Tiananmen Incident and Eastern Europe Unrest, 1989

In June 1989, the Tiananmen Square incident occurred in Beijing, where the Chinese government deployed tanks and troops to suppress pro-democracy demonstrations, resulting in over a thousand deaths. President George H. W. Bush imposed sanctions on China in response.

Meanwhile, communist regimes across Central and Eastern Europe faced widespread protests. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev allowed Warsaw Pact member countries to implement political and economic reforms, but these reforms could not prevent the fall of communist rule.

During the summer of 1989, President Bush visited Hungary and Poland, both struggling to transition toward free-market economies while breaking free from centralized control. In Poland, Lech Wałęsa, the leader of the Solidarity movement, emerged as a key reform figure and later became the democratic president of Poland.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall, constructed 28 years earlier, was opened. Thousands of East Germans shouted slogans demanding its removal. The East German Communist Party was forced to introduce new election laws ensuring free elections under international supervision. Once East Germans realized they could travel freely, the Soviet Union quickly acknowledged the changes as reasonable.

Within days, citizens and soldiers began dismantling the Wall. The world watched, hopeful that a new era of peace had begun. The fall of the Berlin Wall symbolized the end of Soviet-controlled communist regimes in Eastern Europe and marked the conclusion of the over 40-year Cold War between East and West.

The Dissolution of the Soviet Union

On December 25, 1991, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev resigned, and the next day, the Supreme Soviet passed a resolution declaring the Soviet Union ceased to exist, officially marking its dissolution.

The Soviet Union had long suffered from an expensive arms race and poor living standards. Citizens were dissatisfied with a lack of democracy, bureaucratic corruption, and systemic privileges. Beginning in 1989, failed reforms and severe inflation further tightened living conditions for ordinary people. Consumer goods shortages were severe, and coal miners went on major strikes.

The USSR’s policies of “Russification” saw the political, cultural, and economic elites of many ethnic minorities persecuted. Minority languages, cultures, and national identities were suppressed. The historic purges under Stalin had already left deep scars. Gorbachev’s policies of “perestroika” (reform) and “glasnost” (openness) attempted to rebuild socialist values and establish humane and democratic socialism, breaking with Stalin’s legacy. Ultimately, Boris Yeltsin’s decisive leadership played a key role in bringing about the USSR’s collapse.

The dissolution of the Soviet Union relieved Europe from decades of military threat, accelerating European integration. Two years later, the European Union was officially established, eventually expanding eastward into former Soviet-controlled countries.

George H. W. Bush’s Later Years and Legacy

George H. W. Bush passed away on November 30, 2018, in Texas at the age of 94 years and 5 months, becoming the longest-lived U.S. president in history. After losing his 1992 reelection bid, he said he would enjoy simple life pleasures with his wife: washing dishes, holding grandchildren, fishing, sleeping early, and teaching at a university. Even in his 80s and 90s, he celebrated birthdays with skydiving.

On December 5, 2018, the United States held a grand state funeral in Washington, D.C., honoring Bush’s distinguished service. All five living current and former presidents attended, reflecting the high regard in which he was held.