Question

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 | latin america | europe
refuse to sell arms to iran | |

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 core question

The text asks a central question under the heading "The Cold War Ends": "What ended the Cold War?". We need to analyze the provided text on page 259 to explain the factors and events that led to the end of the Cold War.

Analyze Gorbachev's initial actions

According to the text, in March 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union. He initiated talks with the United States to lessen Cold War tensions. His primary motivation was to cut military spending so the Soviet Union could reform its struggling economy. This relates directly to Gorbachev Reforms.

Examine diplomatic agreements

The text highlights that these talks led to the signing of the INF Treaty (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty) by President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in December 1987, which was ratified by the U.S. Senate in May 1988. This treaty was a major step in reducing nuclear arsenals and easing tensions, contributing to the Cold War End.

Evaluate internal Soviet reforms

Gorbachev introduced two key reform policies:

• Glasnost (openness): Allowed open discussion of social problems and more free speech.
• Perestroika (economic restructuring): Allowed private citizens to own land and held free elections to reform the Soviet economy.

These internal changes weakened the authoritarian control of the Communist state, ultimately leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.

Answer:

Based on the provided text, the Cold War ended due to a combination of diplomatic efforts and internal Soviet reforms initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev after he became leader in 1985:

1. Diplomatic Talks and Treaties: Gorbachev initiated talks with the United States to reduce tensions and cut military spending. This led to the signing of the INF Treaty (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty) in December 1987 by Reagan and Gorbachev, which eliminated an entire class of nuclear missiles.
2. Internal Soviet Reforms: Gorbachev introduced two major policies to reform the Soviet Union:

• Glasnost (Openness): Allowed free speech, open discussion of social problems, and free elections.
• Perestroika (Economic Restructuring): Allowed private land ownership and economic reforms to rebuild the struggling Soviet economy.