Mikhail Gorbachev's attempts to reform the Soviet Union through his policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) had unintended consequences, eventually leading to its collapse. Glasnost emboldened dissidents to challenge the regime, while perestroika's economic reforms caused widespread disruption and shortages. In the Baltic states, nationalist movements gained strength, and other republics declared sovereignty from Moscow. The Soviet government's heavy-handed response to these developments, including the use of military force in Lithuania, further alienated the republics. Nationalist sentiments intensified, and the central government's authority weakened. The final blow came when Boris Yeltsin, the President of the Russian Republic, declared Russian independence in 1991. Gorbachev resigned, and the Soviet Union officially dissolved on December 26, 1991, marking a tumultuous end to decades of communist rule.
