Political: Break up of USSR

Break up of USSR

During 1989, the USSR fragmented and fell apart. Russian president Gorbachev had instigated a number of reforms and a policy of openness which led many of the Soviet satellite states to break away to decide their own future. They became independent democracies, now aligning themselves to the West rather than East.

Pressure from hard-liners in Russia tried to overthrow Gorbachev for his failure to keep the USSR together. They failed, and in December 1991, Russia formed the CIS with two other Soviet republics; this was the formal end of the USSR.