The last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, who seeks to enact liberal reforms in the Soviet system, introduces the policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) from 1985 onward, in an attempt to end the period of economic stagnation and to democratize the government.

This, however, leads to the rise of strong nationalist and separatist movements across the country.

Prior to 1991, the Soviet economy is the world's second-largest, but during its final years, it goes into a crisis.