How Gorbachev Changed The Rise Of Communism

One can easily admit that the Party had failed to properly economically plan the needs of each state. The Soviet Union economy was complex and massive, it became an impossible task for the state planners to manage, as they did not want to grant and create more managerial levels that would proceed to the local level resulting in failed timely attempts to the constant changes the economy was going through. Since the Soviet economy was based on state planning, it failed in encouraging innovation and motivating productivity. Managers would also alter numbers in order to produce the quotas that they were required to meet. The growth of the Soviet economy had been in a constant decline since the 1950’s and this progressed to the 1980’s. This was a clear sign that the Soviet economy was in need of a complete economic overhaul. Gorbachev succeeded power in March, 1985 and became General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist party of the Soviet Union. His main goal was to revive the Soviet economy, and he strongly believed that success was tied to loosening the governments control and creating a system that included less government intervention and more freedom to allow private initiatives. This new market economy would allow for private enterprise, which what Gorbachev believed would create more innovation. For the first time since 1920’s, individuals were able to own and create businesses.

This study will examine Gorbachev's understanding of the Glasnost policy and the role of Glasnost in Gorbachev's larger political reform program with the help of the Gorbachev Factor, by Archie Brown, and Gorbachev's Glasnost, by Joseph Gibbs.

Former Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev presided over the disintegration of a country based on an uncompromising ideological dogma, the unlikely inheritor of Marxist/Leninist communist philosophy. The Soviet Union’s unwieldy economic superstructure left it vulnerable to Ronald Reagan’s aggressive economic/military policy, an approach based on the belief that a military build-up would force the Soviets to spend to keep pace, an effective strategy because it pushed the Soviet economy over the edge into ruin. The subsequent implosion ended communist domination in Eastern Europe and opened the way for democratic elements that radically altered the political landscape in Moscow. When the Soviet Union officially came to an end in 1993, it briefly recalled the end of tsarist rule in 1917, with the potential for the kind of chaos and violence that turned the Russian Revolution into a bloodbath. President Boris Yeltsin used the military to disband parliament but his call for new elections moved the country toward a more open, democratic form of government. Lacking any real background in representative government, Russia ultimately proved incapable of fulfilling the promise of democratic government and descended into a form of anarchy riddled by increasingly strong criminal elements. In recent years, the rise of Boris Putin, a new strongman in Moscow, helped restore a sense of order and allowed the resurgence of communist elements. The government that now holds power, and which

The economy could not keep pace with the United States. The standard of living for Soviet citizens were steadily declining since the 1970s (Miller 2016, 17). The military was embroiled in the Afghanistan conflict which was producing massive causalities for the Soviet public and consuming scarce resources for its military that was needed for domestic consumption (Gaddis 2007). Secondly, the Soviet Union was plagued by appointing leaders who had fought in World War II, but with Gorbachev, they appointed a younger generation to take the mantle of leadership of the Soviet Union (Gaddis 2007). Gorbachev announce his economic restructure, Perestroika, and openness of the government, glasnost. Perestroika started the process of introducing market based principles into the operation of the state (Miller 2016, xii). State industries were allowed to determine output based on the will of the consumers as along as the orders from state bureau were fulfilled. Individuals would have the ability to own small-scale businesses and the property rights of those businesses would be respected (Miller 2016, 89). It also introduced competition in terms of foreign trade by allowing each ministry to pursue policies in their direct control when dealing with foreign companies and nations (Miller 2016, 71). The last major element of this would be allowing foreign investment by coupling Soviet resources such as

The many long-term internal causes of the collapse of the Soviet Union centralized around weaknesses in their economy. They had an inflexible central planning system, the inability to modernize, and the inefficiency in their agriculture production. Sometime around the 1970's the computer and automation revolution had emerged. This revolution took over the West, but practically missed the Soviet Union, except in the military sector (Baylis & Smith, 2001.) Gorbachev's goal in economic restructuring was to create a separation between the economic and the political. The major changes began with the legalization of private farming and business co-operatives, and the allowing of foreign company ownership over Soviet enterprises (Baylis &Smith, 2001) All of Gorbachev's ideas on economic restructuring backfired on him since the price levels were inconsistent, and a sense of social confusion about the future of their state was created.

