HISTORY 2500 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Strategic Defense Initiative, Helsinki Accords, Erich Honecker
26 Dec 2017
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Week 15: the end of the cold war. Reagan doctrine explained that us should back other countries to undermine soviet expansion. Iran-contra affair: against congress, us secretly supplying weapons to iran to try and release hostages and indirectly supply to contras b) c) d) Brezhnev cracked down on it, martial law b) Brezhnev dies in 1982, multiple leaders in power for short time. Gorbachev took power 1985, tried to tackle inefficiencies, corruption, Perestroika meant to restructure the economic system, more independence. Glasnost meant to create more political openness, in response to chernobyl cover up. In response to these policies, many people had greater reason to go against government, sped up fall of the. If any uprisings happened in east europe, soviet. Believed that soviets didn"t have the right to intervene. Feared that soviet union would lose prestige internationally. Also wanted to honor the helsinki accords with human rights. Allowed for free elections, possible to vote communists out of office.
