The sweeping political reforms introduced by Gorbachev in the late 1980s completely altered the Soviet government’s response to civil resistance both in east-central Europe and in the Essay writing Soviet Union itself. Far from seeking to crack down with force on non-violent resistance in east-central Europe, Gorbachev tolerated and indeed actively encouraged sweeping political change in the region. Similarly, #Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-1986-0421-010 / Rainer Mittelstadt Figure 6.2 The importance of individual leaders. It is all smiles at this early public [...]