1985 was at the end of the Cold War, that means that the soviet economy was flourished from the arm’s race and the war in Afghanistan. Hence, gorbachev’s main goal was to try to modernise the economy and to increase soviet industry. Therefore, he was focusing on two important reforms: glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring). Perestroika was basically shaping up the economy as it was very weak. To do that he firstly, cut down on the arm’s race and signed a treaty with the USA to remove most of its missiles from Europe.

#1. In the late 1980s, Soviet Union had brought its glasnost (openness) era. Soviet president Mikhail G. introduced the revolutionary idea of Perestroika, which refers to “economic restructuring.” Gradually, Soviet’s culture and business began to grow. The political parties began to spring up, and farmers began to sell their products on the open market. In 1987, the Kremlin passed a new law on the joint ventures, easing restrictions on the importation of foreign capital, technology, and expertise.

As George Washington once said, “If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter” is a concept that is connected to the policy that was appointed in Soviet Union. Mikhail Gorbachev, the new leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic launched three policies in 1985, to modernize and revitalize the Soviet Union. The three policies were Perestroika, a political movement for reformation within the Communist party, Glasnost, the open discussion of political/social issues, and Demokratizatsia, which enabled them to make changes by permitting wider access to the government (Cold War Perestroika and Glasnost). The Glasnost policy brought enormous changes, politically and socially in the Soviet Union. It brought openness to the media and reduced the traditional constraints on the flow of government.

Gorbachev spearheaded this effort with his rise to General Secretary in March, 1985, with the support of the Central Committee . To further public support of his new radical policy, perestroika was influenced by Lenin in that in April of 1983, Gorbachev worked with Lenin tenets on the formation of efficient economic laws, proper government spending, and planning costs . The adoption of a more westernized economic policy did indeed lead to better working and living conditions and eliminated Socialist ethics in economy . By 1987, the economy of the Soviet Union had dramatically improved. Public support for Gorbachev was immense, and in January of 1987, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CBSU) Central Committee decided that efforts to implement democratic ideals should be increased . This allowed for a more liberal view of economic issues, which led to the adoption of the “Fundamentals of Radical Restructuring of Economic Management” in June, 1987 . This reform increased the independence of business, and granted all rights to the businesses themselves. This was all part in structuring a more efficient and stable economy in the Soviet Union. Furthermore, glasnost, a policy in which democratic ideals is implemented into society, was used .

Mikhail Gorbachev stepped onto to the Russian political scene in 1985 as Leader of the Soviet Union. He was very different from the other leaders who had come before him because of their lust and hunger for power. Gorbachev felt that it was more important to promote peace throughout the world than to get what he and the leaders who came before him desired. This desire in Gorbachev's heart eventually led to the tearing down of the Berlin wall, the end of Communism in several European countries, and eventually to the end of the Cold War in 1991. Gorbachev decided that he wasn’t going to force his ideals upon the European nations, and because of that Communism quickly fell.

After graduating from law school he worked to promote the Communist Party programs in the region he came from. He saw the horrible living conditions in the villages and had concerns about his country and wanted to change things and make life better for his people. Gorbachev knew that the country was spending too much on the military and that it didn’t produce enough food to feed its people. He knew the answer was to change the system. He knew that he had to open relations with the west and have a more open political system (Ratnesar Pg. 74-74).

When Mikhail Gorbachev came to power he was the first intellectual to lead the Soviet Communist Party since Lenin when he was appointed in March 1985, as a Law graduate of Moscow State University. A native to the Northern Caucasus, Gorbachev had governed his home region of Stavropol, Krai for fifteen years. As the region was home to extensive agriculture he gained extensive experience supervising a huge economic complex whilst directing Party organization and managing the inter-ethnic situations of the Northern Caucasus. After fifteen years of governing his home region, he moved to Moscow and took up the position of Secretary of the Central Committee responsible for agriculture. His position within the party and diplomatic training accelerated

Perestroika translates to “restructuring” and was a policy introduced by Gorbachev which intended to reform the baseline of the Soviet economy in an attempt to

Many reformers wanted more competition between industries and incentives for workers. Gorbachev introduced his reform of perestroika, or economic liberalization, in 1985, but reformers still were not happy.

The “Perestroika” policy was announced in 1986 and was another attempt to reorganize the economy.