March 11, 1985★★★★★
Gorbachev becomes Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev is chosen as General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party and goes on to launch the policies of perestroika and glasnost.
Politics· Russia
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Events this year
Ongoing
c. 1975 – c. 1995★★★★★
Vietnamese boat people
Hundreds of thousands of people flee Vietnam by sea after 1975; many die at sea and others are resettled, mostly in Western countries.
Politics· Vietnam, United States, Australia, Canada, France, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
April 13, 1975 – 1990★★★★★
Lebanese Civil War
A multi-sided civil war devastates Lebanon for fifteen years, with intervention by Syria, Israel and other foreign forces.
War· Lebanon
December 25, 1978 – 1989★★★★★
Cambodian–Vietnamese War
Following Khmer Rouge border attacks, Vietnam invades Cambodia, takes Phnom Penh on 7 January 1979 and overthrows the Khmer Rouge; Vietnamese troops remain until 1989.
War· Vietnam, Cambodia
September 22, 1980 – August 20, 1988★★★★★
Iran–Iraq War
Saddam Hussein's Iraq invades Iran, beginning an eight-year war of attrition that kills hundreds of thousands.
War· Iran, Iraq
1983 – 1985★★★★★
Ethiopian famine of 1983–1985
Drought combined with civil war and government policies caused a major famine in Ethiopia that killed several hundred thousand to a million people and prompted the Live Aid relief effort.
Disaster· Ethiopia
July 23, 1983 – May 18, 2009★★★★★
Sri Lankan Civil War
A 26-year armed conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ends in the LTTE's defeat.
War· Sri Lanka