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No, she didn’t.

So called “glasnost’” and “perestroika” were planned before Reagan or Thatcher even took office.

Gorbachev was handpicked by Andropov to succeed him (Andropov died too early to have consolidated his forces to appoint Gorbachev).

You can google until the cows come home. I have a graduate degree in Soviet studies. I lived in the USSR during parts of those times, the spouse of a Soviet citizen. I learned how to read Soviet papers to discern the truth. I have family members who spent time in Soviet gulags. My FIL was a dissident, jailed for over 15 years. One thing I know well, learned from a spouse who was taught well by my FIL, is how communists think.

The external world had little influence on Soviet mentality, other than to buttress the view that “we are about to be attacked”. There were far more pressing domestic issues to deal with which drove Soviet policy than anything emanating from the West.

Ronald Reagan's Secret Anti-Soviet War - As president of the United States, Ronald Reagan initiated a sweeping and unprecedented program of covert actions and economic-warfare initiatives that acted to greatly weaken the Soviet economy, its support for "wars of liberation," and its hold on its power in Eastern Europe....one of the most important NSC findings was NSDD 32, which authorized covert U.S. support of the Polish free union, Solidarity, and other anti-Soviet institutions in Poland to weaken and neutralize Soviet influence in that country. Another finding, NSDD-66, authorized the United States to wage economic and resource war on a "strategic triad" of resources deemed critical to the survival of the Soviet economy, including technology, trade and credits, according to former senior Reagan administration officials. This especially targeted Soviet imports of advanced Western technology and also Russia's oil industry, upon whose earnings Moscow depended for the bulk of its hard currency...

You can google until the cows come home. I have a graduate degree in Soviet studies. I lived in the USSR during parts of those times, the spouse of a Soviet citizen. I learned how to read Soviet papers to discern the truth. I have family members who spent time in Soviet gulags. My FIL was a dissident, jailed for over 15 years. One thing I know well, learned from a spouse who was taught well by my FIL, is how communists think.==

I agree with you. I told here many times that the best thing Reagan did is to support Gorbachav and ease Cold war. If not the Gorbachev couldn’t do his “perestroika” and eventually let down Soviet Union.

I know WHY Joe refuse that explanation. Because if he agrees with you then Joe must admit that West didn’t won Cold war. So it means that West isn’t that strong:).