New political thinking
1987–1990 USSR foreign policy philosophy
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Through Mikhail Gorbachev, Soviet Union and Class struggle
History
In 1987, Gorbachev published the book Perestroika and New Political Thinking; in December 1988, he presented this doctrine of new thinking in his speech to the United Nations. The concept of "new thinking" was vital for the Soviet Union's attempt to end the costly competition of the Cold War in order for it to be able to continue the internal economic reforms of perestroika.
Notable attempts to do this included the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the end of Soviet support for communist movements around the world. Gorbachev also loosened the Soviet Union's grip over Eastern Europe by replacing the Brezhnev Doctrine with the Sinatra Doctrine.
In 1990, Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for his leading role in the peace process". The overall effect of these developments was the end of the Cold War, the breakdown of the Warsaw Pact, and ultimately the dissolution of the Soviet Union.