The Cold War was a prolonged period of tension between the US and the USSR. It lasted between the end of World War II and the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's reform programs of 'glasnost' and 'perestroika' played a crucial role in changing the USSR and creating conditions for revolution throughout Eastern Europe. Revolution against the USSR began in Poland and eventually spread throughout Eastern Europe. These revolutions resulted in the overthrow of communist rule and the establishment of democratic governments, which ultimately led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.
During the 1980s, democratic leaders grew increasingly concerned about the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein. Just as the Cold War thaws, Saddam Hussein's actions in the Middle East will lead to new international conflict and the 1990s will begin with a new war: The Gulf War, also known as 'Operation Desert Storm' or the 'Persian Gulf War."