The first stages of the Dissolution of the Soviet Union could be traced back to many different places, but most people noticed the first cracks beginning upon the election of Mikhail Gorbachev as General Secretary in 1985. Gorbachev was well known for his attempts at liberalizing the Soviet Union through his policy of "Perestroika and Glasnost" (openness and transparency). Under this policy, there was more freedom of speech among the media and the citizens, and Soviet history under the Stalin regime was re-examined. Additionally, the changes allowed exiled dissidents to return to the country, and released political prisoners from incarceration, something that had not been done since the 1950's.

In response to these movements, there was a huge growth in nationalist movements and ethnic conflicts across the USSR. Things began to come to a head in 1988, when several countries began to have major political demonstrations. These independence movements would continue until the fall of the USSR. 

In 1991, several referendums were held regarding the future of the Soviet Union, ones which came back with support both for independence and for the retention of a reformed union. Gorbachev made an attempt to restructure the Soviet government into a less centralized state, and in response several senior officials, including his vice president, tried to carry out a coup against him. The coup failed after three days, in large part due to the fact that Gorbachev's own policies meant that the entire thing was broadcast both to international audiences and to Russians themselves. 

While Gorbachev was reinstated as General Secretary after the failed August coup, he had lost a huge amount of influence. By September, Boris Yeltsin has begun taking over the remains of the Soviet government. In the next few months the entire communist system would fall apart. On December 25th, Gorbachev would formally resign as the President of the Soviet Union and declare the position extinct. That same night, the Soviet flag would be lowered for the last time. The Soviet Union would not officially cease to exist until the next day, when the Upper Chamber of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union would vote the USSR, and themselves, out of existence. 

At the height of its power, Britain ruled over nearly a quarter of the worlds population and land mass. This would lead to the phrase, "The sun never sets on the British Empire", due to the fact that the sun was constantly shining over one of Britain's territories, 24 hours a day.

Britain's attempts to create colonies began in earnest in the sixteen hundreds. During this time, they expanded into the Americas and surrounding islands. They also took control of the West Indies, and established several forts in African countries. Most of the work in these places was being done by enslaved Africans, who were transported and sold by the British at a much higher rate than any other country. In 1776, the United States became the first British colony to successfully declare independence from the British. Britain would in turn shift it attention towards the other side of the world, and move to colonize Australia, Asia, the Pacific, and Africa. 

British colonies began to call for independence in 1919, when Ireland declared its independence and started fighting against the British administration. Irelands complaints and attempts for independence would quickly be followed by India, Egypt, Iraq, Palestine, Canada, Australia, Newfoundland, New Zealand, and South Africa. Britain's hold on the colonies would further weaken during World War Two, when it was made clear that they could not actually do much to protect them. In the years following the war, Britain withdrew from most of its colonies. In some cases the decolonization was peaceful but in many cases, such as with India, Palestine, and Malaya, the process involved a lot of bloodshed.

The decolonization of the African continent took place mostly between the years of 1950 and 1975. Prior to this, nearly the entire continent was under colonial rule. Its citizens were controlled by countries such as Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, and Portugal. This meant that the colonial states were forced to abide by European law, under European rulers. Additionally, most of the goods produced in African counties were exported to Europe, rather than being used at home.

The process of decolonization started after the end of World War Two. This was due in large part to the fact that during the war, many African citizens were conscripted to fight for the European countries that were colonizing them. This experience abroad gave soldiers a deeper political awareness, which they took home with them. Additionally, fighting the war was a huge financial blow to European countries, which meant that they did not have the resources necessary to keep control over colonized land. 

Today, Africa is split into 54 countries. The first to declare independence was Liberia, on July 26th, 1847. Additionally, they were the only country to declare independence from the United States. The most recent country to become independent was Namibia, on March 21st, 1990. 

