The document discusses and compares command vs market economies, specifically focusing on the Soviet Union. It makes three key points: 1. The Communist Party claimed legitimacy based on ensuring security, economic growth, and social justice. However, the Soviet military was unable to match the US, economic performance lagged the West, and greater social justice was not achieved. 2. Gorbachev's reforms in the 1980s (perestroika and glasnost) attempted but failed to make the communist system work through decentralization, private enterprise, and foreign investment. Reforms were not comprehensive enough. 3. By 1991, the Soviet Union was experiencing high inflation, budget deficits, production declines, and loss of