1. the relations between the united states and the soviet union began to change in the 1980’s as new leadership appeared in both countries. superpower relations were changing as a result. read the short segment of a speech by the president of the u. s. and then write a short commentary (3-5 sentences) in which you discuss u. s. foreign policy in the 1980’s and the historical background of the time period. (10pts) but in the west today, we see a free world that has achieved a level of prosperity and well-being unprecedented in all human history. in the communist world, we see failure, technological backwardness, declining standards of health, even want of the most basic kind -- too little food. even today, the soviet union still cannot feed itself. after these four decades, then, there stands before the entire world one great and inescapable conclusion: freedom leads to prosperity. freedom replaces the ancient hatreds among the nations with comity and peace. freedom is the . gorbachev, come to down this wall. —president ronald reagan berlin, germany|1987