The Cold War, a period of intense rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union, was a defining feature of the second half of the 20th century. However, by the end of the 1980s, it was clear that the Soviet Union, its ideology, and empire were on the brink of collapse. This wasn't just due to political or economic reasons; ordinary people and the power they held were instrumental in ending the Cold War.

According to historian John Lewis Gaddis, the end of the Cold War was brought about by ordinary people who seized opportunities to challenge the status quo. These individuals were not world leaders or religious figures, but everyday people with simple priorities. By seizing and sometimes stumbling into opportunities, they initiated a collapse that no one could stop.

By the late 1980s, the satellite states of the Soviet Union witnessed a surge in nationalist movements due to:

• Deteriorating Living Standards: State-controlled industries in satellite states were inefficient, leading to shortages in consumer goods, food, clothes, and housing. People in East Germany and Czechoslovakia, who could see images of superior capitalist living on West German television, grew increasingly disillusioned.

• Disillusionment with the Communist Party: The Communist Party was perceived as corrupt, with its leaders more interested in preserving their privileges than improving the lives of workers. The regimes in Eastern Europe were led by individuals with no interest in reform and who maintained power through repressive police networks.

• Gorbachev’s Reforms: Mikhail Gorbachev's policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) signaled a shift in Soviet policy. He made it clear that he was unwilling to use force to maintain control over the satellite states.

In a landmark speech to the United Nations on December 7, 1988, Gorbachev announced a significant reduction in Soviet troops committed to the Warsaw Pact and declared that "freedom of choice" was a universal principle. This signaled to the people and governments of Eastern Europe that the Brezhnev Doctrine (the use of force to maintain control) would not be applied, and they could determine their own internal affairs. This shift in policy is sometimes referred to as the 'Sinatra Doctrine'.

Historian David Reynolds noted that Gorbachev's emphasis on humanity over class and nation persuaded him to allow Eastern Europeans to peacefully go their own way, even if that meant revolution.