Rambai muchinyora ndima iyi - Kukwidziridzwa kwaMikhail Gorbachev kuva Munyori Mukuru muna 1985 uye 'kufunga kwake kutsva' pamusoro pemitemo yokunze neyemukati zvichida kwakanga kuri chinhu chinokosha muchisarudzo cheSoviets chokubva. Gorbachev akanga ave achiedza kubvisa Soviet Union pakuderera kwezvoupfumi kwakanga kwaitika pasi pokutungamirira kwaBrezhnev, uye kugadzirisa upfumi hweSoviet Union nomufananidzo wayo nemitemo yeGlasnost nePerestroika. Gorbachev akanga ave achiedzawo kuderedza zvinetso zvehondo inotonhora kupfurikidza nokusaina Chibvumirano cheIntermediate-Range Nuclear Forces neU.S. muna 1987 uye kubvisa mauto kubva kuAfghanistan, ane kuvapo kwakanga kwawana kutsoropodzwa kukuru kwamarudzi ose. Gorbachev akarangarira kurwisana neChina uye kuunganidza mauto kunoguma kwaitika pamuganhu iwoyo sechimwe chezvikanganiso zvikuru zvaBrezhnev. Beijing yakanga yaronga kuti kugadziriswa kweukama kwaizofanira kumirira kusvikira Moscow yabvisa uto rayo muAfghanistan (pakati pezvimwe zvinhu), uye muna 1989 musangano wokutanga weSino-Soviet mumakore 30 wakaitika. Panguva imwe cheteyo, Gorbachev akamanikidzira shamwari dzake dzeCuba muAngola kuderedza mibato nokurega kunyange zvazvo shamwari dzeSoviet dzakanga dzichiita zviri nani ikoko. VaSoviet vakabvisawo mauto avo mazhinji muMongolia muna 1987, uko vakanga vachiwanawo nguva iri nyore zvikuru kupfuura muAfghanistan, uye vakadzora kupinda kweVietnam muKampuchea
kusvikira kumugumo wokubvisa chose chose muna 1988. Uku kubviswa kukuru kwemauto eSoviet kubva munzvimbo dzakadai dzinopokanwa zvikuru kunoratidza kuti chisarudzo chehurumende yeSoviet chokubva muAfghanistan chaive chakavakirwa pachinjo huru mumutemo wezvekunze weSoviet <unk> kubva kune imwe yekurwisana kusvika pakudzivisa kurwisana pose pazvinobvira.