1986 was an exciting year in the world of foreign policy, especially for the Americans and Soviets. Here’s a brief rundown of events that sets the tone for this article: March 7: The United States orders the Soviet Union to reduce staff members of the Soviet, Ukrainian, and Belorussian missions to the United Nations toContinueContinue reading “1986: Gorbachev Reacts to US Mass Expulsion of Soviets on Heels of Reykjavik Summit”
Tag Archives: Gorbachev
Russia and Ukraine, 1991: Declassified Phone Conversations Between Washington, Kyiv, and Moscow – Part 2
The question of the dissolution of the USSR was decided in the last four months of its existence, after the August coup and before the meeting of the heads of the USSR republics in Alma-Ata in December. Some historians feel that one of the key reasons for the collapse of the Union was the relationsContinueContinue reading “Russia and Ukraine, 1991: Declassified Phone Conversations Between Washington, Kyiv, and Moscow – Part 2”
Russia and Ukraine, 1991: Declassified Phone Conversations Between Washington and Moscow – Part 1
On December 26, 1991, the Council of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a declaration ending 69 years of the existence of the Soviet Union. This was the result of the Belovezh Accords of December 8, when the leaders of the RSFSR, the Ukrainian SSR, and the Belarus SSR signed aContinueContinue reading “Russia and Ukraine, 1991: Declassified Phone Conversations Between Washington and Moscow – Part 1”
Gorbachev’s First Lesson as General Secretary: How to Talk to Reagan
On March 10, 1985, Konstantin Chernenko, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) passed away after a short stint as the Soviet leader. Less than 24 hours later, Mikhail Gorbachev was elected at the Central Committee session as Chernenko’s successor. And less than 24 hours after that, he found himselfContinueContinue reading “Gorbachev’s First Lesson as General Secretary: How to Talk to Reagan”
Rust on Red Square: Celebrating the Anniversary of the Day a Cessna Buzzed the Soviet Kremlin
It’s always an interesting exercise to reflect on just what happened to plant an 18-year-old West German lad in the cockpit of a Cessna to attempt to land on Kremlin grounds on this day in 1987, when the Cold War was still at its height. Was it a test of Gorbachev’s will amid a growingContinueContinue reading “Rust on Red Square: Celebrating the Anniversary of the Day a Cessna Buzzed the Soviet Kremlin”
Top Secret Details for the Soviet Troop Withdrawal from Afghanistan
On 1 April 1988, two weeks before the Geneva Accords were enacted, a meeting was held of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU, outlining scenarios for the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan – scenarios which took into consideration the official signing of the accords, as well as the refusal of theContinueContinue reading “Top Secret Details for the Soviet Troop Withdrawal from Afghanistan”
1990: Soviet Union Responds to Czechoslovakia Request for 1968 Prague Spring Invasion Documents
In 1990, members of the CPSU’s Central Committee found themselves in a touchy situation. With the communist regime no longer in power in Czechoslovakia, that country’s Office of the Attorney General asked the Soviet Union leadership to hand over a specific document that, it was felt, could finger the individuals responsible for the 1968 invasionContinueContinue reading “1990: Soviet Union Responds to Czechoslovakia Request for 1968 Prague Spring Invasion Documents”
Translating History 