Page 71 - 100 Events That Made History

End of communism
In 1989, Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev decided
that the USSR could no longer
afford to prop up the other
communist governments in
Eastern Europe, and, one by
By the way…
one, these regimes were
A year after the wall fell,
overthrown. The East German
East and West Germany
government fell in November,
became one country again,
and people on both sides
with a reunited Berlin
as the capital.
rushed to tear down the
Mikhail Gorbachev HATED BERLIN WALL.
received the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1990 for helping
end the Cold War.

How it

changed
the world
The wall today
Parts of the wall have been left
standing, as a memorial to the
The fall of the
estimated 136 PEOPLE WHO
Berlin Wall marked the
DIED trying to cross it. The wall
beginning of the end of
is also a vivid reminder of the
the Cold War, which had
bitter divisions that split the
divided the world and
threatened peace since
world for almost 30 years.
the end of World War II.
What came after…
IN DECEMBER 1991,
Romania was one of the last the USSR broke up into
communist regimes in Eastern 15 separate countries.
Europe. Brutal dictator The largest of the new
NICOLAE CEAUSESCU led the states was the Russian
country for 25 years before Federation, which
he was overthrown. adopted this flag.

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