The Cold War: Gorbachev Reforms - Perestroika and Glasnost - Episode 53 

When Gorbachev came to power in 1985, he started to implement many reforms. These included perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness). Whilst they were both viewed by the West as positives, they did have some negative consequences on the Soviet's already stagnating economy. This meant that it led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.