| The Reagan buildup, and especially the prospect of the Strategic Defense Initiative, made reform imperative, and led to the installation of Mikhail Gorbachev and the introduction of glasnost and perestroika. As it happened, the country could not survive the shock of openness about the actual history of the Soviet Union and its current state, and eventually things became uncontainable. Unlike Khruschev, who was "retired" as he allowed more openness, Gorbachev's ability to work with the West, and the sense of crisis, kept him in power long enough for the changes to become overwhelming. When the Politburo finally did try to unseat Gorbachev, Yeltsin mounted a challenge that spelled the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union. Also important in the tale was the support of Solidarity; the ability to counter neutralism in Europe in getting NATO to accept intermediate range missiles; and more vigorously challenging Soviet adventures on the periphery, for example, in Afghanistan and Central America......... |
