The surprisingly peaceful implosion of the Communist regime in the Soviet Union is one of the most significant events in history. The world literally went from a nuclear shelter mentality to the rapture of peace in a matter of days, and the credit goes to President Reagan of the United States and President Gorbachev of the Soviet Union. Their having come into office at approximately the same time - Reagan in 1981 and Gorbachev in 1985 - …showed first 75 words of 3155 total…

…showed last 75 words of 3155 total…to the downfall of communism - man's innate preference for freedom over oppression, a history of morally corrupt leadership, a bloated military, the inability of the USSR leadership to adapt to modern and fast-changing means of communication, technology and information, and so on. But Reagan and his policies astutely fed the flame of economic reform, which ultimately led to the political upheaval that marked the end of the Cold War which changed the world forever.