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The '80s ended on a high note with the crumbling of communism. History of the 80s: 1989 documents the last year of the decade in this final installment of the series. Along with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Soviet Union became disjointed and the Cold War ended with the breakup of Russia. Meanwhile, Chinese students voiced their own dissatisfaction with the ruling order and were massacred in Tiananmen Square. At home, the environment suffered another setback when the Exxon Valdez ran aground. San Francisco experienced an earthquake during rush hour, leaving 10,000 homeless. Through it all, President Bush held steady, surviving both the war on drugs and the S&L scandal.