Communist governments across Eastern Europe fell in 1989

Soviet control spread across Eastern Europe after WWII

In the late 1940s, the USSR solidified control over Eastern Europe by installing pro-communist regimes in countries like Poland, Hungary and Romania—often through rigged elections and political repression.

The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, due to economic decline and political unrest

By the late 1980s, the Soviet economy was stagnating and its political system was under tremendous strain. Soviet reforms failed to reverse the decline, and growing independence movements led to the USSR’s formal dissolution in 1991.

See the celebration at the Berlin Wall as it fell in 1989

In November 1989, East German guards stood down as crowds surged across the nearly 100-mile barrier encircling West Berlin. Thousands celebrated the wall’s sudden irrelevance and collapse. This ABC News report captures the moment’s upheaval and joy.

Gorbachev’s reform efforts accelerated the Soviet Union’s collapse

In the 1980s, Mikhail Gorbachev introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) to reform the USSR. Instead of saving the system, the policies exposed deep problems—fueling unrest and weakening central control.

Explore a multimedia timeline of Communism’s global rise and collapse

This timeline from The Washington Post traces the spread of Communism—from revolutions and Cold War flashpoints to movements in China, Cuba, Korea, and Vietnam—using archival photos and key moments to chart the ideology’s dramatic ascent and worldwide decline.

During the Cold War, the rules-based order was largely limited to the West

The Soviet Union and its allies operated outside the Bretton Woods institutions, meaning the postwar liberal order functioned as a regional rather than a truly global system. This changed with the USSR's collapse in 1991.

After the USSR's fall, many experts believed liberal democracy had permanently prevailed

Political scientist Francis Fukuyama argued in 1992 that liberal democracy and market capitalism had defeated their ideological opponents and would eventually spread everywhere—a thesis he called "the end of history." Subsequent decades complicated that claim.

Communism grew in appeal during the Great Depression

With at least a quarter of the country out of work, some Americans disenchanted with capitalism began looking at alternatives. Watch this five-minute video to learn about communism's growing allure during the Great Depression.

Prelude to the Tiananmen Square crackdown

On June 2, 1989, two days before the military-led massacre that would come to be known as the Tiananmen Square crackdown, nine of China's top leaders discussed how to stop pro-democracy protesters. During this meeting, leader Deng Xiaoping delivered a speech that has shaped the country ever since, in which he advocated for a forceful end to the protests while supporting China's economic "opening-up" featured in protesters' demands.

Mass protests in 2004 overturned a rigged Ukrainian election

During the Orange Revolution, Ukrainians protested against election fraud favoring pro-Russian candidate Viktor Yanukovych. Weeks of peaceful demonstrations led to a rerun vote, bringing Viktor Yushchenko to power and weakening Moscow's influence in the country.

In communist Poland, the VHS black market provided a window into the US

Although government censors often banned official releases, Polish residents enjoyed a healthy black market of stores and traders, who offered all the latest Hollywood movies.

The Partitions of Poland led to the erasure of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Political instability and foreign interference weakened the Commonwealth, which was eventually divided between Prussia, Austria, and Russia. Poland would not be re-established until after World War I and decades of imperial oppression.

The US tried to overthrow the communist government in Cuba—and failed

In 1961, the US backed an invasion of Cuba by anti-Castro exiles, aiming to spark an uprising against the communist government. The operation collapsed within days, embarrassing the US and pushing Cuba closer to the Soviet Union.

The world rapidly decolonized after World War II

After WWII, weakened European powers faced mounting resistance from colonized peoples. Between 1945 and 1980, dozens of nations across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East gained independence.

The western Roman Empire fell in the 5th century CE amid invasions, weakness

A mix of over-expansion, political instability, a weak military and economy, and the broad invasion of the Eurasian Huns prompted the downfall. Its eastern half, the Byzantine Empire, would last for another millennium.

What led to the October Revolution?

The 1917 Russian Revolution is actually two separate revolutions. One happened that spring that ended centuries of Tsarist rule and led to the establishment of a provisional government. Another happened that autumn during which the Bolshevik...

The Concert of Europe's collapse contributed to World War I

The 19th-century great power system gradually unraveled due to rising nationalism, imperial rivalry, and shifting alliances—leading to its collapse in 1914 and the outbreak of the deadliest war the world had yet seen.

Bobby Fischer’s 1972 victory ended Soviet dominance of chess

In Reykjavik, American Bobby Fischer defeated Soviet champion Boris Spassky to claim the world title. The Cold War showdown drew global attention, breaking the USSR’s 24-year grip on the championship.

Camus and Sartre had a public falling out over communism

The two were close friends, sometimes collaborating throughout the 1940s, but the release of Camus' 1951 book, "The Rebel," led to a schism over differing views on communism.

