While Gorbachev's goals were limited, he opened a Pandora's box for the communist Soviet Union and unleashed forces that were beyond his control. Gorbachev also sought better relations with the West in an effort to reduce the military's burdensome share of the USSR's economy, to receive more favorable trade terms, and to accrue other economic benefits. Among other things, Gorbachev announced that the USSR was willing to let Eastern Europeans follow their own domestic policies. They responded by moving quickly to escape Moscow's orbit. This was symbolized most dramatically in East Germany, where the communist government fell apart rapidly. East Germany dissolved itself in October 1990, and its territory was absorbed by West Germany into a newly reunified Germany other communist governments in the region also fell, and the Warsaw Pact dissolved in early 1991.