Nearing+its+collapse+hojoon



As the Soviet Union reached close and closer to its breakdown, many things happened that could be attributed to the softening of USSR's grip on foreign policy and its obsession for power.

**1. Soviet Union loses control over the Eastern Europe**
The Revolution by the Eastern Europe was the first case. In 1989, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria broke free from the Soviet grip one by one. Democracy prevailed over communism, and the power of democracy, the want for a democracy could not be stopped by the iron fists of the Russians.

In the year 1989, leaders of Poland gathered around and decided to hold a free election. This meant that candidates from parties other than the Communist Party could run for office too. And an astonishing incident happened that some call miraculous while others call it tragic. In the election, the opposition party with anti-Communism ideas won 99 seats out of the 100 seats. It reflected the unpopularity the Communist Party was going through in the society. In a telephone call with Gorbachev afterward, he instructed the officials to do nothing. "Just accept the fact." Finally, the Soviet Union had admitted its defeat, and it was this telephone call that was credited to have terminated the Cold War. media type="youtube" key="akGjJcl3GDw" height="305" width="375" media type="youtube" key="ASEC3m1wULE" height="312" width="383"

**2. The Fall Of the Berlin Wall**
The fall of the Berlin Wall was of a great significance. Germany, divided by the Berlin Wall into East and West was controlled by the Soviets in the West and the United States in the East. This division was broken down and Germany was united into one. It was symbolic of the defeat of the Soviet Union as democracy spread through Germany after its unification.

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**The Last Days**
It was already very clear that the Soviet Union was going to collapse soon. The only question that was left behind was: How soon? As we end this chapter, let's look closely at how the Soviet Union terminated its seven decades of ruling. media type="youtube" key="qqoAhfEIfXo" height="329" width="402"media type="youtube" key="714O8V_tCyc" height="331" width="414"

But wait... What did Gorbachev have to say??? media type="youtube" key="Ee1MM6prcik" height="344" width="425"