Describe the term Perestroika and how it changed the relationship between the U.S. and Soviet Union and how it led to the demise of the Soviet Union.

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Perestroika
Perestroika is the term used to refer to the series of economic and political reforms that were undertaken by President Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union in the 1980s with the aim of reviving the region’s stagnating economy (“Perestroika”). This period marked a time of highly fundamental alterations to the nation’s political structure and economic model.
Perestroika also marked a period of great transformation of the relationship between the Soviet Union and the United States. This came about because Gorbachev, President of the Soviet Union, realized that even though the relations with the U.S had worsened since the ascent of President Reagan into the White House, the Soviet Union needed to cease the arms race competition with the US if it was to survive (National 5). The Soviet Union, therefore, agreed with the US to eliminate all its intermediate-range missiles from Europe, and this was the first step towards the long journey of ending the Cold War. The Soviet economy was in a bad state and was barely holding up, hence it was necessary to stop the arms race to commit the funds that would have been used in stabilizing the economy.
Despite the good intention of its proprietor, President Gorbachev, Perestroika ended up doing more harm than good to the economic situation of the Soviet Union, and this ultimately led to its demise. Gorbachev decided to follow his dream of making the Soviet Union more of a democratic nation by relaxing the old communist methods of administration, even if it could have led to his political demise.

His reforms had the effect of weakening the Union and gave the opposition a lot of power and influence. The changes also gave more freedom to the media to report on deep matters of governance, hence exposing the rot and the weakness in the administration. This gave opposition factions the courage and motivation to upraise against the administration ultimately leading to the demise of the Soviet Union.

Works Cited
“Perestroika.” History, 21 Aug 2018, https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/perestroika-and-glasnost. Accessed 4 Dec 2018
National 5. “Changing Relations Between the Superpowers.” BBC, 2018, https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/z32g87h/revision/5. Accessed 4 Dec 2018