The Fall of the Berlin Wall and the End of the Cold War, 1989-91
The Cold War ended between 1989 and 1991 through a rapid chain of events set in motion by Gorbachev's reforms and his refusal to use Soviet military force to keep unpopular communist governments in power. A wave of popular revolutions swept across Eastern Europe in 1989, including Poland's Solidarity movement winning elections and Hungary opening its border with Austria, which allowed East Germans to escape westward and fuelled mass protests inside East Germany itself. On 9 November 1989, confused announcements about new travel rules led crowds to gather at the Berlin Wall, and border guards, overwhelmed and without clear orders to use force, opened the crossings, allowing the Wall to be breached and rapidly dismantled. Germany formally reunified in October 1990, and within the USSR itself, a failed hardline coup against Gorbachev in August 1991 accelerated the union's collapse: Gorbachev resigned on 25 December 1991, and the Soviet Union formally dissolved the following day, ending the Cold War and replacing the USSR with a group of independent states led by Russia under Boris Yeltsin.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Learn the wave of 1989 revolutions as connected events, not isolated national stories: Poland's Solidarity movement won elections in 1989, and Hungary opened its border with Austria in May 1989, creating a route for East Germans to flee westward and inspiring protest movements across the rest of the Eastern Bloc.
- Learn the fall of the Berlin Wall precisely: on 9 November 1989, a confused announcement about new, more relaxed travel rules led crowds to gather at checkpoints, and overwhelmed border guards, lacking clear orders to use force, opened the crossings, so the Wall fell through a mixture of popular pressure and administrative confusion rather than a planned Soviet decision.
- Learn why the USSR did not intervene to stop these revolutions, linking this topic back to Gorbachev's reforms: his 'New Thinking' foreign policy had already abandoned the Brezhnev Doctrine, so Eastern Bloc governments knew Soviet troops would not be sent to save them, unlike in Hungary in 1956 or Czechoslovakia in 1968.
- Learn the final collapse of the USSR itself as the last stage: hardline Communist Party members attempted a coup against Gorbachev in August 1991 to reverse his reforms, but the coup failed within days, badly damaging Gorbachev's authority and strengthening reformers such as Boris Yeltsin; Gorbachev resigned on 25 December 1991 and the USSR formally dissolved the next day.
- For 'write a narrative account' questions on this topic, treat 1989 to 1991 as one continuous chain: revolutions in Eastern Europe, the fall of the Wall, German reunification, the failed coup, and the dissolution of the USSR, always explaining how each event made the next one more likely rather than listing them as separate facts.
- For 'explain two of the following: importance' questions, be ready to weigh Gorbachev's refusal to use force against the revolutions of 1989 themselves, or against the failed 1991 coup, as different but connected reasons the Cold War ended when and how it did.
Worked example
Write a narrative account analysing the key events in the ending of the Cold War, from the revolutions in Eastern Europe in 1989 to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991. You may use the following information to help write your answer: the fall of the Berlin Wall; the failed coup of August 1991. You must also use information of your own.
- Plan the sequence: revolutions across Eastern Europe (1989), the fall of the Berlin Wall (9 November 1989), German reunification (October 1990), the failed hardline coup (August 1991), and the dissolution of the USSR (December 1991).
- Open with the revolutions: Poland's Solidarity movement won elections and Hungary opened its border with Austria in 1989, encouraged by Gorbachev's clear refusal to use Soviet troops to prop up unpopular communist governments, unlike in 1956 or 1968.
- Link forward: 'This wave of change reached East Germany directly, and on 9 November 1989, confused announcements about new travel rules led crowds to gather at the Berlin Wall, which overwhelmed border guards opened without orders to use force, allowing the Wall to be breached.'
- Link forward again: 'Following the Wall's fall, momentum toward full German unification grew quickly, and Germany formally reunified in October 1990, removing one of the Cold War's most enduring symbols of division.'
- Link forward again: 'Within the USSR itself, hardline Communist Party members, alarmed by how far Gorbachev's reforms had gone, attempted a coup against him in August 1991, but its failure within days badly damaged Gorbachev's authority and strengthened reformers such as Boris Yeltsin.'
- Close with the outcome: 'As a direct result of the coup's failure, Gorbachev resigned on 25 December 1991, and the Soviet Union formally dissolved the next day, bringing the Cold War to an end.'
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Name the Polish movement that won elections in 1989, marking one of the first breaks from communist control in Eastern Europe.Show answer
Answer: Solidarity.
Q2Which country opened its border with Austria in May 1989, creating a route for East Germans to escape westward?Show answer
Answer: Hungary.
Q3On what date did the Berlin Wall fall?Show answer
Answer: 9 November 1989.
Q4Why did border guards open the crossings at the Berlin Wall rather than using force to stop the crowds?Show answer
Answer: Confused announcements about new, more relaxed travel rules led large crowds to gather, and overwhelmed guards lacked clear orders to use force, so they opened the crossings.
Q5When did Germany formally reunify?Show answer
Answer: October 1990.
Q6What happened in August 1991, and how did it affect Gorbachev's authority?Show answer
Answer: Hardline Communist Party members attempted a coup against Gorbachev; its failure within days badly damaged his authority and strengthened reformers such as Boris Yeltsin.
Q7On what dates did Gorbachev resign and the Soviet Union formally dissolve?Show answer
Answer: Gorbachev resigned on 25 December 1991, and the Soviet Union formally dissolved the following day, 26 December 1991.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE History exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Explain two consequences of the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 8 available
Explain two of the following: (a) The importance of Gorbachev's refusal to use force for the revolutions of 1989 in Eastern Europe. (b) The importance of the failed coup of August 1991 for the collapse of the Soviet Union. (c) The importance of the fall of the Berlin Wall for German reunification. You must answer on two options.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 16 available
See real GCSE History past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the the fall of the berlin wall and the end of the cold war, 1989-91 worksheet pack - 7 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
Next topics
Not quite what you needed?
Tell us what is missing on the fall of the berlin wall and the end of the cold war, 1989-91, or which topic to write up next. Every request is read, and we reply to every one.
Build a full practice pack.
This topic is one of hundreds in the library - pick the ones a student needs and generate a printable PDF in minutes.