What are some events that demonstrate the end of the Cold War era?
In the late 1980s, the Cold War came to a dramatic end. The economies of nations behind the Iron Curtain were in trouble. People in East Germany, for instance, could see the prosperity and wealth of their West German neighbors. In Russia, there were long lines of people waiting to buy food. They had to have coupons from the government just to buy socks. Some historians believe that the trillions of dollars that both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. spent on nuclear arms and conventional armies had caused the problems in Russia. There was also a lot of pent up demand for freedom in the citizens living behind the Iron Curtain. When Russia showed they would no longer interfere in Eastern Euorope, the Berlin Wall was destroyed. You can see video of the fall of the wall here. You’ll need the QuickTime Player. These forces came to a head in the 1980s. Russia responded by electing Mikhail Gorbachev as the leader of the U.S.S.R. [You can see Gorbachev speaking to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in
