food even hard to come by. the economic system was breaking down. >> in a country accustomed to shortages, people are saying they've never had it so bad. >> hardliners did not like the tone of reforms introduced by gorbachev. >> gorbachev's reforms were meant to restore and refresh communism and save the soviet union and actually they had exactly the opposite effect. >> you couldn't reform this economic system. you had to throw it out. gorbachev wasn't willing or able to do that. so it was only a matter of time before the old establishment were going to try to get rid of him. >> mr. gorbachev's message calling for national unity has fallen on deaf ears. >> it's difficult for outsiders to capture the maelstrom that gorbachev was in. i remember being with him when i was traveling with president bush. he was depleted by what he had had to deal with on every level.