The Role of Gorbachev in Ending the Cold War: An Evaluation
TITLE
Evaluate the role played by Gorbachev in ending the Cold War.
ESSAY
Gorbachev's role in ending the Cold War was significant and his policies of Glasnost and Perestroika played a major role in the downfall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. Gorbachev's willingness to reform the communist system and his emphasis on cooperation and reducing military spending set the stage for a revolution from below that ultimately led to the collapse of the Soviet Empire.
Gorbachev's recognition of the inefficiency of the communist system and his push for moderate change through economic restructuring and political openness inadvertently exposed the shortcomings of the Communist Party, leading to a loss of control over satellite states and creating conditions for nationalist movements to flourish. The loosening of governmental power and the domino effect in Eastern Europe ultimately led to the independence of countries like Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, further weakening the Soviet Union's grip.
While Gorbachev has been credited as the enabling factor in ending the Cold War, the role of Reagan cannot be overlooked. Reagan's willingness to engage with Gorbachev in discussions about nuclear disarmament and his efforts to reassure Gorbachev that the United States was not seeking the destruction of the Soviet Union helped set the framework for the changes that ultimately led to the end of the Cold War.
Reagan's proposal to get rid of nuclear weapons altogether and jointly build a defense system with the Soviet Union provided Gorbachev with the confidence to pursue his policies of reform and ultimately contributed to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Despite the differing perspectives on the extent of Reagan's role in ending the Cold War, it is clear that both Gorbachev and Reagan played crucial roles in bringing about the end of the ideological and political conflict that had defined the post-World War II era.
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HISTORY
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Evaluate the role played by Gorbachev in ending the Cold War.
Gorbachev wanted to reform communism. However, his reforms caused a revolution driven from below which, because of his refusal to use force, destroyed the communist system, ended the Soviet Empire, and the Cold War. Gorbachev believed in cooperation and in holding only a minimal number of nuclear weapons for protection. He also believed that Soviet control over an empire in Eastern Europe was costing too much and that the invasion of Afghanistan had been a costly disaster.
He was responsible for the loosening of governmental power too. This created a domino effect, and the Eastern European alliances began to crumble. This spurred countries such as Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia to declare their independence. Unlike his predecessors, Gorbachev understood that the Soviet Union could never advance economically if it continued to devote 20% of gross national product and 40% of its budget to military spending. He wanted to demilitarize Soviet foreign policy so that he could divert resources to fixing a broken economy.
Gorbachev’s policies of Glasnost and Perestroika played a major role in ending the Cold War. He recognized the inefficiency of the communist system. He wanted moderate change with perestroika (economic restructuring) and glasnost (political openness), which he believed would help restore the legitimacy of the Communist Party. Instead, the public became aware of the Party’s shortcomings.
The Soviet Union was also losing its grip on its satellite states, and ethnic groups took the opportunity to free themselves from its control. Gorbachev had failed to realize that communism would be destroyed once factors like nationalism took hold and once people became more aware of economic issues. By the summer of 1989, East Europeans were given more freedom and seized the chance to reject communism. By November, the Berlin Wall had fallen. Eastern Europe’s rejection of communist ideology removed a major obstacle to the ending of the Cold War.
Gorbachev has been regarded as the enabling factor in ending the Cold War, with Reagan playing a minor role. However, historians are divided about Reagan’s role; he has been credited with both winning it and ending it. Many of the events that defined the end of the Cold War occurred after Reagan left office, including the destruction of the Berlin Wall, the unification of Germany, the Strategic Arms Treaty, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
At a press conference in Moscow in 1988, Reagan described himself essentially as a supporting actor, maintaining that ‘Mr. Gorbachev deserves most of the credit, as the leader of this country.’ However, Reagan also wanted to abolish nuclear weapons, stop the strategic arms race, and avoid Armageddon. Reagan saw that there was the prospect of changing relations with the Soviet Union.
He first met Gorbachev in Geneva in November 1985 to discuss a reduction in nuclear weapons. By seeking to talk to Gorbachev about ending the Cold War, Reagan helped to win it. He was able to reassure Gorbachev that the United States was not seeking the destruction of the Soviet Union, and this enabled Gorbachev to pursue his new policies. He helped to set the framework for the changes. At their face-to-face summit of October 1986 in Reykjavik, Reagan suggested that the two sides get rid of nuclear weapons altogether and jointly build an SDI system to guard against a nuclear revival. No agreement on that was reached, but Gorbachev was convinced that Reagan did not intend to make a first strike against the Soviet Union. This provided Gorbachev with the confidence to pursue the policies that resulted in the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.