gorbachev
Gorbachev The Soviet Union essentially imploded from within and then divided into separate successor states. ... GORBACHEV REDIRECTS THE SOVIET UNION Although economic stagnation, party corruption and the focus helped with the SUs collapse, the man that brought to a head the collapse of the soviet empire was Mikhail S. Gorbachev. Gorbachev began the most remarkable changes that the Soviet Union had witnessed since the 1920’s. ... Gorbachev’s approach was genuinely radical. ... GLASNOST – Gorbachev allowed public discussion and criticism of the Soviet Union’s history and the policies of the communist party. ... Gorbachev proved himself to be inept at addressing these ethnic problems and complaints. ... Gorbachev was elected president in 1989. ... In the late 1980’s Gorbachev decided that significant redeployment of expenditure from military services could help the economic growth he was looking for. ... Gorbachev also reduced the numbers in the military in an attempt to convince the west that he was serious about arms reduction. ... THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET UNION In 1989, Gorbachev believed that the Soviet Union could no longer afford to support communist governments in the region or uphold their authority while trying to restructure the economy. ... Gorbachev’s idea had not been to eliminate communism for socialism, but instead open the political world to competition.