Mikhail Gorbachev's domestic reforms, launched in the mid-1980s, aimed to revitalize the stagnant Soviet system, but their salient features ultimately unleashed forces that led to its collapse. His three core policies were Glasnost, Perestroika, and Demokratizatsiya.

Glasnost (Openness) was a policy of increased transparency in government activities and greater freedom of information. Gorbachev believed that an open discussion of the USSR's problems, including past atrocities and current corruption, was necessary to gain public support for reform. This involved relaxing censorship, allowing public criticism, and opening historical archives. Critically, while intended to expose flaws and build trust, Glasnost inadvertently unleashed long-suppressed ethnic grievances and nationalist sentiments in the republics, weakening central authority.

Perestroika (Restructuring) focused on economic reforms, aiming to move the Soviet economy away from its rigid, centrally planned model. Gorbachev introduced elements of a market economy, allowing private cooperatives, decentralizing some decision-making, and encouraging foreign investment. However, these reforms were often contradictory, slow, and poorly implemented. They created economic instability, price rises, and shortages of consumer goods in the short term, fueling public dissatisfaction rather than alleviating it. The critical flaw was attempting to graft market mechanisms onto an inherently non-market system without fully embracing capitalism.

Demokratizatsiya (Democratization) was an attempt to introduce more political pluralism within the Communist Party and Soviet system. It involved holding multi-candidate elections for local Soviets and the Congress of People's Deputies. While not intended to establish multi-party democracy, it provided a platform for reformers and, more significantly, for nationalist leaders in the republics to voice their demands more effectively. This critical step eroded the Communist Party's monopoly on power and empowered centrifugal forces.

In essence, Gorbachev's reforms, while well-intentioned to salvage the Soviet Union, were a delicate balancing act. They critically exposed the deep-seated flaws of the system through Glasnost, destabilized the economy through Perestroika, and weakened the political control through Demokratizatsiya, inadvertently setting the stage for the Soviet Union's dissolution.