jan 1, 1985 - The Soviet Decline - In 1985, a new communist leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, rose to power in the Soviet Union. He supported reform and encouraged Soviets to speak openly about the economic and social problems facing the nation. Previously, the government had murdered or imprisoned people who spoke out about such things, so this came as a shock to the Soviets. Gorbachev hoped that allowing people to speak freely would help solve the nation's problems. (Timeline)