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To win his second term, Reagan promised economic benefits to all groups of society. He cut taxes and expanded government led jobs. He cut Social Security budget so he could increase the defense budget. Overall a success because defense spending challenged the Soviets.

http://www.ushistory.org/us/59b.asp

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When Reagan became president, it looked like the US was losing the Cold War. However, he realized the Soviet Union would collapse if they were challenged economically. He began a massive military buildup. The Soviets followed and spent themselves into bankrupcy. He then placed trade embargoes on them and strangled them without fighting.

https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/age-reagan/essays/ronald-reagan-and-end-cold-war-debate-continues

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Following World War II, the Communists made sure the power of Germany was shrunk and Berlin was cut up into pieces. In return, they promised 'free' elections in eastern Europe. Many disagreed with this agreement, but Roosevelt felt he could not negotiate for more.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/yalta-conference-foreshadows-the-cold-war

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The Berlin Wall was created to keep people inside of East Berlin (the Communist side). It was heavily guarded until its destruction in 1969. Its tearing down marked the end of the Cold War.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/places/berlin_wall

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The Marshall Plan was put into use after World War II ended in an effort to prevent the spread of communism. The United States gave over $13 billion dollars in aid to countries that could have possibly went red.

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/marshall-plan

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The dissolution of the Warsaw pact marked the end of the threat of another world war breaking out. With the Soviet Union being the biggest member, it collapsed from the inside out.

http://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/26/world/warsaw-pact-agrees-to-dissolve-its-military-alliance-by-march-31.html

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The Loss of Eastern European Countries 1988

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The Loss of Eastern European Countries 1988

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After Gorbachev expressed that he would not forcibly hold the countries in Eastern Europe anymore (ie. Poland), many began to have uprising and ditch communism. However, many of these revolts may have been provoked by the United States.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17754512

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When Gorbachev came into power, he knew he had to make major changes. His 'radical reforms' never actually went into action, making his restructuring of the economy a failure.

http://www.arcaneknowledge.org/histpoli/soviet.htm

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The Soviet Union focused almost all of their resources on building up their armed forces in an effort to keep up with the United States.  This caused people to revolt when they ran out of food and other necessary daily supplies.

http://www.historytoday.com/john-swift/soviet-american-arms-race

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The explosion at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine was a disaster because it was covered up by the Soviets. It led to people losing their trust in their government.

http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/chernobyl-accident.aspx