Revolution, Rebuilding, and New Challenges (Ch. 31)

As the Soviet Union finally began its decline with the election of Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985, the United Kingdom was one of the few nations that did not truly take part in the changing map of Europe. While the Soviet Union collapsed and Eastern Europe experienced the demolition of communism and revolutions in Yugoslavia and all of Europe, the United Kingdom concerned itself with the prevention of future conflict through organized actions. While expanding NATO and the United Nations to ensure collective security, the UK also took part in establishing the European Union and other groups designed to improve Europe's economy. Although the population rate of Europe is declining each year, it has found stability in politics for the most part. Economics continue to be a slight problem in the Eastern European countries, which have failed to recover from Communism. However, countries like the UK are working hard to ensure that stability will again become the norm in Europe.