Moscow's Empire

The beginning of the end: how the Soviet Union began to crumble post 1970 - and fell apart completely after 1991. The former Soviet countries were left bankrupt and traumatized and facing what would be an anarchic decade.

The Berlin Wall fell and Moscow’s empire shrunk rapidly. In the so-called "2 + 4 Treaty" regarding Germany, Moscow relinquished control over the GDR and East Berlin. This paved the way for German unification and a new European order.

Vladimir Putin’s leadership style was authoritarian and arguably autocratic early on. He began undoing Russia’s internal chaos, while at the same time restricting newly won freedoms. Moscow became increasingly confident on the international stage.

The war in Georgia and the conflict in Ukraine exacerbated the divide between East and West. With Russia’s annexation of Crimea a new Cold War appeared to emerge, returning conditions to the 1980s.