Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - A ƙarshen 1980s yayin da Tarayyar Soviet ta shiga cikin rikici, Shevardnadze ya zama ba a yarda da shi ba kuma yana rikici da masu tsauraran ra'ayi na Soviet waɗanda ba sa son gyare-gyarensa da layinsa mai laushi tare da Yammacin Turai. Ya soki yakin da sojojin Soviet suka yi don dakile wani tashin hankali
a kasarsa ta Georgia a shekarar 1989. A nuna rashin amincewa da karuwar tasirin masu tsattsauran ra'ayi a karkashin Gorbachev, Shevardnadze ba zato ba tsammani ya yi murabus a watan Disamba na 1990, yana cewa, "Dictatorship yana zuwa". Bayan 'yan watanni, tsoronsa ya zama gaskiya a wani bangare lokacin da juyin mulkin da' yan kwaminisanci suka yi ba tare da nasara ba ya haifar da rushewar Tarayyar Soviet. Shevardnadze ya dawo a takaice a matsayin Ministan Harkokin Waje na Soviet a watan Nuwamba 1991 amma ya yi murabus tare da Gorbachev a watan da ya biyo baya, lokacin da aka rushe Tarayyar Soviet.