Which leader is MOST closely associated with the end of communism within the Soviet Union?

A) Vladimir Lenin

B) Leonid Brezhnev

C) Nikita Khrushcev

D) Mikhail Gorbachev

The correct answer is D: Mikhail Gorbachev.

Explanation:

Mikhail Gorbachev was the last president of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991 and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. His attempts toward reforms brought the end of the Cold War, but it also caused the end of the supreme political power of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

In 1988, Gorbachev announced that the Soviet Union would abandon Brezhnev's doctrine and allow the citizens of the Eastern Bloc to choose their internal politics.

This proved to be the most radical step of Gorbachev's reform regarding foreign politics, which was called Sinatra's Doctrine. This reform led to a series of revolutions in Eastern Europe during 1989 when communism was overthrown.

The collapse of communism influenced the ending of the Cold War and Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on October 15, 1990.