The Soviet Union in the early 20th century became hungry for more land. Joseph Stalin craved for a buffer, or zone separating Europe and the Soviet Union for their safety. The hands of communism spread to their buffer zone, or eastern Europe. This comprised of more than 10 countries. Although Stalin had died in 1953, communism was still strong. During the 1960s and 1970s, communism was still lingering in the Soviet Union. Stalin’s two communist successors, Nikita Khrushchev and Leonid Brezhnev still held onto their deep philosophy and communism. Politburo, the committee of the Communist Party still held firmly to their oppositional position of all other political parties. The Soviet Union, however, would take a turn for the better in the 1980s.
The politburo elected Mikhail Gorbachev was elected leader. He swayed the votes of many due to his vibrant and youthful personality and suggested many thoughtful ideas. This new leader would bring many ideas that no one had yet the courage to tell or pursue. He was able to speak out and have passion because he was one
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Their idea was to attain communism and have incredibly strict control under the people. This limited many of the people's freedoms such as speech. The Soviet union continued on without many changes over the years because the people were not allowed to express what they really felt and wanted for the country. Gorbachev saw that many economic and social reforms could not be accomplished without the people’s ability to express who they really were. This step or policy was known as glasnost. In action, this opened churches, released dissidents from prison, authorized the publication of books by previously banned authors, opened up the opportunity for reporters and people part of the government to look into cases that were once kept quiet, and how the ability to criticize officials. The second reform focused more on aiding the