Born 1920 Son of Polish army lieutenant Became Pope in 1978 Died in 2005
Willing to stand up for his beliefs, inspiring
Ideas:
A conservative within the Catholic Church
Believed in the importance of human rights
critcial of communist regimes
Policies:
Spoke out against human rights abuses of the governements of Eastern Europe
Influences:
His speeches inspired anti-communists - He visted Poland in 1979,1983 and 1987 and each time the visits reinforced the support for the trade union 'Solidarity' - helping it gain concessions from the government. - The leader of Solidarity, Lech Walesa, was a devou Catholic
Faults:
The Catholic Church was only strong in Poland meaning its impact was limited in other Eastern European Countries.
Most important key individual:
Pope John Paul -5
Ronald Reagan -7
Margaret Thatcher -6
Mikhail Gorbachev - 10
I think that Pope John Paul played an important part in the liberalisation of Poland, due to his support for the trade union 'Solidarity', however his influence was only felt in Poland meaning his role in the ending of the Cold war was limited. Ronald Reagan's role in the ending of the Cold war was important as he applied the pressure to the USSR by causing difficulties for them e.g. Afghanistan making the Soviets realise their position was becoming weaker and they could not continue if they were to survive as a nation. Margaret Thatcher, i believe was not as significant as others in the Cold War ending as i feel she only supported the US which increased the realisation that the Soviet Union were unable to compete with the USSR any longer.
I believe that Mikhail Gorbachev was the most important individual in the ending of the Cold War as he implemented policies that both helped the USSR's foreign affairs with the US and Britain such as the INF Agreement in 1987, but he also improved Russia's home situation e.g implementing Glasnost and Democratisation, which eventually led to the collapse of the USSR.
Key individuals in the ending of the Cold War
Pope John Paul ll
Basic Details:
Born 1920Son of Polish army lieutenant
Became Pope in 1978
Died in 2005
Willing to stand up for his beliefs, inspiring
Ideas:
A conservative within the Catholic Church
Believed in the importance of human rights
critcial of communist regimes
Policies:
Spoke out against human rights abuses of the governements of Eastern Europe
Influences:
His speeches inspired anti-communists - He visted Poland in 1979,1983 and 1987 and each time the visits reinforced the support for the trade union 'Solidarity' - helping it gain concessions from the government. - The leader of Solidarity, Lech Walesa, was a devou Catholic
Faults:
The Catholic Church was only strong in Poland meaning its impact was limited in other Eastern European Countries.
Most important key individual:
Pope John Paul -5
Ronald Reagan -7
Margaret Thatcher -6
Mikhail Gorbachev - 10
I think that Pope John Paul played an important part in the liberalisation of Poland, due to his support for the trade union 'Solidarity', however his influence was only felt in Poland meaning his role in the ending of the Cold war was limited. Ronald Reagan's role in the ending of the Cold war was important as he applied the pressure to the USSR by causing difficulties for them e.g. Afghanistan making the Soviets realise their position was becoming weaker and they could not continue if they were to survive as a nation. Margaret Thatcher, i believe was not as significant as others in the Cold War ending as i feel she only supported the US which increased the realisation that the Soviet Union were unable to compete with the USSR any longer.
I believe that Mikhail Gorbachev was the most important individual in the ending of the Cold War as he implemented policies that both helped the USSR's foreign affairs with the US and Britain such as the INF Agreement in 1987, but he also improved Russia's home situation e.g implementing Glasnost and Democratisation, which eventually led to the collapse of the USSR.