extreme radical policies.1964-1982Brezhnev had now assumed control of the Union. A rigid Stalinist withhard-line ethics, Brezhnev's goal was to make the USSR into one of thestrongest political superpowers in the world. The military was richlyfunded and the authoritative influence of Brezhnev could be felt in theasperity of the population. When Brezhnev died in 1982, he left behind anempire with one of the world's strongest military sectors, but weakestpopulation morale. The Soviet Union was an empty superpower with crumblingfinancial, social and political sectors.1985-1991In the following years, the Union witnessed very little politicalreform in terms of enhancing social and production factors. Yuri Andropovdied early before he could establish any noticeable reforms and KonstantinChernenko was inefficient as the leader of the KGB and the Union. At age 54,Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev emerged to inherit the economicallydevastated Union and began establishing political reforms that the worldhad not encountered since the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. With radicalideologies such as Glasnost (Openess) and Perestroika (long-rangecapitalistic restructing), along with improved foreign trade and diplomaticassociation with the United States (elimination of most ballistic nuclearmissiles), the reformist had arrived to change the face of his dominion.Gorbachev's economical strategies had transformed the Soviet Union from adesolate oppressed wasteland to a socially liberated jungle. Such radicalpolicies and reforms not only encouraged the development of a revolution,but the global transformation of Europe as we know it. As the hard-linecoup was formed in early 1991, Gorbachev managed to hold on to power thanksin part to his liberal nemesis, Boris Yeltsin. In return, he had lost allpopularity and support from the people and eventually witnessed thedestruction of the Union and the death of communism in Russia...
