Question

Why did communism in the Soviet Union collapse in the late 1980s?

Consider:

Political factors: What did leaders in the Soviet Union, the United States, and Europe do to further the fall of communism?
Military factors: What effect did military policies and actions in the United States and in the Soviet Union have?
Economic factors: What effect did the economic situation in the Soviet Union have?
Social/cultural factors: What was the attitude of the people of the Soviet bloc countries? What impact did glasnost have? What was the impact of dissidents?

Answer 1

Gorbachev's decision to allow elections with a multi-party system and create a presidency for the Soviet Union began a slow process of democratization that eventually destabilized Communist control and contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Answer 2

the Soviet Union fell due to World War 2, when the Allied Nations defeated the Natzies.