Watch contemporary footage covering the US-backed Shah of Iran fleeing the country in the face of the 1979 Iranian Revolution

How did China go from an empire to a republic?

In the 1800s, as China's economy was in flux, foreign imperialist powers began appearing on the horizon, leading China to lose land and influence in the region. This 48-minute podcast episode explores how this destabilization set the stage for the...

Retracing the 1960s history of dropping out

A core element of the 1960s counterculture was the idea of dropping out of school and the broader technocratic institutions at the time. This push coincided with paranoia over mind control during the Cold War, and as some rogue psychologists advocated for the liberating use of psychedelics.

Brazil's military dictatorship led to bossa nova's decline

In 1964, Brazil's president João Goulart was overthrown by a military coup supported by the US State Department. Scholars argue that the events led to the decline of bossa nova, with many Brazilians believing its pleasant sounds and picturesque lyrics were tone-deaf to the politically fraught moment.

How the Arab Spring engulfed the Middle East – and changed the world

The Arab Spring engulfed the Middle East, unleashing consequences that still shape the world today. In 2011, the Arab Spring began with protests in a small Tunisian city. Those protests led to an era of uprisings and civil war in the Arab world,...

Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran on Feb. 1, 1979, after 14 years in exile

Greeted by millions of Iranians flooding the streets of Tehran, Khomeini's return was a defining moment of the revolution. Within days, he appointed a rival prime minister, effectively dismantling the last remnants of the Shah's government and consolidating clerical rule over the new Islamic Republic.

Limited transparency soon after Chernobyl made it a source of conspiracy theories

Some rumors about the event became perceived as more reliable than the Soviet mass media, which had omitted key information during the early days of uncertainty. The resulting theories included CIA involvement in the disaster, three-headed birds, aliens, and a weaponized earthquake.

The United States has had a tumultuous relationship with Cuba since its 1959 revolution, highlighted by a nuclear crisis and a decades-long trade embargo.

The identity of the Tank Man in the iconic photo from the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests remains unknown and was possibly killed.

Famed poet TS Eliot rejected the manuscript for George Orwell's political fable 'Animal Farm,' writing that its criticism of authoritarianism was not 'the right point of view.'

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is the largest ground war in Europe since World War II in casualties, forces mobilized, and displacement of civilians.

In preparation for this weekend's Eurovision finale, which is something like the World Cup of pop music, here's a young Céline Dion performing (for Switzerland?) at the 1988 competition.

American dance legend Martha Graham, sometimes called 'the Picasso of dance,' refused to perform at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and conceived the piece 'Chronicle' in response to the experience.

The United States is one of only around two dozen countries with a fully federal system of government, in which power is divided between national and state governments.

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

See 33 images that became central to huge scandals, including a young Charles and Camilla, Michael Jackson's baby on a hotel balcony, and Hugh Grant's mugshot.

Before humans, the Soviet Union and the United States sent animals—including apes, dogs, and cats—to space during the Space Race.

Jimmy Carter signed a 1978 bill that legalized home brewing, a move credited with kick-starting the craft beer industry.

Radioactive elements can introduce software errors because the ionizing radiation they produce can detach electrons from atoms, and computer code relies on the distribution of electrons.

In 2026, Finland was named the world's happiest country for the ninth consecutive year based on its wealth, social safety network, and high life expectancy, among other factors.

View the ten deadliest tornadoes in US history.

A 2019 Facebook event called on attendees to "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us," resulting in countless memes, the creation of a music festival, and eventually the arrests of those who did try to approach the area.

Coral polyps reproduce via broadcast spawning, where entire reefs simultaneously release reproductive cells for about one hour, once a year.

The distributor behind 'Rocky Horror' pulled the film from its scheduled national release, believing it would be a failure, though it eventually amassed a dedicated fanbase through midnight showings, a trend that continues over 50 years later.

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

Volcanoes 'die' when their supply of magma runs out, if they are shifted away from their underlying magma reservoir, or if they get clogged by collapsing or their magma cooling back into rock.

The 1987 Nintendo video game 'Stadium Events' isn't known for being particularly fun, but its scarcity has made it a highly sought-after item that has sold for up to $35K at auction.

'Silent' fireworks have gained more interest in recent years as a quieter celebratory option.

See photos of Meteora, a mountainous site in central Greece, home to 14th-century monasteries perched atop soaring outcroppings.

Cultural norms about how to handle the bodies of loved ones in communities in West Africa have hampered Ebola responses.

While El Niño moves warm Pacific Ocean waters east along the equator, La Niña moves them west, shifting where rainfall will become more common for months.