Economic hardships led to Soviet Leaders having to rethink their policies and the political relationships with the West led to a loosening of strict policies in the 1980s.
<h3>What happened to the Soviet Union in the 1980s?</h3>
The Soviet Union went through significant economic hardship in the 1980s thanks to an over-centralized and aging industrial sector. As a result, the Soviet leaders knew that change was needed.
Coupled with this was a reduction in hostilities with the West which meant that the Soviet Union was now more open to western ideologies such as Glasnost. This led to a new era of freedom for the Soviets.
This excerpt from a letter is a critical primary source, since it was written in the first person and shows the extent to which many patriots during this time were willing to risk their lives for liberty.
