Mikhail Gorbachev and the collapse of Communism

"Glasnost" means openess. "Peristrokia" means economic restructuring. Mikhail made a policy in 1985 known as glasnost and encouraged Soviet citizens to discuss ways to improve their society. Glasnost had changed a lot because the churches were opened again, dissidents were released from prison, books by previously banned authors were published, and reporters investigated social problems and openly criticized government officials. In 1985 Gorbachev introduced the idea of peristrokia. Gorbachev made cheanges to revive the Soviet economy in 1986. Local managers had gained greater authority over their farms and factories, and the people were allowed to open their own private businesses. Gorbachev was trying to make the system of communism better not to throw it out.
Gorbachev unveilede a third new policy in 1987 called democratization. He did this in order to loosen the grip of the communist party on society and politics. The plan called for the election of a new legislative body. Voters were now allowed to pick candidates from any party instead of hand picked and approved people from the communist party.

Collapse of Communism

Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe and the USSR because the Soviet-bloc nations of Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary. The leader, Gorbachev was forced to resign as president. The Berlin wall collapsed because first they made a private road for people to pass through the wall between the two sections of Gremany, then they started making more sections so more people could pass between the two seciotns of Germany, then people came to the wall with sledge hammers and attacked the wall. The Soviet Union got broken up into 15 different republics. These republics are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Lativa, Lithuania, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. They formed republics when the people of these areas revolted. The collapse of the Soviet Union chenged the world by having less of a need for concern about nuclear annhilation.