The ‘90s: Ending the Cold War

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Recommended: The cold wars impact on international relations

The changes to the world brought about by the policies of former Secretary General of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev were nothing short of revolutionary. The end of the Cold War (1947-1991) began by the extrication of the Soviet Bloc in June of 1989 in Poland. Their citizens elected a noncommunist government to legislature thereby standing in opposition of communism (The Reagan Years, 2014). The world sat holding its breath waiting for retaliation from Gorbachev – retaliation that was never implemented. This very act in Poland, created a domino effect, with communism falling in Eastern Europe one country at a time, putting an end to the ruling dictatorships. The Berlin Wall that was erected in 1961, and separated East and West Germany, was torn down by November 9, 1989. The neoclassical Brandenburg Gate in Berlin reopened to the public in December of the same year; and on October 3, 1990, Germany was reunited. In December of 1991, Ukraine, Byelorussia, and Russia declared their independence. The Soviet Union was abolished and the 44-year Cold War had finally come to an end. Each of the international relations (IR) perspectives holds its own theories of this major event, and utilizes specific relationships to analyze the phenomena.

Realist Perspective

Classical realism focuses on the balance of power whereas the neorealist’s theory examines the balance of power as it relates to the structure of an overall system. Realists examine “human nature at the individual level, aggressive states at the domestic level, leaders pursuing domestic and international power at the foreign policy level, and the balance of power at the systemic level” (Nau, 2012, p. 10); and, further argues that polarity between powers...

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The Reagan years: The end of the cold war (2014). U.S. History.org. Retrieved from

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Tyan, N. (n.d.). How different theoretical perspectives explain the end of the cold war.

Informally published manuscript, OSCE Academy, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/3532660/How_Different_Theoretical_Perspectives_Explain_the_End_of_the_Cold_War

Walt, S. M. (1998). International relations: One world, many theories. Foreign Policy, (110), 29-

35. DOI: 00157228

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