Question

chapter 25 section 4 (pages 836-841)
changes in americas foreign policy
before you read
in the last section, you learned about some of the social problems americans faced in the 1980s.
in this section, you will see how american foreign policy changed after the cold war.
as you read
use the chart below to take notes about u.s. foreign policy in different regions of the world.

middle east
refuse to sell arms to iran

latin america

europe

terms and names
mikhail gorbachev last leader of the soviet union
inf treaty treaty to reduce nuclear weapons
glasnost gorbachevs policy of openness in discussing problems in the soviet union
perestroika gorbachevs policy of reforming the economy in the soviet union
commonwealth of independent states federation of new nations that formed after the collapse of the soviet union
tiananmen square place in beijing where chinese protesters demonstrated against the communist government
sandinista communist rebel group that took power in nicaragua
contras rebel forces supported by ronald reagan to overthrow the sandinistas
operation desert storm the 1991 u.s. attack on iraq to force the iraqis out of kuwait

the cold war ends (pages 836-838)
what ended the cold war?
in march 1985, mikhail gorbachev became the leader of the soviet union. he started talks with the united states to lessen cold war tensions. gorbachev thought this would allow the soviets to cut their military spending. it would also let them reform their economy.
talks led to the inf treaty (intermediate-range nuclear forces treaty). reagan and gorbachev signed the treaty in december 1987. the senate ratified it in may 1988.
gorbachev supported glasnost (openness in discussing social problems) and perestroika (economic restructuring) in the soviet union. he let private citizens own land. he also allowed more free speech and held free elections.

Explanation:

Identify the main question

The text contains a specific question prompt under the heading "The Cold War Ends (pages 836–838)": "What ended the Cold War?"

Analyze the provided text for evidence

The text explains that in March 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union and started talks with the United States to lessen Cold War tensions. He wanted to cut military spending to reform the Soviet economy.
These talks led to the INF Treaty (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty), signed in December 1987 and ratified in May 1988.
Gorbachev also introduced glasnost (openness in discussing social problems) and perestroika (economic restructuring), allowed private land ownership, free speech, and free elections.

Synthesize the final answer

The Cold War was brought to an end by a combination of diplomatic talks, major arms reduction treaties like the INF Treaty, and internal Soviet reforms (glasnost and perestroika) initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev to restructure the economy and reduce military spending.

Answer:

What ended the Cold War? <blank>The Cold War ended due to diplomatic talks between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, the signing of the INF Treaty to reduce nuclear weapons, and internal Soviet reforms (glasnost and perestroika) introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev to reduce military spending and restructure the economy.</blank>