There were very many Political changes after the Cold War. When Mikhail Gorbachev became leader he set out to reconstruct the economy. In order to do this Gorbachev believed he needed to set in place some political reforms. He set in place the policy of glasnost. This allowed citizens to openly talk about the Soviet Union's strengths and weaknesses.
Gorbachev also created a new state presidency. Under the old system, the first secretary of Communist Party (Gorbachev's position) had been the most important in the Soviet Union. In 1990, Gorbachev became the Soviet Union's first president. His willingness to rethink foreign policies has led to many changes in the Soviet Union.
Another political change occurred when Gorbachev decided not to send troops into satellite countries. Many countries started to revolt against the Soviet Union, in order to become their own country. Workers in Poland demanded change. Mass demonstrations occurred in Czechoslovakia. In Poland and Czechoslovakia democracy had formed, ending the Soviets, communist reign.
A map of the Soviet Union in 1980
Another country that was part of the Soviet Union, was Yugoslavia. This country also went through a mass amount of change; it separated into six different nations. Before this there was a mass amount of unrest in the nation. Ethnic groups were fighting and killing each other and stealing land. After much of the fighting, however, NATO stepped in and helped Bosnian and Croatian forces fight off Serbs who were following a policy of ethnic cleansing. They formed a peaceful treaty that split Bosnia into a Serb republic. The fighting didn't stop for long when a province within Yugoslavia began the violence again. The United States and NATO worked to come up with a settlement to end the fighting. In 2004, Yugoslavia ceased to exist. Many provinces called for their independence. Today there are six independent nations.
Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union faced many political challenges after the Cold War. One of the challenges were the riots and revolutions happening in some of the Soviet Union’s satellite countries. Many of the countries wanted to become separate nations from the Soviet Union. They wanted to end Communism in their countries, and many moved to a democratic system after separating. The road to this separation wasn't easy for many countries.
In Poland workers revolted and demanded change in Poland. The movement continued through many struggles and eventually the Polish regime agreed to free parliamentary elections. A president was elected in 1990. They had many problems at first, rapid free-market reforms led to severe unemployment. Today presidents have emphasized the need to combine modernization with tradition.
The banner reads solidarity, which means unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest; mutual support within a group.
In Czechoslovakia, the Soviets destroyed and repressed a movement. Many continued to try to oppose the government, but there was little success. Then in 1988 mass demonstrations took place across the nation and crowds of large numbers began forming. Then in 1989 the Communist government fell. A new president was elected. The Czechs and Slovaks agreed to divide Czechoslovakia between the two nations. Under its second president the Czech Republic has one of the most stable economies of the post-Communist Eastern European countries.
Another challenge faced by the Soviet Union was its inevitable demise. The Soviet Union was made of 15 separate republics, after the Soviets relaxed their grip over these countries, they began to call for independence. Worried about losing their privileges with the breakup of the Soviet Union, many officers tried to arrest Mikhail Gorbachev, the president of the Soviet Union. Their attempt failed however, when thousands of Russians fought against them. After this the Soviet republics wanted complete independence. After this the Soviet Union was considered broken up.
This political cartoon compares the fall of the Soviet Union to a sinking ship and the nations that formed it as life rafts.