Asia Pacific 1989: End of the Cold War
Asian Economic Powers
1894–1911 The Rise of Japan
1911–1927 Warlords and Revolutionaries
1927–1937 China's Nanjing Decade
1937–1941 Second Sino-Japanese War
1941–1943 WWII: The Greater East Asia War
1943–1945 WWII: Victory Over Japan
1945–1950 End of the Old Order
1950–1989 The Cold War in Asia
1989–pres Asian Economic Powers
End of the Cold War
Despite the communist gains, the 1970s was an era of unprecedented economic growth for the capitalist nations of East Asia, with Japan surpassing the Soviet Union to become the world's second largest economy by the early 1980s. The new Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, responded to this and other challenges with huge political and economic reforms, ending the backing of communist regimes worldwide. Losing Soviet support, Vietnam withdrew from Cambodia in 1989.
