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collapse of the Soviet Union
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Boris Yeltsin and the collapse of the Soviet Union Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, 1922–91 Mikhail Gorbachev, 1987 Map of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) showing physical features such as mountain ranges, seas, and major rivers, along with the boundaries of union republics and autonomous republics. Union republics are outlined in red and labeled, while autonomous republics are shaded in orange and identified by name. Neighboring countries and bodies of water are also labeled. Boris Yeltsin, President of Russia, smiling and seated in a suit and tie during a visit to London. Mikhail Gorbachev
How Mikhail Gorbachev helped end the Cold War and unite Europe
Map showing the territory of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) highlighted in orange, spanning Eastern Europe and northern Asia. The map labels the constituent republics, including Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, with neighboring countries such as Mongolia and China also shown. Major bodies of water like the Arctic Ocean, Berin
Mikhail Gorbachev: From farmer to statesman
Russian President Boris Yeltsin stands at a podium with microphones, smiling, in front of a U.S. flag during a news conference at the White House.
At a Glance
Wreckage of the U-2 spy plane shot down inside the Soviet Union in 1960. U-2 spy plane incident, U-2 affair, Cold War.
Comprehension Quiz: Cold War
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Thermonuclear hydrogen bomb, code-named MIKE, detonated in the Marshall Islands in the fall of 1952. Photo taken at a height of 12,000 feet, 50 miles from the detonation site. (Photo 3 of a series of 8) Atomic bomb explosion nuclear energy hydrogen energy
Facts You Should Know: The Cold War Quiz

collapse of the Soviet Union: References & Edit History

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Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Revised media. Sep 15, 2026
Anniversary information added. Aug 11, 2026
Add new Web site: National Security Archive - The End of the Soviet Union 1991. May 09, 2026
Add new Web site: E-International Relations - The Quiet Collapse of the Soviet Union. Jan 16, 2026
Add new Web site: ABC listen - Big Ideas - Mikhail Gorbachev and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Dec 01, 2025
Add new Web site: Office of the Historian - The Collapse of the Soviet Union. Aug 02, 2025
Add new Web site: Wilson Center - Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union. Apr 21, 2025
Add new Web site: Brookings - The 30th anniversary of the fall of the USSR. Dec 16, 2024
Add new Web site: Scholars at HARVARD - Reversing the Soviet Economic Collapse. Oct 28, 2024
Add new Web site: CORE - The Soviet collapse: Contradictions and neo-modernisation. Sep 20, 2024
Add new Web site: Norwich University - Resource Library - Consequences of the Collapse of the Soviet Union. May 27, 2024
Add new Web site: GlobalSecurity.org - Collapse of the Soviet Union - 1989-1991. Apr 15, 2024
Add new Web site: GlobalSecurity.org - Collapse of the Soviet Union - 1989-1991. Apr 15, 2024
Add new Web site: NPR - How the Soviet Union's collapse explains the current Russia-Ukraine tension. Dec 26, 2023
Add new Web site: Khan Academy - Collapse of the Soviet Union. Oct 19, 2023
Add new Web site: Ohio State University - Origins - The Soviet Collapse. Aug 07, 2023
Add new Web site: History Ireland - The collapse of the Soviet Union. Dec 02, 2022
Add new Web site: RT Russiapedia - Russia after the Soviet Union. Oct 11, 2019
Add new Web site: Center for European Studies - The Fall of the Soviet Union. Oct 11, 2019
New article added. Jul 13, 2018
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