Why did communism in the Soviet Union collapse in the late 1980s?

Part 1
Why did communism in the Soviet Union collapse in the late 1980s?
Consider:
Political factors: What did leaders in the Soviet Union, the United States, and Europe do to further the fall of communism?
Military factors: What effect did military policies and actions in the United States and in the Soviet Union have?
Economic factors: What effect did the economic situation in the Soviet Union have?
Social/cultural factors: What was the attitude of the people of the Soviet bloc countries? What impact did glasnost have? What was the impact of dissidents?
Part 2
By the early 1990s, Soviet domination in Eastern Europe had ended. A number of individuals played a part in the collapse of the Soviet Union. Understanding the role that each played is an important part of understanding the process that changed European politics and geography.

Using the information from your online research, decide who you think should be named “Person of the Decade.” Then write a letter to the Time magazine nominating committee explaining why they should select your choice for “Person of the Decade.”
Part 3
Of all the challenges and issues that the United States faces, which do you believe is the most serious in terms of foreign affairs and which in terms of domestic affairs (1900s – Early 2000s)?
Choose one of each and write a short essay that describes each issue and explains why you believe it is the most serious.
There is no right or wrong answer—you will be graded, in part, on how well you make the argument that each issue you chose is the most serious.