Lesson Five: Promoting and Defending Against Ideologies

5. Conclusion

Although the Cold War did not officially end until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, ideological differences that led to the split between the East and West continued to soften throughout the 1980's.  American and Soviet officials understood that rising tensions could lead to a war that neither side could win.  Diplomacy and cross-cultural interactions contributed to a greater understanding of the differences between the two superpowers.  Interactions in the post-Cold War era required the United States and the Soviet Union to work together for many reasons, including the lack of a desire to continue to use their resources to stay in a state of conflict with one another.  Some observers believe that the political and economic changes made by Gorbachev during his leadership contributed to bringing the Cold War to an end.  Others would argue that the Soviet Union was not able to match the spending of the United States during the 1980's, and was somewhat forced into a situation of negotiation with the US given this military gap between them.

US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev