Which event in 1985 is often cited as signaling a thaw in the Cold War?

• A. Appointment of Mikhail Gorbachev as General Secretary
• B. Fall of the Berlin Wall
• C. INF Treaty signing
• D. START I signing

Answer: (A)

The event signals a shift in leadership and policy that opened the door to greater dialogue and reform, which historians often point to as the moment the Cold War began to thaw. In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union and introduced policies like glasnost and perestroika that aimed to modernize the Soviet economy and society and, crucially, to pursue more constructive relationships with the West. This new approach made arms-control talks and diplomatic engagement more likely and reduced the mutual hostility that had defined the earlier Cold War years. The other events happened later or under different circumstances: the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, while the INF Treaty was signed in 1987 and START I in 1991. Therefore, the appointment of Gorbachev is the best answer for signaling the thaw in 1985.