The end of the Soviet Union was marked by a series of events that took place in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Some of the key events that led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union include:
1. The reforms initiated by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, including Glasnost (openness) and Perestroika (restructuring), which led to increased political and economic freedoms.
2. The fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, which symbolized the end of the Cold War and the beginning of a new era in Europe.
3. The rise of nationalist movements and the push for independence by the Soviet republics, such as Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia.
4. The failed coup attempt by hardline Communist Party members in August 1991, which weakened the authority of the Soviet government and hastened its collapse.
5. The signing of the Belavezha Accords in December 1991, which dissolved the Soviet Union and established the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as its successor.
These events, along with a variety of other economic, political, and social factors, contributed to the end of the Soviet Union and the emergence of a new political landscape in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet bloc.