Lesson 4: The Breakup of the Soviet Union (The Cold War Years)
💥 The Soviet Union Collapses
Mikhail Gorbachev 👓
In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union. He was young and different. He wanted big changes to fix the country’s problems.
🧃 Story: People joked that Gorbachev was like “fresh air in a dusty room.” They were excited but unsure what would happen.
Glasnost and Perestroika 🗣️🔧
Gorbachev started two new ideas:
Glasnost (say: GLAZ-nost) means “openness.” People could finally speak freely and read news without fear.
Perestroika (say: peh-reh-STROY-ka) means “rebuilding.” It changed how the economy worked and gave people more control over businesses.
📚 Fact: For the first time, people could read books that were banned before. Some cried when they read the truth about past Soviet leaders.
End of the Soviet Union 🏚️
The changes brought hope—but also problems. Many people wanted more freedom, and some countries wanted independence.
In 1991, the Soviet Union broke apart. 15 countries became independent nations, including Russia, Ukraine, and the Baltic countries.
🎄 Story: On Christmas Day 1991, Gorbachev quit. The red Soviet flag was taken down. The Cold War was over.
🌍 Europe After Communism
The Berlin Wall Falls 🧱
In 1989, East Germany (a communist country) let people travel freely. Thousands came to the Berlin Wall, a wall that divided East and West Berlin.
🥳 Story: A guard didn’t know what to do, so he opened the gate. Crowds began to break the wall down with hammers! People danced and hugged strangers.
After the Fall 🕊️
Soon, many Eastern European countries became free and democratic. Communism lost power across the region.
🎓 Fact: In countries like Poland, students and workers started leading the changes. One leader, Lech Wałęsa, was an electrician before becoming president!
The European Union
In the 1990s, many European countries worked together to build peace and trade. They formed the European Union (EU).
💶 Story: Some students in the early 2000s said they were “Euro kids” because they could travel, study, and spend the same money in many countries!