Soviet trade with Western countries largely consisted of currency and Soviet oil exports, as well as trading one manufactured good for another (Pepsi for Stolichnaya vodka, for example). In 1988, Soviet trade with socialist countries amounted to 62 percent of the country’s total foreign trade, while 15 percent of its foreign trade was made with Third World countries. The trading the Soviet Union did engage in was mostly with communist countries, many of which were in Eastern Europe. The Soviet economy historically had relied little on foreign trade because of the region’s large energy and raw material base in 1985, exports and imports accounted for just 4 percent of the Soviet GNP. Grocery store shelves were often empty, and lines for food were long. Eastern European Economy, Economic Collapse, and Foreign Tradeīy the time Gorbachev took office in 1985, the Soviet economy had been stagnant for 20 years and was badly in need of reform to wit, the country’s gross national product (GNP) went from 5.8% in 1940 to 2.6% in 1970. Between 19, the gross national product in Soviet countries fell by 20 percent, ushering in a period of complete economic breakdown. It also prompted many cultural changes and social upheavals in former Soviet nations and smaller neighboring communist countries. Its downfall increased the United States’ influence as a global power and created an opportunity for corruption and crime in Russia. The dismantling of the Soviet Union had many long-lasting effects on the global economy and the region’s foreign trade. By the summer of 1990, all the formerly communist Eastern European officials had been replaced by democratically elected governments, setting the stage for the region’s reintegration into Western economic and political spheres. By the end of 1989, eight of the nine remaining republics had declared independence from Moscow, and the powerful Soviet Union was finally undone. Other countries-such as the Republic of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine-followed suit, creating the Commonwealth of Independent States. Once the Berlin Wall fell, citizens in Eastern European countries such as Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and Romania staged protests against their pro-Soviet governments, hastening the collapse of communist regimes across the former Soviet bloc. The Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989, leading East and West Germany to officially reunite within a year, ending the Cold War. Gorbachev’s loosening of governmental power created a domino effect in which Eastern European alliances began to crumble, inspiring countries such as Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia to declare their independence. In order to understand the consequences related to the collapse of the Soviet Union, it is critical to first examine the overarching causes for the USSR’s downfall. Tuition Rates for Military, Spouses, Veteran and First Responders.Professional Development and Certificate.Professional Development and Certificates.Puzzled their South Korean relatives by abruptly launching into long speeches praising their “great leader” and blaming “American imperialists” for the Korean divide. During past reunions, relatives from the North showed far less emotion, at least while North Korean officials and the news media were watching them. In the past six decades, a totalitarian government has taken root in the North, while the South hasĮvolved into a democracy with a globalized economy. … the family meetings also provide testimony as to how far the two political systems have drifted apart. In February 2014, another round of reunions was held. What did visitors from South Korea bring? How are people selected for these reunions in South Korea? In North Korea?Ħ. How many Koreans have been allowed to participate in the 19 face-to-face reunions held since 1985?ĥ. How has the long political divide on the peninsula affected families separated by the war?Ĥ. How long will those who are reunited be allowed to be together this week?ģ. How were Lee Soon-kyu and her husband separated 65 years ago? Why did she think he was dead?Ģ. Related Article Credit Pool photo by Yonhapġ. Kim Bock-rack of South Korea, right, meeting with his sister, Kim Jeon-soon, of North Korea during a reunion at the Diamond Mountain resort in North Korea on Tuesday.
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