1. In the middle of 1980’s Soviet Union economy was suffering.
2. In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev took over as the president of USSR.
3. Gorbachev spoke about the need for openness (Glasnost) and Perestroika (restructuring).
4. But his ideas of reform did not work out for him because, to compete with U.S, USSR need to allocate more funds to the military.
5. The economic stagnation of the Soviet Union aggrevated tension and promoted nationalist feelings.
6. In the year 1988, Mass protest broke out in Armenia and in the Baltic states.
7. Gorbachev made attempts to stabilize his position by relying on conservative forces in 1989, 1991.
8. But the massive miner’s strike interrupted. The series of worker’s strike under mined the communist regimes first in Poland, then in Hungary.
9. The fall of Berlin wall in Germany, encouraged people to be united.
10. Gorbachev made a last attempt to take a hard line against miner’s strike and huge demonstrations in Moscow in 1991.
11. In response, the conservative forces in his government used troops in Moscow and held Gorbachev under house arrest.
12. Power fell into the hands of Boris Yeltsin.
13. In November 1991, eleven republics announced that they would establish a common wealth of independent states.
14. On 25th Dec 1991 , Gorbachev resigned.
15. For six days, the Soviet Union continued to remain only in name and at midnight on 31st December 1991 it was formally dissolved.
16. The USSR was no more.