President Reagan dramatically increased defense spending in an effort to outspend the Soviets. So to what extent does this policy, and others, contribute to the downfall of the USSR?
The fall of the USSR was because of Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika reforms and him allowing for public criticism of the government. Reagan's actions didn't really effect the stability of the Soviet Union. http://www.coldwar.org/articles/90s/fall_of_the_soviet_union.asp