Mikhail Gorbachev's Impact On America

When World War II happened, the United States of America and the Soviet Union fought against the Axis powers together.1 But near the end of World War II, after the defeat of Germany and Japan, the United States and the Soviet Union were the remaining superpowers in the world. Because of this, tensions rose between the two countries to achieve more power over the other country.2 Moreover, Truman personally disliked Stalin and the government was afraid of the “USSR’s aim of spreading world communism.”3 This is important because in return, the Soviets also resented the Americans’ refusal to acknowledge the USSR as a legitimate country; as well as America’s late entry into World War II “which resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of Russians.”4
Gorbachev introduced two sets of policies that he hoped would help the USSR become a more prosperous, productive nation.9 The first of these was known as glasnost, or political openness. Glasnost eliminated traces of Stalinist repression, like the banning of books and the omnipresent secret police, and gave new freedoms to Soviet citizens. This was very significant because parties other than the Communist Party could participate in elections. The second set of reforms was known as perestroika, or economic restructuring. “The best way to revive the Soviet economy, Gorbachev thought, was to loosen the government’s grip on it.”10. He believed that individual initiative would lead to innovation, so individuals and cooperatives were allowed to own businesses for the first time since the 1920s. Workers were given the right to strike for better wages and conditions. Gorbachev also encouraged foreign investment in Soviet enterprises. But this would take some time before it could bear
Are we terrorists?"16 Both the Soviet Union and the United States knew the destructive capability of the nuclear weapons. This is significant because both countries were afraid to make a drastic move that could lead to disastrous consequences. The Cuban Missile Crisis was the most serious Cold War confrontation between the United States and the USSR that took place during October 1962. “On October 14, 1962, a routine flight of an American U-2 photo reconnaissance plane over Cuba spotted the presence of Soviet surface-to-surface missiles capable of launching a nuclear strike against the United States.”17 President Kennedy demanded their removal and imposed a naval blockade of the island. As people everywhere held their breath for thirteen fearsome days, diplomacy of the highest order succeeded in resolving the world’s first nuclear showdown behind the scenes, with both sides making concessions to avert disaster. On October 28, the crises ends. In a speech aired on Radio Moscow, Khrushchev announces the dismantling of Soviet missiles in Cuba and does not insist on his demands concerning the removal of U.S. missiles from Turkey. From the Cuban missile crisis both sides learned that risking nuclear war in pursuit of political objectives was simply too dangerous.18 It was the last time during the Cold War that