The Soviet Communist Party leader in the period from 1985 to 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev, wanted to reform the Soviet Union and communism. It was necessary to change the attitude towards the emerging global situation, and because of the demands of the political and social conditions of the USSR. He did this through perestroika and glasnost, which led to the end of the Soviet Union, the Warsaw Pact and communism. In connection with this opening to the world, the term glasnost (гласност) was used, which is the Russian word for openness.