The collapse of the USSR

• 1. The USSR was under huge economic strain from the invasion of Afghanistan, the arms race, and years of economic mismanagement, while Glasnost allowed for more open criticism of the government
• 2. There were growing calls for independence from the Baltic states, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia (all of which eventually declared independence in 1990), and the satellite states
• 3. In July 1991, the Warsaw Pact came to an end
• 4. Gorbachev tried to save the Soviet Union by issuing a new constitution that would have given the Soviet republics more independence, but the leaders of these states rejected it because it wasn't enough
• 5. Unable to hold the Republics together Gorbachev announced the dissolution of the Soviet Union and his resignation as President on 25 December 1991
• 6. Many ex-Soviet republics became independent, including Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Kazakhstan
• 7. The Soviet Union became the Commonwealth of Independent States in January 1992
• The collapse of the USSR was a process that took place over several years, so some of the 'consequences' were already evident before the dissolution of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991
• Consequently, a number of the Republics, including Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, recieved independence
• Consequently, the growing calls for reform from within the satellite states led to the dismantling of the Eastern bloc and eventually the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, which was dissolved June 1991
• Consequently, the ending of the Warsaw pact meant that Europe was finally able to be reunited again, and relatively free travel across borders was allowed, ending fifty years of division
• Consequently, the end of the Warsaw Pact and the Berlin wall meant that the Iron Curtain ceased to exist
• Consequently, countries in Eastern Europe were led to finally become independent nations where they could choose the type of political and economic system
• Consequently, the collapse of the USSR led to the downfall of Gorbachev, who was replaced by Yeltsin, on 25 December 1991, and the end of the Soviet Union
• Consequently the collapse of the USSR led to the end of the Cold War