Soviet empire

English thumb|The extent of the Soviet empire in 1960 Proper noun en historical The Soviet Union along with the nominally independent nations in its sphere of influence. A[braham] M[ichael] Rosenthal A. M. Rosenthal ON MY MIND; Helping the Revolution https://web.archive.org/web/20171219234008/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/21/opinion/on-my-mind-helping-the-revolution.html 21 November 1989 Almost from the moment the Soviet empire swallowed the captive nations, the fight against it began. 'Tear down this wall': How Reagan's forgotten line became a defining moment https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/06/12/tear-down-this-wall-how-reagans-forgotten-line-became-a-defining-presidential-moment/ https://web.archive.org/web/20260105030241/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/06/12/tear-down-this-wall-how-reagans-forgotten-line-became-a-defining-presidential-moment/ 5 January 2026 12 June 2017 The very idea of Ronald Reagan standing before the most powerful symbol of the Cold War and demanding that the leader of the Soviet empire "tear down this wall" threw two governments into conniptions. Further reading en Soviet Union