Which event is commonly associated with the end of the Cold War era in 1991 by dissolving a major opponent?

• A. Dissolution of the Soviet Union
• B. Fall of the Berlin Wall
• C. Invasion of Normandy
• D. Formation of the European Union

Answer: (A)

The ending of the Cold War is most closely tied to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, because the USSR was the central opponent in the long East–West confrontation. In 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed into multiple independent republics and effectively ceased to exist as a single state, removing the ruling power that had defined the rivalry for decades and transforming global politics from a polarized, bipolar world to a post–Cold War order. The moment is amplified by events like the Berlin Wall coming down in 1989, which symbolized opening and reform, but it was the actual disintegration of the Soviet Union that brought the formal end to the Cold War. Invasion of Normandy is a World War II event, and the formation of the European Union occurs later and concerns European integration rather than the demise of the Soviet state.