For more information about the decolonization of Africa, check out these sources:

Most people know about the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. What many people do not know is that the first steps of this process actually started more than three years earlier, in 1988. It was in this year that Estonia became the first Soviet Republic to declare state sovereignty. In the ensuing three years, nearly all of the Soviet Republics experienced massive protests for independence, which would force hardline Communists to give up more and more power over the states. By the time Soviet leaders accepted the imminent collapse, 11 out of the 15 Republics had already succeeded from the Union. 

This globe predates these events by about 40 years. To learn more about what led to these international changes, check out these resources:

Alaska is the 49th state, and was officially granted statehood in 1959. It is the largest state in the country by area. Various unique indigenous groups have lived in Alaska for thousands of years. It was first colonized by Russia in the 17th and 18th centuries, before it was sold to the United States in 1867 for $7.2 million (about $151 today). It officially became a US territory in 1912, before it became a state on January 3rd, 1959. 

Like Hawaii, Alaskans voted for their statehood in a referendum. About 80% of citizens voted in favor of statehood, though it should be noted that, also like Hawaii, only about 19% of the population were Native Alaskans.

Today, about Native Alaskans make up about 15% of the population. This is the highest amount of any state in the country.

Hawaii (also spelled Hawai'i) is the most recent addition to the country, receiving its statehood in 1959. Hawaii was originally populated by Polynesian settlers between 1000-1200 CE. The British became the first non-polynesian people to inhabit the islands, and in doing so introduced a number of diseases that reduced the population by about 90%, from over one million to less than 40,000. 

Not willing to give up their land to colonists, Hawaii's various independent groups unified into one internationally recognized kingdom in the year 1810. The kingdom remained independent until 1893, when a coalition of American and European businessmen overthrew Queen Lili'uokalani and the monarchal system. The United States officially acknowledged their actions in the coup in 1993, when a joint congressional resolution apologized for the overthrow and affirmed that the actions had been illegal. Currently, there is still a political movement calling for the reestablishment of the the Hawaiian Monarchy.

Hawaii became a United States territory in the year 1898, without any input from Native Hawaiians. On March 18, 1959, a referendum had 93% of voters supporting statehood for Hawaii. However, by that time most of the voters were not Native Hawaiian. Additionally, the referendum offered no option for Hawaiian independence from the United States. 

Hawaiians are still facing the consequences of these decisions even years later. Most notably, unlike other Indigenous American groups, Hawaiians are not recognized as "dependent nations with inherent rights of self-determination". This means that Native Hawaiians are not eligible for benefits and funds that other groups can claim, such as Aleuts and Native Alaskans.

For 22 years after the end of World War Two, Vietnam was divided into North and South. This began in 1954, when the Geneva Accords partitioned the country, with the intent that it be a temporary measure. As with many areas or the world at the time, the Soviet Union and the United States each took an interest in one half of the country. The Soviet Union backed and supported the Communist North Vietnam, and the United States did the same with Capitalist South Vietnam. These outside interests and internal politics would ensure that the country would not reunite until 1976. 

In the ensuing years, Vietnam would undergo a series of political and economic reforms that would stabilize the country and boost its economic growth. Currently, Vietnam is one of a handful of Communist countries still in existence, though their leadership promotes a "Socialist-Oriented Market Economy." Vietnam has generally good relations with the major world powers, though they have had conflicts with China. 

In 1949, Germany was split into East and West. West Germany, called the Federal Republic of Germany, was a Parliamentary Democracy, and was allied with the United States. East Germany, which was called the German Democratic Republic, was a Marxist-Leninist Socialist Republic, and was allied with the Soviet Union. 

While the two countries were separate politically, they were not physically separated until the year 1961 when the Berlin Wall was constructed. Before this time, as many as 3.5 million East Germans fled from the East to the West. After the construction of the wall, that number dropped to 5,000. Almost 30 years later, on November 9th, 1989, the wall would come down again following a series of political demonstrations. 

Reunification plans began almost as soon as the country was divided. Several attempts were made to reunify the country into a "neutral state", though they would all eventually fall through. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, reunification discussion began in earnest. After several local elections, the two German States would finally enter back into a union on July 1st, 1990.