union, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. ● Gorbachev's political initiatives were able to help the Soviet Union since he was able to control everyone of the Soviet Union in addition to the fact that he was head of state.

Fall of the Berlin Wall 1990-1992 The demolishment of the Berlin Wall officially began on June 13, 1990 and was completed in 1992. The cold war began to ease across Eastern Europe: citizens of the GDR were free to cross the country’s borders. The reunification of East and West was made official on October 3, 1990, almost one year after the fall of the Berlin Wall. ● While some citizens were in favor of keeping the wall, others participated in the celebration of knocking away chunks of the wall themselves. The fall of the Berlin Wall was a positive event since people from East and West were ultimately united. Nevertheless, the end of the blockade signified that the Cold War was finally over.

Gorbachev Steps Down 1991 On December 25, 1991, Gorbachev resigns as from his position as the Soviet Union breaks up. Instead, Gorbachev has decided to discontinue his activities at the post president due to how he has been replaced by the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). However, Mr. Gorbachev made many enemies and became known as the man who set out to reform the system and ended up destroying it. ● The Soviet system was ultimately unreformable and the changes created a political vacuum in which talk of disintegration of the USSR could grow.

Boris Yeltsin becomes President 1991 Boris Yeltsin was a Russian politician and the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999. Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. After the resignation of Mikhail Gorbachev and the final dissolution of the Soviet Union, Yeltsin remained in office as the President of the Russian Federation. He was politically powerful and he vowed to transform Russia by overthrowing Gorbachev's reforms. ● Boris Yeltsin gave Russia hope and was very popular with Soviet voters as an advocate.

WHY did the Soviet Union Collapse? I believe that the Soviet Union collapsed for various reasons, especially reasons that regard the Cold War. First off, the cost of the Cold War was too incredible for the Soviet Union to endure. The economy was crumbling beneath Russia’s feet, and the fact that the Soviet’s tried to disguise themselves as rich and powerful when they really weren’t did not help solve Russia’s terrible conditions. However, I believe that the Soviet Union was bound to fall mainly because the Soviets could not afford to keep up with the USA. In addition, I believe that the Soviet Union and government got too involved in the social and economic lives of the people. As the USSR began to crumble, I think society pulled the last straw by initiating rebellions of which concerned their desire for independence that inedibility helped lead to the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Work Cited Andrews, Evan. "8 Things You Should Know About WWII’s Eastern Front." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 27 May 2014. Web. Apr. 2015. "Berlin Wall Built." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. Apr. 2015. Raeff, Marc. "The Gorbachev Era: Perestroika and Glasnost." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2015. Web. Apr. 2015 "Russian Revolution." Infoplease. Infoplease, Oct. 2013. Web. Apr. 2015.