In addition to the failing economy, political and social changes in the
USSR and its satellite states contributed to the collapse of the Soviet
Union.
When Mikhail Gorbachev, became general secretary of the Communist Party
in March of 1985, he introduced policies of glasnost (openness) and
perestroika (restructuring). These measures were intended to
invigorate the Soviet economy by increasing the free flow of goods and
information and by loosening social restraints.
As controls on the media were lifted, the dire state of the
Soviet economy was revealed and the unpopularity of the Afghan conflict was
discussed openly. Dissidents like Andrei Sakharov were released from
detention and allowed to freely voice their views. The genie was
finally out of the box!
In 1991 a number of constituent Soviet Republics declared their independence, and the
USSR was officially dissolved on December 31, 1991.
