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The Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe

How Gorbachev let the satellite states go, the peaceful revolutions of 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall, German reunification, and the break-up of the Warsaw Pact and the USSR that ended the Cold War.

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What you'll cover

The collapse of communism in Eastern Europe 📉

Gorbachev abandoned the Brezhnev Doctrine and would no longer use force to keep the satellite states communist. In 1989 communist governments across Eastern Europe fell peacefully and the Berlin Wall fell. Germany reunified in 1990, and in 1991 the Warsaw Pact and the USSR broke up, ending the Cold War.

Words for the collapse 🔑

Learn these four terms before you judge the collapse.

Old control and new freedom 🆚

Gorbachev changed the way the USSR treated its satellites.

Grade 9 thinking 💡

To reach the top grades, assess why communism collapsed so quickly, and weigh the choice of Gorbachev not to use force against the pressure from the people of Eastern Europe.

Match the year to what happened 🔗

  • 1989
  • the Berlin Wall
  • 1990
  • 1991
  • the year communist governments fell across Eastern Europe
  • the barrier that came down in November of that year
  • the year Germany was reunified
  • the year the Warsaw Pact and the USSR broke up

Match the term to its meaning 🧩

  • Brezhnev Doctrine
  • satellite state
  • reunification
  • Cold War
  • the old Soviet claim to intervene in any satellite
  • a country controlled by the Soviet Union
  • joining two parts of a country back into one
  • a rivalry of tension without direct war

Why did it collapse? ❓

Why did communism collapse in Eastern Europe?

  • Gorbachev would no longer use force to keep the satellites communist.
  • The USA invaded Eastern Europe.
  • The Soviet Union built more walls.

Events of 1989 to 1991 ✅

Select the TWO events of 1989 to 1991.

  • The Berlin Wall fell.
  • The USSR broke up.
  • The Berlin Wall was built.
  • The SALT 1 treaty was signed.

Order the collapse 🪜

An interactive activity.

Summarise the collapse 📝

Gorbachev abandoned the _____ Doctrine and let the satellites choose their path. In 1989 communist governments fell and the Berlin _____ came down. _____ was reunified in 1990, and in 1991 the _____ Pact and the _____ broke up.

Brezhnev Wall Germany Warsaw USSR NATO Berlin Cuba Hungary communism

Count the years 🔢

An interactive activity.

Spot the two events that ended the Cold War 🖍️

An interactive activity.

Cause or result of the collapse? 🧭

An interactive activity.

Assess the collapse ✍️

An interactive activity.