Collapse of Communism

For over 8 decades, the Soviet Union had been controlled by a communist government. It had been going against the United States and capitalism as a superpower during the Cold War for years. Both countries were neck and neck and wanted to come out on top. However, the communists were eventually unable to keep up with the U.S. The Soviet Union was spending so much money on their military that the farming and manufacturing businesses were being hurt, which was also hurting the economy. Meanwhile, the U.S. was rapidly building up its own military. The falling oil prices were also hurting the Soviets even more, because oil was its chief export. By the 1980s, it was clear that change had to be made. In 1985, Mikail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev's reforms signified the end of the Soviet Union and the communist controlled government. It became official on December 25, 1991, when the Soviet Union was officially disbanded.