Quick questions on Gorbachev and Soviet reform explained: N(A)-Level History

By the time Gorbachev became Soviet leader in the mid-1980s, the Soviet Union was in serious trouble. Its economy was weak and falling behind the West, with shortages of goods and little growth. The cost of the arms race was a huge burden, because keeping up with the United States in nuclear and other weapons drained money the Soviet Union could not spare. There was also widespread corruption and a lack of freedom.

Gorbachev's first key policy was glasnost, which means "openness". Under glasnost, the Soviet government allowed more freedom of speech and more honesty about the country's problems. People were allowed to criticise the government more openly than before, newspapers could report on difficulties, and some of the harsh controls of the past were relaxed. The aim was to make the system more honest and to win support for reform.

Gorbachev's second key policy was perestroika, which means "restructuring". This was an attempt to reform and improve the struggling Soviet economy by loosening the rigid state control and allowing some elements of private enterprise. The aim was to make the economy more efficient and productive. Perestroika proved difficult and did not quickly fix the economy, but together with glasnost it signalled that Gorbachev was willing to change the old Soviet system in deep ways.

Just as important for the Cold War was Gorbachev's "new thinking" about relations with the West. He understood that the arms race was ruining the Soviet economy and that confrontation could not continue. So he sought friendlier relations with the United States and the West. He met Western leaders, agreed to reduce nuclear weapons, and pulled Soviet forces out of costly conflicts abroad.

Perhaps the most important change of all was Gorbachev's decision not to use force to keep the communist governments of Eastern Europe in power. For decades the Soviet Union had controlled these countries and had been willing to send in troops to crush any moves away from communism. Gorbachev made clear that he would no longer do this. Without the threat of Soviet tanks behind them, the communist governments of Eastern Europe became vulnerable to their own people's demands for change.

Explain how the reforms eased tension and loosened control in ways that helped end the Cold War.