"Mikhail Gorbachev and the Collapse Of Communism"

Mikhail Gorbachev became the Communist Party's new general secretary. Gorbachev was selected for this position after the death of Brezhnev and was chosen due to his young age, energy, and political skills. The Communist Party saw Gorbachev as a good candidate to lead them.Gorbachev had many new ideas and concepts that he wanted to put into play. During 1985, Gorbachev created a new policy called glasnost. This policy encouraged flexibility to change and reform. After the creation of glasnost, things began to change in the Soviet Union. The government allowed churches to open, they released innocents from prison, and allowed banned authors to write books again. These changes caused people to express their ideas and complaints about the economic and political systems of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev saw many problems and tried to help by introducing another idea called Peristrokia. Peristrokia was basically an idea based on economic restructuring throughout the Soviet Union. During 1986, Gorbachev made a huge reform by allowing private businesses to open up. This interfered with the old ways of the Soviet Union. Communism was beginning to grow weaker throughout the Soviet Union as Gorbachev made more reforms. Gorbachev's goal was to change communism and make it more efficient and productive. Throughout the next few years Gorbachev gave people the right to vote and put a stop to the nuclear arms race with the U.S. Gorbachev had made it possible for the end of communism through all of his reforms and ideas. Communism had been changed dramatically leaving the economic system to become very similar to Capitalism in which private businesses are encouraged. He was a leading cause of the rising economy and progress of the Soviet Union.