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What led to the fall of communism in Eastern Europe?

Although the fall of communism in Eastern Europe was caused by a number of factors, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev (1931– ) introduced policies that triggered the collapse. After taking office in 1985, he proposed economic and social changes in the Soviet Union. Although Gorbachev believed in the Communist system, he recognized that it was inefficient and fraught with corruption. Thus he maintained that the economy would benefit from less government control. Growing social problems, among them widespread alcoholism, threatened the physical and mental health of the Soviet people. Moreover, the ideas and creativity of the best-educated Soviets were being wasted in the inefficient system. Gorbachev planned to rebuild the country through perestroika (restructuring). To obtain financial resources for this restructuring, however, Gorbachev needed to...

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