The Collapse of Communism

The collapse of the Soviet Union was based on both internal struggles within the Soviet Union and actions of President Reagan and the United States. The increase of military and economic pressure from the United States hurt the Soviet Union. President Reagan even challenged the moral legitimacy of the Soviet Union in his speeches. At the Berlin Wall, Reagan said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

The internal problems of the Soviet Union contributed to the collapse of communism. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s policies of glasnost and perestroika destroyed an already inefficient economic system. As the economy of the Soviet Union began to collapse, Gorbachev increased military spending, which led to the country's eventual collapse.