"Sometimes people ask me why I began perestroika. Were the causes basically domestic or foreign? The domestic reasons were undoubtedly the main ones, but the danger of nuclear war was so serious that it was a no less significant factor."
Mikhail Gorbachev was a Soviet and Russian statesman who served as the last leader of the Soviet Union. He is known for reforms including glasnost and perestroika and for his role in ending the Cold War era.