Answer: Reagan and Gorbachev are both credited as the leaders responsible for ending the Cold War. Reagan, unlike other presidents, wanted to destroy communism where possible rather than contain it. Gorbachev was also unlike other Soviet leaders. Gorbachev loosened the Soviet control of the masses allowing them more economic and political freedom. 2. The Soviet Union did not produce products for the people,and the people were not productive workers because they loathed working for the Soviets. 3. The policy of Glasnost was the Soviet policy of openness and transparency in the government brought forth by Gorbachev. 4. The Reagan doctrine put an end to the policy of containment by, as previously stated, attempting to destroy communism where possible rather than contain communism. 5. The concept of M.A.D. was that neither country would launch a nuclear attack on the other because both countries would be destroyed by the other. 6. The Soviet Union had brought the arms race to a halt after being unable to keep up with the United States defense spending. 7. Gorbachev and Reagan were unable to come to an agreement because Reagan refused to give up the SDI. The Soviets were afraid of the SDI because they did not know how to recreate this or even afford it. 8. The treaty which is considered to have ended the Cold War was the INF Treaty which eliminated intermediate-range nuclear missiles. 9. The fall of the Berlin Wall was the symbolic end of the Cold War. It represented the reunification of Germany, the end of Soviet rule, and the end of the Cold War. 10. After the collapse of the Soviet Union the quality of life did not get better. The inflation, lack of food, and overall poverty affected nearly everyone.
