Zimpher,+Nathaniel

Nate Zimpher IB History Mr. Griffin

To what extent was Mikhail Gorbachev responsible for the end of the Cold War?

A. Plan of Investigation The purpose of this investigation is to examine the extent to which Mikhail Gorbachev was responsible for the end of the Cold War. As Americans, we are familiar with Ronald Reagan's involvement in the end of the Cold War, but know little of the former leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev's, role in bringing an end to the Cold War. My plan is to show the effect Mikhail Gorbachev had on bringing an end to the Cold War, as well as the Soviet Union.

B. Summary of Evidence Mikhail Gorbachev became the general secretary of the Communist Party on March 11, 1985. "Gorbachev saw that for the Soviet Union to survive in the late twentieth century world marketplace of ideas and goods, it would have to completely reform its cumbersome political and economic chain of command" (Hanes). During his televised resignation speech on December 25, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev said: "Fate had decided that, when I became head of state, it was already obvious that there was something wrong in this country. We had plenty of everything: land, oil, gas and other natural resources, and God has also endowed us with intellect and talent—yet we lived much worse than people in other industrialized countries and the gap was constantly widening.". When entering office, Gorbachev was more concerned about the quality of life of the Soviet people, than anything else. Because Gorbachev was so concerned with improving the everyday lifes of the Soviet people, the United States and Soviet Union would be willing to come to compromises for the first time in the Cold War.

"Gorbachev, Mikhail." Cold War Reference Library. Ed. Richard C. Hanes, Sharon M. Hanes, and Lawrence W. Baker. Vol. 3: Biographies Volume 1. Detroit: UXL, 2004. 146-158. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 28 Nov. 2010.

C. Evaluation of Sources Akbarzadeh, Shahram. "The Soviet Union: Collapse of the USSR and Formation of Independent Republics." History Behind the Headlines: The Origins of Conflicts Worldwide. Ed. Sonia G. Benson, Nancy Matuszak, and Meghan Appel O'Meara. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2001. 252-265. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 30 Sept. 2010. The Soviet Union: Collapse of the USSR and Formation of Independent Republics gives a detailed account of the history of the demise and total collapse of the Soviet Union. The purpose of this article was to determine the events and causes that led to the collapse and separation of the USSR as well as the end of the Cold War with the United States. The article focuses mainly from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s, years in which Mikhail Gorbachev was the leader of the Soviet Union. The article also gives detailed reviews of Gorbachev's political and military policies which not only brought an end to the Soviet Union, but also an end to the Cold War.

"Gorbachev, Mikhail." Cold War Reference Library. Ed. Richard C. Hanes, Sharon M. Hanes, and Lawrence W. Baker. Vol. 3: Biographies Volume 1. Detroit: UXL, 2004. 146-158. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 30 Sept. 2010. This article is about former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev. It details his effect on the end of the Cold War and his political policies that changed the USSR forever. Gorbachev was successfully able to cooperate with Ronald Reagan and also to change the extreme Communist government. In changing the extreme state of the Soviet government the United States and the Soviet Union were able to make progress in ending the Cold War otherwise impossible.

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D. Analysis In order to analyze this question, it must be stated that neither Mikhail Gorbachev nor Ronald Reagan were solely responsible for ending the Cold War. There were many reasons, both external and internal for the ending of the Cold War, however, the purpose of my investigation is to learn how large of a role Mikhail Gorbachev played in ending the Cold War.

Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan, together, were able to bring an end to the Cold War. The Cold War started in 1947, shortly after the end of WWII, and ended in 1991. Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the USSR in March of 1985, and resigned in 1991. Gorbachev chose to work with Reagan in reducing the arms race, and nuclear weapons, this was the most important contribution to ending the Cold War and was the first time the United States and Soviet Union were productively working together for a realistic end of the Cold War. To quote Gorbachev himself, "it is better to discuss things, to argue and engage in polemics than make perfidious plans of mutual destruction", this shows the change in ideology from former USSR leaders to Gorbachev. Gorbachev was successful in bringing along peaceful and mutual cooperation to end the Cold War, with the help of Reagan. This was highly different from former Soviet leaders, as well as some American Presidents, who would rather participate in a nuclear arms race, instead of peacefully negotiating with each other to bring an end to the Cold War.

﻿﻿ Mikhail Gorbachev's economic and social policies also opened the door to a peaceful coexistence between the United States and the Soviet Union (Akbarzadeh 252). Gorbachev brought new policies such as Glasnost and Perestroika that drastically changed the style and structure of the Communist government. Both policies by Gorbachev were brought to bring openness and many more freedoms to the citizens of the Soviet Union, as well as restructuring the political and economic system. Both policies effectively helped bring an end to the Communist government, and with it, an end to the Cold War.

E. Conclusion: Based on the evidence and research I have gathered, I conclude that both President Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev are the reasons for the end of the Cold War, however if not for Gorbachev's new Soviet policies, the Cold War would not have ended in 1991. Mikhail Gorbachev is often considered the man who brought down the Soviet empire, but in reality he was trying to save the empire, a fact many overlook. If it was not for Gorbachev's "openness" reform, the Soviet Union wouldn't have survived anyway. Soviet's were tired of being suppressed by the Government, and Gorbachev hoped to change that. Gorbachev should be applauded for his attempt to stop the oppression caused by Stalin and other Soviet Dictators, which is also the reason for the end of the Cold War. If Gorbachev had not been so willing to compromise with Reagan, in order to make the Soviet Union a more enlightened world power, Ronald Reagan would have never compromised with Gorbachev.