Final answer:
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 is the ultimate symbol of change in relations between the U.S. and the Communist World, epitomizing the end of the Cold War and the collapse of Soviet influence in Eastern Europe.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Symbol of Cold War Change
The ultimate symbol of change in relations between the U.S. and the Communist World was the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. This event dramatically signified the decline of Communist power in Eastern Europe and marked a pivotal moment in the Cold War. While former US President Reagan famously challenged Soviet leader Gorbachev to "tear down this wall," it was the actions of the people of Eastern Europe, their grassroots efforts, and the broader global opposition to communism that catalyzed this historical shift.
In the context of U.S. and Soviet Union relations, the Cold War was a period characterized by mutual distrust, military buildups, and proxy wars, with each superpower seeking to outdo the other in ideological influence and technological achievements, such as space exploration. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's policies of perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness) set the stage for economic reforms and multiparty elections, factors contributing to the easing of tensions and leading toward the eventual collapse of Soviet Communism.
US President Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972 also symbolized a shift, as it opened diplomatic relations between the two nations and was viewed as a strategic Cold War move against the Soviet Union. The subsequent fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union indicated the end of the Cold War, with US President George H.W. Bush and Soviet leader Gorbachev signing the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) and the eventual establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) by former Soviet republics.