Ep 44. Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and the Soviet Decline

Ultimately, the communist system of the Soviet Union (despite the best efforts of leaders like Gorbachev and Yeltsin) was unable to offer a viable alternative to the market economy, and it collapsed in 1989 and 1990. Follow the story of the end of communist rule, from failed reforms and populist action to shortages of consumer goods and the absence of open political life.