A pivotal event that occurred in 1991 in the former Soviet Union was its dissolution, which marked the end of a significant political and ideological era. This dissolution followed a series of reform efforts under Mikhail Gorbachev's policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring), which led to increased demands for independence among various republics. The fall resulted in 15 independent countries and fundamentally reshaped global politics, ending the Cold War and altering international relations significantly.