In March of 1985, the USSR's aging Politburo named the young Mikhail Gorbachev to the powerful position of General Secretary of the Communist Party. Gorbachev then, put the USSR on a course of reform, a course that hastened the fall of the Soviet Union. Learn about the changes Gorbachev introduced and learn Russian, too! This module includes reading comprehension and critical thinking activities that revolve around a text on Perestroika and Glasnost.