What Caused the USSR to Collapse?

Though no Reagan fan, I do get a bit choked up when I hear the "tear down this wall" speech. Although wrong about too many things to list here, I do think Reagan was right about the nature of the USSR. But so far as I can tell, he was not responsible for bringing it down. More evidence to that effect articulated by Yegor Geidar, summarized by Drum here.

Reaganophiles, of course, are quasi-religious in their fervor, though, and usually not particularly interested in the evidence. They're desperate to have a great modern Republican president to balance out FDR. Reagan is their favorite uncle, who used to tell them bed-time stories about bears in the woods and all that, and they fervently want him to be great as well as likable.