Ultimately, the reforms initiated by mikhail gorbachev led to

An effort to inculcate more liberal political principles.

Explanation:

The story does not portray Gorbachev as a Democrat. However, he is undoubtedly a person with broader and more liberal views on society and politics than his predecessors. He wanted to liberalize a stubborn Communist ideology and bring the Soviet Union closer to Western democratic movements.

Thus, he did not intend to democratize Soviet society through his actions, only to break away from rigid communist principles. Through his reforms, he sought to give more space to freedom of thought, to the press, and to make room for different political actors.

the correct answer option is: weapons.

explanation:

tensions rose as the two opposing superpowers competed for 'weapons'.

referring to the cold war (1945-1991), the two superpowers, usa and ussr, experienced a phase of struggle and conflict with each other. these two superpowers considered each other as a threat to their survival and thus opted for policies to strengthen their positions.

the two superpowers never went to war with each other directly but competed for weapons to preserve their positions.