As with many important historical events throughout...

As with many important historical events throughout history the dissolution of the Soviet Union had many contributing forces. However, most historians agree that the main contributor was Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and the many radical reforms he implemented during the six years he was the leader of the USSR. Even though the official dissolution took place in December 1991, the Soviet Union’s demise began to take form in the 1980s. In order to understand why the Soviet Union dissolved it is important to have a clear picture of its history and political climate. The Soviet State was established in 1917 when revolutionary Bolsheviks overthrew the Russian Czar establishing a socialist state in territories that once belonged to the†¦show more content†¦Western countries including the United States grew more suspicious and distrustful of the Soviet Union. The Cold War had begun. Stalin would further isolate the Soviet Union with the building of the Berlin Wall which divided Germany into two countries, East Germany being communist and under Soviet control. After Stalin’s death in 1953 Soviet leaders acknowledged that his policies were brutal and extreme, but maintained the Communist party’s power in the Soviet Union. The use of military force to suppress anticommunism behavior became commonplace. Instead of focusing on domestic problems and needs, the Communist government focused on the Cold War. Another obsession became the arms race. This became a costly and destructive obsession. During the early 1980s the Soviet Union would have three leaders in less than three years. Brezhnev, Andropov, and Chernenko were all solid communist leaders, but also older and all died within their first year of office. In March 1985 a communist reformer named Mikhail Gorbachev was appointed as the Soviet Union’s last president. The Soviet government knew they couldn’t afford another short term leader. Gorbachev was fifty four was he took office. When Gorbachev assumed power the Soviet Union was in a state of stagnation. Gorbachev wanted to reform the economy and modernize the political structure. In order to help the Soviet Union prosper Gorbachev introduced three policies of reform. These policies were glasnost, perestroika, andShow MoreRelatedEssay on Autonomy and Political Responsibility after the Cold War2592 Words   |  11 Pagesideologies, Communism and Democracy. As the two major superpowers, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States, s truggled to defend their respective governmental policies, the European Continent was caught in an intrinsic struggle to preserve the autonomy which had taken so long to achieve. During the Cold War, Eastern European nations struggled to achieve autonomy with the help of the Wests dedication to break the Soviet sphere of influence. 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