History of the United States (1980–1991) which the nations of the world, East and West, North and South, can prosper and live in harmony." Nationalist agitation in the Baltic States for independence led to first Lithuania and then the other two states, Estonia and Latvia, declaring independence from the Soviet Union. On December 26, 1991, the USSR was officially disbanded, breaking up into fifteen constituent parts. The Cold War was over, and the vacuum left by the collapse of governments such as in Yugoslavia and Somalia revealed or reopened other animosities concealed by decades of authoritarian rule. While there was a certain reluctance among the U.S.
Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1991 intention to return then for refund in other banknotes. The reform included provision for the 50- and 100-ruble banknotes of 1961 standard to be redeemable for exchange in "limited" quantities per person or family through workplace-organized exchange locations to smaller-denomination banknotes or to new-issue (1991) bills of 50 and 100 rubles denomination. The exchange was a subject to significant limitations: However, actual exchange was also limited by the amount of cash available to exchange locations. Withdrawal at the "Savings Bank of the USSR" - the only consumer bank in USSR was also limited to no more than 500 rubles per