The global event that had its roots in the economic struggles of the 1980s in Eastern Europe was the fall of communism, culminating in the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Economic stagnation, high inflation, and social unrest characterized this period, eroding faith in communist regimes. Popular movements, such as Solidarity in Poland, leveraged these discontented sentiments, calling for democratic reforms and economic changes. The demand for freedom and democracy swept through Eastern Europe, leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and multiple revolutions throughout the region, culminating in the end of Soviet control and the emergence of independent nations.