Cold War (1985–1991)
| Cold War (1985–1991) | ||||||||
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| Part of the Cold War | ||||||||
The 1991 signing of the Belovezha Accords, which effectively dissolved the Soviet Union and ended the Cold War | ||||||||
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| Belligerents | ||||||||
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1985–1989 Western Bloc: Allied organisations Anti-Soviet socialist states
Allied organisations |
1985–1989 Eastern Bloc: Allied states
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1989–1991 Western Bloc: Allied states
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1989–1991 Eastern Bloc: Allied states |
1989–1991 Other socialist states
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| Commanders and leaders | ||||||||
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1985–1989 Ronald Reagan Margaret Thatcher Deng Xiaoping |
1985–1989 Konstantin Chernenko Mikhail Gorbachev | |||||||
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1989–1991 George H. W. Bush Margaret Thatcher John Major |
1989–1991 Mikhail Gorbachev |
1989–1991 Deng Xiaoping Li Peng | ||||||
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| History of the Cold War |
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The time period of around 1985–1991 marked the final period of the Cold War. It was characterized by systemic reform within the Soviet Union, the easing of geopolitical tensions between the Soviet-led bloc and the United States-led bloc, the collapse of the Soviet Union's influence in Eastern Europe, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The beginning of this period is marked by the ascent of Mikhail Gorbachev to the position of General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Seeking to bring an end to the economic stagnation associated with the Brezhnev Era, Gorbachev initiated economic reforms (perestroika), and political liberalization (glasnost). While the exact end date of the Cold War is debated among historians, it is generally agreed upon that the implementation of nuclear and conventional arms control agreements, the withdrawal of Soviet military forces from Afghanistan and Eastern Europe, and the collapse of the Soviet Union marked the end of the Cold War.